Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Alex Iftimie has joined the firm in its Washington, D.C. office* as of counsel in its National Security practice. Mr. Iftimie has held multiple senior positions at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including Counselor to the Attorney General, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security. He most recently served as Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
While at the DOJ, Mr. Iftimie advised department leadership on a wide range of national security issues, including responses to nation-state sponsored cyber intrusions and theft of trade secrets, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act matters and the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, congressional oversight matters, foreign investment reviews under the purview of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and complex issues under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). In the Eastern District of Virginia, Mr. Iftimie was a member of the prosecution team that brought the DOJ’s first charges against Russian efforts to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections. He also investigated federal crimes ranging from espionage, trade secret theft, and national security cyber matters to fraud, firearm, and drug offenses.
At Morrison & Foerster, Mr. Iftimie will advise clients on national security matters, crisis management, cyber incident response, internal investigations, CFIUS reviews, FARA, and government enforcement actions.
“Alex is an exceptional lawyer and a tremendous addition to our market-leading practice,” said John P. Carlin, a co-head of the National Security practice and the former Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. “His broad government experience — from advising senior-most levels of the DOJ on national security issues, to investigating and prosecuting federal crimes, to his work in the executive branch on interagency policymaking — will be invaluable to our clients as they navigate complex national security matters.”
“I am excited to have the opportunity to work at Morrison & Foerster with so many former government officials who have served in top national security roles and shaped the policies that address our nation’s most complex national security issues,” said Mr. Iftimie. “I had the pleasure of working with several members of our National Security practice while in government, and know them to be outstanding lawyers who exemplify the highest standards of excellence, integrity, and professionalism. I look forward to providing counsel and advocacy to the firm’s impressive list of global clients, and am excited to do so in the team-oriented atmosphere at MoFo.”
Mr. Iftimie joins the firm at a time of significant growth in Morrison & Foerster’s D.C. office and the National Security practice. In 2018, two top sanctions officials joined the firm— former Director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and National Security Practice co-head John E. Smith; and former OFAC Senior Sanctions Policy Advisor Michael V. Dobson.Joseph A. Benkert, former leading civilian official in the Department of Defense who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs, also joined the firm last year. In addition to Mr. Carlin, other key hires in the past few years include Robert S. Litt, former General Counsel for the Director of National Intelligence; and David A. Newman, who served as the Associate White House Counsel and on the Staff of the National Security Council.
* Admitted only in California; practice supervised by principals of the firm admitted in the District of Columbia
