Former U.S. Department of Justice Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division, David Newman, Rejoins Morrison Foerster in Washington, D.C.

(March 3, 2025) – Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of David Newman, who rejoins the firm as a partner and co-chair of the National Security and Crisis Management Groups, in the Washington, D.C., office. Serving most recently as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General (PDAAG) for the National Security Division (NSD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Newman brings to the firm nearly two decades of government and private sector experience in national security, crisis management, and high-stakes litigation.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome David back to MoFo,” said Brandon L. Van Grack, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s National Security and Crisis Management Groups. “David is a tremendous addition to our top-tier National Security and Crisis Management teams. His expertise across the entire national security spectrum, including sanctions, export control, cybersecurity, FARA, and CFIUS, will help our clients to see around corners and anticipate evolving legal and business risks in an increasingly complex enforcement and regulatory environment.”

In his most recent role as PDAAG, the DOJ’s second-highest-ranking national security official, from 2022 to 2025, Newman oversaw the work of nearly 300 career attorneys in leading the DOJ’s mission to combat cybercrime, sanctions and export control evasion, and other threats to national security. He had extensive engagement across all aspects of NSD’s portfolio, including supervision of DOJ’s criminal enforcement program for sanctions, export controls, and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Newman also regularly served as DOJ’s lead representative to meetings of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and spearheaded administration initiatives involving emerging technology, data security, and countering foreign malign influence.

During Newman’s tenure, NSD created the “NatSecCyber” section, the first new litigating section in NSD’s history with a mission to centralize DOJ’s prosecutions and disruptions of national security cyber threats emanating from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (among other U.S. adversaries); restructured and expanded NSD’s corporate enforcement program; and spearheaded the U.S. government’s approach to countering the threats posed by foreign adversary access to Americans’ sensitive bulk data. Newman testified prominently before Congress on the threats to national security posed by emerging technology, including serving as a key witness on then-pending legislation to address the national security risks posed by TikTok and other foreign adversary-controlled social media applications.

Prior to returning to DOJ in 2021 with the change in administration, Newman was a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Washington, D.C. Office, where he co-founded the firm’s innovative Crisis Management Practice. In addition to leading high-stakes matters on behalf of the firm’s major corporate clients, Newman was instrumental in driving some of the firm’s key growth initiatives, including helping to build out the CFIUS and sanctions practices into leading destination practices, advising clients forced to navigate high-stakes cybersecurity incidents, and expanding the firm’s “bet the company” regulatory and investigations practices in the Washington, D.C., office. Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Newman held several key posts at the White House, including serving as Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Obama and in multiple positions on the staff of the National Security Council. During his previous tenure at the White House, he played a central role in coordinating the Obama administration’s response to a broad array of domestic and international crises. A graduate of Columbia College and Yale Law School, Newman began his Executive Branch service as a career attorney at DOJ after completing a clerkship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“Having worked closely with David over many years on some of the firm’s highest-stakes and most sensitive matters, I know that his return could not have come at a better time to help guide clients through the complex global enforcement landscape in national security and emerging technology,” said Jeff Jaeckel, Vice-Chair of Morrison Foerster.

“I am grateful after my time in public service to be rejoining good friends and former colleagues in MoFo’s world-class National Security, Crisis Management, and White Collar practices,” said Newman. “It is hard to imagine a more critical time—or a more innovative group of colleagues—to be in position to help clients navigate high-stakes matters involving national security, geopolitical risk, emerging technology, and crisis management,” said Newman.