Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, a prominent law firm, announced on Tuesday that it has enlisted the expertise of a distinguished lawyer from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to bolster its white-collar practice. This move comes as the Biden administration continuously emphasizes national security concerns within its corporate enforcement efforts.
Deborah Curtis, a former Deputy General Counsel at the CIA, will join the firm as a partner in its white-collar defense and investigations group based in Washington, D.C. With her extensive background, Curtis will specialize in handling national security matters, including issues related to export control restrictions, foreign influence laws, and supply chain regulations.
Curtis’s arrival at Arnold & Porter coincides with the Biden administration’s plans to intensify the enforcement of economic sanctions and export controls, with a specific focus on curbing corporate activities that could undermine U.S. efforts to counter adversaries such as Russia and China.
Addressing the challenges faced by multinational companies, Curtis highlighted the complexity surrounding government enforcement and regulatory actions aimed at safeguarding national security. She acknowledged that the government’s mere mention of national security concerns can have a profound chilling effect on a company’s ability to respond effectively.
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Curtis explained that she chose to join Arnold & Porter due to the firm’s established credibility within the U.S. intelligence community and its existing focus on national security matters within its white-collar practice. As a lawyer at the CIA, Curtis managed litigation and investigations, responded to congressional inquiries, and handled lawsuits involving the intelligence agency. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in establishing a task force dedicated to providing rapid legal advice during intelligence crises.
Prior to her tenure at the CIA, Curtis served as the Chief Counsel for Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this capacity, she contributed to export control policy and played a key role in drafting restrictions on the access of China-based company Huawei Technologies to computer chips.
Curtis also held positions at the U.S. Justice Department, where she worked as a supervisor in the National Security Division and as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington. Although she was not a member of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigating potential coordination between Russia and individuals associated with Donald Trump’s election campaign, Curtis was involved in prosecutions stemming from the probe, including cases against Trump associates Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort.
In response to the Biden administration’s heightened focus on national security-related issues like sanctions and export controls, several law firms in Washington are proactively expanding their legal talent pool. Just last month, Mayer Brown hired Adam Hickey, a former national security official at the Justice Department.
Arnold & Porter’s strategic move to recruit Deborah Curtis, an experienced CIA lawyer, underscores the firm’s commitment to fortifying its capabilities in navigating the complex intersection of law and national security. With Curtis on board, the firm is well-positioned to provide comprehensive legal counsel to clients facing intricate challenges in the ever-evolving landscape of national security regulations and enforcement.
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