MLA Places Top Justice Department Official John P. Carlin at Morrison & Foerster to Lead the Firm’s Global Risk & Crisis Management Practice

Hanover, MD (January 9, 2017) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world's leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of John P. Carlin, former assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice, at Morrison & Foerster. The search was led by Stephen M. Springer, a partner in Major, Lindsey & Africa's Washington, D.C., office.

Mr. Carlin has served as a top-level official in both Republican and Democratic administrations, most recently as the assistant attorney general for the DOJ's National Security Division (NSD), having been appointed by the President and overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan basis. Previously, he served as chief of staff and senior counsel to Robert S. Mueller, III, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As a partner at Morrison & Foerster, Mr. Carlin will drive a cross-disciplinary risk and crisis management practice and will also expand the firm's market-leading practices in cybersecurity and data privacy, national security, government enforcement, and white-collar defense.

As assistant attorney general for DOJ's NSD for three years, Mr. Carlin regularly briefed high-ranking government officials, including the President. He oversaw nearly 400 employees responsible for protecting the United States against international and domestic terrorism, espionage, cyber and other national security threats. Mr. Carlin joined the NSD after helping lead the FBI's evolution to meet growing and changing national security threats, including cyber threats. A career federal prosecutor, Mr. Carlin also held positions as national coordinator of DOJ's Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Program and as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted cases ranging from homicide and sexual offenses to cyber, fraud, and public corruption matters. As a trial lawyer, he has tried 40 cases to verdict.

"John's unique expertise combating national security threats, including cyber security threats, combined with his leadership of an outreach campaign dedicated to raising 'c-suite awareness' of cyber and economic espionage meant he was sought after by numerous law firms looking to advise clients on threats to operating businesses across borders," said Stephen Springer. "Morrison & Foerster completely understood how to capitalize on John's exceptional blend of substantive and leadership experience to supplement their existing capabilities. I have no doubt he will be enormously successful in private practice."

"When I began working with Stephen, we talked about finding a firm that would allow me to build on existing expertise across multiple practices to deliver what clients want: strategies to manage and mitigate risk before a crisis occurs and the experience to navigate complex matters throughout a business when the worst happens and the company is on the line," said Mr. Carlin. "After meeting with a significant numbers of firms, I'm delighted that Stephen was able to help pave the way for me to join Morrison & Foerster, which has the world's best privacy and data security practice, an outstanding global platform and longstanding expertise in technology including the Internet of Things and autonomous vehicles. It was a pleasure to work with Stephen who exhibited the highest levels of professionalism at all times and has enabled me to land at such a great firm."

John graduated from Williams College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. in English and Political Science. He spent his junior year at Oxford University, Exeter College. He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1999, and was a Samuel J. Heyman Fellow for Federal Government Service and articles editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation.