Attorneys Address Revised Guidelines on Personnel Security Clearances

All agree that the federal government must have a timely, reliable security clearance process, both for government employees and for an ever-increasing number of contractor personnel. Recent attempts to make this happen, however, may have the opposite effect.

Washington, D.C., Attorneys Daniel Schwartz, Anna Ursano and Katherine Seikaly analyze the Department of Defense’s revised adjudicative guidelines for evaluating individual security clearance applicants and the real challenges these guidelines present in the BNA’s Federal Contracts Report. The revised guidelines, they say, make it more important than ever that those applying understand the process and consider the use of counsel to help navigate the new system.

Schwartz’s practice focuses on corporate compliance and white collar criminal defense, including conducting internal investigations and audits, replying to grand jury, negotiating resolutions to government investigations and designing and implementing corporate compliance programs. He particularly focuses on issues involving antitrust and trade regulation, unfair and deceptive practices, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and export controls, classified contracting, security clearances and foreign ownership and control of and influence over classified facilities. Prior to joining the firm, Schwartz served in a number of government positions, including at the National Security Agency as its general counsel.

Ursano’s practice focuses on the defense of federal and state criminal and regulatory investigations and enforcement matters, internal investigations, corporate compliance and related civil litigation. She has assisted in the defense of clients under criminal investigation by federal law enforcement and agencies and has been involved in trial and appellate litigation. Ursano has been the lead associate on numerous adjudications before the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals.

Seikaly's practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation and corporate compliance.  She has been involved in internal reviews and investigations, as well as trial and appellate litigation.  Ms. Seikaly has assisted teams of Bryan Cave lawyers in several adjudications before the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals.  Seikaly is a member of the Commercial Litigation Client Service Group.

Click on the attachment below to read their full article, reproduced with permission from Federal Contracts Report, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 46-59 (Jan. 16, 2007). Copyright 2007 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) http://www.bna.com.