GW Law’s National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law Program and the Military Law Society (MLS) co-hosted a panel entitled “Serving in Secret: Legal Careers through Intelligence Community Honors Programs.”
The panel featured Kalitamara Moody, Associate General Counsel of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); Paul Holden, Deputy General Counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA); and Professor Robert Baxter (JD’15), Senior Counsel at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The panel was moderated by MLS President, Jackson Head.
The panel opened with each panelist giving an overview of their career paths, and telling students how attorneys support each of their agency’s distinctive missions. Moody joined the DIA’s legal team in September 2022, and she currently serves as Associate General Counsel in the Mission Support and Litigation Division, where she advises agency clients on litigation-related matters and assists the U.S. Department of Justice in both civil and criminal proceedings involving DIA equities. She also serves as the Senior Counsel for Career Management.
As Deputy General Counsel at NGA, Holden advises the General Counsel, NGA Director, and other senior leaders on a wide array of national security-related legal issues. Prior to assuming his current position, he was Associate General Counsel, Mission and International Law, and led a diverse team of highly skilled attorneys tasked with advising on all operational, intelligence collection, data management, and international legal matters.
Professor Baxter serves in the National Security and Cyber Law Branch at the FBI, supporting the Director and Deputy Director of the Strategic National Security Division. Professor Baxter also teaches at GW Law and directs the Schenck National Security Crisis Negotiations Competition.
The panelists each discussed what their specific agency’s honors application process is like and what they look for in the ideal applicant. They also covered the security clearance process and practice areas honors attorneys can explore at each agency.
During the Q&A session, the panelists answered additional questions about the application process and timelines, and emphasized the rewarding nature of careers in public service in the intelligence community. After the panel’s formal portion, student attendees had the opportunity to meet with and ask the panelists questions informally.
This successful event demonstrates the dedication of GW Law’s National Security, Cybersecurity, & Foreign Relation Law Program to making sure its students get exposure to, and support for future careers in, the many facets of national security law.
