DJ Rosenthal
Former National Security Council, DOJ, and Intelligence Community official. 20+ years navigating the intersection of national security and private enterprise.
DJ Rosenthal has spent more than two decades at the center of American national security, advising senior government officials, building practices at the intersection of law and policy, and counseling companies on the most sensitive regulatory and strategic challenges they face.
His government career included senior positions at the National Security Council at the White House, the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. In these roles, he worked on matters spanning counterterrorism, foreign investment review, intelligence oversight, and cross-border security cooperation.
In the private sector, DJ practiced at WilmerHale before joining Kroll, the global corporate risk and advisory firm, where he founded and led the CFIUS advisory practice. At Kroll, he built one of the leading teams advising companies and investors on CFIUS transactions, national security compliance, and cross-border risk.
DJ is a Fellow at the National Security Institute at the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Honors College for more than ten years. He is a member of the bar in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Why 77 Meridian
77 Meridian grew out of a career spent on both sides of the table.
In government, DJ saw how the national security regulatory system works from the inside: how decisions get made, how risks get assessed, how companies succeed or fail in navigating federal scrutiny. At WilmerHale and then at Kroll, he saw the private sector side: companies with critical technology and real national security implications, struggling to find counsel who understood both the legal framework and the policy environment driving it.
The gap was clear. Most law firms treat national security as a sub-specialty of regulatory compliance. Most consultancies lack the legal depth to advise on the issues that actually matter. Companies in the defense and intelligence space (particularly technology and AI companies) needed something different: a partner who could sit inside their operations, not just respond to crises but anticipate them, and bring the kind of judgment that only comes from years at the highest levels of government.
That is what 77 Meridian was built to provide. Not a law firm in the traditional sense. Not a consultancy. An embedded legal and strategic partner, led personally by DJ Rosenthal, for companies where the national security environment is the operating environment.
Founded in 2025, built on 20+ years of senior national security experience in government and the private sector.
Credentials
Credentials
Government Service
National Security Council, The White House
National Security Division, U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Intelligence Community
Private Sector
WilmerHale
Kroll (Founded the CFIUS Advisory Practice)
Academic
Fellow, National Security Institute at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Honors College (10+ years)
Bar Memberships
Maryland
District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Published In
The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Atlantic, CNN, Foreign Policy, Just Security, Lawfare, Defense One, The Baltimore Sun, The Hill, Law360, Yale Journal of International Affairs, The Times of Israel, Center for a New American Security
How We Work
The 77 Meridian Approach
Our process integrates legal strategy, national security expertise, and operational counsel at every stage of your company's growth.
Assess
Evaluate your legal, regulatory, and national security landscape from the inside
Advise
Develop strategy grounded in deep government insight and private sector experience
Embed
Integrate directly into your operations as an extension of your leadership team
Protect
Navigate regulatory risks, government scrutiny, and compliance demands before they escalate
Evolve
Adapt your legal and strategic posture as the national security environment shifts
Due Diligence & Investigations
Former federal law enforcement professionals conducting background investigations, compliance reviews, and risk assessments.
Cyber Risk Assessments & Security
Former Fortune 100 CISOs leading threat analysis, vulnerability assessments, and security program design.
Advanced Threat Analysis
Intelligence community veterans assessing foreign threats, insider risks, and sensitive data exposure.
Strategic & Crisis Communications
Media strategy, crisis response, and public affairs counsel for companies under regulatory or public scrutiny.
Every engagement is led directly by DJ Rosenthal. Not delegated to associates. Clients get senior-level counsel on every matter, every time.