Former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Joins Cooley

Washington, DC – October 3, 2025 – Today, Cooley announced that Brian Nelson has joined the firm as a partner in its global litigation department in Washington, DC, where he will lead the department’s national security practice, which will focus on the defense of government investigations and enforcement. Brian will also collaborate with the firm’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), trade controls and government contracts practices to advise Cooley clients on national security compliance and transactions.

“Brian is a talented lawyer on national security and financial regulations and enforcement,” said Ian Shapiro, partner and chair of the firm’s global litigation department. “We look forward to his collaborating with many of the firm’s industry-leading practice groups – CFIUS, trade controls and government contracts, white collar defense and investigations, and financial services enforcement and regulatory – as we defend our clients in a broad range of national security investigations.”

Until recently, Nelson served as the US Department of Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, where he oversaw the Office of Foreign Assets Controls and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. In that role, Brian was responsible for the federal government’s imposition of economic sanctions and implementation of the Bank Secrecy Act. At Cooley, Brian will advise Cooley’s innovative clients on national security compliance and investigations, including economic sanctions, CFIUS and export controls, as well as compliance with anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regulations.

“Brian’s national security experience is the perfect complement to our first-tier investigations practice, positioning us to advise our clients in the US and overseas in their most critical matters involving export controls, sanctions and national security enforcement,” said Andrew Goldstein, head of the firm’s white collar defense and investigations group and co-partner in charge of Cooley’s Washington, DC, office.

“Brian’s knowledge of anti-money laundering regulation and enforcement is invaluable to our financial services clients as we guide them through the ever-changing global economy,” said Michelle Rogers, chair of Cooley’s global financial services enforcement and regulatory practice.

Before serving in the Treasury Department, Brian was the chief legal officer and general counsel of the LA 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games and the general counsel, interim chief of policy, and special assistant attorney general of the California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. He also served in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division as deputy chief of staff and special counsel to the assistant attorney general for National Security.

“Cooley has a team of world-class litigators, innovative clients, a collaborative culture and an unwavering commitment to excellence,” said Nelson. “I look forward to drawing on my legal and government experience to help our clients navigate their most complex and business-critical matters.”

Cooley’s litigation department includes more than 460 lawyers in the US and Europe and is the leading litigation department for the representation of tech, life sciences and other innovative companies. In 2025, Cooley has added elite next-generation lawyers to its litigation department throughout the US – including Elizabeth Prelogar, Raymond Tolentino and Ephraim McDowell in DC; Simona Agnolucci, Ben Hur, Jonathan Patchen, Eduardo Santacana, Michael Rome, Joshua Anderson and Tiffany Lin in San Francisco; Lyndsey Kruzer in Boston; and James Kim and Tejal Shah in New York.

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