Kara is an associate in Morrison Foerster’s National Security Group. Drawing on her years of government service working on high stakes matters at the Department of Justice’s National Security Division (NSD), she regularly advises clients on international and government-facing investigations, regulatory compliance, and enforcement matters.

Most recently, Kara served as a Trial Attorney in the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, leading the investigation and prosecution of a range of criminal offenses.

Between 2023‒2025, Kara served as Deputy Chief of Staff of NSD and Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. As part of her responsibilities, Kara provided strategic legal and policy advice on a broad portfolio of national security matters involving foreign malign influence, cyber threats, foreign investment, and international and domestic terrorism. She regularly prepared senior DOJ leadership for National Security Council meetings and congressional hearings and briefings, as well as for public and international engagements. Kara’s work contributed to consequential national security actions—including a significant regulatory enforcement penalty and initiatives such as the DOJ Data Security Program—earning her multiple DOJ awards for excellence.

Earlier in her DOJ career, Kara served as an Attorney Advisor in the Foreign Investment Review Section (FIRS), where she led the Department’s review and investigation of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and Team Telecom matters. In that role, she assessed risk profiles of complex transactions, negotiated national security agreements, oversaw compliance monitoring, and represented DOJ in engagements with foreign governments.

Kara earned her J.D., cum laude, from George Mason University School of Law—where she served as a senior notes editor of the George Mason Law Review. She received her B.A. with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.