Morrison Foerster is an international law firm with lawyers practicing throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. Click to discover more.

mofo_share_image.jpg

Morrison Foerster

common-default.jpeg

Terms / Notices

Cookies

Privacy Policy

Reporting Hotline

Attorney Advertising

Alumni

  Linkedin

MoFo LinkedIN

  Facebook

MoFo Facebook

YouTube

MoFo Youtube

Morrison Foerster - Footer

Cyber Defense Dialogues | 2025 NATO Summit | Episode 1

You have not solved the recaptcha challenge yet or session expired, try again.

Email Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/about/privacy-policy.html">Privacy Policy</a>, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.

Feedback

mofo-logo-2022.svg

People

Capabilities

Resources

About

Culture

Offices

Careers

Stay Connected

Ahead of the 2025 NATO Summit, hosts Lokke Moerel and Alex van der Wolk speak with top experts and policymakers about hybrid...

Cyber Defense Dialogues | 2025 NATO Summit | Episode 1

Sign Up

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe class="sticky-video" title="Meet Lokke Moerel, Privacy and Data Security Senior Of Counsel" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/uk873cH6OuE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="1" title="iframe"></iframe></div>Among the world’s best-known privacy and cybersecurity advisers, Lokke is regularly called upon by some of the most sophisticated multinational organizations to confront their global privacy and ethical challenges. Lokke routinely offers guidance to clients when implementing new technologies and digital business models and assists them with their global cybersecurity incident response and regulatory investigations.An authority on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the Internet of things, Lokke has a proven track record helping clients shape complex AI projects that combine global data assets of multinational companies in the healthcare, financial services, technology, and recruitment sectors, with the intricate technologies of tech giants to create next generation AI solutions.Lokke is also a professor of global ICT law at Tilburg University and co-academic director of two Tilburg University professional learning programs, “Big Data: AI & Law” (teaching Algorithmic Accountability) and “Advanced Cyber Security and Governance”. Lokke is a member of the Dutch Cyber Security Council (the independent advisory body of the Dutch cabinet on cybersecurity), a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Netherlands AI Coalition and the Dutch Corporate Governance Code Monitoring Committee, and a non-executive board member of several nonprofit organizations.Lokke has practiced law in the Netherlands, London, and Berlin, and is now resident in MoFo’s Amsterdam office. She is a member of MoFo’s Responsible Tech Committee and the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Steering Committee. Lokke is MoFo’s lead counsel on Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) and has unsurpassed experience advising multinational companies on obtaining their BCR approvals throughout the EU, having authored the leading textbook on BCR published by Oxford University.Lokke is an IAPP Emeritus Fellow and has received many international awards, including the International Law Office Client Choice Award as best Internet & Technology Lawyer 2019 and 2021 and recognition by Global Data Review’s 2022 Women in Data Award for being on the cutting edge of legislation, regulation, and technology around the world.

Lokke Moerel

Senior Of Counsel

<div class="videoWrapper">Alex van der Wolk, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Global Privacy & Data Security practice and managing partner of the firm’s Amsterdam and Brussels offices, employs his nearly 20 years of experience to advise global companies on their most complex data strategies and compliance programs governing all aspects of information management. Alex’s clients benefit from his practical approach and global perspective, saying: “he quickly gets to the heart of the issue and provides solid, pragmatic advice based on the experience he has gained,” “in addition to having very strong legal knowledge, he has a commercial understanding and provides great insight in global matters,” and  “Alex is a true privacy expert with the ability to offer practical guidance on complex problems” (Chambers EU).</div>Alex helps clients develop privacy and data strategies at the forefront of their digital and data-driven endeavors, especially those involving new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse. He has particular experience assisting clients with structuring their approach to data in specialized areas, such as health-tech, Agtech, and Adtech. Alex is an experienced litigator, representing clients in privacy litigation in Europe, including successfully representing clients in the first class action cases in the Netherlands and the UK. Additionally, Alex is often called upon to head crisis management teams for clients facing investigations by data protection authorities or responding to cybersecurity incidents. He counsels clients on their incident and cyber preparedness and has done significant work advising clients on EU cyber and data regulatory frameworks, such as NIS2, DORA, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the EU Data Act.Notably, Alex was one of the first practitioners in Europe to help companies set up Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), and since that time has used this deep knowledge to develop a longstanding and unparalleled track record in obtaining regulatory approval for BCRs, both in the EU and in the UK.Alex is a frequent speaker at high-profile international conferences, including IAPP and South by Southwest (SXSW), and is a guest lecturer at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society. He is a Dutch-qualified lawyer and a member of the Amsterdam and Brussels Bars. He speaks fluent English and Dutch.

Alex van der Wolk

Managing Partner, Amsterdam and Brussels

Brandon L. Van Grack co-chairs Morrison Foerster’s National Security and Crisis Management groups. His practice focuses on investigations, criminal defense, and compliance matters involving export controls and sanctions, foreign investment, and cyber incidents. Brandon’s arrival to the firm follows more than a decade of service at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where he held multiple senior positions. In those positions, he helped manage the U.S. government’s tools to address perceived national security threats in China and Russia, oversaw every criminal investigation involving sanctions and export controls, and was Chief of DOJ’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit.Brandon’s leadership and breadth of national security experience offers clients in the financial services, technology, artificial intelligence, defense, media, and communications sectors unmatched insider enforcement perspective across the entire national security landscape, including sanctions, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), export control, cybersecurity matters, and FARA.<h4>Investigations & White Collar Defense </h4>At the DOJ, Brandon led and supervised some of the government’s most significant corporate investigations and resolutions across the national security spectrum. As Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and a Trial Attorney in the Counterintelligence & Export Control Section, he worked on the resolution of almost every significant corporate matter pertaining to export control and sanctions violations in the last decade and is one of the few attorneys to have managed the DOJ’s Voluntary Self‑Disclosure Program for export control and sanctions violations. As Chief of the FARA Unit, he directed scores of investigations of companies for acting as unregistered foreign agents. A selection of Brandon’s investigation & white collar defense experience includes:<ul><li>Obtained closure letter from DOJ for Cole Engineering Services, a subsidiary of By Light Professional IT Services LLC, less than six months after federal agents executed a search warrant at the company as part of a DOJ investigation.</li><li>Obtained declination from DOJ’s Criminal Fraud Section and United States Attorney’s Office for a prominent advertising and marketing agency concerning allegations that the company insiders improperly obtained and used Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.</li></ul><h4>Sanctions, Export Control, & Foreign Investment</h4>As Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, Brandon oversaw every criminal investigation involving export control and sanctions and led the DOJ’s response to the Obama Administration’s rollback of sanctions targeting Iran—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As a Trial Attorney, he prosecuted more than 30 export control and sanctions cases, including first-ever cases involving North Korea, weapons of mass destruction, and the Atomic Energy Act. In the first Trump Administration, Brandon led DOJ’s review of transactions involving foreign influence before CFIUS and Team Telecom; he also managed the DOJ’s review of transactions before CFIUS during the Obama Administration. A selection of Brandon’s sanctions, export control, & foreign investment experience includes:<ul><li>Obtained declination from DOJ and Department of State for individual accused of violating the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and brokering.  </li><li>Obtained declination from DOJ for CEO of a global technology company subject to criminal and civil investigations into alleged violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).</li><li>Obtained license on an expedited timeline from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for a U.S. technology and manufacturing company to winddown operations in Russia.</li><li>Represent global retailer to conduct internal investigation and draft disclosures to civil authorities pertaining to potential apparent violations of U.S. sanctions and export controls laws.</li><li>Developed U.S. sanctions compliance program for artificial intelligence company and advised on implementation, including ongoing support for compliance processes and procedures.</li><li>Led internal investigation and submitted response to OFAC subpoena for software development company regarding potential violations of multiple sanctions programs; obtained cautionary letter.</li><li>Conducted international investigation concerning federal and state material support statutes as well as related sanctions issues for prominent international organization.</li><li>Represented cryptocurrency exchange before CFIUS in one of the largest cryptocurrency-related transactions and first filing involving digital assets before the Committee.</li><li>Represented Kahoot!, a global learning platform company based in Norway, in CFIUS matters related to its acquisition of Clever Inc.</li></ul><h4>FARA & the Lobbying Disclosure Act</h4>As Chief of the FARA Unit in the first Trump Administration, and the first official to supervise all foreign influence matters across the DOJ, Brandon revitalized and transformed the enforcement of FARA. Following the DOJ’s announcement making FARA an enforcement priority, he supervised a team of 40 attorneys and staff that opened a record number of investigations, pursued a record number of enforcement actions, secured a record number of registrations, and obtained the first civil injunction involving FARA in nearly three decades. Brandon also directed the review of Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) filings for criminal violations and regulated the exemption under FARA for LDA registrants. He also wrote the book on FARA enforcement for the American Bar Association. A selection of Brandon’s FARA & Lobbying Disclosure Act experience includes:<ul><li>Obtained first-ever closure letter from DOJ FARA Unit for a technology company under investigation for potential FARA violations.</li><li>Obtained declination from DOJ for sports organization in connection with a FARA investigation. </li></ul><h4>Cybersecurity </h4>As a long-time prosecutor, including as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Brandon directed complex cyber investigations, including multiple matters involving state-sponsored cyber attacks. He prosecuted the first person convicted as a cyberterrorist and led the investigation of an international hacking group for identity theft, extortion, and dozens of spearphishing attacks against public and private entities. He also collaborated with other government agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security, to facilitate cooperation from corporate victims and disseminate threat information. A selection of Brandon’s cybersecurity experience includes:<ul><li>Obtained assistance from FBI and local enforcement for a data and analytics firm to disrupt cyber-enabled campaign of former employee targeting customers.</li></ul>During his time at the DOJ, Brandon handled the entire range of national security matters. He led and supervised investigations and prosecutions involving espionage, economic espionage, mishandling of classified information, and theft of trade secrets. He also directed investigations involving treason, mutiny, the Neutrality Act, and the Logan Act, and worked closely with the Department of Education on matters pertaining foreign influence, foreign funding, and national security.Brandon has been widely recognized for his deep experience in handling national security matters, and keynotes and speaks at industry conferences involving export control and sanctions, CFIUS, FARA, and political law. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (2018), the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Cyber Investigation (2017), the Director of National Counterintelligence’s Award for Excellence (2019), the Homeland Security Investigations Executive Associate Director’s Award for Outstanding Counterproliferation Investigation (2014), and five awards from the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.Brandon regularly provides insight on national security issues and DOJ matters with national media. He is a frequent contributor on cable news, including MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Deadline: Whitehouse and All In with Chris Hayes, ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's Meet the Press, CNN, BBC News, Sky News and NHK World. He also regularly appears on NPR’s Morning Edition. He has been quoted on a variety of national security topics in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post, among others,Brandon is also a Contributing Editor to the Lawfare blog and co-host of <a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/podcasts-multimedia/podcast/the-regulators-series" target="_blank">The Regulators</a> podcast, where he speaks with key U.S. government regulators in the national security space, including leaders at OFAC, CFIUS, the Bureau of Industry and Security, DOJ, FinCEN, the Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS), and FBI.

Brandon L. Van Grack

Partner

Privacy + Data Security