Tom Firestone

Education

• Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1993
• University of California at Berkeley, M.A., 1987
• Harvard College, B.A., magna cum laude with highest honors, 1986

Admissions

• District of Columbia, 2018
• New York, 1993

Memberships & Affiliations

• Best Lawyers in America: White Collar Criminal Defense, 2022-2026
• Superior Honor Award, US Department of State, 2004 and 2010
• Outstanding Performance Award, US Department of Justice, 2008 and 2009
• Special Award for Advancing US-Russian Cooperation in Antitrust Enforcement, presented by Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, 2010
• Best Professor Award, Pericles American Business Law Education Project, Moscow, awarded for class on “Corporate and White Collar Crime,” 2009 and 2010
• American Bar Association Section of International Law Award for Best Stand-Alone Program, “Resolution of Russia-Related Business Disputes: The Next Wave,” 2009
• Award for Advancing US-Russian Cooperation, Moscow Oblast Advocates Chamber, 2008

• Author, “Herring and Anti-Corruption,” BriberyMatters, April 11, 2024.
• Quoted, “Congress pushes Whistleblower Rewards bill to nab enablers of sanctioned oligarchs,” New York Post, June 26, 2023.
• Quoted, “Blinken Calls Russian Counterpart to Demand Release of Evan Gershkovich,” Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2023.
• Quoted, “Who Is Marc Fogel? American Who Remains in Russia for Medical Marijuana After Griner Release,” TIME, December 10, 2022.
• Quoted, “The Other American Jailed in Russia on Marijuana Charges,” Politico, December 10, 2022.
• Author, “Russia’s American Hostages: The Marc Fogel Case,” The National Interest, October 18, 2022.
• Author, “U.S. Government Puts Businesses on Alert: Beware of North Korean IT Workers,” Employee Relations Law Journal, Vol. 48, No. 2, Autumn 2022.
• Quoted, “Russian court likely to convict, sentence Brittney Griner on drug charge. Then what?” ESPN, June 30, 2022.
• Quoted, “Evasive practices risk ensnaring companies in Russia sanctions,” Legal Dive, June 28, 2022.
• Quoted, “U.S. State Department Declares That Brittney Griner Has Been ‘Wrongfully Detained’ in Russia,” Wall Street Journal, May 3, 2022.
• Quoted, “Is Brittney Griner a political hostage in Russia? We may find out soon,” Yahoo! Sports, April 17, 2022.
• Quoted, “Sanctions Flurry Keeps National Security Lawyers on Edge,” Law.com, April 14, 2022.
• Quoted, “Here are all the women who have won Vladimir Putin’s black heart,” New York Post, April 6, 2022.
• Quoted, “New ‘Russian asset tracker’ tallies $17.5B worth of oligarchs' wealth,” New York Post, March 21, 2022.
• Author, “Targeting the Oligarchs: What Does it Mean?” Bloomberg Law, March 17, 2022.
• Quoted, “Banks face complex compliance risks as they attempt to exit Russia,” Compliance Week, March 16, 2022.
• Quoted, “Russia’s Sberbank blasts bid for asset freeze in $1 bln U.S. case,” Reuters, March 16, 2022.
• Quoted, “Anxiety about Brittney Griner's freedom mounts amid Russia- Ukraine conflict,” The Hill, March 12, 2022.
• Quoted, “Brittney Griner’s Circle Turns to a Common Strategy: Silence,” New York Times, March 11, 2022.
• Quoted, “Brittney Griner Faces a Long Journey Through the Russian Legal System,” Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2022.
• Quoted, “Brittney Griner is detained in Russia. Putin's war in Ukraine could put the US basketball star in even more danger,” Australian Broadcasting Company, March 10, 2022.
• Quoted, “The low-profile, high-powered race to free WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russian custody,” Washington Post, March 10, 2022.
• Quoted, “Why banks that finance yachts and jets for Russian oligarchs could be in uncharted waters,” Insider, March 10, 2022.
• Guest, “Deadline White House,” MSNBC, March 8, 2022
• Quoted, “For Brittney Griner, chilly US-Russia relations are ‘not a good environment to negotiate.’ So what's her best option?” Yahoo! Sports, March 8, 2022.
• Guest, “Outside the Lines,” ESPN, March 7, 2022.
• Quoted, “Compliance Hot Spots: Frantic Week for Sanctions Lawyers after Ukraine Invasion + DOJ Starts Russia Task Force + ‘Inexcusable’ Discovery Failures in FCPA Trial,“ Law.com, March 2, 2022.
• Quoted, “Economic restrictions are having a devastating effect on Russia – but may have a harder time reaching Russian wealth in U.S.,” The Washington Post, March 1, 2022.
• Quoted, “Demand for Sanctions Expertise Spikes as US Imposes Swift Response to Russian Ukraine Invasion,” The National Law Journal, February 25, 2022.
• Author, “DOJ Decision on Bannon Prosecution Will Involve Nuance,” Law360, October 28, 2021.
• Author, “The Future of Drug Decriminalization After Oregon,” Law360
• Author, “Virus, ‘Tiger King’ Point to Need for Wildlife Trafficking Law,” Law360, June 11, 2020.
• Author, “COVID and Marijuana Legislation: Lessons of History,” Benzinga, May 8, 2020.
• Author, “DOJ Should Issue No-Action Letters For Marijuana Industry,” Law360, May 1, 2020.
• Author, “Protecting Against Corruption In State Cannabis Licensing,” Law360, October 29, 2019.
• Author, “Legal Risk and Opportunity in the Cannabis Industry: What Every Director Needs to Know,” NACD Directorship Magazine, NACDonline.org, September 2019.
• Author, “Navigating Political and Anti-Corruption Risks,” NACD Directorship Magazine, NACDonline.org, July/August 2019.
• Co-author, “Two to Tango: Attacking the Demand Side of Bribery,” The American Interest, December 17, 2018.
• Co-author, “The Global Magnitsky Act,” Criminal Law Forum, 2018.
• Co-author, “New Law in Poland Could Open Corporate Expenses and Contracts to Public View,” FCPA Blog July 5, 2018.
• Author, “Does Ukraine Need an Anti-Corruption Court?” Atlantic Council Ukraine Alert, August 25, 2016.
• Author, “The FCPA and the Rule of Law Abroad,” The Foreign Service Journal, June 2016.
• Author, “Real or Bogus: How to Evaluate Foreign Criminal Charges,” The British Journal of White Collar Crime, Vol.1, No. 1, 2016.
• Author, “Cleaning Up Atlantis: How to Put a Kleptocracy on the Road to Transparency,” The American Interest, November 2015.
• Co-author, “Overcoming ‘Crony Communism’: Is EU Membership the Key?” ABA CJS WCCC Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015.
• Co-author, “Ukraine Enacts Sweeping New Anti-Corruption Law,” FCPA Blog, July 30, 2013.
• Author, “New Russia Law Goes Beyond FCPA, Bribery Act,” FCPA Blog, March 5, 2013.
• Author, “Trial By Jury and the Rule of Law in Russia,” International Law News, Fall 2011.
• Author, “Business, Corruption and Pretrial Detention in Russia,” International Law News, Spring 2011.
• Author, “Armed Injustice: Abuse of the Law and Complex Crime in Post-Soviet Russia,” Denver Journal of International Law and Policy, Fall 2010.
• Author, “Criminal Corporate Raiding in Russia,” The International Lawyer, Vol. 42, Issue 4, 2008.
• Author, “Corporate Criminal Liability in the United States,” St. Petersburg Law Institute Annual Review, 2008 (published in Russian).
• Author, “Jury Trials and Multi-Defendant Cases,” Lex Russica, No. 6, 2007 (published in Russian).
• Author, “Testimony of a Criminal Defendant Under U.S. and Russian Law: A Comparative Analysis,” Biznes v. Zakone, No. 4, 2007 (published in Russian).
• Author, “‘Prosecution of Jury Trials,’ Actual Problems of Criminal Justice: Questions of Theory, Legislation and Implementation,” Moscow State Law Academy, 2007 (published in Russian).
• Author, “What Russia Must Do to Fight Organized Crime,” Demokratizatsiya: the Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, Winter 2006.
• Author, “U.S.-Russian Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism,” Legislation and Counter-Terrorism: Materials from an International Conference in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, 2004 (published in Russian).
• Author, “U.S. Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking,” Zhenshchina Plus, January 2004.
• Author, “The Russian Connection: Sex Trafficking into the United States and What the United States and Russia Are Doing About It,” USA Bulletin: International Organized Crime, September 2003.
• Author, “Mafia Memoirs: What They Tell Us About Organized Crime,” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, August 1993.
• Author, “Leningrad’s Right-Wing Alternative to Gorbachev,” The Christian Science Monitor, February 1990.
• Author, “Glasnost: Debate, Seminar or Sermon?” Berkeley-Stanford Working Papers, Spring 1989.
• Author, “Four Sovietologists,” The National Interest, Winter 1989.
• Author, “Trust Not and Verify,” Claremont Review of Books, 1987.
• Co-author, “A Primer in Soviet Government,” The Claremont Institute,1987.

Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Russia in a Time of War: How to Investigate, Enforce Judgments & Handle Problem Clients,” OffshoreAlert Miami, April 24, 2023.
• Guest, “After Griner's release, focus turns to dozens of Americans detained abroad,” CNN Situation Room, December 9, 2022.
• Guest, “Griner Released in Prisoner Swap with Russia,” NewsNation, December 9, 2022.
• Guest, “Griner Prisoner Swap,” Bloomberg Sound ON Podcast, December 8, 2022.
• Guest, “Get all the Americans out: Legal advisor weighs in on Brittney Griner prisoner swap,” FOX 32 Chicago, December 9, 2022.
• Guest, “Merchant of Death Viktor Bout released from prison in exchange for Brittney Griner,” CBS News, December 8, 2022.
• Guest, “Russian Court Rejects Brittney Griner’s Appeal,” MSNBC, October 26, 2022.
• Guest, “Griner worried about next week’s appeal,” CNN, October 18, 2022.
• Guest, “Brittney Griner's verdict expected ‘very soon,’” CNN's The Lead With Jake Tapper, August 3, 2022.
• Guest, “WNBA star Brittney Griner appears in Russian court,” ABC News, August, 2, 2022.
• Guest, “WNBA star Brittney Griner back in Russian court after guilty plea,” CNBC, July 14, 2022.
• Guest, “What Happens Next For WNBA Star Brittney Griner?” Cheddar News, July 14, 2022.
• Guest, “Brittney Griner pleads guilty in Russian court as pressure grows for her release,” ABC News Nightline, July 7, 2022.
• Guest, “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges” CNN’s The Lead With Jake Tapper, July 7, 2022.
• Guest, “Wild star's status in jeopardy after report out of Russia,” The Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar, July 7, 2022.
• Guest, “Kirill Kaprizov is not the first Russian athlete who’s faced military service questions,” Fox 9 KMSP, July 6, 2022.
• Guest, “Balance of Power: What to Expect in Brittney Griner Trial,” Bloomberg, July 6, 2022.
• Guest, “How Brittney Griner Might Get Out Of Russia,” The Lead, May 4, 2022.
• Guest, “Latest on WNBA star Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention in Russia,” ABC News, May 4, 2022.
• Guest, “US classifies Griner as wrongfully detained in Russia,” CNN, May 3, 2022.
• Guest, “Concerns for WNBA star held in Russia,” CNN, April 12, 2022.
• Guest, “Outside the Lines,” ESPN, March 21, 2022.
• Speaker, “Targeting Russian Oligarchs,” George Mason University Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, March 8, 2022.
• Guest, “‘A Very Tight Line’: Should Law Firms Continue Doing Business In Russia,” Legal Speak by Law.com, March 4, 2022.
• Speaker, “The Problems with Minsk and Corruption: How to Help Ukraine,” Atlantic Council Seminar, June 22, 2016.
• Speaker, “The New Cold War: Fighting Corruption in Eastern Europe,” ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting, April 13, 2016.
• Speaker, “Criminal Charges and Third Party Due Diligence,” TRACE International Webinar, March 16, 2016.
• Speaker, “Is Banking Secrecy Dead?” ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting, April 30, 2015.
• Speaker, “Corruption in the Courts,” ABA Section of International Law Conference on Dispute Resolution in Russia and the CIS, September 12, 2011.
• Moderator, “The FCPA and Russian Competition Law,” Roundtable with Federal Anti-Monopoly Service Chief Igor Artemyev, September 2, 2011 (in Russian).
• Speaker, “Corruption on the Ground in Russia,” American Conference Institute Conference on Corruption in Emerging Markets, June 14, 2011.
• Panelist, “Legal Reform and the Courts in Russia,” U.S.-Russia Business Council 3rd Annual Russia Legal Forum, June 9, 2011.
• Speaker, “The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Russian Presidential Academy of State Service Conference on Combating Corruption: Legislative Innovations in Russia and Foreign Law, May 31, 2011 (in Russian).
• Speaker, “The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Moscow State University Criminal Law Congress, May 26, 2011 (in Russian).
• Speaker, “The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Moscow Times Conference on Anti-Corruption Legislation: International Application and Russian Practice, May 25, 2011 (in Russian).
• Speaker, “The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Russian Presidential Academy of State Service Anti-Corruption Training Course, March 23, 2011 (in Russian).
• Speaker, “How to Detect Corruption Schemes in Russia,” American Conference Institute Russia and CIS Summit on Anti-Corruption, March 16, 2011.