Ashden Fein advises clients on cybersecurity and national security matters, including government and internal investigations, regulatory, and complex litigation matters.
For cybersecurity matters, Mr. Fein specifically counsels clients on preparing for and responding to cyber-based attacks on their networks, assessing their security controls and practices for the protection of data, developing and implementing information security programs, and complying with federal and state regulatory requirements. Mr. Fein also has been the lead investigator for multiple complex investigations involving a range of cyber and data security incidents, including data security breach matters involving millions of affected consumers and advanced persistent threats targeting intellectual property.
On national security issues, Mr. Fein assists clients with sensitive national security investigations and responding to government inquiries. He represents foreign and domestic clients in various industries in securing the approval the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), as well as ongoing compliance matters related to mitigation agreements with CFIUS. Mr. Fein also advises companies on matters related to the mitigation of foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) under applicable national industrial security regulations.
Before joining Covington, Mr. Fein served for thirteen years in the United States Army, first as a military intelligence officer and later as a Major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. While on active duty, he specialized as a military prosecutor, gaining significant experience in complex litigation and cybersecurity. He served as the lead trial attorney in the prosecution of Private Chelsea (Bradley) Manning for the unlawful disclosure of classified information to WikiLeaks, the largest national security and cybercrime investigation and prosecution in the history of the Army. He worked closely with senior officials at the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, other government agencies within the intelligence community, and several federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. In addition, Mr. Fein served as the Chief of the Criminal Division for a command of 17,000 soldiers and as a legal advisor for an Army Aviation organization deployed in Iraq. Mr. Fein currently serves as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve.