Name: Brian Finch
Firm: Dickstein Shapiro
Age: 36
Finch went to George Washington University Law School thinking his degree would put him on track toward a career at the FBI, where he could do counterterrorism work. Instead, he ended up at a law firm, where he developed a base of chemical and cybersecurity clients as well as an expertise in the SAFETY Act— a law that allows producers of counterterrorism technologies to seek legal-liability protections from the Department of Homeland Security. The industry says such protections will encourage companies to develop new technologies because it shields them from lawsuits if the products fail during a terrorist attack.
This niche has served the Dickstein Shapiro partner well. When industry leaders such as Honeywell wanted to get SAFETY Act protections for their products after 9/11, they found that Finch was their best advocate at Homeland Security. Today, in addition to Honeywell, Finch lobbies for McAfee, Global Safety Labs, and other security clients on the Hill, at the Pentagon, and at the federal agencies.
This article appears in the June 2011 issue of The Washingtonian.
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Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
