Global Challenges. Clear Direction.
Your Trusted Partner in Navigating the National Security Landscape
Operating at the intersection of National Security & Technology with strategic advisory services to help innovative companies achieve mission-critical objectives
Practice Areas
Counsel tailored for your needs
Fractional General Counsel
Embedded legal and strategic support for companies navigating sensitive national security and regulatory terrain.
Learn moreCFIUS Advisory & International Investment and Trade
Counsel on cross-border transactions, foreign investment reviews, export controls, and international trade compliance.
Learn moreNational Security Regulatory Compliance
Legal and regulatory guidance for companies with national security exposure across federal regulations and evolving policy.
Learn moreAI Trust, Safety & Responsible Development Counsel
Legal counsel on the regulatory landscape for responsible AI development where national security intersects emerging technology governance.
Learn moreDefense and Intelligence Community Partnerships
Legal and strategic counsel for companies working with, or seeking to work with, the defense and intelligence communities.
Learn moreThe 77 Meridian Difference
What Sets Us Apart
Companies operating at the intersection of national security, emerging technologies, and regulatory requirements face challenges that most outside counsel simply aren't built to handle. 77 Meridian was founded to fill that gap, with senior counsel who has lived these issues from the inside.
Direct Principal Access
Every engagement is led personally by DJ. No associates, no junior staff. The person who has sat in the Situation Room is the person answering your call.
Truly Independent
77 Meridian’s boutique structure means DJ doesn’t compete with referring law firms for their other work, a critical trust factor in the referral-driven D.C. national security bar. Independence means advice is never shaped by institutional conflicts.
Embedded, Not Transactional
DJ operates as an extension of the client’s team, a Fractional General Counsel and true strategic partner, not a vendor called when something goes wrong. Proactive, forward-looking counsel rather than reactive firefighting.
Fixed Retainer Model
Fixed monthly retainers mean budget certainty and open communication. Clients never hesitate to pick up the phone because of hourly billing pressure.
Discreet
National security matters demand sound judgment and genuine discretion. 77 Meridian is built for exactly the kind of work that requires both.
About the Founder
DJ Rosenthal
DJ served in senior positions at the National Security Council, the Department of Justice National Security Division, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. In the private sector, DJ worked at the international law firm WilmerHale, and at Kroll, where he founded the National Security Practice. He launched 77 Meridian to provide the kind of embedded, senior-level counsel that companies navigating national security, emerging technologies, and regulatory requirements actually need, and that most traditional law firm structures aren't built to deliver.
What Clients Say
DJ brings a rare combination of national security expertise, legal rigor, and practical business judgment for our company. He understands our business, the policy environment in which we operate, and the broader strategic context in which we make legal and business decisions. Just as importantly, his network has been an invaluable resource, opening doors and making thoughtful introductions that have been tremendously helpful. We view DJ as a trusted advisor across a wide range of issues, not just outside counsel.
I’ve known DJ for years as one of Washington’s most serious and informed national security minds. When we built the CFIUS and national security practice at Kroll together, I saw firsthand how deeply he thinks about these issues, from the law to policy, from geopolitics to the practical realities facing clients, and how highly he is regarded in the Intelligence Community. He brings that same rare combination of rigor and judgment to everything he does at 77 Meridian. Companies navigating this space are fortunate to have him as their advisor and counsel.
Ready to discuss your situation?
A direct conversation with DJ is where every engagement begins.
Publications
Analysis & Commentary
Let's Talk.
Every engagement is led directly by DJ Rosenthal, not delegated to associates. Clients get senior-level counsel on every matter, every time.