BIOGRAPHY OF MARK S. ZAID,
ESQ.
Mark S. Zaid specializes in litigation and
lobbying on matters relating to national security, foreign sovereign and
diplomatic immunity, international transactions, international torts and
crimes, defamation, the Constitution (First and Fifth Amendments), and the
Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOI/PA).
Through his practice Mr. Zaid often
represents former/current federal employees, intelligence officers,
Whistleblowers and others who have grievances against agencies of the United
States government or foreign governments. Additionally, he frequently
represents members of the media and the public in First Amendment and FOI/PA
disputes. He has handled dozens of security clearance cases throughout the national
security and military communities. He currently teaches the DC Bar CLE courses
on FOIA and security clearances.
Mr. Zaid is also the Executive Director of
the James Madison Project, a Washington, D.C.-based organization with the
primary purpose of educating the public on issues relating to intelligence
gathering and operations, secrecy policies, national security and government
wrongdoing. He is the co-editor of LITIGATION UNDER THE FEDERAL OPEN GOVERNMENT LAWS.
More information can
be found at www.jamesmadisonproject.org.
In connection with his legal practice on
international and national security matters, Mr. Zaid has testified before, or
provided testimony to, a variety of governmental bodies including the Senate
Judiciary Committee, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, the House
Judiciary Committee, the House Government Reform Committee, the Department of
Energy and the Assassination Records Review Board, an independent federal
agency. Of particular note he testified as an expert witness on security
clearances before subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives in
February and July 2006, and before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in
April 2001, on the use of pre-employment polygraphs by the U.S. Government.
Mr. Zaid is a frequent contributor of
opinion pieces and legal articles and has been published by, among others, the Washington Post, Washington Times, the National Law Journal and Findlaw.com. Additionally, he often
appears as a commentator in media interviews for such entities as CNN, FoxNews,
MSNBC, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Reuters,
Associated Press and others.
A 1992 graduate of Albany Law School of
Union University in New York, where he served as an Associate Editor of the
Albany Law Review, he completed his undergraduate education (cum laude) in 1989 at the University of
Rochester, New York with honors in Political Science and high honors in
History. Mr. Zaid is a member of the Bars of New York State, Connecticut, the
District of Columbia, and numerous federal courts.
He can be
reached at ZaidMS@aol.com or (202)
454-2809.