Carter Burwell is a litigation counsel based in the Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s White Collar & Regulatory Defense practice. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, and national security, and he has represented large corporations and individuals in various high-stakes matters. His work tends to involve high-profile controversies tied to current events, ongoing political disputes, and underlying and competing policy interests.
Mr. Burwell joined Debevoise in 2021 after more than a decade in senior roles across the federal government. Mr. Burwell served as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Finance Intelligence, where he advised on national security matters. Prior to his role at the Treasury Department, Mr. Burwell served as one of the top lawyers on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, including as Chief Counsel to former Assistant Majority Leader and U.S. Senator John Cornyn and as Counsel to former Chairman and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley. Burwell also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Violent Crime and Terrorism Unit in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and in the National Security and International Crimes Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA).
Mr. Burwell continues to be involved in national security matters. In February 2022, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed Mr. Burwell to serve a three-year term on the Public Interest Declassification Board, an advisory committee established by Congress and comprised of members appointed by Congress and the president with the official mandate of protecting U.S. national security while promoting public access to significant U.S. national security decisions and activities. Mr. Burwell also serves as a law professor at the University of Texas School of Law and the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. He is a member of the National Security Institute and the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court.
Mr. Burwell earned his J.D. from the University Virginia School of Law, where he was an editor of the Virginia Law Review. He also received an M. Phil. from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. from Columbia College. After graduation, he clerked for U.S. District Judge John Gleeson, now a Debevoise litigation partner, and U.S. Circuit Judge Karen Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Mr. Burwell was also a litigation associate at another international law firm.