Waleed Nassar

Mr. Nassar practices in the areas of international disputes, sanctions, commercial litigation, and financial fraud and asset tracing.  He represents a host of domestic and foreign clients on a wide variety of transnational political cases, business disputes, and U.S. sanctions laws, earning him a reputation as a trusted and pragmatic adviser on many of the most high-profile and complex international legal cases of the day. 

In recognition of his excellence in the field of international law, Mr. Nassar was selected as a 2017 Washington, DC “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.  In 2019, he was recognized as an “Equality Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal in its list of top lawyers who serve as “agents of change” through new legal strategies or innovative court cases.  During his tenure at Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss, Mr. Nassar has developed a unique wealth of expertise in managing complex legal matters concerning the Middle East, directly representing a host of foreign and domestic parties on a range of corporate and litigation matters involving the successful navigation of complex international and U.S. laws, as well as the laws of nearly every country in the region. 

His innovative and relentless approach has made him a trusted adviser to a wide variety of clients on some of the most politicized legal matters of our day pertaining to the Middle East, including Anti-Terrorism Act and Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act litigation, numerous high-profile sanctions matters, the European asset freezes of illicit Middle Eastern assets subsequent to the Arab Spring, as well as the multi-week trial of an accused international terrorist in a U.S. civilian court.  Mr. Nassar also dedicates a significant amount of his practice to pro bono work and has worked over the years to alleviate the plight of political prisoners across the globe and to secure their ultimate release from captivity.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Nassar clerked for the Honorable Denise Page Hood, Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Michigan, and worked several years as an associate in an international law firm in Washington, DC.  While in law school, Mr. Nassar interned with the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York where he worked on a variety of matters relating to suspected terrorism financing as well as financial fraud prosecutions, also serving as a legal research fellow for the Institute of Development and Labour Law in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Professional Affiliations

• The American Bar Association Death Penalty Representation Project, Steering Committee
• Egyptian American Rule of Law Association (EARLA), Board Member
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Young Arbitrators Forum

• Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Denise Page Hood, Eastern District of Michigan (2007-2008)
• Intern, United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York (2006)
• Research Associate, Institute of Development and Labour Law, Cape Town South Africa
• Associate, Washington office of International Law Firm (2008-2011)

• Representation of Saudi Arabian conglomerate in global litigation concerning complex financial service fraud totaling in excess of $10 billion, managing multiple facets of civil proceedings and government investigations in the Middle East, European Union and the United States.
• Representation of Australian hedge fund in multiple actions filed domestically against prominent Wall Street banks and collateral managers stemming from the fraudulent sales of collateralized debt obligations and other subprime mortgage products.
• Representation of Middle Eastern charities in multi-district litigation relating to alleged violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other intentional tort claims.
• Provide strategic expertise to ministers and top government officials of the Arab Republic of Egypt on repatriation of Mubarak-era assets. 

• Represent New York based hedge fund, victim of a multi-million dollar fraudulent international money laundering scheme arising out of the Middle East, before various United States based entities in ancillary support of legal actions filed abroad.  

• Successfully obtained the de-listing of foreign branch offices of Middle Eastern NGO from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control Specially Designated Nationals List after successful challenge of the designations.

• Orchestrated the successful briefing and oral argument of a highly sensitive motion in the Southern District of New York involving the introduction of suspected forgered documents, introducing evidence gathered from across the globe after months of forensic investigations and witness interviews of foreign parties to obtain the pre-trial striking of the documents by the Court.

• Conducted cross and direct examinations of lay and expert witnesses in Federal Court suppression hearings and during a multi-week jury trial in high profile international terrorism case that ultimately resulted in a jury verdict acquitting the client of 14 of the 18 charged offenses.

• Co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of former military officials involving the torture of Iraqi civilians by U.S. contractors in the infamous Abu Ghraib facility.  

• Engineered complex cross border negotiations between banking interests in the Middle East and the United States investors, leveraging  international banking interests with and international diplomatic channels to obtain successful results.     

• Negotiated successful pre-suit settlement on behalf of Middle Eastern situated party against U.S. based healthcare provider, alleging multi-million dollars in damages stemming from fraud and failure to provide proper services.

• Secured release of U.S. national sentenced to life in prison in Egypt on political charges, liaising with U.S. State Department, White House, members of Congress and key international power brokers over the course of his two year detention.
• Successfully negotiated settlement with the U.S. government and whistle-blower of a Civil False Claims Act claim lodged against corporate executive alleged to have participated in multi-million dollar fraudulent billing scheme.  
• Pro bono representation in detainee cases in federal court arising out of the Guantanamo and Bagram, Afghanistan detention facilities.