John F. Curran, Executive Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Stroz Friedberg, is responsible for contributing to the strategic direction of the firm, the high quality of its services, and the recruitment and retention of key professionals to expand capabilities and experience to better serve our clients. Mr. Curran leads the digital forensics and electronic discovery practices for the firm and is in charge of its largest office, located in New York. Notably, he led the development of the firm’s anti-money laundering services, applying an innovative data analytics approach for effective financial transaction monitoring. Mr. Curran also manages a full docket of client engagements including computer forensics, cybercrime and private investigations, and he manages many large-scale eDiscovery projects.
Mr. Curran has led and testified concerning numerous computer intrusion investigations to determine the source of the attack and whether credit card or other personal identifying information was compromised. He has supervised the court-appointed forensic examination of data destruction in a civil matter pending in the U.S. District Court and managed a response to an employee theft and data breach investigation involving personal records of hundreds of thousands of individuals. Mr. Curran designed and implemented an anti-money laundering transaction monitoring database and data analytics for a leading international private bank in connection with a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice and Federal Reserve. Mr. Curran has also led numerous computer forensic investigations involving allegations of theft of trade secrets; forgery of emails and other e-documents; obstruction of government subpoenas; spoliation; and pornography in the workplace. He was appointed as a Special Master by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to oversee the review, redaction, and production of sensitive government records in a class action against gun manufacturers.
Prior to joining Stroz Friedberg, Mr. Curran served as Deputy General Counsel for National Security Affairs at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In that role, he provided counsel to the FBI Director and other senior FBI executives regarding its counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, and counter-espionage missions, especially concerning sophisticated electronic surveillance matters. He also represented the FBI in dealings with the Department of Justice, the Intelligence Community, and Congressional staff. At the FBI, Mr. Curran supervised more than 50 attorneys and paraprofessionals assigned to the National Security Law Branch.
For more than 12 years, Mr. Curran served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and held the positions of National Security Coordinator, Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Section, Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and Senior Litigation Counsel. During his career at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Curran prosecuted and supervised the prosecution of terrorists and leaders of traditional and non-traditional organized crime for murder, hostage taking, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, and drug trafficking. He also led comprehensive investigations into bank and accounting fraud that resulted in the collapse of American Tissue, Inc., and into obstruction of justice at the now defunct accounting firm of Andersen. In addition, Mr. Curran supervised prosecutions into securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, and identity theft.
In addition to his government service, Mr. Curran acquired extensive commercial litigation experience at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and at Reed Smith LLP, where he handled a variety of complex matters in federal and state courts, including employee termination litigation, theft of trade secrets, and white collar criminal matters.
Mr. Curran served as a law clerk to the Honorable John E. Sprizzo of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from St. John's University in New York.