Pete Hoekstra, Former U.S. Rep. and Intelligence Committee Chairman, Joins Dickstein Shapiro

(Washington, DC)—Former U.S. Representative Peter Hoekstra, who served as chairman and ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will join Dickstein Shapiro LLP as senior advisor effective February 1, 2011. He will concentrate his work on legislative and regulatory counseling, with an emphasis on intelligence, national security, defense, foreign relations, and international business matters, as well as issues related to education and labor.

“Known as the Republican ‘point man on counterterrorism’ and as former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, he is among a handful of high-ranking government officials who have unmatched insight into the U.S. intelligence community and our national security,” said L. Andrew Zausner, partner and head of the firm’s Government Law & Strategy Group. “He also is a former corporate executive who thinks like a CEO. We are extremely pleased that he will join Dickstein Shapiro’s team.”

“I have tremendous professional respect for Dickstein Shapiro’s government relations group, and I particularly look forward to collaborating with former House Speaker Denny Hastert and former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson again on a daily basis. The firm is an excellent fit with my experience, expertise, and passion, and I look forward to bringing the full scope of my capabilities in strategic and contingency planning to bear on behalf of the firm’s clients,” said Representative Pete Hoekstra. “National security—from homegrown terrorism to cyberwarfare—continues, by necessity, to be a governmental imperative at all levels, and lawmakers in Washington make crucial decisions every day that impact corporations across America. As the Republican leadership in the U.S. House seeks to rein in federal spending, and as these important issues continue to loom large, there are few things more important than seasoned strategic counsel who understand the nuanced interworkings of government. Dickstein Shapiro has what it takes.”

Congressman Hoekstra served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011, representing Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District. He focused his efforts on building a national intelligence infrastructure, strengthening national and homeland security, fortifying defense, improving education, and boosting jobs. During his tenure he served in numerous Republican leadership positions, including as the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. As House intelligence chairman from 2004 to 2006, Mr. Hoekstra played a decisive role enacting the bipartisan bill that created a Director of National Intelligence, the cabinet level post which now oversees the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies. He also was a high-ranking member of the House Education & Labor Committee, serving as chairman of its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee from 1995 to 2001. During his time on the committee, he was a vocal advocate for local and state control of U.S. public schools and worked closely with current House Speaker John Boehner, who served as committee chair. A Dutch-born American citizen, Rep. Hoekstra was the founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands and maintains very strong ties to that country, as well as to the Dutch community in the United States. In 2008, he was appointed Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau, a royal honor, by the Dutch monarchy in recognition of his extraordinary service to society. Prior to serving in Congress, Rep. Hoekstra was vice president of marketing at office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller. He earned his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and his undergraduate degree from Hope College.

In addition to joining Dickstein Shapiro, Rep. Hoekstra will pursue numerous activities, allowing him to continue to work at the forefront of issues affecting national intelligence.

Dickstein Shapiro’s Government Law & Strategy Group is dedicated to providing clients with skilled, focused, and cost-effective advocacy in the councils of both federal and state government. Increasingly, this demands the ready combination of substantive and political resources and a close coordination of government representation with regulatory and administrative counseling. The members of the Government Law & Strategy Group possess the wide range of professional and legal capabilities demanded for effective representation. Members of the group include former U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, former U.S. Representative Albert Wynn, and former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson.

Dickstein Shapiro LLP
Dickstein Shapiro LLP, founded in 1953, is internationally recognized for its work with clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations. Dickstein Shapiro provides strategic counsel and develops multidisciplinary legal solutions by leveraging its core strengths—litigation, regulatory, transactions, and advocacy—to successfully advance clients’ business interests.

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