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Samuel M. Witten

Samuel Witten is Counsel at the law firm Arnold & Porter in Washington, DC.  He has an extensive background in international law, the development and implementation of corporate compliance programs, international dispute settlement, and international law enforcement cooperation.  He represents domestic and international clients in litigation and arbitrations and in domestic enforcement and regulatory matters, and helps multinational companies with compliance issues under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption laws.  He joined Arnold & Porter in 2010.

Before joining Arnold & Porter, Mr. Witten served in the U.S. Department of State Department for 22 years.  He served in the Office of the Legal Adviser for 19 years, including five years as Assistant Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement and Intelligence and six years as Deputy Legal Adviser (equivalent to Deputy General Counsel), where he supervised the State Department’s legal work on law enforcement, economic and business affairs, and human rights and refugee issues.  He then served for three years (2007-2010) as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), where he supervised the U.S. Government’s programs for the relief of refugees around the world and the admission of refugees into the United States for permanent resettlement.  He was Acting Secretary of State for PRM from 2007-2009 and directed the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs in 2009.  At earlier points in his career, Mr. Witten served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and as a corporate and litigation associate at the law firm O’Melveny & Myers. 

In addition to his service on the Board of the Women’s Refugee Commission, Mr. Witten is a member of the Board of Advocates of Human Rights First and is the President of the Washington Foreign Law Society, a nonprofit group that advances the understanding of international law and foreign affairs.  He is the immediate past chairman of the DC Bar Association’s Public and International Criminal Law Committee.  He writes and speaks frequently on issues relating to anti-corruption compliance, corporate social responsibility, and international law enforcement cooperation. 

Mr. Witten’s professional awards include two selections as a Presidential Meritorious Executive, six State Department Superior Honor Awards, and the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award.  He earned a B.A. degree from the University of Maryland in 1979 and a J.D. degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1983.