R. Andrew Austria
Drew Austria is a seasoned litigator and strategic advisor with a blend of military, federal and corporate investigations experience. He represents corporations, government contractors, executives, professionals and high-net-worth individuals and their families, in high-stakes matters involving the DOJ, SEC, IRS, CFIUS, federal Inspectors General and Congress. His practice focuses on white collar defense, internal investigations, national security and export-control enforcement and government contracts compliance. Drew is particularly adept at helping clients understand the intricacies of the federal government and withstand regulatory scrutiny with confidence.
A former U.S. Navy Judge Advocate (JAG), Drew brings nearly a decade of trial and appellate experience to his practice. While on active duty, Drew served as a prosecutor, trial and appellate defense counsel and legal advisor to senior flag officers. He has tried multiple contested jury trials, argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and led Supreme Court litigation strategy for the Navy’s Appellate Defense Division. Notably, he secured the dismissal of all charges against a Marine in a high-profile misconduct case in Afghanistan—overturned on appeal due to prosecutorial misconduct. He received the Military Meritorious Service Award from the Federal Asian Pacific American Council in 2017 for his zealous advocacy on behalf of Sailors and Marines.
Drew counsels clients across industries, including aerospace and defense, financial services, higher education, pharmaceuticals, energy and emerging technology. He frequently leads sensitive internal investigations involving trade-secret theft, economic espionage, data breaches, whistleblower claims, financial fraud, employee misconduct and billing/accounting issues. He manages multi-jurisdictional matters involving federal and state enforcement agencies and advises clients on voluntary disclosures and parallel proceedings.
He frequently writes and speaks on topics related to national-security enforcement, such as trade-secret prosecutions and export-control risks.
Committed to service, Drew mentors underrepresented law students through the ABA’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program and handles pro bono matters for veterans, servicemembers and their families. He played a key role in Rudisill v. McDonough, a landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Circuit that expanded GI Bill benefits for dual-era veterans. He also led the successful effort to recover nearly $500,000 in back pay and retirement benefits for a wrongfully convicted Navy SEAL.
Drew is listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2021-2025) and was named a “D.C. Rising Star” by the National Law Journal in 2022.
He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.
- Vanderbilt University Law School (J.D.), 2012
- University of Virginia (B.A.), 2007
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association – Member
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association – Member
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association Virginia – Member
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association D.C. – Member
Community Involvements
- Co-Chair, University of Virginia Class of 2007 Reunion Committee
- Co-Chair, Vanderbilt University Law School Class of 2012 Reunion Committee
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia Bar
- Virginia State Bar
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Virginia Supreme Court
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch – Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2021-2025)
The National Law Journal – “D.C. Rising Star” (2022)
Military Meritorious Service Award – Federal Asian Pacific American Council (2017)
Experience
THE CASES MENTIONED BELOW ARE ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE MATTERS HANDLED BY MR. AUSTRIA. CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. NOT ALL CASE RESULTS ARE MENTIONED BELOW. PRIOR RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE A SIMILAR OUTCOME.
Government Contracts, National Security, and International Trade
- Advised government contractors on ethics compliance, hiring of former government officials, facility and individual security clearances, export controls (to include foreign military sales, ITAR/EAR, and FCC compliance), and sanctions.
- Advised presidential nominees and former government officials with completion of required financial and conflict of interest disclosures.
- Advised lobbying and consulting firms with Lobbying Disclosure Act, Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) and bona fide selling agency compliance.
- Conducted internal investigations for government contractors related to potential False Claims Act violations and assisted them with navigating the intricacies of voluntary disclosures.
- Counseled government contractors in civil litigation proceedings related to sub-prime disputes.
- Counseled domestic energy company during CFIUS review of company’s sale of gas utilities to a foreign buyer.
- Counseled investment fund regarding best practices of forming an investment fund with foreign capital to withstand scrutiny by CFIUS.
- Counseled data center company regarding potential foreign investment and CFIUS-related concerns.
- Led internal investigation for federal agency into federal employees and federal grantees’ alleged misuse of government funds.
- Served as lead trial counsel to defend former Chief Information Officer of a federal agency, in proceedings before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
- Counseled former head of Congressional commission in Senate investigations and related whistleblower litigation.
White Collar Defense
- Led comprehensive review of airplane manufacturer’s policies and procedures to implement an updated compliance program pursuant to a deferred prosecution agreement with DOJ.
- Led internal investigation for national bank of a former employee who stole trade secrets valued at more than $10 million and uploaded it to a Chinese-based website before termination and coordinated the Bank’s cooperation with a federal grand jury investigation.
- Led internal investigation for national bank related to a data breach with potential national security implications.
- Counseled retired Army general officer as a fact witness in DOJ investigations related to his government service (to include classified interviews with DOJ).
- Served as pool counsel to senior executives and employees of an investment firm in connection with a DOJ criminal tax investigation involving syndicated conservation easement partnerships.
- Conducted an internal investigation for a large public health organization to determine their compliance with a corporate integrity agreement.
- Represented a physician charged with federal healthcare fraud-related offenses.
- Represent a C-suite executive of a healthcare technology start-up charged with federal fraud-related offenses.
- Represented employees of a large financial institution in connection with a DOJ investigation into alleged fraud committed by a customer.
Civil Litigation
- Defended national bank in civil RICO/FCRA class action litigation related to alleged synthetic identify fraud, securing dismissal of all claims with prejudice.
- Defended national bank in consolidated class action litigation related to a variety of add-on products, securing dismissal of all claims with prejudice.
- Defended national bank in consumer class action litigation, defeating class certification of consumers who alleged racial discrimination in home lending process.
- Defended airplane manufacturer in civil RICO class action, defeating class certification of a class of consumers who alleged the manufacturer and an airline colluded to conceal fatal defects in the aircraft and defraud passengers.
- Defended state department of education and agency head in IDEA class action litigation, securing dismissal of all claims.
- Defended healthcare insurer facing multimillion dollar damages claims in federal healthcare qui tam action.
Pro Bono
- Rudisill v. McDonough, No. 22-888 (2024). Served as lead counsel for amicus briefs on behalf of 10 veterans advocating for an increase of post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to 48 months for veterans with multiple periods of qualifying service in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court (cert. stage and merits stage briefing).
- Assisted an exonerated Navy SEAL with obtaining nearly $500,000 in backpay and an active-duty retirement after his wrongful convictions were dismissed with prejudice on appeal.
