Neda M. Shaheen

Associate | She/Her/Hers

Overview

Neda M. Shaheen is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Crowell & Moring, and is a member of the Privacy and Cybersecurity and International Trade Groups. Neda focuses her practice on representing her clients in litigation and strategic counseling involving national security, technology, cybersecurity, trade and international law. Neda joined the firm after working as a consultant at Crowell & Moring International (CMI), where she supported a diverse range of clients on digital trade matters concerning international trade, national security, privacy, and data governance, as well as advancing impactful public-private partnerships.

Neda obtained her LL.M. in national security law with a certificate in international trade at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where she was selected as a 2021 National Security Scholar. 

With a background in international law, Neda brings an inclusive and global approach to her work. Neda was previously the Policy and Programs Lead at Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation, where she co-founded the South West Asia and North Africa Working Group, advocating for women of color across the field of peace and security and elevating women on the ground and in global diaspora communities. She is the Team DC co-lead of the Arab America Foundation and previously served as the National Director of Arab American Engagement on the Biden for President Campaign. Neda moved to Washington, D.C., for a fellowship at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, where she worked on the legal and policy teams representing asylum-seekers and refugees, political prisoners, and other human rights defenders on matters concerning surveillance, privacy, immigration, and discrimination. Previously, Neda worked for the U.N. Security Council in New York, where she conducted legal compliance of state counterterrorism measures under international human rights law.

During law school, Neda was active in DePaul’s International Human Rights Law Institute, where she conducted field research on the implementation of international human rights law treaties for reports to the U.N. Treaty Body Committees. She also served as a J.D. AmeriCorps and as a pro bono assistant for the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, supporting torture survivors in pro se asylum proceedings.

Neda speaks fluent Arabic.

Career & Education

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    • Department of State
      Public Diplomacy Intern and Outreach Assistant, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, 2012
    • Department of Commerce
      Law Clerk, Economic Development Administration, 2015
    • Department of State
      Public Diplomacy Intern and Outreach Assistant, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, 2012
    • Department of Commerce
      Law Clerk, Economic Development Administration, 2015
    • The Ohio State University, B.A., english and studio art, 2014
    • DePaul University College of Law, J.D., international and comparative law, 2017
    • Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., national security law, certificate in international trade, 2021
    • The Ohio State University, B.A., english and studio art, 2014
    • DePaul University College of Law, J.D., international and comparative law, 2017
    • Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., national security law, certificate in international trade, 2021
    • Ohio
    • District of Columbia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
    • Ohio
    • District of Columbia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Leadership Circle, Foreign Policy for America
    • Member, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation
    • Governance Committee, National Arab American Bar Association
    • Team DC Co-Lead, Arab America Foundation
    • Member, Foreign Policy For America NextGen Initiative

    Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Leadership Circle, Foreign Policy for America
    • Member, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation
    • Governance Committee, National Arab American Bar Association
    • Team DC Co-Lead, Arab America Foundation
    • Member, Foreign Policy For America NextGen Initiative
    • Arabic
    • Arabic

Recognition

  • Center for Strategic and International Studies and Diversity in National Security Network: U.S. National Security and Foreign Affairs Leadership List, 2021
  • Middle East Policy Council: 40 Under 40, 2021 
  • Arab America Foundation: 30 Under 30, 2021 
  • Arab American Bar Association of Illinois: Building Bridges Award, 2021
  • Democratic National Committee: Presidential Fellow, 2020 

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