The Mind Behind the Mission

DJ Rosenthal founded 77 Meridian after more than two decades at the intersection of national security, law, and technology — working inside the institutions that define America's security posture, and then advising the companies these institutions regulate.

At the White House National Security Council, DJ served in a senior capacity on matters spanning counterterrorism, intelligence, and emerging technology threats. At the Department of Justice's National Security Division, he handled some of the most sensitive cases the government prosecutes — foreign espionage, export control violations, and classified information disputes — and argued these matters before federal courts. His career in the Intelligence Community gave him direct experience with the operational realities that underpin the nation's most consequential security decisions.

In the private sector, DJ joined WilmerHale before moving to Kroll, one of the world's leading corporate investigations and risk advisory firms. At Kroll, he founded and led the firm's CFIUS advisory practice — building from the ground up a team that advised companies on foreign investment reviews, FOCI mitigation, and the regulatory consequences of operating in national security terrain.

77 Meridian is the product of that career. The firm exists because DJ saw the same problem repeatedly: technology and AI companies operating at the edge of national security were either going without counsel entirely, relying on outside lawyers who lacked the subject matter depth, or being funneled into large-firm relationships where their work was delegated to junior associates who had never set foot in a government building.

The model is simple. DJ leads every engagement personally. The firm operates on fixed monthly retainers — not hourly billing — because the relationship is about embedded partnership, not transactional advice. When an engagement requires specialized depth in cyber risk, due diligence, or crisis communications, DJ brings in a curated network of former FBI agents, Fortune 100 CISOs, and seasoned communications professionals. But the client relationship never moves through anyone else's hands.

The name refers to the 77th meridian west — the line of longitude that runs through Washington, D.C. It marks the geography where national security policy is made, where the regulatory landscape is shaped, and where the relationships that matter in this space are built.