Robert Silvers

Robert Silvers is a partner in the White Collar Investigations and Privacy and Cybersecurity practices of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on cybersecurity and data privacy, internal investigations and enforcement proceedings, government security review of foreign investments, and civil litigation at the intersection of law and national security.

Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Mr. Silvers served as the Obama administration’s Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he was responsible for the development of department-wide cyber policies and strategies, including engagement on cyber defense with the private sector, its response during significant cyber incidents, and its pursuit of law enforcement cyber investigations.

Mr. Silvers previously served as DHS’s Deputy Chief of Staff, where he managed day-to-day policy and operations for 240,000 employees across 22 agencies, including the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In this role, Mr. Silvers had direct oversight of the Department’s law enforcement and counterterrorism programs, its security review of foreign investment under the CFIUS process, and an array of immigration, border, travel facilitation, aviation security, and cybersecurity priorities.

While at DHS, Mr. Silvers led crisis management for some of the most challenging security issues in recent years, including the San Bernardino terrorist attack, cyber attacks against critical infrastructure companies, the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the southern border in 2014, and the Ebola crisis.

Prior to entering government service, Mr. Silvers practiced at an international law firm, where he handled complex transnational disputes, white collar and investigative matters, and civil litigation for his clients. He also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Kim McLane Wardlaw of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Mr. Silvers is a senior adjunct fellow at the NYU Center on Law and Security. He is designing portions of the curriculum and will teach next year in the new M.S. in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy program co-offered by NYU Law School and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.