Alumni

I saw and continue to see law as a way of problem solving that has served me well in my work in both the public and private sectors.”

Sarah Morgenthau Litigation Associate, 1991-96 ()

Life in public service for Sarah Morgenthau has spanned the Peace Corps, the SEC, the Department of Homeland Security and pure politics, and working on the Obama presidential campaign. Today she draws on her legal skills and her experience in government in her role as a Managing Director and head of the Washington, D.C. office of the global investigations firm Nardello & Co.

Sarah Morgenthau felt the call Fresh out of Columbia Law An African sculpture of a man to public service from an early School and having started at with a pipe was a gift to Sarah age. It was certainly in her Curtis as a first-year in 1991, from an early pro bono client, genes. “My grandfather was Sarah was quick to realize how a young political asylum Secretary of Treasury under FDR her legal skills could be seeker, and remains a and my great grandfather was harnessed to help people. “The cherished memento. “Turner Ambassador to the Ottoman commitment of Peter Fleming and Smith, a litigation partner at Curtis, Empire under Woodrow Wilson. his team to his clients, no matter assigned me to the case. The My uncle was U.S. attorney in the what they might have done, was experience woke me up to the fact Southern District of New York and second to none. I worked on a wide that my developing legal skills then D.A. for Manhattan for 30 range of litigation matters and could make a real difference.” years, so I got to work in the D.A.’s realized I loved being in the Sarah was no stranger to the office one summer while still in courtroom.” She vividly recalls struggles on the continent; her college, which was a real formative working with Peter Fleming, Ben mother, a refugee from Nazi experience. I witnessed state-level Preziosi, Mark O’Donoghue, Barry Austria, was an early pioneer and criminal trials and that really whet Kingham, Eliot Lauer, Michelle advocate for aid to Africa. my appetite for law school and Rice and Nancy Delaney. litigation.”

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Sarah left Curtis to clerk for a a 24/7 news schedule. National Finance Committee for newly appointed federal judge Alongside policy discussions, we Obama. He was about to become and looks back on this as a focused on the female perspective – Secretary of the Department for tipping point in her career. explaining why women should Homeland Security (DHS). He “Judge Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. support rather than invited her to join the department. was one of the younger judges and Hillary.” Such thinking paid off, so, in a way, we learned together. and Sarah ended up being the As a litigation associate, I had Obama campaign state director for “At DHS, we were dealing with tended to focus on certain aspects New Jersey. Then-candidate constant bad news, reacting to of a case. Writing opinions for a Barack Obama called her a steady stream of disasters judge was the opposite – it meant personally to thank her for her that touched on the 22 taking a holistic view. We would contribution after the first event agencies at the Department – produce a first draft and he would she organized for him turned out to TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, give feedback on it.” be one of his most successful Secret Service, CBP, ICE, fundraisers. She joined the USCIS, to name a few.” She National Finance Committee, held two positions there, A stint in the Enforcement where she found herself one of very Executive Director of the Division at the SEC followed. few women who wasn’t part of a Homeland Security Advisory Sarah, by now a young mother, held “Mr & Mrs” deal. Counsel and Deputy Assistant one of the early job shares in the Secretary for the Private organization – not so common in Sector. “I worked on a wide range the 1990s. With a family move to of issues, including international Washington, D.C. in 2008, and domestic terrorism, Sarah joined the Obama cybersecurity and immigration. I Politics took over when she administration as a political visited immigration detention worked on the 2005-6 Newark appointee at the Peace Corps. facilities in Arizona and heard mayoral campaign for Cory She headed the Peace Corps things from all sides. I got to meet Booker, now a U.S. Senator. “I Response, which was created in the some extraordinary men and was organizing lawyers for election 1990s to provide short-term, high- women protecting our borders and monitoring in Newark, as part of impact assistance to developing witnessed firsthand the hardships ensuring a fair and honest process countries from highly skilled endured by the immigrant and ultimately became the volunteers for shorter periods than community. My legal expertise campaign’s scheduler. I heard the traditional postings. She once again allowed me to Barack Obama speaking during that remains proud of her role in understand the issues raised by the time and was captivated, so when I launching the Global Health Service lawyers representing migrants and got a call in early 2007 to get Partnership, a Peace Corps advocacy groups.” involved on the finance side, I program that sent doctors and jumped at the opportunity.” nurses to medical and nursing schools and hospitals in sub- Like many, she thought Saharan Africa, to train the next would win the “In 2007, the presumed generation of African doctors. The 2016 U.S. presidential frontrunner was Hillary program was prescient, with the election. “I was getting a strong Clinton and the female vote Ebola crisis hitting West Africa just indication from those in the Obama was key to getting out the vote. two years later, exposing the lack of administration that I would be in, There was a lot of interest trained health care professionals on so I woke up November 9 very from new people who wanted the ground. She looks back on it shocked and like many others, in to get involved and the with grim satisfaction: “It was need of a new job.” Her next step campaign was innovative exactly the kind of program that was accepting a role at the elite about how it communicated needed to be built in the country at global investigations firm Nardello with them. Obama was one of that time.” While in Tanzania, she & Co, where she is now an MD and the first presidential got a call from Jeh Johnson, with head of the Washington, D.C. campaigns with a clear digital whom she had served on the office. “One of the most positive strategy, and also operating in 2

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outcomes of the 2016 presidential election is the rise of women in leadership roles – unafraid to show our competitive side. The #MeToo movement has impacted the legal profession and investigations in a good way. It’s shown firms the value of senior women – clients want to see them – and women are seeing the value in doing business together.”

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Attorney Advertising: Prior Results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Curtis is a New York limited liability partnership with affiliated partnerships and entities operating in the , Argentina, China, England & Wales, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Oman, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.

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