Dan Stigall (’00) speaks to LSU Law students during an event hosted by The Center for Civil Law Studies and the International Law Society on Friday, Oct. 20.
When he’s not serving as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice or as the Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in National Security Law at George Washington University Law School, LSU Law alumnus Dan Stigall (’00) enjoys advising and guiding law students who are interested in national security careers.
On Friday, Oct. 20, Stigall returned to his alma mater to discuss national security issues and career paths with current LSU Law students.
“I remember having a burgeoning sense that I wanted to work in national security and international law when I was in college, but I could not find a direct path to do that,” Stigall said at the event, which was hosted by The Center for Civil Law Studies and the International Law Society.
As it turns out, there are no hard and fast rules on how to pursue a career in national security or international law, Stigall explained. That’s why he encourages law students to keep an open mind when it comes to opportunities to work in law, policy, or in more operational careers.
“Don’t discount the fact that every federal agency deals with international issues in some form,” Stigall said. “Put yourself in a place where an opportunity exists, get your foot in the door, then you can move laterally to where you want to be.”
After Stigall graduated from LSU Law, he served on active duty as a U.S. Army Judge Advocate for more than eight years with assignments at home and abroad in Europe and the Middle East. During that time, he completed his LL.M. in International and Comparative Law at George Washington University Law School. He later joined the U.S. DOJ, where he served in multiple roles as both a policy advisor and trial attorney. He has served as a Counterterrorism Director with the National Security Council and has been detailed for the past two years to the Pentagon, where he was the Director for Counterterrorism Policy and, thereafter, the Director for Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) Policy.
Stigall said the bijural legal education he received at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center positioned him to understand the complexities of international and comparative law as he launched and built his career.
“International law, in important ways, draws from the civilian legal experience,” he explained. “And because civil law is encoded in you as an LSU Law student—you are bringing something important to the table.”
Stigall predicts today’s law students will practice law in a dynamic era and emphasized that they will be expected to understand the different legal frameworks that apply to shifting national security issues once they enter the field.
“You are part of a cosmopolitan legal tradition that connects you with the majority of the world’s jurisdictions,” he said. “You understand at a profound level the philosophical undergirding of the legal tradition that has shaped the contours of international law. You can use it to your advantage, and always bring unique insight and understanding to the international legal issues that you are going to face after you graduate.”
