WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Marik A. String will rejoin the firm as a partner in the firm’s industry leading Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice.
String, who will be based in both Washington and London offices, has more than two decades of experience at senior levels of government, the private sector and legal practice working in the areas of national security law, economic sanctions, export controls and international disputes.
At WilmerHale, String will counsel clients on sanctions and national security regulatory issues; global investigations and compliance; and international, investor-state and sovereign-related disputes.
Before rejoining the firm in September 2025, String served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and as a Trump-Vance presidential transition team member. String is one of a small group of professionals in appointed positions to have advised the past three Republican Secretaries of State.
He also co-founded and has served in executive roles at a global investment firm. His background gives him unique insight into sanctions and national security regulations, global investigations, and international dispute resolution from the perspectives of both the public and private sectors.
“We are thrilled to welcome Marik back to our firm,” said WilmerHale Managing Partner Anjan Sahni. “His extensive experience at the intersection of law and national security, his years spent in both political branches of government, and his c-suite roles make him an invaluable counselor to our clients and resource for his colleagues.”
“At a time when clients face unprecedented and complex challenges involving national security, trade, cross-border investments, and market access, WilmerHale is best-in-class in helping clients navigate the risks and uncertainties that keep corporate leaders up at night,” said String. “I am thrilled to rejoin the firm.”
During the first Trump Administration, as the State Department’s Acting Legal Adviser (General Counsel) from 2019-2021, String led nearly 400 attorneys and staff, and advised the Secretary of State and White House stakeholders on executive orders and policies affecting economic sanctions, international trade and investment, and historic peace agreements like The Abraham Accords. He also served as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, leading the US government’s compliance and enforcement functions under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
From 2006 to 2013 String, who is fluent in German, worked for the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as Deputy Chief Counsel and Senior Professional Staff Member for European and Eurasian Affairs. A veteran of the US military with domestic and overseas tours, he continues to serve the United States as an officer in the US Navy Reserve. He is a Senior National Security Fellow at the University of Texas’ Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
String received his J.D., magna cum laude (Order of the Coif), from Georgetown University; an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Vienna, where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar; and his B.A. in Economics and German, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.