WALTER H. FOSTER Federal White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer
Walter H. Foster, Of Counsel, is a seasoned attorney and former Army colonel with deep experience orchestrating teams, imparting clarity and counsel, and executing on behalf of both private enterprise and the federal government. From managing technical construction in Iraq to prosecuting terrorists for the Pentagon, Walter brings mission focus to every challenge.
Serving as Corporate Counsel for one of the nation’s largest electrical contractors, he has infused legal guidance across construction program management and contracting, joint ventures, corporate mergers & acquisitions, contract negotiations, governance, and risk management.
Entrusted to lead critical teams and advise high-impact executives throughout his career, he is a professional of ethics, empathy, and proven legal dexterity.
Federal White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer. Selected to attend Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School, Walter’s initial military assignment was serving as a tactical strike jet pilot from the USS Forrestal. After earning the first of two bachelor’s degrees he returned to the military, commissioning as a U.S. Army officer and serving in the Army National Guard. After graduating from the University of Maine School of Law, Walter served as a State Prosecutor for Hillsborough County, earning increasingly complex cases and taking on 80 jury trials in his last year.
Accepted to the Army’s competitive Judge Advocate General program, Walter served on both active and reserve duty as an attorney representing multiple commands and U.S. interests. While a reservist, Walter established and managed a busy practice in Tampa, working the entire case lifecycle for 3,000 bench trials and 80 jury trials over nine years. While focusing largely on criminal defense, civil litigation, and matrimony affairs,
Walter also deployed twice with a Legal Operations Detachment, including service in Iraq.
In 2009 Walter began a string of legal leadership roles at Army commands from coast to coast, first as a Supervisory Attorney at the Army Theater Signal Command advising on matters including compliance, public policy, and mobilization. In 2011 he became a strategic program leader and Deputy General Counsel for the Army Reserve Legal Command that managed 1,600 Reserve attorneys and paralegals. He advised lawyers in every state and retooled their training program.
Crossing the country for a General Counsel role at the Civil Affairs Command in 2014, Walter delved into international issues around training exercises with South Korea, theater security efforts, and disaster response. He advised the commanding general on a range of civil affairs deployment issues, including the use of force and detainees.
A licensed pilot and certified flight and instrument instructor, Walter leveraged his aviation insight as senior in-house counsel for the Army Reserve Aviation Command in 2017. He cleared a backlog of administrative separations and actively supported the building of a new database to track and prioritize cases. Transactional law, internal investigations, and congressional inquiries were all part of his purview.
Procurement and White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer, Moving to the Pentagon as Lead Trial Counsel, Walter was tapped to spearhead the high-profile prosecution of an Al Qaeda operative who had been detained at Guantanamo Bay. As the first government official to publicly address the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, Walter walked a fine line in the courtroom, not criticizing the government while speaking frankly about the practice. The case resulted in a 26-year sentence, and he was awarded a Joint Meritorious Service Medal.
Education Highlights
Walter, holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law and a Master of Arts in Strategic Intelligence from the Army War College. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, as well as an Associate of Aviation Science degree.
Admissions
A member of the Florida State Bar, he is also licensed to practice before the U.S. District Court (Middle District of Florida), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th District, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Army Court of Appeals.
Contact Walter Foster, Federal white collar criminal defense lawyer at 1.866.601.5518 or contact him online.