Whiteford Names Five New Partners
Date: January 2, 2025
Christopher Chaisson. Mr. Chaisson focuses his practice on the nexus of law and national security, blending his experience as a former prosecutor, as a CIA officer and in the private sector. He advises on economic sanctions, export controls, defense contracts and proposed foreign investment in sensitive sectors of the U.S. economy (CFIUS). He also conducts internal investigations and represents corporate and individual clients in connection with grand jury investigations, False Claims Act cases and other white collar matters such as FCPA, FARA, wire fraud, mail fraud and securities fraud. He has first-chair trial experience as a former organized crime prosecutor and for more than a decade worked in intelligence and national security as an Operations Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition, with his experience as a senior business executive in a DC-area start-up, he regularly serves as outside general counsel to high-growth start-ups. Proficient in Persian/Farsi and Dari, he is based in Washington, D.C., and New York.
Mario A. de Castro. A Co-Chair of the firm’s Tax and Private Wealth Section, Mr. de Castro has over 20 years of experience advising closely held and publicly traded companies on international and corporate tax and related matters, including cross-border transactions, new market expansion, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate compliance. His industry experience spans private equity, real estate, technology and telecommunications, Fintech, bio-life, crypto-currency issuers, hospitality, defense and service companies. For closely held businesses with an international footprint, he partners with business owners and their families to navigate U.S. and cross-border tax considerations. He frequently speaks and writes on domestic and international tax and related matters. Prior to joining Whiteford, Mr. de Castro was for over 12 years an International Tax Managing Director with the D.C. offices of two global public accounting firms. A Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, he is based in Washington, D.C.
Alexandra L. Neifert. Ms. Neifert represents developers, owners, builders, investors and contractors in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition, leasing and financing of commercial properties. In addition, she regularly consults on real estate litigation matters. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of Waverly Main Street and previously served as a Business Volunteers Maryland GIVE Fellow. She is based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Nasim J. Saeidi. Ms. Saeidi represents condominium unit owner associations, homeowner associations, and housing cooperative entities, helping them navigate complex legal issues that arise in the management and governance of the associations. She handles a wide range of matters, including debt collections, contract disputes and enforcement of covenants and rules. She has experience in landlord-tenant disputes, breach of contract litigation, fair housing issues, and matters involving structural defects and warranties. She also serves as a guardian ad litem in Fairfax and Arlington Counties, where she protects the rights and interests of incapacitated persons in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. Ms. Saeidi is fluent in Farsi and enjoys being involved in the Community Associations Institute (CAI), a leading organization for community association education and advocacy. She is based in Falls Church, Virginia.
Jeffrey C. Seaman. A civil litigator for over 25 years, Mr. Seaman focuses primarily on community association-related litigation, including construction defect and warranty matters, intra-association disputes and disputes among and between reciprocal easement holders in residential/commercial condominiums. He has substantial experience handling employment litigation in state and federal courts. While he most often defends businesses and individuals against lawsuits, he has represented and prosecuted lawsuits on behalf of plaintiffs in injury, government and business-related disputes. His broad experience before courts and juries has given him a valuable perspective as both a trial attorney and counselor. He is based in Washington, D.C.
About Whiteford: Whiteford provides a comprehensive range of business law and litigation services to clients ranging from innovative start-ups to middle market companies to Fortune 100 enterprises. With a growing Mid-Atlantic footprint that includes offices in Delaware, D.C., Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Virginia, Whiteford serves clients regionally, nationally and internationally.