James W. Zirkle

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

Jim Zirkle, who joined the CIA in 1985, is an Associate General Counsel whose most recent assignment was as head of the legal staff providing support to the CIA's Office of Security. He was responsible for support to all aspects of security operations, including police, protective details, personnel security, physical security, crimes referrals to the Department of Justice, and guidance to the CIA's internal personnel disciplinary process. Previously he was counsel for a number of years to the CIA's Counterintelligence Center where, inter alia, he actively supported ongoing counterintelligence investigations in coordination with the FBI. Prior to that assignment he was senior CIA counsel at the National Reconnaissance Office.

Mr. Zirkle received a B.S. from Carson-Newman College, a J.D. from the University of Tennessee and an LL.M. from Yale Law School. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and American University's Washington College of Law.

Course(s) taught:

GOVT-363: Dept Sem: Civil Liberties in War, Spring 2008

GOVT-563: Dept Sem: Civil Liberties in War, Fall 2008

MSFS-516: National Security Law, Spring 2009