Former Senior CIA Operations Officer & Espionage Novelist; Chief of A.Q. Khan Nuclear Takedown Team; Senior Partner at MDO Group

McLean, VA, USA

James Lawler Biography

James Lawler is a former senior CIA operations officer and espionage novelist whose fiction draws on decades of intelligence experience. Lawler served as a CIA operations officer for 25 years, holding international assignments in Bern, Paris, Oslo, and Zurich. As a specialist in the recruitment of foreign spies, he dedicated much of his career to countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including serving as chief of the A.Q. Khan Nuclear Takedown Team, which disrupted a major nuclear weapons network.

Lawler's intelligence career was recognized with several CIA honors, including the Trailblazer Award, the Director's Award from DCI George Tenet, the U.S. Intelligence Community's HUMINT Collector of the Year Award, and the Donovan Award from the CIA's Deputy Director of Operations. Former CIA Director George Tenet described the team's work as one of the most significant intelligence accomplishments in CIA history, while former Deputy Director John McLaughlin called it the closest thing to a perfect intelligence operation.

Following his CIA service, Lawler authored a trilogy of espionage novels known as The Guild Series, including "Living Lies," "In the Twinkling of an Eye," and "The Traitor's Tale." "Living Lies" explores the Iranian nuclear weapons program, while "In the Twinkling of an Eye" focuses on the recruitment of a spy within a covert Russian-North Korean genetic bioweapons program. Spyscape ranked "Living Lies" among the Fifty Best Spy Novels. "The Traitor's Tale" addresses themes of treachery and espionage within the CIA and has received endorsements from figures in the intelligence and spy fiction communities.

Before his intelligence career, Lawler practiced law and served as president of a steel components company in Texas. He holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law. Lawler is a national security consultant and Senior Partner at MDO Group, providing Human Intelligence (HUMINT) training to the Intelligence Community and commercial sector, with a focus on WMD, counterintelligence, technical, and cyber issues. He is a frequent speaker on insider threat topics in government, academia, and industry, and has appeared on numerous national podcasts and delivered presentations to organizations such as Honeywell Corporation, LinkedIn, Harvard University, the CIA, NSA, FBI, and U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/30/2026.

James Lawler Speaking Topics

  • How CIA Officers Recruit Foreign Spies

    Recruiting foreign spies was James' CIA specialty for 25 years and he has taught it for another 20 years.

  • The Dangers of Nuclear Proliferation

    The CIA team that James led brought down the most dangerous nuclear weapons network in history

    • the A.Q. Khan network.

Read More +

James Lawler Videos

25 Year CIA Operative Explains the Future of Nukes & UFO's | James "Mad Dog" Lawler

25 Year CIA Operative Explains the Future of Nukes & UFO's | James "Mad Dog" Lawler

Jim Lawler was CIA officer for 25 years & a member of CIA's Senior Intelligence Service (SIS-3) from 1998 until his retirement in 2005. He was a...

Soulcatcher: James Lawler discusses the motivations for espionage

Soulcatcher: James Lawler discusses the motivations for espionage

About the Lecture: James Lawler's talk, titled "Soulcatcher," delves into the complex and often disturbing motivations that drive ordinary people to...

Jim Lawler on the Art of Espionage and the Perfect Intelligence Operation

Jim Lawler on the Art of Espionage and the Perfect Intelligence Operation

In this OODAcast, we talk with Jim Lawler who is a Senior Partner at MDO Group, which provides HUMINT training to the Intelligence Community and the...

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  • What topics does James Lawler speak about?

    James Lawler is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Author, Business Consulting, Business Leadership, Cybersecurity, Fiction Authors, Security & Defense
  • Where does James Lawler travel from?

    James Lawler generally travels from McLean, VA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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James Lawler is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as How CIA Officers Recruit Foreign Spies, The Dangers of Nuclear Proliferation and How CIA Recruitment Techniques Are Applicable to Sales. The estimated speaking fee range to book James Lawler for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. James Lawler generally travels from McLean, VA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Christopher M. Piehota, Tyler Cohen Wood, Matt O'Neill, John Iannarelli and Peter Warmka. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling James Lawler for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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