Mr Mario Mancuso > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s formidable offerings in cross-border M&A and private equity translate into a thriving national security practice, which engages with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) across the full transaction lifecycle. Sources highlight the Washington DC-based team’s ‘exceptional relationship with the CFIUS administration’, with department co-chair Mario Mancuso standing out for his experience as a former senior CFIUS decision-maker in his previous role as Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce (DOC). Mancuso recently teamed up with next-generation partner Lucille Hague to advise BDP International on the CFIUS aspects of its sale to Singapore-based PSA International. A ‘down-to-earth expert’, department co-chair Ivan Schlager is widely recognized as a market leader in CFIUS work, with particular experience in the private equity sphere on behalf of clients such as Blackstone, Bain Capital and Warburg Pincus. The group also draws on Nathan Mitchell, who has a focus on CFIUS and national security matters, and Daniel Gerkin, whose practice takes in a wide range of export controls and sanctions, customs and CFIUS-related issues.

Leveraging the firm’s platforms in Europe, China and the UK, Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s team stands out for its ability to ‘get experts from across different sanction regimes together to allow clients to make informed decisions’. The cross-department practice draws on Washington DC-based international trade and national security co-heads Mario Mancuso and Ivan Schlager, with Mancuso in particular dedicating a significant portion of his practice to economic sanctions, export controls, and other international risk issues. In New York, government enforcement specialist Zachary Brez is also noted for his expertise in international risk matters.