White & Case LLP’s national security practice is anchored in Washington DC by a deep bench of specialists. Cristina Brayton-Lewis, co-chair of the Economic Sanctions & Export Controls practice, is widely recognized for her work advising on complex sanctions and export controls issues, particularly those involving emerging technologies. Farhad Jalinous, Global Head of the firm’s CFIUS and Foreign Direct Investment Reviews practice, brings decades of experience handling sensitive cross-border transactions involving national security considerations. David Lim advises multinational clients on sanctions, export controls, and enforcement matters, drawing on prior government experience. The team is further strengthened by Laura Black, a former senior US Treasury official with significant CFIUS policy experience. The team advises a global client roster including major multinational corporations, private equity sponsors, and sovereign-affiliated entities on high-stakes cross-border transactions, regulatory filings, investigations, and litigation involving sanctions, export controls, and foreign investment review regimes.
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Key clients
- Kohler Co.
- Kindred Group plc
- Safran SA
- Oaktree Capital Management (UK)
- Airbus SE and affiliates
- Piab Group AB
- GardaWorld Federal Services LLC
- Aegis Defense Services LLC
- Constellis
- Centerra Group LLC
- Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A (PDVSA)
Work highlights
Advised Safran on the national-security regulatory aspects of its approximately US$1.8 billion acquisition of Raytheon’s global flight-controls and actuation business, including complex CFIUS, FDI, and security-clearance considerations across multiple jurisdictions
Advising Censys on FOCI compliance and mitigation, including negotiation and implementation of DCSA-mandated security agreements, governance protections, and facility security clearance requirements, to enable participation in US government contracts involving classified information and sensitive national security interests.
Represented Ross Acquisition Court in structuring its proposed DESPAC merger with an aerospace and defense technology company to preserve and maximize the value of sensitive US government contracts, leading comprehensive government-contracts diligence and designing transaction mechanisms to address FAR/DFARS compliance, export controls, cybersecurity, supply-chain, and change-of-control risks while maintaining eligibility for classified and other high-priority federal programs.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Cristina Brayton-Lewis; Farhad Jalinous; David Lim
Other key lawyers
Laura Black