
Operating out of Washington D.C, Kirkland & Ellis LLP‘s CFIUS team leverages former government experience, policy acumen, legal knowledge and corporate know-how to manage and mitigate the risks of cross-border investments. The team has extensive experience cooperating with CFIUS across the transaction lifecycle, ensuring they are well-positioned to counsel a range of companies and investors. The practice offers services including strategic advice, political risk assessment, preparation of filings, and negotiation of mitigation instruments to both buy and sell-side clients. The team is typically divided into two sub-sections: one led by Ivan Schlager, and the other jointly directed by Mario Mancuso and Lucille Hague. Schlager is widely recognized as a leading CFIUS expert in D.C. and has significant experience conducting national security reviews and negotiating mitigation agreements for clients across a spectrum of industries including defence, telecoms, media and technology. Mancuso, a former member of the President’s national security team and Hague have recently led the CFIUS process for high-value transactions involving clients Brookfield Infrastructure, Venafi and Oaktree Capital Group.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The K&E CIFUS practice is truly unique, a combination of deep domain expertise, top-notch technical skills, political savvy, and creative mitigation strategies. Makes the practice the go-to on CFIUS, sanctions, and related national security issues.'
- 'Ivan Schlager is by far the most respected legal mind in the national security world. Ivan's insight into the process, his deep relationships with key policymakers, his incredible, lighting fast responsiveness, and his creative approach to problem-solving have made him truly "the man to see" for companies dealing with CFIUS, sanctions, and other national security-related legal matters and regulatory challenges.'
- 'Ivan Schlager stands out for great insights into US official views, connectivity with high-ranked militaries and great interpersonal skills. In addition, he travels a lot abroad and so can have face-to-face interactions.'
Key clients
- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP
- NICE Ltd.
- Oaktree Capital Group
- Panasonic Holdings Corporation
- Patient Square Capital
- Permira
- Thales S.A.
- Toshiba
- Venafi
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Practice head
Mario Mancuso; Ivan Schlager
Other key lawyers
Lucille Hague