Latham & Watkins LLP‘s CFIUS practice, based in Washington DC, handles a significant portion of CFIUS filings annually. The firm counsels clients on CFIUS mitigation and clearance across a spectrum of industry sectors, including energy, finance, and transportation. The stand-alone national security team is supplemented by the firm’s range of market-leading expertise in legal sectors across the financial transaction remit, giving them a breadth of capacity to handle complex mandates. Les Carnegie, a renowned expert in the field, heads the CFIUS and US national security teams and has a proven track record of obtaining CFIUS clearance on behalf of major clients in high-profile transactions. Carnegie co-leads alongside Damara Chambers and James Barker. Chambers, with nearly two decades of experience, has been involved with some significant cases and has a deep understanding of the priorities of government agencies in regards to CFIUS matters, positioning her well to provide advice to clients. Barker provides specialises expertise in the field of technological and telecommunication transactions, with notable activity in CFIUS matters across industries such as 3D-printing, satellite imaging systems and streaming video applications. Catherine Hein, Zachary Eddington and Ruchi Gill are key Counsel-level lawyers who support the team leaders across a breadth of matters. Hein and Gill bring a wealth of experience operating within US governmental departments, whilst Eddington regularly guides clients on negotiation and implementation of CFIUS mitigation agreements.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Their team excels in negotiation skills with the authorities and possesses extensive knowledge about the business of financial institutions. They proactively provide information, making it easy to forecast schedules and facilitating the work process.’
‘Catherine Hein is very diligent and has a quick understanding of the clients' requests.’
‘They are true experts in the areas of CFIUS, Economic Sanctions, Export Controls, FCPA, and anything related to these areas.’
Work highlights
Represented Wren House Infrastructure Management Limited, an infrastructure investment firm and a subsidiary of the Kuwait Investment Authority, in receiving clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in connection with its acquisition of an equity stake in SeaCube Container Leasing Ltd., a leading global purchaser and lessor of refrigerated containers.
Represented Robert Bosch GmbH in securing CFIUS clearance for Bosch’s acquisition of certain assets of U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors Corporation.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Les Carnegie; Damara Chambers; James Barker
Other key lawyers
Catherine Hein; Zachary Eddington; Ruchi Gill