Co-led, out of Washington D.C., by the reputable Les P. Carnegie, the Latham & Watkins LLP national security team has notable strength in the export controls and economic sanctions space. The team's capabilities are very wide-ranging, with experience in assisting and advising on government investigations, counsel during the transaction lifecycle, and regulatory advice. The team has a client base that spans significant private equity firms, multi-national corporations, global pharmaceutical companies, and financial institutions. Carnegie is described as 'knowledgeable, approachable and helpful', whilst his co-lead, Eric Volkman has a deep knowledge of compliance issues with experience in designing and implementing compliance programs. Andrew Galdes is a key member of the team.
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Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Latham's import/export compliance team is excellent substantively and also understands how the bureaucracy and processes of Washington DC work. They are responsive and give business-minded answers. ’
‘Les (Carnegie) is knowledgeable, approachable and helpful. Andrew (Galdes) is also knowledgeable and he is responsive and good at keeping you informed and up to date. ’
‘The Latham & Watkins trade compliance team excels because of its diverse and extremely knowledgeable partners and associates. They are always timely and help us work through complex legal issues for international operations. Each member of the team complements the others, and it is clear they work well together to provide comprehensive guidance and counsel. ’
‘Les Carnegie leads the Latham trade compliance team and provides excellent client service. Les is always responsive and timely in his follow-up and guidance. You can tell he manages well his team, resulting in timely advice and counsel. Les has deep experience and knowledge of the relevant legal issues and government agencies, which greatly informs his counsel. We have been very happy working with Les.’
Work highlights
- Advised the US electronic systems design firm Cadence Design Systems, Inc., on sanctions and export controls compliance related to its US$ 1.24 billion acquisition of BETA CAE Systems International AG, a leading system analysis platform provider of multi-domain, engineering simulation solutions.
- Advised Robinhood on US, EU, and UK sanctions and export control issues in connection with its acquisition of cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp Ltd.
- Represents Duolingo, Inc., a US technology company that provides a virtual e-learning platform. Latham successfully represented Duolingo before the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and secured authorization from OFAC for Duolingo to provide its language-learning app, and administer its English proficiency exam, to students and other persons located in Syria.
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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 P. Carnegie; Eric S. Volkman
Other key lawyers
Andrew Galdes