CFIUS and FINSA Hot Topics in 2014

Damara Chambers is a special counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Covington & Burling LLP.  Her practice focuses on national security law, cross-border investment issues and the application of international trade controls.  Ms. Chambers has extensive experience handling complex regulatory matters relating to international investment and mergers, including advising foreign and domestic clients in successful national security reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and advising companies regarding the mitigation of foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) under national industrial security regulations administered by the Defense Security Service (DSS) and Department of Energy.  Ms. Chambers also advises companies on compliance and enforcement matters relating to US export controls administered by the Departments of State, Commerce, and Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, economic sanctions administered by the Department of the Treasury, and import and licensing requirements imposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

John C. Dickey, a member in Dykema's Dallas office, concentrates his practice on securities, corporate finance, antitrust and commercial law. He is a former Associate General Counsel for a Fortune 20 company. He counsels both private and public companies, across a wide range of industries, in a variety of corporate law matters including in such areas as international mergers and acquisitions, public and private financings, restructuring, stock splits, spin-offs, regulatory compliance, securities law and strategic alliances. He also advises foreign investors on United States legal issues and United States companies on dealings with foreign companies and investment.

Jeffrey Richardson advises multinational clients in the information technology and defense sectors on matters including mergers and acquisitions, distribution agreements, joint ventures, and strategic corporate structuring.

Specifically, Jeffrey brings expertise in matching operational business execution requirements with functional business structures. He is frequently engaged in advising clients of export control compliance, as well as the impact of intellectual property matters within business structures. His breadth of experience is informed by a business management and litigation background. 

Jason Waite is a partner in the Washington office of Alston & Bird.  His practice is concentrated on export controls, economic sanctions and related national security and regulatory matters impacting international business.  His work revolves around corporate compliance, strategic transactions, and enforcement defense.

In transactional and strategic planning matters, Jason advocates for favorable commodity jurisdiction and export classification determinations, spearheads complex export license applications, and conducts trade compliance due diligence.  He counsels companies considering voluntary notification of transactions to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and represents clients before CFIUS in foreign direct investment reviews.  He also advises clients in security clearance matters under the National Industrial Security Operating Manual, including in the negotiation and implementation of agreements to mitigate Foreign Ownership Control or Influence (FOCI), which are often a key component of a successful CFIUS review. 

Kent Bressie is a partner and head of international practice at the law firm of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP in Washington, D.C.  An expert on international trade and investment and telecommunications regulation, he specializes in cross-border regulation of investment, technology, and infrastructure.  He regularly represents critical infrastructure owners, defense contractors, and technology businesses to obtain clearances from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, negotiate network security agreements with the “Team Telecom” agencies, negotiate industrial security arrangements with the Defense Security Service, develop and implement cybersecurity plans, and comply with U.S. export controls and economic sanctions.  He also represents telecommunications network owners in variety of public international law and law of the sea matters.  He works extensively in the undersea cable sector and has led various industry-wide regulatory-reform and cable-protection initiatives.  He currently chairs the undersea cable protection working group of the Federal Communications Commission’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council.