Akin

Senior Counsel, International Trade

Laura advises clients, including multinationals, investment funds and start-ups, on investment screening within a broader national security context and represents them in all stages of CFIUS filings.  She also provides strategic guidance and planning on international investment risks, multijurisdictional reviews of transactions, and emerging policy issues involving the regulation of outbound investment.

Laura has 25 years of experience in the private and public sectors.  She recently joined the firm after serving for 15 years at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, most recently as the Director of Policy and International Relations in CFIUS’ Office of Investment Security.  In this role, she was the chief drafter of the regulations implementing the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA), the first expansion of CFIUS’s authority in three decades, and spearheaded U.S. government engagement with dozens of foreign governments, including with countries in Europe, Asia, the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East. Prior to entering public service, Laura was a corporate lawyer in the Washington, D.C. and Brussels, Belgium offices of another leading international firm with a practice focused on cross-border transactions. She is unique among CFIUS practitioners, combining a deep understanding of deal dynamics, regulatory and policy issues across jurisdictions, and an insider’s understanding of CFIUS.

To learn more about Ms. Black, please visit his/her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/laura-black

D., Harvard Law School, cum laude, 1999

Ec., Bucknell University, summa cum laude, 1996