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Heather Finstuen

Heather Finstuen has extensive experience advising clients on cross-border investment and U.S. national security matters, negotiating and implementing mitigation agreements, and leading internal investigations and responding to government inquiries related to U.S. national security risks. Clients regard Heather as “very thoughtful” and “superb at translating legal requirements to business realities” (Chambers USA).

Heather represents domestic and international companies in numerous industries in securing the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). She frequently advises clients on national industrial security program regulations and engages with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, the Department of Energy, and other cognizant security agencies on the determination and mitigation of foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI).

Heather has expertise in identifying CFIUS and FOCI mitigation solutions that support commercial strategic objectives and translating complex mitigation requirements into pragmatic business practices. She has been involved in many complex CFIUS and FOCI matters across all industry sectors, including Brookfield Asset Management and Cameco’s $7.9 billion acquisition of Westinghouse; Advent International’s $14 billion consortium investment in McAfee and $6.4 majority investment in Maxar Technologies; BAE Systems’ $5.5 billion acquisition of Ball Aerospace and $2 billion combined acquisition of Collins Aerospace’s military GPS business and Raytheon’s military radios business; Peugeot’s $58 billion merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to create Stellantis N.V.; Nexen Inc.’s $15 billion sale to China National Offshore Oil Corporation; and GlobalFoundries’ $1 billion acquisition of the IBM Microelectronics Division.

Heather counsels U.S. government contractors on National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) requirements, obtaining and maintaining facility and personnel security clearances, safeguarding requirements, and supply chain considerations. Heather has led numerous internal investigations relating to U.S. national security issues and compliance concerns and has counseled U.S. government contractors in connection with internal investigations, mandatory disclosures, federal inquiries and investigations, and compliance policies and procedures.

Heather was recognized as a Law360 International Trade MVP for 2021 and 2024.

Before joining the firm, Heather served as a law clerk to the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

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On the heels of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, and U.S.-China tensions over Taiwan, 2022 accelerated a sweeping effort within the U.S. government to make national security considerations—especially with respect to China—a key feature of new and existing regulatory processes. This trend toward broader national security regulation, designed to help maintain U.S. strategic advantage, has support from both Republicans and Democrats, including from the Biden Administration. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s remarks in September 2022 capture the tone shift in Washington: “…[W]e have to revisit the longstanding premise of maintaining ‘relative’ advantages over competitors in certain key technologies…That is not the strategic environment we are in today…[w]e must maintain as large of a lead as possible.”

This environment produced important legislative and regulatory developments in 2022, including the CHIPS and Science Act (Covington alert), first-ever Enforcement and Penalty Guidelines promulgated by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”) (Covington alert), President Biden’s Executive Order on CFIUS (Covington alert), new restrictions under U.S. export control authorities targeting China (Covington alert), and proposals for a new regime to review outbound investments by U.S. businesses (Covington alert). The common thread among these developments is the U.S. government’s continuing appetite to use both existing and new regulatory authorities to address identified national security risks, especially where perceived risks relate to China.

With a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives riding the tailwinds of this bipartisan consensus, 2023 is looking like a pivotal moment for national security regulation—expanding beyond the use of traditional authorities such as trade controls and CFIUS, into additional regulatory domains touching upon data, communications, antitrust, and possibly more. In parallel, the U.S. focus on national security continues to gain purchase abroad, with foreign direct investment (“FDI”) regimes maturing in tandem with CFIUS, and outbound investment screening gaining traction, for example, in the European Union (“EU”). It is crucial for businesses to be aware of these developments and to approach U.S. regulatory processes with a sensitivity towards the shifting national security undercurrents described in greater detail below.Continue Reading Will 2023 Be an Inflection Point in National Security Regulation?