Jeff's career was built with hands-on experience in international law, national security and globalization combined with high-level US government service.
He assists his clients in making multifaceted business decisions, structuring transactions and complying with complex regulatory requirements. Jeff brings deep experience in defense, homeland security and national security matters, including antitrust, export controls and sanctions, foreign investment, government contracts, industrial security and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He advises clients on international commercial, trade and public policy issues; assists in internal investigations; and has significant regional experience in Europe, Japan and the Middle East. He handles novel private/public issues for clients in an array of regulated industries.
Jeff, who served as Co-Head of the firm’s Aerospace, Defense and Security Group (2020-2024), advises clients on aerospace and defense and other mergers and acquisitions with a focus on antitrust, government contracts, and related issues. With hands-on industrial sector experience, he handles challenging transactions from an antitrust standpoint involving consolidations of firms and divestitures in concentrated markets. He has represented a series of major firms in mergers involving cutting-edge antitrust issues (horizontal, vertical and conflict of interest) both at the Justice Department and the FTC, including a number of second requests and “quick looks” under Hart-Scott-Rodino, and has worked closely with economists and other specialists in developing and advocating fact-based positions acceptable to the regulatory agencies. Jeff has also handled the competition filing requirements in a number of foreign jurisdictions.
In the antitrust arena, he also has counseled, advised and assisted clients in a number of industries, including energy, automotive and industrial, as well as information technology and government services. Jeff also has handled responses to various types of governmental information requests and has participated in antitrust litigation on both horizontal and vertical issues.
He advises foreign corporations in acquisitions of US defense firms and firms in other sensitive business sectors (such as energy, electronic voting, information technology and space). He assists clients through the myriad of governance, security, and regulatory issues that arise in such deals and the management of such acquired firms after closing.
He has handled many notifications to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in connection with Exon-Florio national security investigations of foreign acquisitions and counselled numerous clients on CFIUS issues. Jeff structured some of the most novel mitigation and safeguard arrangements in place to address national security issues under Exon-Florio and mitigate “foreign ownership control and influence” under the National Industrial Security Program, including Special Security Agreements, Security Control Agreements, proxies, and other unique arrangements shaped to address particular transactions.
He guides clients through major internal investigations, voluntary disclosures, and compliance programs with respect to export controls, government contracts and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Jeff regularly advises clients on government contract matters and represents clients in bid protests (before the US Court of Claims and GAO) – structuring responses to requests for procurement and addressing cutting-edge organizational conflict of interest issues.
He works extensively on international strategy and collaborative arrangements, including joint ventures, teaming arrangements and organizational structure.
Jeff’s career includes work with the US government in several capacities. From 1999 to 2000, he served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Industrial Affairs and was awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal for his service. He led the review of defense mergers and acquisitions from an antitrust, as well as a national defense perspective, advised the Secretary of Defense on policies and programs concerning the defense industrial base, managed initiatives/negotiations with U.S. allies on trans-Atlantic defense industrial cooperation, and was integrally involved in major reforms of U.S. defense export controls. From 1997 to 1999, Jeff was special advisor to Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural affairs, where he addressed international economic policy matters, including economic sanctions, anti-corruption, and rule of law issues and trade issues. From 1996 to 1997, Jeff was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration. He administered the antidumping and countervailing duties and handled major trade disputes, negotiations, and related litigation.
Jeff served as a member of Defense Science Board task forces (on the defense industry and space), and was appointed by Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to the Virginia Secure Commonwealth Panel, which oversees that state’s homeland security policy planning.
Latest News
- Represented Sunergy, a DeSpac target company, in its business combination with ESGEN Acquisition Corp.
- Represented IGM Financial, one of Canada's largest diversified wealth and asset management companies, in its purchase of an approximately 20.5 percent equity interest in Rockefeller Capital Management, for consideration of approximately $622 million.
- Advised the Safran Group on its sale of Safran Aerosystems Arresting Company (SAA), a designer and manufacturer of military aircraft emergency arresting systems, to Curtis-Wright Corporation for $240 million in cash.
- Represented ITC Infotech in its strategic partnership with PTC, Inc. pursuant to which ITC Infotech purchased the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) business from PTC and acquired a portion of PTC’s PLM implementation services business, DxP services.
- Represented Empower in its acquisition of MassMutual’s retirement services business for a total transaction value of $3.35 billion.
Books
- Co-Author, Fortresses and Icebergs: The Evolution of the Transatlantic Defense Market and the Implications for U.S. National Security Policy, Johns Hopkins University 2009 (Brookings Press)
- Co-Author, Ideas for America’s Future: Core Elements of a New National Security Strategy, Johns Hopkins University (June 2008) (Brookings Press)
- Co-Editor (and chapter co-author), Defense Research & Development: New Visions & Prospects for Cooperative Engagement (Johns Hopkins University 2004)
- Co-Author, The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Coping With Corruption in Russia and Other Transitional Economies, Oceana Publ. (Jan. 1997)
Articles/Monographs
- Author, “It’s Time for Pentagon to Prioritize Near-Term Acquisition Fixes over Systemic Change,” Breaking Defense, November 19, 2021
- Co-Author, “Unpacking U.S.-China Sanctions and Export Control Regulations: The China “Military End Use” and “Military End User” Rule and the Department of Defense List,” Global Trade, October 26, 2020
- Co-Author, “The President Can’t Force Meat Factories to Open,” Barrons, May 8, 2020
- Author, “Trump Admin DPA Use Should Be More Systematic Than Ad Hoc Reachouts To Underwear Firms,” TPM (TalkingPointsMemo.com), March 31, 2020
- Author, “America should use a wartime law to mobilize industry against the pandemic,” Defense News, March 20, 2020
- Author, “The President’s Ability to Block US Business From China,” Law 360, August 26, 2019
- Co-Author, “Against the Odds: Driving Defense Innovation in a Change-Resistant Ecosystem,” Center for Transatlantic Relations (Monograph), Johns Hopkins University (2017) (Released at CSIS event)
- Author, “How to Fix NATO’s Chronic Burden-Sharing Problem,” The National Interest, July 2016
- Co-Author, “What America’s Big New Defense Plan Gets Wrong,” The National Interest, June, 2016, focusing on defense innovation and the Third Offset
- “Planning Defense M&A After Recent Government Guidance,” Law360, May 2 and 3, 2016
- “Strategic Actions to Keep the Asian Rebalance and U.S.-Japan Security Cooperation on Track,” Defense News, May 24, 2016
- “The US ‘5-Year Plan’ on Islamic State group – A Defining Moment for a Europe at Risk,” Defense News, November 20, 2015
- “Deploying Transatlantic Defense Industrial Capabilities in Support of a Realigned NATO,” National Defense University Monograph, November 2011
- Co-Author, “The NATO Response Force: Facilitating Coalition Warfare Through Technology Transfer and Information Sharing,” Defense and Technology Paper No. 18, National Defense University, October 2005
- Co-Author, “Getting To Yes On Missile Defense,” Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University) (Monograph) (2004)
- Co-Author, “Transatlantic Industrial Cooperation as a Tool for Transformation: A Case of Compelling Logic, But Limited Short-Term Prospects,” Chp. 6, Transatlantic Transformations: Equipping NATO For The 21st Century (Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University) (2004)
- Author, “The Detection and Disclosure of Violations of U.S. Export Controls: Management Choices and Their National Security Implications,” 29 University of Virginia Journal of International Law 567 (Spring 1989)
- Co-Author, “The Libyan Sanctions: A Rational Response to State-Sponsored Terrorism,” 26 Univ. of Virginia Journal of International Law 799 (Summer 1986)
- Named to Who's Who Legal Foreign Investment Control (2024)
- U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award (Jan. 2001)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of customs, export controls and economic sanctions (2025)
- Member, New York Council on Foreign Relations
- Member, Board of Directors, Stimson Center
- Member, Virginia Israel Advisory Board
- Member, Law360's 2021 Aerospace & Defense Editorial Advisory Board
- Adjunct Fellow on Transatlantic Security and Industry, Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (2002-2018)
- Member, Secure Virginia Initiative (Homeland Security Board) (2003-2008)
- District of Columbia
- A.B., magna cum laude, Cornell University
- M.P.P., Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government
- J.D., University of Chicago Law School