Ama Adams is a leading international trade and national security lawyer with more than two decades of experience guiding companies and investors through complex cross-border risks and U.S. regulatory regimes. As managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office and co-chair of the firm’s national security practice, she advises on the full spectrum of trade and investment controls, including export controls, economic sanctions, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering, foreign direct investment, and customs. Her practice spans counseling, investigations, enforcement defense, and high-stakes regulatory approvals.
She brings deep industry fluency across financial services, aviation, biotechnology and life sciences, energy and natural resources, advanced manufacturing, technology and software, and chemicals. She regularly designs and enhances global compliance programs, leads pre- and post-acquisition due diligence, conducts internal investigations, and represents clients before OFAC, BIS, DOJ, DDTC, CBP, and other agencies in licensing, enforcement, and inquiry matters.
A leading CFIUS practitioner, she has also successfully guided numerous clients—both foreign and domestic—through the most complex and challenging CFIUS national security reviews and investigations, including the only reversal of a presidential block.
Experience
International Trade Enforcement and Compliance
- Serve as lead trade compliance counsel for leading private equity sponsors — on cross‑border transactions, conducting sanctions, export controls, antiboycott, and FCPA diligence; negotiating contractual protections; and standing up portfolio company compliance programs.
- Lead trade compliance counsel to a leading laboratory equipment manufacturer, which includes managing the Company’s exit from Russia, executing an enterprise-wide risk assessment of a shared-services model, advising on blocking, reporting, and licensing for sanctioned counterparties, and preparing numerous voluntary self-disclosures to OFAC, BIS, DDTC, CBP, and the Census Bureau with consistently favorable outcomes.
- Advised a leading financial technology company in responding to an OFAC subpoena by reviewing thousands of fund-interest purchases and reconstructing transaction and distribution flows across global distributors and third‑party screening providers.
- Conducted an internal investigation of a technology products and services portfolio company of a global private equity firm for potential Iran sanctions violations and delivered remediation and governance enhancements.
- Represented a leading global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer operating across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, including an enterprise-wide trade compliance risk assessments and third-party audits and a comprehensive investigation into Russia-related sanctions and potential diversion of controlled items.
- Executed buy‑side export control due diligence under the EAR and ITAR for a large aircraft parts supplier in connection with an acquisition, with mapped remediation and integration steps.
- Performed a comprehensive deemed export risk assessment for a multinational biopharmaceutical company, including technology control plans, classification procedures, HR policies, and systems controls to strengthen restricted access protocols.
- Led a global review of sanctions, export controls, and anti‑corruption programs for a multinational energy corporation — across 30+ jurisdictions and developed targeted, risk‑based mitigation plans and protocols.
CFIUS – Reviews, Investigations, and Mitigation Compliance
- Secured CFIUS approval for Nippon Steel’s $14.1 billion acquisition of U. S. Steel.
- Obtained CFIUS clearance for a $14+ billion sale of a leading cybersecurity software provider to a cross-border consortium.
- Guided a $3.5 billion sale of a cloud-native, intelligent edge software business to a European acquirer, addressing SDLC, global development, and cybersecurity controls.
- Advised on transfer of control over ~170 energy assets to foreign pension and sovereign wealth funds, resolving complex regulatory and structuring issues.
- Structured and executed a change of control for energy assets, including assets on military bases and other sensitive sites for consortium of sovereign wealth funds
- Secured CFIUS clearance for a Hong Kong-based technology company acquiring a U.S. semiconductor advanced packaging business.
- Obtained approval for a German-headquartered copper manufacturer acquiring a North American non-ferrous products converter and distributor.
- Advised a European asset manager on CFIUS clearance for transfer of a sensitive infrastructure asset located on a U.S. military base to a Canadian investor.
- Represented a non-U.S. exploration company in the CFIUS aspects of acquiring a U.S. navigation company.
- Conducts portfolio-wide CFIUS assessments for private equity, venture capital, and sovereign wealth funds, evaluating hundreds of targets annually.