Christopher Kimball

Chris is chair of Cooley’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), trade controls, and government contracts practice, and he advises companies and investors – large and small, US and international – on the regulatory and practical complexities of foreign investments in the US and of doing business with US government customers.

Chris advises hundreds of clients each year on national security issues – including with respect to whether a transaction triggers a “mandatory” CFIUS filing requirement, whether a “voluntary” CFIUS filing is warranted and how to structure transactions to avoid or mitigate CFIUS risk. To complement his CFIUS practice, Chris leverages more than 20 years of government contracts experience when advising government contractors and their investors on the national security implications of foreign investments and government business relationships.

Cooley CFIUS

Cooley’s CFIUS team is among the most active and experienced in the country when it comes to counseling companies and investors, representing clients in formal national security reviews, and addressing post-closing CFIUS inquiries. Cooley’s market-leading emerging companies, fund formation and capital markets practices place the Cooley CFIUS team at the very epicenter of the national security issues of the day (i.e., foreign investments in US technology companies and other emerging and disruptive American businesses).

The Cooley CFIUS team advises more than 1,000 different clients each year and has unparalleled insight into the national security issues arising from foreign investments in every industry imaginable, from quantum computing, biotechnologies, battery technologies and autonomous vehicles. The Cooley CFIUS team works shoulder-to-shoulder with Cooley’s corporate teams and understands the commercial realities that require business-friendly approaches to managing regulatory risks. For Chris and the Cooley CFIUS team, job one is providing clients with actionable, timely and commercial advice that fosters confidence in their transactions and a clear understanding of risk.

Cooley government contracts

On the government contracts side of his practice, Chris focuses on the regulatory and judicial framework that governs all aspects of doing business with US government customers, including procurement contracts, federal R&D grants, regulatory compliance and disputes arising from all of the above. Chris' government contracts clients range from high-tech startups to established public companies, domestic and foreign.

Cooley’s CFIUS, trade controls, and government contracts practice is nationally recognized for its work at the intersection of national security, foreign investment and government contracting. The practice is ranked Band 3 nationwide for CFIUS and Band 2 nationwide for Space Law by Chambers USA, reflecting its standing among top firms in the field. Chris is individually recognized as a leading national security and international trade lawyer – ranked Band 3 nationwide for CFIUS by Chambers, named a Leading Partner by The Legal 500 for International Trade and National Security, and recognized by Washingtonian magazine as a Top Lawyer for National Security. He is also recommended by Lexology as a Foreign Investment Control leader.