David Plotinsky, former acting chief and principal deputy chief of the Department of Justice's Foreign Investment Review Section, joined Morgan Lewis as a partner in the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division, the firm announced. In his new role, Plotinsky will work on issues relating to "national security, telecommunications, and foreign investment in the United States," including matters at the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the firm said. While at DOJ, Plotinsky led the agency's work before CFIUS.
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee, led by the Department of the Treasury, which reviews certain foreign investment in the United States and real estate transactions by foreign persons to determine the national security impact of the transactions. If CFIUS deems a transaction poses a risk to U.S. national security, it can ask the transaction parties to take steps to mitigate those risks, or it can ask the president to block the deal.
Latham & Watkins hired Damara Chambers, previously with Vinson & Elkins, as a partner in the Litigation & Trial Department and a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations practice, Latham said in a news release. “Chambers is a leading lawyer who focuses on cross-border investment matters, including national security reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and the Department of Energy, among other agencies,” the firm said.