Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that partner Sarah Kahn has joined the firm’s Corporate practice group and Aerospace, Defense & Government Services industry team in Washington, D.C. Kahn was previously co-chair of DLA Piper LLP’s Aerospace, Defense and Government Services Transactional practice.
Sheppard Mullin represents some of the most sophisticated private equity firms, defense contractors and global corporations serving the US and foreign governments. Its multi-disciplinary Aerospace, Defense and Government Services (ADG) team provides advice and counsel on matters ranging from corporate/M&A to bid protests, complex investigations, False Claims Act, cost-accounting audits, labor & employment and white-collar matters.
Over the last two years, Sheppard Mullin has brought on more than a dozen Corporate partners to meet client demand across a variety of sectors, including energy, healthcare and private equity. Kahn adds specific depth to the firm’s pre-eminent ADG and national security platform, which counts more than 120 attorneys nationwide.
Kahn brings more than 20 years of experience leading large scale, complex mergers and acquisitions involving public and private companies, manufacturers, technology developers and service providers, primarily in the aerospace and defense industry. She also counsels clients in connection with their joint ventures and on matters of national security, including the structuring and negotiation of foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) mitigation arrangements under applicable national industry security regulations.
“The aerospace, defense and government services industry has long been a strategic focus for the firm, and we are thrilled to have someone with Sarah’s experience join our team. Her reputation in the United States and internationally will help us continue to grow our client base in this thriving sector, which we believe will be a priority for years to come in the U.S. and globally,” said Luca Salvi, chair of Sheppard Mullin.
Kahn’s experience includes leading multiple transactions for a leading global aerospace and defense company, including its $1.925 billion acquisition of a military global positioning systems business, as well as a Canada-based simulation and training company and its subsidiary in its $1.05 billion acquisition of a military training business from a leading global defense contractor.
John Tishler, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Corporate practice group, added, “We’re thrilled Sarah is joining us. She is a highly accomplished dealmaker who further cements our position as a leader for corporate and M&A work in Washington, D.C. As our clients increasingly pursue sophisticated cross-border transactions in complex regulatory environments, she will be a value add to new and existing clients.”
"The aerospace and defense sector is dynamic, operating at the intersection of business, law and public policy, where a company’s regulators are also its customers. These companies need trusted advisors who are sensitive to these dual relationships, and who have helped clients successfully navigate challenges unique to the industry," said Kahn. "What really excites me about joining Sheppard Mullin is the firm’s impressive breadth and depth of experience across practice groups in the ADG sector, and the firm’s collegial approach to helping clients achieve their strategic objectives. I’m very much looking forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and helping our clients succeed, both here in the U.S. and around the world."
Kahn received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.
About Sheppard Mullin’s Corporate Practice Group
One of the firm's core strengths, Sheppard Mullin’s Corporate and Securities practice group, assists clients throughout the United States and abroad in maximizing their business opportunities. We represent clients that range from private to public companies and from startups and emerging businesses to international corporations. We are proud to offer CRADLE TO LIQUIDITY® services. We provide general business legal advice, assist in structuring and implementing major transactions, prepare agreements to address unique business arrangements, and consult with clients to resolve major business and ownership issues. We handle such matters as initial and later-stage venture and other financings; leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations; public offerings; mergers and acquisitions; SEC compliance; private equity transactions; real estate capital markets transactions; corporate, LLC and partnership formation; and corporate partnering, joint venture and other strategic alliance arrangements. Because of our diverse client base, we have experience representing substantial entities in complicated multinational and multistate transactions, as well as advising smaller and emerging clients on the full spectrum of business matters.
About Sheppard Mullin’s Aerospace, Defense and Government Services Industry Team
A core area of strength at Sheppard Mullin, our Aerospace, Defense and Government Services (ADG) industry team advises a broad spectrum of clients—from global aerospace and defense contractors to innovative middle market and emerging companies, as well as leading private equity investors. Backed by decades of sector-specific experience, our attorneys deliver comprehensive, practical counsel on complex mergers and acquisitions, government contracts, regulatory compliance, cross-border transactions, cybersecurity, export controls and intellectual property matters. With a proven track record handling multi-jurisdictional deals and regulatory challenges, we help clients manage risk, identify opportunities and achieve success in the rapidly evolving ADG sector, both in the U.S. and internationally.