Tahlia Townsend helps domestic and international clients close deals without stepping on regulatory landmines arising from complex US rules on foreign investment, financial sanctions (OFAC), and export controls (ITAR and EAR).

Tahlia provides smart, pragmatic guidance and practical solutions in a variety of M&A and VC contexts. For example, Tahlia counsels clients in assessing whether an investment requires prior approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). She crafts submissions to obtain such approval, and advises on how to respond to inquiries from CFIUS regarding closed deals for which approval was not sought. Tahlia conducts diligence into a target’s past compliance with US export controls and sanctions to identify and mitigate potential successor liability. She prepares voluntary disclosures, and defends against government enforcement actions for past noncompliance. And she prepares and assists in rollout of compliance procedures for targets, newly acquired entities, and businesses readying themselves for investment or sale.

Before becoming a lawyer, Tahlia studied physics and chemistry, performed research in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University, taught at the Lauder Javne Jewish Community School in Budapest, Hungary, worked with an ecologist in the Serengeti, and studied French, German, and Hungarian.