Michael J. Lowell

Mike routinely represents clients in major investigations and enforcement matters before U.S. federal regulatory agencies, including the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He has represented clients in hundreds of regulatory enforcement matters, including voluntary disclosures, administrative proceedings, consent agreements, and agency-led investigations (e.g., subpoenas, directed disclosures, seizures and detentions). He also oversees related litigation in federal district courts across the country.

Mike has led global teams on multi-jurisdictional export control and sanctions compliance and enforcement matters, including strategic oversight for disclosures and enforcement before regulatory agencies in foreign jurisdictions. He also advises clients on compliance with U.S. regulatory requirements with a focus on export controls and sanctions. He is recognized in Chambers USA and Chambers Global for his work in export controls and sanctions, with clients noting that “[h]e is brilliant in providing commercial and pragmatic advice” and “incredibly responsive, practical, understands the pace clients need to work at and helps minimize risk.” Mike is noted as an “exceptional practitioner” leading a “very accomplished team” and a “highly responsive, thoughtful, and an around-the-corner thinker” in The Legal 500.

Mike has secured U.S. government clearance for billions of dollars in foreign investment, with 20 years of experience securing clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for investments involving critical technologies, infrastructure, and data. He also represents clients before Team Telecom and guides investors navigating national security and trade-related regulatory requirements, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and National Industrial Security Program (NISP). He has led pre-acquisition due diligence and post-acquisition assessments for hundreds of transactions.

From 2018 to 2022, Mike was a U.S. government-approved external monitor (SCO) with responsibility for oversight and monitoring activities subject to the ITAR, external audits, and a global corporate compliance program. Early in his career, he clerked at the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, and at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He also has experience working for a judge at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.