31 Mar 2026
Dechert Adds Shannon Reaves as Partner and Co-Chair of National Security Practice
"Dechert hires Shannon Reaves as partner and co-chair of its national security practice to advise on CFIUS reviews and industrial security/FOCI mitigation."
Mr. Reaves brings almost two decades of experience in cross-border transaction reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and in Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) mitigation with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). He will be based in Dechert’s Washington, D.C. office and joins Hrishikesh Hari as co-chair of the practice.
Mr. Reaves’s practice focuses on transactional, compliance and investigations matters in the national security space, with experience advising on all phases of the CFIUS process, conducting due diligence to identify national security concerns, negotiating deal terms with government entities and preparing filings. He provides comprehensive counsel on FOCI mitigation and compliance before the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy, and has particular depth in negotiating mitigation agreements, including special security agreements, proxy agreements, security control agreements and FOCI board resolutions.
He has advised clients on some of the most complex and high‑stakes CFIUS transactions in the market, including deals valued in the tens of billions of dollars, and has represented sovereign wealth funds and clients across aerospace, defense, energy and financial services. Mr. Reaves has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA for International Trade: CFIUS Experts since 2020. Before joining Dechert, he practiced law at an international firm where he likewise focused on national security, CFIUS and compliance matters.