Catherine Hein
Image of Catherine Hein

Catherine Hein

Partner

Catherine Hein advises clients on transactions that intersect with national security regulations, with a particular focus on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the Outbound Investment Security Program, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). 

Catherine helps foreign and domestic clients, including global market-leading companies, private equity funds, asset managers, and sovereign wealth funds, navigate the U.S. national security regulatory landscape.

She draws on extensive private practice experience with financial transactions as well as public sector service to help clients negotiate cross-border transactions, including with:

  • CFIUS reviews and mitigation agreements
  • U.S. economic sanctions
  • Restrictions on U.S. investment into China, Hong Kong, and Macau

She brings credibility and depth on CFIUS, advising on structuring and compliance strategies, along with versatility across sanctions and other related trade and national security issues.

Prior to joining the firm, Catherine served as Acting Principal Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement & Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), where she supported OFAC and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). She previously served as the CFIUS Managing Counsel at Treasury, where she led a team of more than 20 lawyers on foreign investment reviews by CFIUS. In these roles, she advised senior Treasury leadership and interagency stakeholders on policy, statutory authorities, and regulatory requirements in connection with foreign investment reviews, economic sanctions, and other U.S. national security matters. She worked extensively on all aspects of CFIUS cases, including non-notified transactions, negotiating complex mitigation agreements, and compliance and enforcement actions.

Given her experience working within Treasury and in private practice, Catherine frequently presents and writes on U.S. national security regulatory issues and developments.

 

Expertise

Experience

Representative matters

  • A portfolio company of a private equity fund in securing CFIUS clearance for the sale of natural gas power plants.
  • A private equity firm in securing CFIUS clearance for the sale of a company that designs and manufactures engineered systems and solutions for industrial and transportation applications.
  • A German technology company in securing CFIUS approval for its acquisition of certain assets of a U.S. chipmaker with a foundry in California.
  • A nanotechnology company in securing CFIUS clearance for the sale of its proprietary quantum dot technology, including intellectual property and R&D facilities.
  • A European private equity company in connection with CFIUS clearance for the sale to a special purpose acquisition company of an aerospace business with subsidiaries that sell parts for submarines and aircraft carriers.
  • A software development company in securing CFIUS clearance for the acquisition of a global identity verification company.
  • A Saudi entity on a CFIUS filing in connection with an investment in an aerospace company that develops high-altitude platform stations and critical technologies.
  • A Japanese company on a CFIUS filing in connection with an investment in a publicly traded insurance company.
  • A real estate investment trust company in securing CFIUS clearance for the sale of commercial properties to a sovereign wealth fund.
  • The acquisition of a leading provider of defense products and services by a German company, including filings before CFIUS, DCSA, and the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
  • Advising U.S. investors and financial institutions on Treasury regulations implementing Executive Order 14105 restricting certain outbound investments by U.S. persons.

Speaking Engagements

  • ACC Corporate and Securities Law Network on CFIUS and recent developments in national security law
  • Congressional Actions on Outbound Investments at ACI Conference
  • M&A Leadership Summit to leading German corporates and DAX40 companies on geopolitics and CFIUS under the Trump Administration
  • PIF Legal Forum in Riyadh on CFIUS and the Outbound Investment Security Program (2024 and 2025)
  • Webcast on the U.S. Outbound Investment Rules with ACA Group
 

Recognition

Bring[s] a wealth of experience operating within US governmental departments.
Legal 500: US, 2025
Catherine Hein is a really good CFIUS lawyer with lots of experience.
International Trade: CFIUS Experts respondent Chambers Guide to the USA, 2026

Awards

Chambers USA Nationwide 2025 | International Trade: CFIUS Experts 

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted to the State of New York in 2003

Admitted to the District of Columbia in 2023

 

Academic

J.D., Columbia University School of Law, 2002

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.