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Ata A. Akiner

Senior Associate
Washington, DC

Senior Associate, Washington, DC

T: +1.202.663.8029
T: +1.202.663.8029

Areas of Focus

Ata Akiner focuses his practice on helping global and U.S. clients navigate complex regulatory and policy matters related to international trade and national security.

Prior to joining Pillsbury, Ata worked as an international trade and national security attorney at another law firm. Ata advises clients on potential national security risks posed by foreign investments and guides clients seeking national security approval before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). He counsels U.S., multinational and non-U.S. companies on export controls and economic sanctions compliance matters and provides due diligence reviews in connection with mergers and acquisitions. Ata also advises on customs, tariff advice and trade policy matters.

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Ata has advised and represented foreign sovereigns and private companies across sectors in a wide range of international trade and national security matters. Prior to and during law school, Ata worked as a trade policy analyst at an international law firm in Washington, DC, and was an intern at the Export-Import Bank of the United States’ Office of the General Counsel.

Representative Experience

  • Represented a group of U.S. nuclear energy generators in ongoing trade matters involving imports of uranium, the nuclear fuel cycle supply chain and related matters before various U.S. Government agencies, including the Department of Commerce, Department of Energy and U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.
  • Represented various U.S. nuclear energy companies in connection with navigating and complying with sanctions actions and legislation, such as restrictions on banks, vessels and transport, uranium and related services. Our representation has included direct engagement with, among others, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) the Department of Energy, Congress and the White House.
  • Advised a broad range of clients across various industries on Section 232 investigations involving over 50 processed critical minerals and derivative products and copper, tariffs and supply chain matters.

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  • Advised numerous clients on a wide range of tariff and trade measures introduced or intensified under the second Trump administration, including Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs, reciprocal tariff strategies and actions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), particularly in relation to efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking. Our team is helping clients navigate the evolving enforcement landscape, manage compliance risks and develop proactive strategies in response to shifting U.S. trade policy.
  • Advised on Section 301 tariffs and investigations on China, including shipbuilding and cranes, Section 232 national security-based tariffs on steel and aluminum, and tariffs imposed under IEEPA.
  • Advised U.S. company that plays a prominent role in the nuclear fuel supply chain in connection with complex Department of Commerce, Department of Energy and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requirements involving imports and reexports of uranium.
  • Represented a private equity fund focused on national security and cybersecurity in its acquisition of a global cybersecurity company with operations in over 15 countries by a Singapore state-owned entity. Our work included advising on CFIUS and foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations, coordinating FDI filings in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and providing guidance on the transfer of a subsidiary’s facility security clearance.
  • Provided sanctions and export controls counsel to a global marine and energy technology leader, including ongoing guidance on OFAC designations, heightened sanctions circumvention risks in the shipping sector, enforcement related to the oil price cap under the Biden administration, expanded Iran sanctions during the second Trump administration, and evolving Russia and China export control regimes imposed by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).
  • Served on secondment at the world’s largest medical device company, where he addressed global trade legal and compliance matters of a Fortune 500 company operating in over 150 countries, including sanctions and export controls matters, and review of the company’s various compliance policies.

Professional Highlights

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (published by BL Rankings LLC) for Administrative/Regulatory Law (2024–2026)
  • Board Member, Council for Court Excellence
  • Capital Pro Bono High Honor Roll (2021)

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  • “FERC Compliance with NEPA: Upstream and Downstream Impacts,” Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (Vol. 20, Issue 1), Spring 2019. Author.
  • Associate Trustee, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
  • Runner-up in the American Constitution Society’s 2019 Constance Baker Motley National Student Writing Competition for the piece “The President’s Power to Withdraw from International Agreements: The Role of Congress and the Courts.”
  • Fellow, Bryce Harlow Foundation (2018)
  • Recipient of CALI Excellence for the Future Award in 2017 for International Trade Law
  • “Now Is the Time for a U.S.-Turkey Free Trade Agreement,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Policy Watch #2107, July 2013. Author.

Education

  • J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 2019

    M.Phil., International Relations, University of Cambridge, 2010

    B.A., History and Political Science, Rutgers University, 2008
    magna cum laude

Admissions

  • District of Columbia

Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court

    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

    Court of International Trade

Languages

  • Turkish

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