Christopher T. Timura assists clients in finding solutions to regulatory, legal and political problems in the areas of national security, foreign policy and anticorruption law. Mr. Timura has represented clients before the U.S. departments of State (Directorate of Defense Trade Controls), Commerce (Bureau of Industry and Security), Treasury (Office of Foreign Assets Control), Department of Homeland Security (Customs and Border Protection) and Justice. His experience includes defending clients in criminal and civil enforcement proceedings; helping clients avoid civil and criminal liability through the development of effective compliance programs; identifying and mitigating international trade compliance liabilities in mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures; preparing licensing and related submissions; managing internal investigations; and preparing voluntary self-disclosures. Mr. Timura also advises clients on filing with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.; minimizing legal and political risks associated with emerging technologies and technology transfer; and evolving standards of corporate social responsibility.
Mr. Timura’s clients operate in a wide range of industries, such as defense, aerospace, energy, chemicals, telecommunications, semiconductors, information security, real estate, private equity and travel, and include pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and investment managers and advisors.
Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Timura worked as a litigator in the Washington, D.C. office of an international law firm. In this capacity, he defended clients in state and federal courts and before arbitration panels in civil and criminal matters, including antitrust, market timing, securities and breach of contract claims. He also provided assistance to clients seeking enforcement of arbitration awards against foreign sovereigns.
Mr. Timura has assisted clients pro bono with immigration-related problems, including applications for, and defense of, political asylum claims and adjustment of status.
Mr. Timura received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as an articles editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. Upon graduation, he received the William W. Bishop Jr. Award for his performance in the international law curriculum. In 2001, he served as a law clerk to a member of the United Nations International Law Commission.
Mr. Timura also received his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at the University of Michigan. His doctoral work in political and legal anthropology focused on the globalization of international conflict resolution expertise. Prior to this, Mr. Timura conducted field work focused on conservation and development issues in Central America. He was a Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom in 1996-1997 and a National Science Foundation pre-doctoral fellow from 1997-2002. Mr. Timura completed his B.A. in environmental studies at Denison University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa and received the President’s Medal.
Mr. Timura is a member of the American Anthropological Association and serves on its annual meetings program committee as a section editor for the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology. He is also a board member of the Society for Latin American Justice.