Christopher T. Timura assists clients in finding solutions to regulatory, legal and political problems in the areas of national security, foreign policy and anti-corruption law. Mr. Timura has represented clients before the U.S. departments of State (Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, or DDTC), Commerce (Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS), Justice and Treasury (Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC) and before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). This work has included helping clients avoid significant civil and criminal penalties through the development of effective compliance programs; minimizing international trade compliance liabilities in mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures; preparing licensing and related submissions; managing internal investigations; and preparing voluntary self-disclosures. His work has also included advising companies on how to minimize legal and political risks associated with emerging technologies and technology transfer. as well as on evolving standards of corporate social responsibility.
Mr. Timura’s clients operate in a wide range of industries. These include defense, aerospace, energy (oil and gas, renewable and nuclear), telecommunications, semiconductors, real estate, travel, medicine and financial services. He has 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. Mr. Timura has also assisted clients with the enforcement of arbitration awards against foreign sovereigns.
On a pro bono basis, Mr. Timura has also assisted clients with immigration-related problems, including applications for political asylum 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 work, Mr. Timura conducted field work 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 (AAA) and serves on its annual meetings program committee as a section editor for the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology (APLA). He is also a board member of the Society for Latin American Justice.