Sarah E. Kahn

Sarah Kahn is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. 

Areas of Practice

Sarah practices in the area of corporate and securities, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. Sarah has represented clients in a broad range of industries in connection with mergers and acquisitions of both private and public companies, including manufacturers, technology developers, and service providers, with special experience in mergers and acquisitions for clients in international aerospace, defense and government services. She also counsels clients in connection with their joint ventures and on matters of national security, including the structuring and negotiation of foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) mitigation arrangements under applicable national industrial security regulations.

Chambers USA has repeatedly recognized Sarah, having highlighted her as an "expert in advising companies working in defense, aerospace and government services on M&A," with "experience and ability [that] are a key draw for transactional work," and quoted clients who noted "[s]he is a delight to work with – smart, savvy, practical and tough!," "[s]he does a marvelous job at mastering the complexities of a deal and converting them into advantages for her client," "[s]he creates clear paths for identifying, fully understanding and resolving any issues that may present themselves," and have described her as "an 'invaluable' resource" and "elite business attorney" who is "smart, easy to contact, [with] practical, commercial good sense," and "an expert in her field, she thinks creatively about difficult transactional issues and leaves no stone unturned," noting that she is "always thinking about our matters and coming up with creative solutions," and "is smart, organized, efficient, constructive and collaborative." Clients further describe her as "incredible" with "a really good business sense for private equity work" and ability to "read the grain of a situation," as well as "a strong communicator with an extraordinary work ethic." Clients have also praised Sarah's "amazing rapport and great relationships with regulatory staff," her "phenomenal" knowledge in the national security space, as well as "her 'superior interpersonal skills, availability, responsiveness, and broad knowledge base.'" Additionally, clients report that Sarah "understands the business imperatives" and "provides excellent client service," noting "she is highly responsive, readily available, collaborative, and provides needed advice quickly."

Ms. Kahn was named the 2009 Top Washington Lawyer-Corporate M&A by the Washington Business Journal; named a 2013 finalist for Up and Coming Corporate/M&A Lawyer of the Year in the Chambers USA Women in Law Awards, named to Euromoney's 2013 Expert Guides: Guide to the World's Leading Women in Business Law, and repeatedly recognized by Chambers and The Legal 500 for her M&A work.

Experience

• A provider of qualification testing, inspection and certification services in civil aviation, space, defense, nuclear, telecommunications, industrial, electronics, medical and automotive end markets, in its sale to a UK-based testing, inspection and certification services company.
• BAE Systems, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, a UK-based international defense contractor, and its subsidiary BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Inc., in the $200 million acquisition of Bohemia Interactive Simulations, a global software developer of simulation training solutions for military organizations.
• A Canada-based simulation and training company, and its U.S. subsidiary in their $1.05 billion acquisition of a military training business from a leading global defense contractor.
• BAE Systems, Inc., and its subsidiary BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., in various acquisitions including the $1.925 billion acquisition of the Military Global Positioning Systems business of United Technologies Corporation/Collins Aerospace, the $275 million acquisition of the Airborne Tactical Radios business of Raytheon, and the acquisition of Riptide Autonomous Solutions.
• An Australia-based company in its establishment of a U.S. subsidiary to undertake sensitive work for the U.S. government.
• BAE Systems, Inc. and its subsidiary BAE Systems Southeast Shipyard AMHC Inc. in its sale of BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards Alabama LLC to Epic Maritime Asset Holdings, LLC.
• A South Africa-based public company, and its subsidiary, in its acquisition of a provider of custom and commercial microwave antennas.
• A global Asia-based tech company in connection with various acquisitions in the aerospace, defense and government services sector division which provides outsourced engineering and staff augmentation services primarily to aerospace original equipment manufacturers.
• A leading global aerospace company in its acquisition of a global provider of flight operations solutions.
• A defense and security solutions company in connection with its sale of its radio frequency and microwave subsystems businesses for use in radar, electronic warfare, communication, missile, flight test and simulation applications.
• A flight simulation company in its sale to a global company specializing in advanced aviation, defense and industrial products.
• A UK-based company, and its subsidiary, in the acquisition of a consulting firm that advises governments, NGOs and corporations on issues of strategy.
• An international company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange that supplies high-technology systems and solutions to customers in the oil and gas, merchant marine, defense and aerospace industries, and its subsidiary, in its acquisition of certain assets of a provider of tactical integrated electronic systems for land and marine applications.

Honors

• District of Columbia Corporate/M&A & Private Equity, Chambers USA, (2011-2025)
• Finalist - Up and Coming Corporate/M&A Lawyer of the Year, Chambers USA Women in Law Awards, 2013
• Recommended, Telecoms & Broadcast: Regulatory, The Legal 500 United States, 2019
• Recommended, M&A: Middle-Market ($500m - $999m), The Legal 500 United States, 2012-2014
• Recommended, M&A: Large Deals ($1 billion - $5 billion), The Legal 500 United States, 2009-2010
• Euromoney 2013 Expert Guides: Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law 
• "Top Washington Lawyers" Winner for Corporate M&A, Washington Business Journal, 2009
• Aerospace & Defense Editorial Advisory Board, Law360, 2021, 2022