Ariel V. Lieberman

Ariel Lieberman has significant experience advising on international trade and national security matters. Ms. Lieberman counsels and represents clients in matters involving export controls, national security reviews conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, government contracts, cybersecurity, anti-boycott restrictions, customs, and activities overseen by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

Ms. Lieberman has experience representing a broad range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, international corporations, private equity sponsors, hedge funds and individuals in a variety of different industries. These sectors have included, among others, aerospace and defense, technology and social media, telecommunications, semiconductors, biologics, fintech, chemicals, manufacturing and defense contracting.

Examples of representative matters include:

• Brookfield Super-Core Infrastructure Partners in its $2.375 billion investment in FirstEnergy Transmission, LLC;
• video game publisher Activision Blizzard in its pending $70 billion acquisition by Microsoft Corp.;
• AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest pension fund, in its acquisition, along with Stonepeak, of Lumen Technologies’ Latin American business for $2.7 billion;
• WSP Global Inc. in its $1.8 billion acquisition of the Environment & Infrastructure business of John Wood Group plc;
• NextGen Acquisition Corp. II in its business combination with Vieco USA, Inc.;
• Apax Partners US, LLC in its acquisition of three social impact software companies, valued at $2 billion; and
• Embraer in the combination of its electric aircraft subsidiary Eve Holding, Inc. (Eve) with Zanite Acquisition Corp, resulting in Eve being listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to advising clients throughout the transactional process, she regularly counsels on complicated matters involving export classifications of encryption items and other technology, internal investigations and communications with governmental authorities, the creation and maintenance of compliance policies and procedures, license applications, disclosures and compliance with other regulatory obligations. She has significant experience navigating and applying the Export Administration Regulations and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. In recognition of her work, Ms. Lieberman was selected as one of Best Lawyers’ 2023 Ones to Watch in America.

Ms. Lieberman maintains an active pro bono practice, primarily focused on wrongful convictions and other criminal justice matters. She was part of the appellate litigation team that represented the first death-row petitioner to be granted clemency in Virginia since 2008. Additionally, she has assisted on a variety of matters involving immigration law.

Prior to joining Skadden, Ms. Lieberman began her career at another global law firm where she was a member of its international trade/national security and litigation practices. While in law school, she served as a law clerk for Chairman Patrick J. Leahy on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and for the Office of the State’s Attorney for Chittenden County in Vermont, as well as a judicial intern for Judge William K. Sessions III of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont.