Austin Lowe

Austin is an associate in the Washington D.C. office of Linklaters. Austin’s practice focuses on U.S. regulatory and compliance matters in connection with cross-border transactions, including in the areas of antitrust/competition, foreign investment reviews, economic sanctions, and trade controls. Austin also assists clients in navigating regulatory investigations in these areas. Austin draws on his experience working in the trade, foreign policy, and national security spheres in Washington D.C. and Asia.

Experience highlights:

• Major private pension fund: conducting foreign investment and merger control analysis of 40+ jurisdictions in connection with acquisition by portfolio company.
• Automotive technology supplier: advising on emerging export controls and sanctions issues.
• Automotive manufacturer and financing parties: advising on U.S. sanctions issues, in particular under the Russia sanctions program.
• Chemical producer: conducting merger control analysis of 60+ jurisdictions and market analysis for potential acquisition.
• Major foodservice and retail technologies company: assisting on compliance with international sanctions regimes and export controls.   
• International organization: advising on ongoing sanctions compliance issues under multiple regimes.

Prior to joining Linklaters, Austin worked at a D.C.-based political risk and strategic advisory firm focused on advising clients on their business operations in Asia. He also worked as a project manager at a New York-based legal translations firm. He has additional experience working in U.S. China policy, including as a graduate student intern at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

During law school, Austin served as a legal extern at the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of the Chief Counsel for Industry and Security and at the U.S. International Trade Commission’s Office of the General Counsel. He also completed a judicial internship at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Austin is professionally proficient in Mandarin Chinese with an HSK Level 5 certificate.

Austin holds a Juris Doctor and Certificate in World Trade Organization (WTO) & International Trade Studies from Georgetown Law, where he served as Co-President and Fellow in the Global Law Scholars program and as Trade Editor for the Georgetown Journal of International Law. He also served as a member of the 2020-21 finalist team in the John J. Jackson WTO Moot Court Competition. 

Austin previously obtained a Master of Arts in Asian Studies from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, where was a recipient of the Harriet & C.C. Tung Family Endowed Scholarship. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Languages & Cultures, with a Concentration in Political Science, from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Austin is a member of the District of Columbia bar.

Revisiting and reshaping: A year of change in US antitrust policy and enforcement, Competition Law Insight, 2023