INDEPENDENT ADVISORY
Advising at the industrial
frontline of Western
security.
An independent transatlantic advisory firm for defense-industrial transactions, dual-use supply chains, and strategic infrastructure.
THE FIRM
Built for transactions that others cannot execute.
ESTABLISHED 2026
Northline Counsel is an independent advisory firm positioned at the intersection of regulated defense-industrial sectors, export-controlled transactions, and transitioning economies. We advise where conventional counsel cannot engage — where ITAR, EU dual-use compliance, and operational industrial knowledge must be brought together in a single team.
- Three offices
- Four jurisdictions
- One practice
- Defense-industrial depth
- Export-control execution
- Institutional standards
SECTORS
The industrial sectors that will define Western security.
We advise across six sectors where export controls, dual-use licensing, and operational industrial knowledge determine whether programs deliver.
Defense Production & Systems
Commercial-to-defense conversion, autonomous platforms, munitions, and systems integration. Capital for manufacturers scaling defense-relevant output.
Explore02Critical Materials & Supply Chains
Compound semiconductors, energetic materials, rare earths, and specialty chemicals. The upstream inputs Western defense production depends on.
Explore03Compute, Connectivity & Industrial Data
AI infrastructure, secure communications, data centers, and industrial IoT. The technology layer of modern defense capability.
Explore04Strategic Infrastructure
Power, logistics, and production facilities that enable defense-industrial output. Sovereign-risk structuring and PPP expertise for complex programs.
ExplorePRACTICE
Five capabilities. Classified depth. One firm.
Our practice is organized around the operational disciplines that defense-industrial transactions require — including the export controls, licensing, and dual-use classifications that most firms refer out.
- 01Cross-Border Investment StructuringFund structures, holding vehicles, and capital deployment into defense-industrial targets.
- 02Regulatory & Export ControlsITAR, EAR, MLA and TAA, EU dual-use, and export-control licensing across jurisdictions.
- 03M&A and Greenfield EstablishmentDefense-industrial acquisitions, JV structures, and greenfield manufacturing setup in post-conflict jurisdictions.
- 04Infrastructure & Project FinanceInfrastructure transactions supporting defense-industrial capacity, including sovereign-risk allocation.
- 05Critical Materials & Resource TransactionsEnergetic materials, compound semiconductors, and the critical materials feeding defense production.
INSIGHTS
Analysis from the frontline of Western security.
ITAR and the European Defense Industrial Base: 2026 Compliance Realities
The ITAR framework was designed for a different defense industrial geography. The post-2022 European expansion is testing its operational assumptions.
P. JANNUZZO21.03.2026 DEFENSECommercial-to-Defense Conversion: Legal Structures for Production Scale-Up
Commercial manufacturers entering defense-adjacent production face a regulatory transition before an operational one. The legal architecture is the gating constraint.
N. BIELUT14.03.2026 DUAL-USECompound Semiconductors in the Western Supply Chain: Licensing and Risk
Gallium nitride and silicon carbide substrates sit at the intersection of commercial electronics and defense applications. The licensing architecture reflects that ambiguity.
M. KOVALENKO