Lucinda A. Low

• llow@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20036
TEL: 202.429.8051
FAX: 202.429.3902

 

Lucinda A. Low is a partner in Steptoe's Washington office, where she is a member of the International Department, heads the firm’s FCPA practice, and serves on the firm's Executive Committee.  Her practice focuses on US and international anti-corruption laws, advising clients on matters ranging from preventive work to representation in internal investigations and enforcement matters worldwide.  She is a widely recognized authority in the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and related international conventions from the OECD, OAS, United Nations, and European Union.

Ms. Low’s FCPA practice includes internal compliance program development and implementation for multinational companies, including establishing workable compliance policies and procedures; training for company management and employee personnel; benchmarking and auditing programs for best practices and effectiveness; due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, third-party relationships, and other transactions; developing risk-mitigation strategies; conducting internal investigations, audits, and risk assessments; dealing with parallel proceedings; opinions and expert testimony; and representing clients before enforcement agencies and bodies, such as the SEC, the US Department of Justice, and other authorities.  Her clients include companies, boards of directors, individuals, and other professional firms.

Ms. Low’s practice also includes legal advice and counsel in other international regulatory compliance areas, such as export controls, economic sanctions, and anti-money laundering laws.  In addition, Ms. Low has represented companies in World Bank investigations, audits, and sanctions proceedings in cases involving anti-corruption rules in World Bank-financed projects.  She also has significant experience in investment disputes between foreign investors and host governments, and commercial arbitration, including serving as counsel, arbitrator, and an expert witness.

Ms. Low also assists in the creation and supervision of the International Law Guides, a web-accessible compliance tool designed to provide corporate subscribers and their employees with detailed information on local anti-corruption laws around the globe.

Ms. Low is a member of the Board of Directors of Transparency International - USA, and the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on International Law.  She is a former Chair of the ABA Section of International Law, and former Vice President and member of the Executive Committee of the American Society of International Law.  She was the 2003 recipient of the William Ray Vallance Award presented by the Inter-American Bar Foundation, presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution toward improving the law and jurisprudence of the Western Hemisphere.

Ms. Low graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA Law Review.  She was an Adjunct Professor at American University, Washington College of Law in 1993 and at the University of Colorado School of Law in 1987 and 1989.

Noteworthy

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2012-2013, International Arbitration: Governmental and International Trade and Finance Law
• Received a #1 Ranking, Chambers Global 2010-2013, International Trade: FCPA Experts (US)
• Received a #1 Ranking, Chambers USA 2010-2012, International Trade: FCPA Experts (Nationwide)
• Recommended, Legal 500 US 2012; International Trade
• Named to Ethisphere’s Attorneys Who Matter Hall of Fame 2012
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2010 for International Arbitration, and International Trade and Finance Law
• Served as arbitrator appointed by the United States in The Canadian Cattlemen for Fair Trade (CCFT) v. The United States of America, a multi-million dollar, multiple-claim UNCITRAL arbitration arising under the NAFTA. In addition to Ms. Low, James L. Bacchus and Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Böckstiegel served on the Tribunal. 
• Chair, ABA Section of International Law & Practice, 1996-1997

Select News & Events

• Washington, DC Super Lawyers Recognizes 42 Steptoe Attorneys
• Steptoe Receives 25 Practice, 32 Individual Mentions in Chambers Global 2013
• Dissecting New DOJ Guidance – How It Will Impact Your Global FCPA Compliance Efforts, FCPA Boot Camp, January 23, 2013
• Guidance on the Guidance: The New FCPA Resource Guide, November 27, 2012, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Corporate Counsel Quotes Lucinda Low on New FCPA Guidance
• Ethisphere Names Lucinda Low to ‘Attorneys Who Matter’ Hall of Fame
• US DOJ and SEC Speak on the Key FCPA Cases of 2012 and Current Enforcement Priorities, 28th FCPA National Conference, November 15, 2012
• Law360 Quotes Lucinda Low on Pending FCPA Compliance Guide
• Government Contracting at Home and Abroad in a Time of Budget Cuts and Global Security Risks Webinar, September 13, 2012, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Webinar)
• Steptoe Receives 77 Individual Mentions in Best Lawyers 2013
• Steptoe's Brazilian Initiative Expansion, July 19, 2012, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Webcast on What You Need to Consider When Conducting Multi-Jurisdictional Investigations, May 3, 2012

Selected Publications

• UK Legislation Permitting Deferred Prosecution Agreements Is Approved
  April 29, 2013
• Supreme Court Rejects Alien Tort Claims Premised on Overseas Conduct
  April 19, 2013
• 2012 FCPA Year in Review
  February 19, 2013
• DOJ/SEC FCPA Guidance—A ‘Must Read’ for US Government Contractors Seeking Work Abroad
  December 5, 2012, The Government Contractor
• Guidance on the Guidance: Highlights from the Resource Guide to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
  November 21, 2012
• Serious Fraud Office's Serious Approach To Bribery Act
  October 18, 2012, Law360
• International Law Advisory – Emphasis on the “Serious” from the Serious Fraud Office: UK SFO Revokes Prior Guidance on Foreign Bribery Enforcement
  October 15, 2012
• Work on Pending FCPA Guidance Continues as Stakeholder Inputs are Solicited: Issuance Date Still Unknown
  October 2012, Financial Fraud Law Report

More Publications »

Professional Affiliations

• Board of Directors, Transparency International - USA
• Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on International Law, 2002-2010
• Global Anti-Corruption Advisory Board for the American Conference Institute
• International Bar Association
• Inter-American Bar Association, 1998-2008; Chair, Working Group on Corruption and Money Laundering, 2000-2010
• Nanda Center for International and Comparative Law Board, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2010
• American Bar Association