Overview
(July 28, 2015, Washington, DC) — Steptoe’s International Regulation & Compliance (IRC) Group has launched a new blog that touches on topics focusing on the dynamic fields of export controls, economic sanctions, anti-corruption, and more. Featuring the insights from members of the firm’s IRC Group, the Steptoe International Compliance Blog will offer a fresh and fulsome take on the issues that arise in the world of international regulatory enforcement and compliance.
The blog will be authored by the following:
- Ed Krauland manages Steptoe’s International Regulation and Compliance Group and focuses his practice on export controls and economic sanctions. He has repeatedly been ranked in the top tier of the Chambers Global and Chambers USA legal guides for his work in export controls and economic sanctions. Mr. Krauland previously served as co-chair of the International Trade Committee of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Section of International Law and Practice, and as chair of an ABA-wide Task Force on Gatekeeper Regulation (anti-money laundering compliance).
- Meredith Rathbone focuses her practice on export controls and economic sanctions. She regularly assists companies in developing compliance policies, conducting internal investigations, performing training, and conducting due diligence in M&A transactions. Often quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Rathbone is co-chair of the ABA’s Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee, and also serves on the sanctions subcommittee of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy.
- Andy Irwin practices at the intersection of international regulatory law and government procurement. He has a particular background in laws and regulations that relate to export controls/sanctions, foreign corruption, and government contracting fraud, as well as corporate and public-sector ethics. A frequent lecturer, instructor and author on a wide-range of international and government procurement topics, Mr. Irwin formerly chaired the ABA Section of Public Contract Law’s International Procurement Committee.
- Stephen Heifetz helps clients navigate laws and policies at the nexus of international business and security. He previously served at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary for the Office of Policy Development. In that position, Mr. Heifetz shaped DHS’s role in CFIUS, conducted hundreds of CFIUS reviews, and negotiated many “risk mitigation agreements” that CFIUS deemed necessary to approve foreign investments. He also served at the US Department of Justice and CIA.
- Maury Shenk is a dual-qualified US/UK lawyer. Mr. Shenk has experience on a wide variety of national and multi-national regulatory regimes relating to cross-border regulation and compliance, including export/import, trade sanctions, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, data protection, and competition law. He often has handled such issues in the context of M&A due diligence, internal investigations, government investigations and voluntary disclosures.
- Guy Soussan advises clients on various aspects of EU and French export control regulations, including controls and licensing regimes for both military and commercial products and technologies. His export practice covers compliance development and implementation, internal investigations, and enforcement matters, including voluntary disclosures. He also provides advice and assistance with EU economic sanctions targeting specific countries such as Iran, Libya, Syria, and most recently, Ukraine and Russia.
- Alexandra Baj advises clients on export control and economic sanctions laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and nuclear export controls under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Her clients include companies involved in defense, aerospace, software, semiconductor, and uranium processing industries.
- Jack Hayes has extensive experience providing clients with advice and assistance under ITAR and EAR, as well as US economic sanctions and anti-boycott regulations. He frequently handles complex export control matters, including voluntary disclosures, internal investigations of apparent export control violations, pre-closing and post-closing acquisition export compliance due diligence, and export control audits, and risks assessments.
- Anthony Rapa’s practice primarily involves international regulatory compliance, focusing on economic sanctions and export controls. His sanctions practice includes matters arising under US, EU, and UK economic sanctions regimes, including sanctions targeted at Russia and Iran. Mr. Rapa previously practiced in Steptoe's London office, and he is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.
Steptoe’s International Regulation & Compliance team counsels clients on the scope, meaning, administration, and enforcement of cross-border regulations that affect international business transactions. With more than 30 lawyers dedicated to these matters across the globe, Steptoe has one of the largest and most experienced International Regulation & Compliance teams of any major international law firm in the world. In June 2015, the group was named “Export Controls Law Firm of the Year” in the United States by WorldECR magazine.
For more information, visit the Steptoe International Compliance Blog.
Follow Steptoe’s International Regulation & Compliance Group on Twitter: @SteptoeIntlReg.
About Steptoe
Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm widely recognized for vigorous advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, successful representation of clients before governmental agencies, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
