International Sanctions and Export Control

Our team includes dedicated specialist lawyers handling all aspects of outbound trade compliance matters. We have significant expertise advising multinational companies on the impact of international sanctions measures, export control, licensing and supply chain compliance issues.

In recent years, governments and international institutions have significantly increased their use of financial sanctions, export restrictions and other trade controls as a means to apply pressure on government regimes, organisations and individuals who engage in actions deemed to be unacceptable in the international community. These measures can have a major impact on any company or financial institution that trades internationally, particularly those operating in higher risk markets around the world, with risks of criminal liability and severe penalties for non-compliance.  

Our experienced team is well placed to advise on the latest trade restrictions and on best practice for ensuring compliance with these measures. We advise on these issues on a daily basis and are able to digest what are often complex and multi-faceted legal restrictions across a number of jurisdictions, allowing us to deliver concise, practical and commercially pragmatic advice to our clients.

We are the sole UK representative member of AT+ICA, the Association of Trade and Investment Controls and Compliance Attorneys, an independent network of leading trade compliance lawyers in Europe.

We work closely with leading specialist counsel in locations where we do not have an office and provide seamless advice across all jurisdictions that reflects the latest regulatory and enforcement landscape.

Additional experience

• We help our clients to navigate complex international trade regulations and support them in the following areas:
• advising on the latest EU and UK sanctions programmes and the impact of US sanctions measures on companies operating in the UK, Europe and worldwide;
• preparing and developing global trade compliance risk assessments, policies and third party risk management controls, including sanctions screening processes;
• advising on all aspects of EU and UK export licensing requirements for military and dual-use goods, software and technology, including obtaining and managing UK export licences;
• conducting compliance audits and handling internal investigations; and
• liaising with regulatory authorities and preparing voluntary disclosures in relation to investigations and enforcement proceedings.