Export Controls Laws for the General Counsel

You are the chief legal officer of a U.S. company.  Your CEO walks into your office and announces that your company is about to conclude its first international sale.  In addition, the company has just appointed distributors in Hong Kong and Dubai and expects to begin selling products throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East over the coming year.   He asks you to determine the U.S. legal requirements that will apply to this business. “Also,” he adds, “I’ve heard there are civil and criminal penalties for violations of the export laws, including for our employees, officers and directors, so it is important that we get this right.”  

You have heard that there are a number of U.S. laws that could apply, but you are not sure if you can come up to speed as quickly as required.  What to do? The following article will assist you in tackling this assignment.  Part I provides an overview of the major U.S. laws that regulate exports as a foundation for your analysis.  

Click here to read the full article. 

This article contains general, condensed summaries of actual legal matters, statutes and opinions for information purposes. It is not meant to be and should not be construed as legal advice. Readers with particular needs on specific issues should retain the services of competent counsel. Retired partner Tom McVey was the original author of these materials. Please contact Chris Skinner for more information at 202.293.8129 or cskinner@williamsmullen.com.