The US Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security warned companies in a new advisory that deceptive practices by North Korea to evade US, UN, and other sanctions could put them at risk of prohibited or sanctionable dealings with the North Korean regime.  The advisory published on July 24, 2018 follows February 2018 guidance from the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control regarding certain deceptive shipping practices of North Korea to avoid US sanctions (see our prior blog post here).  The new advisory encourages companies to undertake enhanced due diligence within their supply chains to avoid prohibited or sanctionable: (i) sourcing of goods, services, or technology from North Korea and (ii) use of the labor of North Korean citizens or nationals, which is presumed to be forced labor, regardless of where such labor occurs.Read more…

Lloyd Grove

Lloyd advises clients on compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations administered by the US Department of State, and the Export Administration Regulations administered by the Department of Commerce. He has assisted in conducting internal investigations and compliance audits, drafting export licenses and Technical Assistance Agreements, developing comprehensive compliance programs and drafting voluntary disclosures. Lloyd also advises on trade sanctions administered by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. He has experience drafting license applications for sanctioned countries and parties, conducting internal investigations into potential sanction violations, drafting voluntary disclosures, and conducting due diligence ahead of mergers and acquisitions. A Certified Fraud Examiner and former police detective, Lloyd also conducts complex internal investigations on behalf of clients into potential violations of various regulations. He has interviewed witnesses and subjects, reviewed large volumes of data for relevant evidence, analyzed complex regulatory requirements and prepared investigative reports provided to government agencies.

http://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/people/g/grove-lloyd

John Foote

Mr. Foote’s U.S. customs practice involves advising clients on how to achieve and maintain duty savings, including through valuation- and classification-based strategies, and how to take advantage of preferential rates of duty under free trade agreements and related programs. He also counsels clients on matters related to customs and trade compliance, including country of origin marking requirements, reducing exposure to antidumping and countervailing duties, and import-related regulatory requirements imposed by various government agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). He regularly represents clients before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including by filing prior disclosures, submitting comments on proposed agency rulemaking, responding to requests for information and dealing with adverse actions, such as seizure and penalty notices. Mr. Foote also advises companies on matters relating to agreements negotiated at the WTO, such as the Environmental Goods Agreement, and the General Agreement on Trade in Services. His advice is oriented around assisting companies in understanding the opportunities emerging from ongoing trade negotiations, and analyzing the implications of foreign government activity under existing WTO law.

https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/people/f/foote-john-m

Alexandre (Alex) Lamy

Alex advises clients on compliance with US export controls, trade and economic sanctions, and antiboycott controls. He counsels on and prepares filings to submit to the US Government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) with respect to the acquisition of US enterprises by non-US interests. Moreover, he advises US and non-US companies in the context of licensing, enforcement actions, internal investigations, compliance audits, mergers and acquisitions and other cross-border transactions, and the design, implementation, and administration of compliance programs.

http://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/people/l/lamy-alexandre

Lise S. Test

Ms. Test advices clients on issues relating to licensing, regulatory interpretations, enforcement actions, internal investigations and compliance audits, as well as the design, implementation and administration of compliance programs. She also advises clients on the extra-territorial application of trade compliance-related regulations in cross-border transactions.

http://www.bakermckenzie.com/LiseTest