Adam Smith

Adam is the co-chair of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher’s global international trade practice group and is an experienced international lawyer with a focus on white collar compliance and financial crime, including with respect to federal, state, and international economic sanctions enforcement, embargoes, export and import controls, and anti-corruption. His recent projects include work with multinational financial institutions, manufacturers, and technology firms to enhance compliance processes, to engage with governmental agencies to secure interpretive guidance, licenses, and CFIUS clearances, to conduct internal investigations and pre- and post-M&A due diligence, and to defend against regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions.

From 2010-2015 Adam served as the Senior Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and as the Director for Multilateral Affairs on the National Security Council. His prior positions include roles at the United Nations, the World Bank, and the OECD. Adam is regularly called upon by domestic and international tribunals as an expert and has testified before the U.S. Congress and the UK Parliament.

Adam is the author of dozens of articles and book chapters as well as three legal texts: International Judicial Institutions (1st and 2nd ed. 2015); After Genocide: Bringing the Devil to Justice (2009); US and EU Sanctions: Navigating the Divide for International Business (2019). He is also a frequent presenter at industry, academic, and governmental conferences globally.

JD, Harvard Law School, 2006, magna cum laude, Senior Editor ‘Harvard International Law Journal’, Chayes Fellow, Laylin Prize in International Law; MPhil, Oxford University, 1998; BA, Brown University, 1996, magna cum laude.