Alison Stafford Powell

Practice Areas

Alison Stafford Powell co-leads the Firm's West Coast Trade Compliance team. She has considerable experience counseling US and non-US companies on managing trade compliance in the areas of export controls, trade and financial sanctions and US anti-boycott laws. As a dual-qualified lawyer, she provides practical advice to help non-US companies reconcile US and foreign trade regulations and on the extra-territorial impact of US trade restrictions. Chambers USA quotes clients' praise for her being "extremely knowledgeable, responsive, commercially strong and understanding complex issues well." Legal 500 describes here as an "outstanding specialist." She has worked in the Firm's London, Washington, DC and Palo Alto offices since 1996.

Alison provides full-spectrum compliance counseling in the areas of export controls and sanctions, including under the US Export Administration Regulations and the OFAC sanctions. Her services include compliance planning, risk assessments, licensing, regulatory interpretations, voluntary disclosures, enforcement actions, complex internal investigations and audits, mergers and acquisitions and other cross-border activities. She also develops compliance training, codes of conduct, compliance procedures and policies.

She has particular experience in the following sectors: financial services, technology/IT services, travel/hospitality, telecommunications, semiconductors and manufacturing.

Professional Memberships

The Law Society of England and Wales

American Bar Association, International Law Section

California Bar International Law Section

Women in International Trade - Northern California

Publications

• Contributor - World Economic Forum Insight Report Mapping TradeTech: Trade in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (December 2020)

• Presenter - Tech Talk (2015 and 2016)

• Presenter - Immigration and Export Control (California State Bar, 2011)

• Contributor - Cross-Border Transactions Handbook (Baker & McKenzie LLP, 2008)

• Presenter - EU Export Controls and Trade Sanctions (Export Control Coordinators Association of National Laboratories, 2006)

• Co-author - International Trade Chapter of The Encyclopedia of Information Technology Law (Sweet & Maxwell Ltd., 2005)

Work Highlights

• Counseled numerous multinationals, including in financial services, travel technology, hospitality, software/SaaS and consumer goods, on mitigating multi-jurisdictional compliance risks in high-profile exits from the Russian market following the invasion of Ukraine.

• Successfully settled significant OFAC enforcement matter for air travel technology company for alleged violations of anti-terrorism sanctions, including resolution of novel and complex issues surrounding access to US software solutions and services.

• Advised various social media, content delivery and e-commerce platforms on establishing risk-based compliance programs and addressing compliance issues.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

USA

Languages Spoken

English, Japanese

Education