Kerry Contini

Practice Areas

Kerry Contini is a partner in the Firm's international trade practice in Washington, DC. She advises companies on export controls, sanctions, and related human rights and supply chain compliance issues. She has been with Baker McKenzie since she was a summer associate in 2005 and started as an associate in 2006.

Kerry has been ranked in the Up and Coming categories for Export Controls & Trade Sanctions by Chambers Global (2022) and Chambers USA (2021-2023), with clients highlighting that "her advice and solutions are business-focused" and that she is "very practical and easy to work with." Kerry has been recognized as a next generation partner Legal 500 USA. Kerry was recognized in the Who's Who Legal 2021 as a Global Leader in Trade & Customs - International Sanctions.

Kerry has written on export controls and trade sanctions issues for a number of publications, including WorldECR, The Export Practitioner, and Ethisphere. She has presented on pandemic-related supply chain issues to the US International Trade Commission. Kerry has been quoted in a number of publications, including Global Investigations Review and Asian Legal Business. She is an editor of the Firm’s Global Supply Chain Compliance blog and is a regular contributor to that blog as well as the Firm’s Sanctions & Export Controls Update blog. Kerry is a co-chair of the Export Controls and Sanctions Section of the Association of Women in International Trade.

Kerry is part of the diversity and inclusion leadership for the Washington DC office and is a member of the BakerWomen Steering Committee. She has maintained an active pro bono practice throughout her career at Baker McKenzie and is co-chair of the Washington DC office pro bono leadership team. Kerry has worked on a wide range of pro bono matters, primarily focusing on public international law, animal advocacy, and election protection. She is an active member of the Animal Law Committee of the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Community of the DC Bar.

Kerry’s practice focuses on trade sanctions (OFAC), export controls (EAR, ITAR, NRC, DOE), anti-boycott laws, and related supply chain compliance matters. She advises US and multinational companies on trade compliance programs, risk assessments, licensing, review of proposed transactions, and enforcement matters. Kerry works regularly with companies across a wide range of industries, including the energy, healthcare, consumer goods, and luxury goods sectors.

Publications

• Regular contributor to the Firm's Export Controls & Sanctions Update blog and Global Supply Chain Compliance Blog

• Co-author, “The UAE-Israel Abraham Accords – UAE boycott of Israel repealed but no change in US antiboycott laws,” WorldECR, issue 93, October 2020

• Co-author, “What You Need to Know Before Importing/Exporting Legal Cannabis Products,” Baker McKenzie Global Cannabis Compliance Blog, 31 July 2020

• Co-author, “Trade Sanctions in Sub-Saharan Africa,” WorldECR, issue 79, May 2019

• Co-author, “The Global Magnitsky Act,” Criminal Law Forum, 28 September 2018

• Co-author, “Due Diligence on the Oligarchs: predicting OFAC’s next move,” The FCPA Blog, 19 June 2018

Work Highlights

• Assisted a large US manufacturer with conducting an investigation into unlicensed exports to Entity List parties in China and prepared voluntary self-disclosures for submission to the Commerce Department and Census Bureau.

• Conducted an investigation into exports to Cuba and prepared and submitted voluntary self-disclosure reports to the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Bureau of Industry and Security.

• Provided ongoing trade compliance advice for a major manufacturer of pharmaceutical products and medical devices on compliance with US export controls and trade sanctions, including drafting and submitting license applications and classification requests.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

USA

Languages Spoken

English, Italian

Education