Bloomberg Law Quotes Jonathan Poling on Surge in Sanctions-Related Activity
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Jonathan Poling, international trade partner at Akin Gump, has been quoted in the Bloomberg Law article “Sanctions Shift Sparks Boon for Big—and Little—Law.” The article looks at how many law firms are handling a surge in sanctions-related activity.
Driving demand, according to the article, are recent changes to nearly two-dozen sanctions programs—including Cuba, Venezuela and Iran—as well as a greater threat of both civil and criminal penalties.
“There has been so much activity and so much increased enforcement in this area,” said Poling. “So many more clients now have a greater appreciation for the dangers and risks of getting this wrong that law firms are just incredibly active in looking for good sanctions, export control practitioners.”
One particular area of focus for sanctions lawyers, the article says, is on criminal matters, due to agencies like the Justice Department and FBI cracking down on sanctions evasion and related issues.
“About 40 percent of my time is focusing on matters where there is some sort of criminal exposure,” said Poling. “I would say there is actually more activity it seems around cases that have criminal risk than those with just civil risk.” The remainder of his time, he added, is split between “day-to-day regulatory guidance” and the disclosure and remediation of certain violations.
