EU International Trade Lawyer Jasper Helder Joins Akin Gump in London
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(London) – Akin Gump today announced that Jasper Helder joins the firm in London as a partner in its international trade practice. Mr. Helder, who practices primarily in international trade and corporate compliance matters, comes to Akin Gump from Baker & McKenzie, where he chaired the Europe, Middle East, and Africa trade & commerce practice.
Mr. Helder is one of the leading international trade lawyers in Europe. His arrival marks another major step in the global expansion of Akin Gump’s international trade practice, which has more than doubled in the last 10 years and boasts more than 40 professionals based in Washington, D.C.; New York; Los Angeles; Hong Kong; Singapore; London; Geneva; Abu Dhabi; and Dubai.
Mr. Helder’s work focuses on a range of European Union international trade policy and regulatory issues, including export control, sanctions, customs, anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws. Mr. Helder also advises clients on issues such as trade remedies, free trade agreements and rules of origin as well as EU customs compliance and customs valuation/transfer pricing. In addition, he provides counsel on the compliance aspects of third-party contracts and related third-party compliance reviews.
He has particular experience with regard to Russia and the Middle East as well as the interaction between EU and U.S. export controls and sanctions regulations and integrated EU/U.S. corporate compliance. Mr. Helder advises clients on drafting and maintenance of compliance programs and internal training and investigations as well as on export controls, customs audits and other government investigations, including voluntary self-disclosures. He represents clients before European national administrations and courts and before the European Court of Justice and the European Commission.
“We are proud to offer our clients a comprehensive, top-tier international trade practice with on-the-ground talent around the globe,” said Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith. “Jasper adds an exciting component to our trade practice mix—decades of EU-focused experience—that our clients will find very valuable, and I am delighted he is joining us.”
Mr. Helder’s arrival further strengthens the firm’s ability to provide comprehensive U.S./EU trade counsel to its clients, including those in the aerospace, technology, financial services, energy, apparel and transportation/logistics industries. Throughout his career, he has advised organizations from the United States, along with a range of multinationals, on EU and United Nations sanctions compliance for countries such as Iran, Russia and Syria and on the interaction between EU and U.S. export controls rules.
“The European Union and the United States have the largest trade and investment relationship in the world, with the most complex set of regulations governing the movement of goods, services and money across the Atlantic,” said Thomas J. McCarthy, head of Akin Gump’s international trade practice. “Jasper brings a profound knowledge of the EU that will be very important to our clients, particularly as EU trade issues such as Brexit continue to create new challenges, and his experience adds a strong complement to our existing EU regulatory platform. I am excited to have him on our team and look forward to his many contributions here.”
Mr. Helder added, “Akin Gump’s fully global trade platform offers a tremendous opportunity to enhance my EU practice. Bringing the firm’s compliance and investigations approach and extensive U.S. law knowledge as well as my EU-focused experience to bear on the needs of our clients will be extremely beneficial to them, and I am confident they will see enormous dividends.”
Mr. Helder, who has been ranked in the Chambers Global directory for EU work during each of the past four years, received his Masters, Law from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
About Akin Gump’s International Trade Practice and Regulatory Work
Akin Gump’s international trade practice offers an array of services designed to optimize clients’ ability to engage in the cost-efficient and timely exchange of goods and services across borders, in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The firm’s lawyers and advisors assist clients with issues before the World Trade Organization; the EU Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union; the EU Directorate General for Trade; EU member states’ national customs, export controls, sanctions and foreign trade administrations, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; the International Trade Commission; the U.S. departments of State, Treasury, Commerce and Justice and affiliated agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Bureau for Industry and Security; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies and offices that deal with international trade regulation.
The firm’s broader regulatory section has more than 100 professionals covering antitrust, communications, cyber security, financial services, environmental, government procurement, health care, international trade, privacy and transportation issues.
Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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