Debevoise’s market-leading sanctions compliance & enforcement practice provides expert and practical advice on trade and economic sanctions matters to a wide range of institutions as well as leading industry associations.

Read Full Description

Related Capabilities

Contacts

Thought Leadership

Debevoise & Plimpton is our first call for complex sanctions issues and we never have to make a second call.

Debevoise has highly adept practitioners with deep industry knowledge.

Debevoise & Plimpton is always available and provides thoughtful answers for any question, large or small.

– Chambers USA, 2025

Ranked as a leading firm in the U.S. for International Trade: Export Controls & Economic Sanctions.

The Debevoise team approach every question with thoughtfulness and practicality.

They have superb technical knowledge and provide practical advice.

– Chambers USA, 2023-2025

Ranked as a Band 1 firm worldwide for Corporate Investigations/Anti-Corruption - Global: Multi-Jurisdictional and for Corporate Crime & Investigations and Investigations & Enforcement (International & Cross-Border) in the United States.

– Chambers Global, 2025

Featured Topic

To view a brochure on the firm’s Sanctions Compliance & Enforcement practice, please click here

Featured Topic

In response to Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, along with other countries (e.g., Australia, Canada, Japan and Switzerland), imposed various sanctions and export controls.

This comprehensive, regularly-updated guide covers in detail the sanctions and export controls imposed by the US, UK and EU as of 9:00 a.m. EDT November 20, 2025. Read the Guide

Webcast

November 19, 2025 – Our latest webcast, The First Year of America First: Key Sanctions and Trade Compliance Issues as 2026 Approaches, discusses important sanctions and export controls developments in 2025.

Watch the webcast here.

Sanctions Resource

For all the team’s latest insights and know-how on sanctions related topics, visit The Sanctions Resource

Learn More

CapabilitiesDebevoise’s market-leading sanctions compliance & enforcement practice helps clients identify and mitigate the compliance and business risks of U.S., UK, and E.U. trade and economic sanctions and investigate and address potential violations. The team draws on extensive experience in private and public sectors and advises companies operating in a wide range of industries and jurisdictions as well as leading financial industry associations. Our attorneys work together across offices and practice groups to support our clients’ global business operations.Our team assists clients with structuring their transactions, contracts and third-party relationships to comply with applicable sanctions/export controls laws and mitigate risks. We regularly assist clients with sanctions due diligence on a wide variety of corporate transactions and with devising and implementing compliance programs and internal controls to guard against and detect sanctions risks.If a potential sanctions issue is identified, we assist with investigation and remediation process and advise clients on their reporting obligations and exposure vis-a-vis enforcement authorities and regulators. Drawing on the vast experience of Debevoise premier investigations and white collar defense practice, the team regularly represents clients before U.S., UK, and E.U. enforcement authorities and regulators, including criminal and administrative enforcement actions and contentious regulatory examinations, as well as civil litigation.Depth and BreadthThe Debevoise team works collaboratively across offices around the world. We have leading lawyers who advise on sanctions, export controls, foreign investment and related issues in our Hong Kong, London, New York, and Washington, D.C. offices. Our practice draws on the experience of members of the firm’s Banking, Financial Institutions, Litigation and White Collar & Regulatory Defense practices. Among our sanctions specialists are alumni of the U.S. Justice and Treasury Departments. The team includes lawyers fluent in Russian, Spanish, French and Mandarin, among other languages.The depth of the practice means that we are able to build the right teams for the task at hand, from a lean partner-led team focused on a discrete issue to a large team for a highly complex and business-critical sanctions investigation or diligence matter.ExperienceRecently, Debevoise has assisted clients in:Corporate Transactions

addressing Russia-related sanctions adopted in the U.S., E.U., and UK

responding to a steady increase of U.S. sanctions and export-related restrictions targeting China

conducting due diligence on counterparties for purposes of sanctions and anti-money laundering compliance

obtaining licenses for transactions that would be otherwise restricted

Compliance

drafting, revising, and implementing sanctions compliance policies and procedures (including with respect to compliance programs that address U.S. and non-U.S. requirements)

conducting sanctions compliance assessments (including with respect to the structuring of compliance in multinational organizations)

providing sanctions training, for both front-line employees and boards of directors

Enforcement

conducting internal investigations regarding potential criminal and civil sanctions violations and other sanctions compliance issues

responding to regulatory and law enforcement inquiries regarding U.S., UK, and E.U. sanctions matters

representing clients in enforcement matters brought by the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”), U.S. federal banking regulators, and the New York Department of Financial Services, among others

advising clients in the context of voluntary self-disclosures before OFAC and OFSI

International Sanctions Compliance & Enforcement

Contacts

Thought Leadership

Featured Topic

Featured Topic

Webcast

Sanctions Resource

Learn More