Samantha Sewall is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s International Trade Practice Group.

Ms. Sewall advises clients on compliance with U.S. legal obligations at the intersection of global trade and foreign policy, including compliance with U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, national security reviews (CFIUS), anti-boycott, anti-corruption (FCPA), and trade litigation. Ms. Sewall has experience advising companies across a wide range of sectors including aerospace, banking, defense, energy, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, shipping, telecommunications, and travel.

Representative engagements include:

• Representing a global digital services company before the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to obtain specific authorization and interpretive guidance.
• Conducting an internal investigation of the causes of export control compliance exceptions for a global oil & gas industry company.
• Assessing the compliance policies and practices of a major internet-based communications company.
• Preparing self-disclosure reports of sanctions and export control compliance exceptions for a global medical device company.*

On a pro bono basis, Ms. Sewall has assisted clients with understanding U.S. trade controls and immigration issues, and she has worked with an international rule of law NGO to support law enforcement training efforts to combat transnational human trafficking and forced labor.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Ms. Sewall served as a Political-Economic Program Assistant supporting the U.S. Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire. During her time there she was responsible for programs and research related to private sector engagement and bilateral political and economic issues.  Previously, Ms. Sewall was an associate with a large international law firm where she advised clients on U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, anti-boycott, and trade remedies matters.

Ms. Sewall graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2012, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the Georgetown Law Journal.  She is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of International Trade.

*Representation occurred prior to Ms. Sewall’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Speaking Engagements

Featured Speaker, “OFAC’s Heightened Enforcement Trends: Practical Compliance Tips and Strategies,” The Knowledge Group (June 30, 2020)

Speaker, Gibson Dunn webcast, “2020 Sanctions and Export Controls Update” (October 15, 2020)

Publications

Short-Term Sanctions – The New Normal?, Financier Worldwide (January 2020)

Sanctions Enforcement Trends In the Era of COVID-19, The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation (forthcoming February 24, 2021)