Michael Dobson, of counsel in Morrison & Foerster’s National Security practice group, has extensive experience advising clients on critical national security matters pertaining to U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, and various regulatory and compliance issues. Mr. Dobson most recently served as a Senior Sanctions Policy Advisor in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), where he was one of the U.S. government’s leading sanctions officials in the development and implementation of U.S. sanctions policy toward Russia and throughout the Western Hemisphere.

In his position at OFAC, Mr. Dobson developed strategies and tactics for achieving U.S. sanctions policy objectives, and applied that understanding of policy goals to shape executive orders, regulations, general and specific licenses, and interpretive guidance across multiple sanctions regimes. He also provided direction to interagency efforts to anticipate and mitigate unintended consequences of sanctions.

Jen Fernandez is a member of Sidley’s International Trade group. She focuses her practice on a variety of international trade laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the anti-boycott requirements administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service. She advises clients on a variety of international trade compliance issues and leads international trade due diligence in corporate transactions. Jen also counsels clients on Exon-Florio reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI) mitigation matters before the U.S. Department of Defense. Jen received her J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, she received her B.A. in International Affairs/International Politics from The George Washington University.

James Burnett is a senior associate at Alston & Bird and a member of the firm’s International Trade & Regulatory Team based in Washington, D.C.. James advises clients on a variety of issues associated with global trade, including export controls, economic sanctions, and related enforcement matters. He has represented U.S. and foreign clients in matters concerning the investigation and disclosure of export violations to various regulatory agencies, and has counseled clients regarding compliance with and licensing under the International Traffic and Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and sanctions regimes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). James received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A., cum laude, from Wake Forest University.