Peter Chessick

Counsel, Washington, DC

Biography

Overview

Peter is counsel in the Firm's International Trade Practice. His practice focuses on economic sanctions compliance-related matters. Peter offers clients a wealth of experience and an invaluable perspective, having served for over eleven years as counsel to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the US Department of the Treasury, six of those years as Senior Counsel.

Clients benefit from Peter's in-depth knowledge of US sanctions laws and his unique government perspective on economic sanctions compliance. While at Treasury, Peter participated actively in the Department's development and administration of US sanctions programs, including providing legal review and clearance of enforcement and licensing matters and assisting in OFAC regulatory actions.

Peter also spent time with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, where he conducted legal and compliance risk, anti-money laundering (AML), and internal audit examinations of large US broker-dealers.

Bars and Courts
District of Columbia Bar
Education
MSFS, International Business Diplomacy
Georgetown University
JD
Georgetown University Law Center
AB
Stanford University
Languages
English
Russian

Experience

Providing ongoing sanctions compliance advice to a foreign corporate and investment banking company regarding Russia sanctions.

Provides sanctions advice to US and foreign investors considering investments in foreign companies that have links to persons and territories that are subject to US sanctions restrictions.

Speaking Engagements

"Economic Sanctions and Export Controls: Best Practices," Sandpiper Partners' National Security, Sanctions, and Export Controls: Compliance, Investigations, Enforcement & Investments Conference, October 11, 2023 (New York, NY)

"Sanctions Intensive: OFAC Guidance and Global Overview," Momentum Events 16th Anti-Corruption, Export Controls, and Sanctions (A.C.E.S) Compliance Summit, May 23, 2023 (Washington, DC)

"Screening: How to Perform Accurate Due Diligence & Sanctions Screening for Russian Persons and Entities," American Conference Institute 4th Annual Navigating Russia Sanctions Complexities Conference, September 27, 2021 (virtual)

"The Russia-Related Sanctions Regime," a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization's webinar titled "Russia Sanctions and the Biden Administration: The Outlook for the Next Four Years," February 11, 2021 (virtual)

"Managing Your Practical Risk – Who is Getting Hit by Secondary Sanctions?" American Conference Institute 11th Annual New York Forum on Economic Sanctions, December 2-3, 2020 (virtual)

"Rejected and Blocked Transactions and OFAC Advisory for the Shipping, Maritime and Aviation Industries," American Conference Institute 10th Annual New York Forum on Economic Sanctions, December 10-11, 2019 (New York)

"Russia/Ukraine Sectorial Focus: Best Practices when Working with EU Partners for Compliance with Sectorial Sanctions," American Conference Institute 10th Annual Advanced Forum on Economic Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance, April 24, 2017 (Washington, DC)

"Trade Talk on Russian Sanctions," September 25, 2014, The Association of Women in International Trade (Washington, DC)

"US and EU Export Controls and Sectoral Sanctions on Russia," September 4, 2014, American Bar Association Export Controls and Sanctions Committee (Washington, DC)

"The Legal Basis and Technical Operation of Financial Sanctions," February 13, 2013, Georgetown Law Sanctions Symposium, (Washington, DC)

Publications

"Correspondent Risk: Financial Crimes and Correspondent Banking," JDSupra, May 10, 2019

"US sanctions enforcer on the hunt for novel cases," Global Investigations Review, May 1, 2019 (quoted)

Awards and Recognition

Recommended: The Legal 500 2020: International Trade