Hogan Lovells Expands Global International Trade and Investment Practice
Hogan Lovells announced that Andrew Keller, a senior government official and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Counter-threat Finance and Sanctions (TFS) in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB), will join the firm’s International Trade and Investment practice as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office.
As Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of State, Keller led the Department’s efforts on economic sanctions and counter-threat finance matters. Keller held this position at a critical time for the United States government. He played a key leadership role in developing and implementing the sanctions relief aspects of the nuclear agreement with Iran known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA); coordinating with counterparts in Europe and Asia on Russia sanctions; and developing and implementing the easing of sanctions against Cuba, the firm said in a release.
The release continues:
With lead responsibility for outreach to the private sector, one of Andrew Keller’s primary functions at the State Department was to explain U.S. sanctions policies and regulations to industry in the United States and abroad, and to coordinate with European, Asian, and other counterparts on sanctions and counter-threat finance policy and implementation. Keller served as a primary liaison between the State Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the United States Department of Commerce, on economic sanctions and related export controls. In that capacity, he was responsible for the State Department’s foreign policy review of OFAC and BIS license applications.
At Hogan Lovells, Keller will concentrate his practice on sanctions, counter-threat finance, national security and export control regulatory, policy, legislative and enforcement matters.
“We are delighted that Andrew is joining our practice,” said Beth Peters, Co-Director of the firm’s International Trade and Investment Group. “He has had an unparalleled vantage point for viewing and influencing how sanctions regulations and policy are developed, interpreted, and implemented both in the U.S. and in foreign countries, and he will bring that unique perspective to strengthen the value of the counsel we provide to our clients on a global scale.”
“As the Trump administration’s position becomes clearer on a number of key sanctions programs, our clients must be ready for change and a potentially more aggressive approach to enforcement,” added Alice Valder Curran, Global head of the firm’s Government Regulatory practice. “Andrew’s background in sanctions and enforcement matters will be extremely valuable to our clients worldwide as they look for guidance and prepare for anticipated regulatory volatility and increased compliance risk, especially with respect to Iran, Russia, and Cuba.”
Before serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Keller served in senior positions at the State Department and on Capitol Hill. He twice served in the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser: as a Deputy Legal Adviser from 2013 to 2015 and as an Attorney-Adviser from 2002 to 2009. In that capacity, his work included leading priority initiatives on behalf of the Secretary of State, handling counterterrorism, law enforcement, intelligence, and other matters, and leading U.S. delegations in treaty negotiations.
From 2009-2013, he served as Deputy Chief Counsel and then Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SFRC). During that time, he provided strategic, policy and legal guidance to then-Chairman Senator John Kerry, other Senators, and the committee staff on the range of foreign policy, international trade and national security-related matters pending in the SFRC and the Senate.
“Hogan Lovells’ global client base and wide range of practices will provide the ideal platform for me,” said Keller. “I look forward to bringing my government agency experience, and expanding the firm’s international trade, sanctions regulatory, legislative and enforcement capabilities.”
Keller served as a law clerk to the Honorable Royal Furgeson, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He received a J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law and a B.A. from Swarthmore College.
