May 2014

Recently, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) promulgated regulations which formally implement the Ukraine-related sanctions set forth in Executive Orders 13660 (“Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine”), 13661 (“Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine”), and 13662 (“Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine”). OFAC has made numerous designations of entities and individuals under the executive orders, which can be reviewed here.

The new regulations, entitled the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations (URSR)  31 CFR Part 589, have been published in abbreviated form in an effort to provide immediate guidance to the public. OFAC has indicated that it intends to supplement the regulations in the near future with a more comprehensive set of regulations which may include additional guidance on interpretations and definitions, as well as additional general licenses and statements of licensing policy.

Aaron Mann, a TMT commercial litigation partner, recently gave a presentation in London regarding the differences between litigating commercial disputes in the U.S. versus the UK.  The presentation was done in conjunction with Pinsent Masons, a global law firm with which Husch Blackwell has worked closely for a number of years.  Aaron joined Pinsent Masons partners Richard Twomey (commercial litigation) and Barry Vitou (corporate criminal defense) in the presentation for Pinsent Masons’ clients.

Discovery versus disclosure, the American Rule versus the English Rule, compensatory versus punitive damages, the two systems of litigation are similar at times and worlds apart at others.  This seminar gave the largely-British audience a glimpse of how commercial disputes are prosecuted in the U.S. and what that might mean for a foreign defendant who finds itself in a U.S. courtroom.