Description

About the Seminar

Join international lawyer Adam Smith – the Washington, DC-based co-chair of the global law firm Gibson Dunn’s renowned International Trade Group – as he discusses how and why U.S. sanctions are used so frequently as a foreign policy tool and are so feared globally. Mr. Smith will discuss the legal, practical, and policy rationales behind the reliance on sanctions and will address the limitations and risks posed by the increasing use of the tool. He will also discuss the broader global use of economic tools in pursuit of foreign policy – tariffs, export controls, FDI restrictions – and the mounting challenges faced by countries employing them to achieve their national security goals through these coercive instruments.

About the Speaker

Adam M. Smith is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and serves as co-chair of the firm’s International Trade Advisory and Enforcement, as well as the Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Groups. He is an experienced international lawyer with a focus on international trade compliance and white-collar investigations, including federal and state economic sanctions enforcement, tariffs, CFIUS, embargoes, export and import controls, and anti-bribery/anti-corruption regulations. He has testified about U.S. sanctions before the U.S. Congress and the UK Parliament.

Chambers USA and Chambers Global consistently rank Adam as a leading attorney in International Trade: Export Controls & Economic Sanctions. In those publications, clients describe Adam as “a terrific resource for clients” and a “reassuring lawyer in a complex area of law.” Most recently, Legal 500 US 2025 named Adam a “Leading Lawyer” in International trade: Customs, export controls and economic sanctions. Global Investigations Review has named him to its “25 Most Respected Sanctions Lawyers in Washington, D.C.” list, which features individuals who work on the most significant cases. The Best Lawyers in America® recognizes him for International Trade and Finance Law. Who’s Who Legal regularly recognizes him as a Thought Leader for Trade & Customs, International Sanctions, and in its Global Elite Guide.