Robert Slack is an associate in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on export controls, economic sanctions, and anti-corruption matters. Robert advises clients in the energy, financial, technology, unmanned vehicle, defense, and many other sectors about an array of international trade compliance matters, including criminal and civil enforcement investigations, export compliance programs, compliance with U.S. sanctions regulations, and matters related to anti-corruption laws. Robert has significant experience designing and implementing compliance programs tailored to clients’ needs and assisting clients with internal audits and investigations of compliance with sanctions and export control laws.
Robert regularly represents clients before the key export-regulating bodies, including the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). He also has significant experience representing clients in Foreign Corrupt Practices counseling and enforcement matters before the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Prior to joining Kelley Drye as an associate, Robert was a law clerk with the firm and an export compliance analyst with Georgetown Economic Services (GES), Kelley Drye’s economics and international trade consultancy. Today, Robert and his colleagues in GES use sophisticated, highly efficient data analytics techniques to tackle complex legal issues, from large scale classification projects to investigations and audits involving millions of lines of data.
Robert leads teams of analysts in performing export and sanctions compliance risk analysis projects and conducting comprehensive export and sanctions analyses for clients in connection with voluntary self-disclosures (VSDs) and enforcement investigations. He leads various large and small technical product and technology classification projects and he has assisted in the development of hundreds of client compliance system tools. He was the project manager for a 45-facility global export control voluntary disclosure and separate 30-facility and 25 facility compliance audit projects, among a number of other highly complex export control investigations and compliance improvement projects.
Primary associate on a significant number of investigations and resulting voluntary self-disclosures and settlements with U.S. export control and sanctions agencies involving significant research, analysis, and negotiation with enforcement authorities, including matters in the defense, energy, manufacturing, chemical, unmanned, and finance industries.
Designed and was the lead associate for a global audit of a multinational manufacturing company’s compliance with U.S. export control regulations, consisting of over 25 site audits worldwide.
Assisted clients in conducting investigations of overseas subsidiaries’ compliance with U.S. sanctions laws involving the chemical, finance, manufacturing, and energy industries, among many others.
Worked with clients in a broad array of industries to design and implement effective compliance programs tailored to the export control and sanctions risks facing those companies, from small companies to large multinationals.
Provides on-going counseling to a variety of U.S. and non-U.S. companies regarding compliance with U.S. sanctions laws, including OFAC’s General License H, Russia and Ukraine-related sanctions, and the evolving Cuba sanctions regulations.
Assisted clients with investigations regarding compliance with anti-bribery laws by U.S. and non-U.S. companies, including those in the energy, manufacturing, unmanned, and technology industries.
Advised multiple clients on compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in international business transactions.
Worked with clients to submit and obtain favorable product and software classification determinations from export control agencies, including a large-scale review of export control classifications for a global producer of industrial equipment that involved the classification of millions of items.
Assisted clients with conducting third party and pre-acquisition due diligence and screening.