Written by: John E. Parkerson, Jr.; Esq. An important focus area within HBS’ International Business practice area is monitoring U.S. economic sanctions developments that may affect clients’ cross-border business activities.  The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) remains active in policing transactions that may touch, in some fashion or another, countries and individuals that are regarded as supporting activities detrimental to U.S. interests. Russia and Iran continue to

Written by: John E. Parkerson, Jr., Esq. and Ivo Kaitschick* Preface: Due to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, a multitude of new sanctions have been imposed -- most of them on Russia, some on Belarus. In addition to sector or geographically-based sanctions, both the U.S. and the EU have been adding people and entities to their targeted sanctions list. Changes to sanctions applicable to Russia are frequent, and

The "Buy American" statute says products bought with taxpayer dollars must be “substantially made” in the U.S.  Today, products could qualify if just 55% of the value of their component parts was manufactured here.  The U.S. administration is proposing an immediate increase of the threshold to 60% and a phased increase to 75%.  It claims that this change will create more opportunities for small- and medium-sized manufacturers and

Written by: John E. Parkerson, Jr., Esq. An April 19, 2021 U.S. Government settlement proved costly for a domestic U.S. company that was "not attuned" to U.S. laws that restrict doing business with entities in certain countries – for example, Iran -- that the U.S. has identified as national security threats or human rights violators. Alliance Steel, Inc. (“Alliance”), a designer and manufacturer of prefabricated steel structures based in Oklahoma

HBS International Business Attorney John Parkerson has accepted an invitation from the Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce Southeast USA to serve as a Director on the chamber’s Advisory Board of Directors.  The non-profit entity was established in 2006 with the purpose of encouraging commercial development between Ecuadorians residing in the Southeast USA and companies based in Ecuador. Visit their website here to learn more about the chamber's work. Pictured to

Hall Booth Smith international business attorney John Parkerson will serve as a panelist in a series of webinars sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | Georgia Properties. The second webinar in the series, “Around the Globe with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices - Dubai” is on November 11 at 9:00 am ET, and it will cover the various “location” issues faced by companies that are establishing a presence in Dubai, United

Written by: John Parkerson, Esq. and Fanny Chac The U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") has a responsibility to encourage importers to comply with U.S. laws and regulations and to help protect American consumers from harmful products.[1]  On July 15, 2020, CBP imposed a Withhold Release Order ("WRO") on the subsidiaries of the world’s largest medical glove maker, Malaysian Top Glove Corp. Bhd due to suspected forced labor.[2]  This

Hall Booth Smith international business attorney John Parkerson has been working with Pendleton Group and Global Atlanta to bring together local and international leaders for interactive, topical Zoom discussions on how communities can recast their global engagement in the "new abnormal" of the post-COVID world.  Thus far, the group has hosted four by-invitation-only sessions, each moderated by Trevor Williams of Global Atlanta.  Invitees include stakeholders working to enhance

Written by: John E. Parkerson, Jr., Esq. Individuals and companies that currently or plan in the future to conduct cross-border business need to be knowledgeable about the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") and its anti-bribery and accounting requirements.  Hall Booth Smith's international business attorneys routinely assist clients with advice to help them to comply with FCPA obligations – whether in their business activities and communications, or by ensuring

Written by: John E. Parkerson, Jr., Esq. Many individuals and businesses are aware that particular transactions that involve countries such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Syria (just to name a few well-known examples – there are others) or with certain persons or entities engaging in particular activities (such as, for example, narcotics trafficking, global terrorism or transnational criminal organizations) may be illegal; but few understand the intricacies of