Leigh T. Hansson

Londres
T: +44 (0)20 3116 3394

M: +44 (0)77 6593 2185
Washington, D.C.
T: +1 202 414 9394

Page d'accueil Avocats Leigh T. Hansson

Leigh is a partner in the Global Regulatory Enforcement group based in London and Washington, D.C. and a member of the firm’s executive committee.

Leigh has significant experience representing multi-national corporations in a wide range of industries, including financial services, defense and aerospace, shipping and maritime, education, manufacturing, life sciences, and energy and natural resources. She counsels clients in the legal regimes that govern international trade including the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and European Union and UK sanctions, money laundering, and anti-boycott issues. Her work in these areas also involves practice before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) and advising companies on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”).

Leigh provides solutions for clients in a variety of contexts, including:

Performing audits and internal investigations
Government enforcement and investigation matters
Conducting merger and acquisition due diligence reviews
Supply chain management
Designing and implementing trade compliance programs
Conducting compliance training

She routinely represents clients in enforcement matters before OFAC, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”), the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), and other federal agencies. During the last several years, Leigh and her international team have represented clients in hundreds of enforcement matters, including voluntary disclosures and agency-led investigations (subpoenas, directed disclosures, seizures and detentions).

Leigh and the practice group are both ranked in Chambers USA for “International Trade: Export Controls and Economic Sanctions” and in Legal 500 USA for “International Trade”. Leigh is also recognized in the Legal 500 UK "Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime" category, with clients remarking that the “technically brilliant Leigh” is “amazing at quick response time, personalised follow-up, good understanding of customer’s business, pleasant communication, ability to deal on short notice with very urgent and non-conventional situations”. Clients also note that “Leigh Hansson is really the unique selling point. Leigh is uniquely placed as a highly qualified US sanctions and compliance lawyer based in London. She is very responsive. As sanctions matters are often urgent in the trading/shipping sector, this is a huge plus. Leigh doesn’t sit on the fence and she doesn’t make a mountain out of a molehill: she is a business enabler. We appreciate her clear advice and options, as well as her professionalism and approach to collaboration. She is also refreshingly succinct." In 2023, for the second year running, Leigh was named as one of the top 10 maritime lawyers by Lloyd’s List, noting that Leigh is “arguably the best-known name in the specialism". Leigh is featured as a Star Lawyer by independent research company Acritas due to excellent feedback from clients and also in Brummell Magazine's Inspirational Women List for 2018.

Qualifications

Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law, J.D., Recipient of the Comparative Law Award; Member of the Woolsack Honor Society; Student at the University of Oslo, Norway
Hollins University, B.A., History and Political Science

District of Columbia
Maryland

U.S. Court of Appeals - District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals - Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals - Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. Court of Appeals - Maryland

American Bar Association
District of Columbia Bar Association
Maryland Bar Association
Society for International Affairs (SIA)
National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
International Women’s Forum UK

Récompenses et distinctions

Ranked in Chambers Global for USA International Trade: Export Controls & Economic Sanctions, 2022-2025
Ranked in Chambers USA for Nationwide International Trade: Export Controls & Economic Sanctions, 2022-2025
Ranked by Legal 500 USA for International Trade
Identified as one of Lloyd’s List’s Top 10 Maritime Lawyers 2023
Consistently featured as a “Star Lawyer” by independent research company Acritas
Featured in Brummell Magazine's Inspirational Women List for 2018

Client Seminars

Various presentations to clients in France, the United Kingdom, the UAE, China, Denmark, Sweden, South America, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, and throughout the United States on a variety of topics, including:

OFAC and EU Sanctions
Export Controls
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Anti-Money Laundering
CFIUS
Anti-boycott
ATF Regulations
Encryption
Best Practices for Compliance Program Design and Implementation
Restricted Party Screening in the United States and Europe
Internal Investigations
Financial Transaction Due Diligence
Global Trade Compliance

Notable Quotes

21 May 2025 “EU takes aim at Russia’s shadow fleet as Ukraine peace hopes fade” Global Trade Review
11 May 2025 “U.S. Tariffs Create Uncertainty for Ship Leasing and Finance” The Maritime Executive
2 May 2025 “SHIPS for America Act proposed amid US logistics industry frustration” Seafood Source
1 May 2025 “Uncertainty over definition of ‘Chinese-owned vessels’ leads to jitters in ship leasing market, reports Reed Smith” Ship Management International
30 April 2025 “Clients trying to ‘future-proof’ Chinese finance leases, says Reed Smith’s Leigh Hansson” Trade Winds
30 April 2025 “Chinese finance lease tonnage faces US port fees uncertainty, Reed Smith warns” Lloyd’s List
29 April 2025 “Commodities and shipping groups ask lawyers for sanctions advice on return to Russia” Financial Times
5 February 2025 "What a second round of ‘maximum pressure’ Iran sanctions means for shipping" Lloyd's List
21 November 2024 "U.S. Sanctions Gazprombank, Dozens of Other Russian Institutions" The Wall Street Journal
22 October 2024 "Sanctions: Geopolitical Gridlock" Asian Legal Business
22 April 2024 "US lawmakers pass new Iran sanctions bill" Lloyd’s List
8 August 2023 "Should companies fess up to potential sanctions breaches?" Lloyd's List
3 August 2023 "Russia cheers higher oil and gas revenues as exports break through price cap" Upstream Online
27 April 2023 "US Will Not Seek Secondary Sanctions on Russia: Reed Smith Analyst Says" Hart Energy
10 February 2023 “1 Year On, Russia-Ukraine War Still Shadows Energy Deals” Law360
1 February 2023 “Are sanctions working? Why Russia’s economy continues to grow” The Independent
28 November 2022 “Europe’s price cap on Russian oil is no one-size-fits-all answer” The Times
4 November 2022 “UK to ban ship insurance cover for Russian oil ahead of G7 price cap” Financial Times
13 October 2022 'Absolute mess': EU Russia sanctions could drive wedge into P&I market Lloyd’s List
22 September 2022 “EU Battles Russian Narrative Over Global Food Crisis” Wall Street Journal
1 August 2022 “West eases efforts to restrict Russian oil trading as inflation and energy risks mount” Financial Times
5 February 2022 “As ‘hawkish’ Liz Truss threatens Putin with sanctions, questions emerge about UK’s enforcement agency” Tech Register, City A.M.
6 February 2022 “Brexit: UK flexes muscles as Truss threatens Putin with sanctions while EU dithers” Daily Express
26 January 2022 “Shipping scrambles to manage Russia sanctions risk” Lloyd's List
2 December 2021 “European Insurers Wary of Rising Threat of Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 Pipeline” Insurance Journal
1 December 2021 “Analysis: European insurers fear sanctions coming down Nord Stream 2 pipe” Reuters
10 August 2021 “UK sanctions against Belarus create cross-border complexity, differences with United States -London lawyers” Thomson Reuters
6 August 2021 “OFSI fine of TransferGo warns all under UK sanctions regime to expect more enforcement, say lawyers” Thomson Reuters
8 June 2021 “UK government's planned power to block listings is like 'lesser' sanctions, say lawyers” Thomson Reuters
1 June 2021 “European banks face new risks of breaching U.S. sanctions related to Iran, Cuba” Thomson Reuters
31 May 2021 “The hardline cleric being groomed to become president – and the Supreme Leader of Iran” The Telegraph
3 May 2021 "A path back to a deal: US and Iran make serious headway on nuclear talks" The Independent
30 April 2021 “UK sanctions regime carves out uneasy middle ground between US and EU” Global Investigations Review

Media Appearances

25 February 2023 Live interview with Trisha Goddard on Russia sanctions TalkTV
23 August 2022 Interview with Aasmah Mir and Luke Jones to discuss Russian sanctions Times Radio Breakfast
23 February 2022 Interviewed live on UK sanctions BBC News
23 February 2022 Speaking live on UK sanctions HARDtalk Radio
22 February 2022 Live interview with Matt Chorley to discuss Russian sanctions Times Radio
22 February 2022 Live interview on the Iain Dale show to discuss Russian sanctions LBC
22 February 2022 Live interview with Adrian Chiles discussing Russian sanctions BBC Radio 5live
22 February 2022 Live interview discussing potential Russian sanctions Sky News
16 February 2022 Live interview with Caroline Hepker, host of 'Daybreak Europe' to discuss potential Russian sanctions Sky News
16 February 2022 Live interview with Times Radio breakfast show discussing potential Russian sanctions Times Radio
16 February 2022 Speaking on Russia sanctions Talk Radio
16 February 2022 Speaking on Russia sanctions Sky News
25 May 2021 Interviewed on the IAEA deal and US-Iranian relations BBC World Service
2 July 2020 Interviewed on the Hong Kong national security law on Sky News
14 April 2020 "Has Trump become the law of the land - in the UK?" FDi Intelligence
25 June 2019 Live interview on US sanctions on Iran BBC World TV - GMT
24 June 2019 Interviewed on US sanctions on Iran BBC World Service
24 June 2019 Interviewed on US sanctions on Iran BBC Wake Up to Money
4 November 2018 “Can Iran survive sanctions? BBC News
3 November 2018 “President Trump’s Game of Thrones-style tweet starts countdown to Iran sanctions” The Times
October - December 2018 "Managing and Resolving Export and Import Disputes" Corporate Disputes Magazine
1 September 2017 "Back into the Game" Corporate Counsel
22 June 2017 “Policy Changes Could Slow Real Estate Investment in Cuba” Law360
3 August 2015 "The Chips Are Up. Chinese takeover of U.S. tech firms could prove beneficial to both countries, but will political concerns complicate things?" Beijing Review
14 July 2015 "Reported Chinese offer for Micron faces far too many hurdles" Reuters

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