Clif Burns focuses his practice on international business transactions, export controls, economic sanctions, customs and international intellectual property matters. These transactions principally involve clients in high-tech industries including lasers, software, medical devices, telecommunications, B2B and B2C e-commerce and military equipment. In handling international business transactions, Mr. Burns advises clients on international sales of goods and services, cross-border distributorship agreements, licenses, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions, along with required notifications under Exon-Florio and Hart-Scott-Rodino. In addition, Mr. Burns represents a number of clients in international arbitration proceedings arising under the arbitration clauses commonly found in cross-border business agreements.

Mr. Burns' export control work encompasses a broad range of areas and includes matters involving the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) administered by the Department of Commerce, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) administered by the State Department and the country-based economic sanctions program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department. Mr. Burns also has broad experience in developing compliance programs for each of these three regulatory schemes, conducting due diligence for compliance with these schemes, and submitting voluntary disclosures of prior unlicensed exports. Customs matters have included registration and enforcement of intellectual property rights with the Customs Service and release of seized merchandise.

Companies represented by Mr. Burns are located in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and the United States.

Mr. Burns speaks French fluently. Mr. Burns is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review and a law clerk for the Hon. Robert A. Sprecher on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Bar and Court Admissions

District of Columbia

United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Federal Circuits

Court of Appeals, District of Columbia

Education

Northwestern University, J.D., cum laude, 1978

Northwestern University, B.A., with honors, 1975

Publications

• Export Law Blog
• "Weatherford Woes," The Deal, published, September 2007
• "Recent Developments Regarding DDTC’s Rules on Brokering," The International Lawyer, Summer 2007
• "Going Bananas: Chiquita Tried to Protect Its Workers and Got Mashed by Prosecutors," Legal Times, published, April 2007
• "Turning Yourself In: Export Enforcement Trends," Industry Week, March 2007
• "Voluntary Disclosures of Export Violations," The Corporate Counselor, February 2007
• "Enforcement of ITAR Part 130 Adds Problems for Brokers," The Export Practitioner, December 2006
• "Expansion of Brokering Rules Gives Headaches to Exporters," The Export Practitioner, August 2006
• "Proof or Consequences: False Advertising and the Doctrine of Commercial Free Speech," 56, University of Cincinnati Law Review, 1988

Speeches and Seminars

• "Don't Get Left Behind: Implementing Export Control Reform," webinar, April 9, 2013 Link to Webinar
• Society for International Affairs, "Compliance Insiders: Industry Best Practices and Effective Tools," April 3, 2008.
• Journal of International Law Annual Symposium, "International Trade Sanctions," University of Pennsylvania Law School, February 29, 2008
• TRACE International, "ITAR Part 129 Compliance Issues," September 2005 and September 2006
• National Defense Industries Association, "Arbitration and Government Contracts," November 2005

Professional Affiliations

• District of Columbia Bar Association