Kirkland Partner Joanna Ritcey-Donohue to Visit Cuba with National Council on International Trade Development
Kirkland & Ellis LLP international trade and national security partner Joanna Ritcey-Donohue will travel to Cuba in early February as a member of the National Council on International Trade Development (NCITD) delegation to meet with members of the U.S. embassy country team and Cuban government officials and business leaders. She will take part in this historic trip to assess the legal and business landscape in Cuba.
“Our clients deserve ‘over-the-horizon’ advice and guidance on how to seize opportunities and mitigate legal risk when operating or investing across international borders, particularly in emerging or otherwise sensitive geographies. Joanna’s fact-finding trip to Cuba will help our team equip our clients with a unique perspective of the significant political and regulatory changes announced by the administration,” said Mario Mancuso, who leads Kirkland’s International Trade and National Security practice.
The United States has a comprehensive set of trade and travel restrictions in place with Cuba, commonly referred to as the Cuban Embargo. Only specific categories of travel to Cuba are authorized by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, including professional and educational missions from the U.S. such as this one.
“For decades, a trip like this was impossible given the broad and wide economic sanctions the United States has imposed on Cuba,” Ms. Ritcey-Donohue said. “But those sanctions have loosened somewhat during the last year. Participating in this trip will provide special insights that will uniquely benefit our clients interested in expanding their business into Cuba but who have regulatory and compliance concerns.”
Ms. Ritcey-Donohue’s practice focuses on the international trade and national security areas of economic sanctions, export controls and anti-money laundering, as well as U.S. foreign investment and import controls. Her experience spans a broad range of matters, including regulatory enforcement, deal diligence, investigations, IPOs and strategic counseling.
About Kirkland & Ellis’s International Trade and National Security Practice
Anchored in Washington, D.C., Kirkland & Ellis's International Trade and National Security Practice, in coordination with the Firm's global offices and related practice areas, works closely with companies, investors and boards to mitigate and manage the legal and non-market risks associated with operating or investing across national borders. The International Trade and National Security Practice team is comprised of former senior U.S. and U.K. government officials with deep experience in cross-border investment clearance (CFIUS), economic sanctions (OFAC, EU), export controls (ITAR, EAR), anticorruption and related areas.
About NCITD
Founded in 1968, the National Council on International Trade Development (NCITD) is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to providing direct expertise on a wide range of international trade topics. http://www.ncitd.org/
