Kerry B. Contini
Biography
Kerry Contini is a partner in the Firm's international trade practice in Washington, DC. She advises companies on export controls, sanctions, and related human rights and supply chain compliance issues. She has been with Baker McKenzie since she was a summer associate in 2005 and started as an associate in 2006.
Kerry has been ranked in the Up and Coming categories for Export Controls & Trade Sanctions by Chambers Global (2022) and Chambers USA (2021-2023), with clients highlighting that "her advice and solutions are business-focused" and that she is "very practical and easy to work with." Kerry has been recognized as a “standout” member of Baker McKenzie’s international trade team by Legal 500. Legal 500 reported a client as stating that, “Kerry is thoughtful, practical, efficient, and has really invested in getting to know our business and our team.” Kerry was recognized in the Who's Who Legal 2021 as a Global Leader in Trade & Customs - International Sanctions.
Kerry has written on export controls and trade sanctions issues for a number of publications, including WorldECR, The Export Practitioner, and Ethisphere. She has presented on pandemic-related supply chain issues to the US International Trade Commission. Kerry has been quoted in a number of publications, including Global Investigations Review and Asian Legal Business. She is an editor of the Firm’s Global Supply Chain Compliance blog and is a regular contributor to that blog as well as the Firm’s Sanctions & Export Controls Update blog. Kerry is a co-chair of the Export Controls and Sanctions Section of the Association of Women in International Trade.
Kerry is part of the diversity and inclusion leadership for the Washington DC office and is a member of the BakerWomen Steering Committee. She has maintained an active pro bono practice throughout her career at Baker McKenzie and is co-chair of the Washington DC office pro bono leadership team. Kerry has worked on a wide range of pro bono matters, primarily focusing on public international law, animal advocacy, and election protection. She is an active member of the Animal Law Committee of the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Community of the DC Bar.
Practice Focus
Representative Legal Matters
-
Assisted a large US manufacturer with conducting an investigation into unlicensed exports to Entity List parties in China and prepared voluntary self-disclosures for submission to the Commerce Department and Census Bureau.
-
Conducted an investigation into exports to Cuba and prepared and submitted voluntary self-disclosure reports to the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Bureau of Industry and Security.
-
Provided ongoing trade compliance advice for a major manufacturer of pharmaceutical products and medical devices on compliance with US export controls and trade sanctions, including drafting and submitting license applications and classification requests.
-
Conducted a risk assessment for a Fortune 500 company and provided recommendations to improve the company’s export controls and sanctions compliance program.
-
Prepared a request for specific authorization for submission to the Department of Energy and liaised with the Department of Energy about compliance requirements.
-
Represented a US company in a voluntary self-disclosure to the Office of Anti-boycott Compliance in the US Commerce Department.
-
Completed a secondment with a multinational pharmaceutical and medical device company focusing on export controls and trade sanctions compliance.
Professional Honors
- Up and Coming category, Export Controls & Trade Sanctions, Chambers Global (2022)
- Up and Coming category, Chambers USA (2021-2023)
Admissions
- District of Columbia~United States (2007)
- California~United States (2006)
Education
- George Washington University Law School (J.D., Honors) (2006)
- George Washington University (Master of Arts, International Development Studies) (2006)
- University of California at San Diego (B.A., cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) (2002)
Languages
- English
- Italian