Covington & Burling LLP operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide, with the practice in England and Wales conducted by an affiliated
limited liability multinational partnership, Covington & Burling LLP, which is formed under the laws of the State of Delaware in the United States
and authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with registration number 77071..
Blake Hulnick practices at the intersection of export controls, sanctions, and white-collar defense. He represents companies and individuals in sensitive civil and criminal investigations matters, particularly those focused on issues implicating national security and international trade controls. He also maintains an active sanctions and export controls advisory practice.
In his litigation and investigations practice, Blake has experience representing both individual clients and sophisticated international companies, often in matters involving parallel investigations by civil and criminal authorities. His experience ranges from scoping subpoena responses and overseeing the collection and production of documents in multiple languages to conducting analyses of legal exposure, preparing witnesses and presentations, and crafting the strongest possible arguments in support of his clients’ positions.
Blake’s investigations practice is informed by his experience advising clients on the rapidly changing U.S. sanctions and export controls landscape. He advises a wide range of U.S. and non-U.S. companies on U.S. sanctions administered by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, particularly those targeting Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. He also regularly advises clients on the export controls administered by the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. In each of these areas, Blake’s work ranges from providing guidance, assessing newly announced rules, seeking advisory opinions or export licenses, and conducting corporate due diligence to assisting clients with voluntary disclosures and enforcement matters.
Before joining the firm, Blake was a law clerk to Judge Susan P. Graber of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Before law school, he served as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Congress.
Represented individual clients in white-collar matters involving securities laws, accounting, and antitrust before the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Represented non-U.S. company in navigating parallel civil and criminal investigations involving U.S. sanctions, money-laundering, and related allegations.
Assisted multiple clients in preparing responses to subpoenas from government regulators including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Assisted international corporation with the multi-year investigation, analysis, and disclosure of potential violations of U.S. sanctions and export controls and assessment of potential employee misconduct.
International Trade
Regularly advise a range of U.S. and non-U.S. companies on compliance with rapidly evolving U.S. sanctions and export controls.
Assist numerous companies in seeking and obtaining business-critical export licenses from the Bureau of Industry and Security and the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
Conducted sanctions and export controls compliance assessments for leading international technology and financial services companies.
Assist companies with regulatory due diligence involving sanctions and export controls in connection with M&A transactions.