Ragan Updegraff

About Ragan Updegraff

Advises clients in high technology sectors on U.S. export controls and sanctions issues related to regulatory interpretation, export jurisdiction and classification, enforcement actions and voluntary disclosures, licensing, and policy advocacy (e.g, through submission of comments in response to administrative rulemakings)• Develops trade compliance programs, including drafting procedures, designing training, implementing corrective actions, and conducting self-assessments and audits• Counsels buyers, sellers, and borrowers conducting due diligence and mitigating trade compliance-related liabilities in mergers and acquisitions, financings, and other corporate transactionsI focus my practice on matters involving the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and U.S. primary and secondary sanctions programs. I represent clients in the aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and energy sectors, as well as university and research institutions. I am committed to working with clients to develop creative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions that solve for the challenges raised by the intersection of the advanced technologies that drive their businesses and the U.S. national security concerns that drive the laws and regulations with which they must comply.Prior to law school, I was a Fulbright Research Fellow in Turkey and worked in international development and journalism. I am a member of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section, the Society of International Affairs, the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, and the Washington International Trade Association. My work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Georgetown Journal of International Law, for which I was cited in a petition for writ of certiorari before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Experience

1. Counsel

   Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

   Jan 2023 — Present · Washington, DC, US

Education

• Georgetown Law

  Doctor of Law (J.D.), cum laude; WTO Studies Certificate

  2014 — 2017

• Trinity University

  B.A., summa cum laude, Politics, Rhetoric, History

  2002 — 2006

Skills

• Research
• Non-Profits
• Policy Analysis
• Political Science
• International Relations
• Foreign Policy
• Nonprofits
• Policy
• Program Management
• Public Policy
• Government
• International Development
• Human Rights
• Politics