Partner Matthew Axelrod Says BIS Will Continue to Pursue Companies That Violate Its Rules
In the Media | April 24, 2025
Export Compliance Daily
While questions about the overall level of white collar enforcement in the new administration persist, the direction at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is clear, according to Gibson Dunn partner Matthew Axelrod, who told Export Compliance Daily that all signs indicate “BIS is going to be aggressive in going after companies that violate their rules.”
Matt also said “the BIS view is that they would rather educate industry so that industry complies with the rules on the front end rather than having violations that get enforced on the back end” and that, because of funding cuts and staff turnover, “the bigger question mark than the policy direction is whether BIS will have the resources it needs to deliver on the policy direction.”
After serving as BIS Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement under the Biden administration, Matt joined Gibson Dunn in early 2025 to co-chair our newly launched Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Group, where he works closely with clients to conduct internal investigations, evaluate compliance programs, advise on voluntary self-disclosures, and defend against government-facing investigations.
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