Discretely assist companies and boards of directors conducting internal audits and investigations.
International Trade & National Security Law Firm
At Torres Trade Law, we work with U.S. and international clients - from multinationals and Fortune 500 companies to medium-sized businesses and startups - to successfully import and export goods, technology, and services. We regularly assist clients navigate regulatory challenges posed by U.S. and foreign trade policies, including China tariffs, Iran sanctions, and the export of defense-related goods and controlled or emerging technologies.
In addition, our lawyers have extensive experience assisting clients with a wide range of foreign investment matters, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) administering the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA).
Our lawyers regularly guide clients through myriad U.S. regulatory regimes and agencies that govern trade with the United States, including:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
- The U.S. Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)
- U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
- The Department of Defense Security Service (DSS)
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
To assist clients with challenges across the world, Torres Trade Law is a member of two widely recognized international associations: the International Lawyers Network, a global law firm network of more than 90 law firms in 67 countries; and Alliott Group, the world's 6th largest multidisciplinary alliance of accounting and law firms. These associations allow the firm to combine local expertise with a global reach to provide clients effective cross-border solutions.
To assist with risk advisory, complex investigations, and risk intelligence, our law firm's network also includes former intelligence officers and former senior leadership in national U.S. government security positions.
PRACTICE AREAS
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Our Approach
Torres Trade Law is driven by the principle that our clients are best served by long-term relationships built on transparency, accountability, and cost-effectiveness. Our goal: to provide practical, real-world international trade advice based on an in-depth understanding of each client's strategic and business objectives coupled with comprehensive knowledge of the regulatory and competitive environments in which it does business.
We have extensive experience assisting companies in a variety of industries, including aerospace, defense contractors, commercial aviation, military electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, food and beverage, data processing, machine tools, commercial electronics, satellite, unmanned vehicles, software and hi-tech, fashion and retail, private equity, and many others.
INSIGHTS
Export Controls & Sanctions: 2025 Year-End Review
By: Olga Torres, Managing Member & Elizabeth Diaz, Trade Specialist Intern
Date: 12/01/2025
As 2025 comes to an end, one theme defines the global compliance landscape: volatility. Over the past twelve months, sanctions and export control regimes have shifted quickly as the second Trump administration reshaped several policies inherited from the Biden years while launching new initiatives focused on Syria, Iran, and transnational cartels.
OFAC Enforcement Spotlight: 2025’s Largest Penalty (So Far), Action Against a Freight Forwarder, and More
By: Derrick Kyle, Senior Associate
Date: 12/01/2025
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has ramped up enforcement of economic sanctions across multiple sectors, from trade logistics to financial services and traditional exporters. The below cases, while not an exhaustive list of recent actions, underscore OFAC’s diverse enforcement focus and highlight key themes such as the importance of voluntary self-disclosure, robust sanctions compliance programs, and thorough due diligence across all transaction types.
The Current Landscape of Section 232 Tariff Actions
By: Olga Torres, Managing Member, Camille Edwards, Associate, & Gowri Nair, Legal Intern
Date: 12/01/2025
The second Trump administration has focused heavily on trade regulation, including initiating several investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (“Section 232 investigations”). Section 232 investigations are conducted by the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and focus on evaluating the impact that imports of certain products have on U.S. national security interests. Notably, these investigations can lead to the implementation of targeted tariffs on specific product groups to address identified threats to U.S. national security. Multiple new tariff measures have been enacted under Section 232 just over the course of this year, and several more on-going investigations may lead to additional tariffs in the near future. This article provides an overview of the Trump administration’s utilization of Section 232 authority and highlights key actions and compliance tips importers should be aware of the trend of increased Section 232 actions continues.
A Year to Prepare: BIS’s Affiliates Rule Waits in the Wings
By: Camille Edwards, Associate
Date: 12/01/2025
On September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) unveiled the “Affiliates Rule,” a sweeping new measure designed to expand application of end-user controls (i.e., licensing requirements) to cover affiliates of certain listed entities. Under the BIS Affiliates Rule, if a company appears on one of BIS’s restricted-party lists (i.e., the Entity List or the Military End-User (“MEU”) List), its majority-owned affiliates would automatically become subject to the same export control restrictions.
Torres Trade Trump Table
Date: 11/20/2025
For the latest Trump trade executive actions, please view the below Torres Trade Trump Table for important information. This table will be monitored and updated regularly. The last update occurred November 20, 2025.
Impact of the shutdown: What happened, what’s next for CFIUS?
Date: 11/14/2025
According to a survey conducted during the government shutdown, the vast majority of transaction parties (90.7%) experienced significant or moderate delays with CFIUS, and most respondents (72.8%) said they received no or limited communications from the Committee. With the shutdown now over, will the floodgates open?
Republished with permission from Foreign Investment Watch. This article was first published in November 2025.