Doug Jacobson has 35 years of experience representing U.S. and non-U.S. companies on a wide range of international trade-related issues. He serves as principal outside international trade counsel to U.S. and non-U.S.-based multinational companies that import, export, and produce a wide range of products, including oil and gas equipment, medical devices, electronic products, industrial, defense, and aerospace products.
Prior to establishing Jacobson Burton Kelley PLLC, Doug practiced international trade law with several well-known law firms in Washington, DC.
With respect to export matters, Doug counsels clients on compliance with U.S. and multilateral regimes governing the export of dual-use items, software, technology, defense articles, and humanitarian products. He assists companies in navigating the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the various sanctions regulations administered by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Doug also represents companies in enforcement proceedings conducted by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), BIS' Office of Antiboycott Compliance, and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), and OFAC.
Doug recently served as the Special Compliance Officer in a large State Department Consent Agreement involving violations of the ITAR and he served as the BIS and OFAC-approved independent auditor in one of the largest criminal and civil export controls/sanctions enforcement cases brought by those agencies.
Doug also advises companies on the legal and regulatory aspects of importing goods into the U.S. He assists U.S. importers in performing internal customs audits and implementing and maintaining effective internal customs compliance programs. He represents clients before U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in focused assessment audits, NAFTA verifications, penalty investigations, and enforcement actions, as well as the U.S. Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission in trade remedy cases. Doug also advises companies regarding the U.S. regulations governing the classification, valuation, and marking of imported goods.
Doug also has extensive experience advising and training companies on compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He also served as an expert witness on Incoterms in a high-profile patent litigation matter in U.S. Federal Court.
​
In addition, Doug has served as an expert witness on US sanctions and export controls in various U.S. and non-U.S. courts as well as international arbitration cases.
Doug was a co-editor and chapter author (ITAR) of the International Guide to Export Controls and Sanctions published by the American Bar Association. He is also the author of many articles on international trade compliance topics.
Doug is active in several international trade organizations. He is currently general counsel to the National Council on International Trade Development (NCITD). He served as a member of the American Association of Exporters and Importers' Board of Governors (AAEI) and was co-chair of AAEI's export committee.
He is an Adjunct Professor of US sanctions and export controls at the American University's Washington College of Law. He is also a frequent speaker on international trade matters.
​​​
​He is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a leading US export controls and sanctions attorney.
​
Doug is a Senior Advisor of the Trusted Trade Alliance, a global network of leading trade practitioners.
​
Doug received a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin (1983), a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Washington University in St. Louis (1987), and a Juris Doctorate from the American University's Washington College of Law (1990), where he was an editor of the American University Law Review.
​
He is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.