Chelsea Ellis is an associate in LimNexus’ Washington, D.C. office. Ms. Ellis’ practice focuses on international trade, trade enforcement matters, economic sanctions, export controls, CFIUS, internal corporate compliance, import regulations, customs, internal investigations, data privacy, financial technology, and other cross-border transactional and regulatory law. She has experience in federal and state regulatory compliance concerning securities, corporate, and intellectual property law. As legal counsel for many global corporations, she brings extensive experience to her clients. She provides practical and solution-driven advice on complex matters such as U.S. secondary sanctions and the extraterritorial implications of U.S. export control laws.

Ms. Ellis also advises foreign investors and U.S. businesses in high-technology sectors through the intricacies of CFIUS requirements, ICTS regulations, and securing the necessary licenses and approvals from U.S. trade authorities. Moreover, she has also prepared and filed voluntary disclosures to reduce potential penalties from government agencies on behalf of her clients. Regarding corporate compliance, Ms. Ellis has designed and implemented various internal compliance programs and conducted on-site trade compliance audits for U.S. and foreign companies. These programs and audits cover a range of areas, including customs, export controls, economic sanctions, and anti-bribery laws.

Prior to joining LimNexus, she worked in the United States Trade Representative’s Office in Washington, D.C. as a contract attorney and as a Russia trade analyst. Before USTR, Ms. Ellis was an associate at a law firm in Chicago, where she worked in the corporate and finance practice groups dealing with issues including financial technology. She also previously worked at an offshore corporate consulting firm in St. Julian’s, Malta, and as a summer associate in the Moscow, Russia office of an AmLaw 100 firm.

Ms. Ellis received her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and is a graduate of Youngstown State University, where she received her B.A. in International Relations and Political Science and minored in Russian studies. She also studied at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in Russia and Imperial College in London, England.

Ms. Ellis is admitted to practice law in New York and is pending admission to the DC Bar. She practices under the direct supervision of a DC Bar member.

Representative Matters

Sanctions/Export Controls

• Advised U.S. and non-U.S. companies doing business in Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Cuba on compliance with UN, U.S. and other sanctions and export control laws.
• Applied for OFAC unblocking requests and specific licenses for clients in the banking and telecommunication sectors, as well as prominent news media outlets and non-profits.
• Advised U.S. and non-U.S. companies on navigating primary and secondary sanctions, and export controls on Russia.
• Advised and conducted due diligence for foreign companies contracting with large Russian energy companies and banks regarding US/EU sectoral sanctions.
• Advised global news agencies and large Chinese ecommerce companies on U.S. extraterritorial sanctions and export control laws and compliance measures.
• Filed voluntary disclosures for multinational companies on potential violations of U.S. sanctions and export controls.
• Advised and conducted due diligence for foreign companies contracting with large Russian companies and banks regarding US/EU sanctions.

CFIUS

• Advised multiple foreign investors and U.S. businesses in artificial intelligence, life sciences, semiconductors, software, and other hi-tech sectors on CFIUS, U.S. export controls, ICTS and other legal requirements.

Cross Border Business

• Advised large public U.S. companies on regulatory issues in the Asian and European markets.
• Advised large Chinese ecommerce platform on the implications and requirements under the U.S. federal INFORM Act.

Bar Admissions

• New York
• District of Columbia (Pending)

Published Works

• “Sanctions Risk Management: Trends and Current Law Enforcement Practice,” Panelist, Private Conference, Moscow, Russia, June 2023.
• “AAEI Road Show,” Panelist, American Association of Importers and Exporters Road Show, Los Angeles, California, November 2022.
• “The U.S. Sanctions Cryptocurrency Mixer – Tornado Cash – In Light of Rising Sanctions Risks for Cryptocurrency.”, August, 2022.