Gretel Echarte Morales

Gretel is a senior associate in Mayer Brown's Washington DC office and a member of the Export Control & Sanctions subpractice of the International Trade group. She focuses on US law and policy related to sanctions and export controls across a wide range of industries including the financial and energy sectors, manufacturing, and professional services, among others. Gretel’s practice covers all aspects of these key regulatory areas from enforcement to deal work and compliance.

Gretel regularly handles internal investigations in connection with alleged violations of US sanctions laws, the EAR and the ITAR, as well as voluntary disclosures, subpoena responses, and related enforcement and settlement proceedings before OFAC, BIS, and DDTC. She provides regulatory compliance advice on a wide range of sanctions and export controls matters, including risk assessments and development of compliance solutions that are integrated in the clients’ business processes, as well as the delivery of sanctions and export controls assessments with respect to clients’ contemplated activities and transactions. Gretel also conducts sanctions and export controls due diligence in advance of financings, acquisitions, IPOs, and other major transactions, and supports deal teams through agreement drafting and negotiation to mitigate clients’ sanctions and export controls risks in connection with such transactions.

Additionally, Gretel advises clients on anticorruption compliance matters, in particular in connection with financing, insurance underwritings, M&A, and other transactions. She served in the Monitor’s team conducting a multi-year FCPA monitorship of a major airline.

Gretel, who was born, raised, and educated in Havana, Cuba, is one of the leaders of the firm’s Cuba practice and assists clients seeking to establish a presence, or operating, in Cuba under current US sanctions regulations. In addition to Spanish and English, Gretel is fluent in French and Italian.