Steven Pinter and Hal Eren served at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the agency that administers US economic sanctions, for a combined 25 years prior to joining The Eren Law Firm.
Steven Pinter, a recognized expert and authority on economic sanctions, was Chief of Licensing at OFAC between 1987 and 2002, during which time he was a key participant in formulating licensing policies, legal interpretations, and was the prime arbiter and supervisor of decisions to authorize otherwise prohibited transactions and activities involving sanctions targets such as the unblocking of funds and other assets. As Senior Sanctions Advisor at OFAC between 2002 and 2004, Mr. Pinter provided review of and guidance on, among other things, OFAC’s penalties program and the assessment of penalties against financial institutions.
Hal Eren served at OFAC between 1992 and 2000, and thereafter joined the law firm of Clifford Chance, where he advised and represented the firm’s clients as well as Clifford Chance itself on economic sanctions and anti-money laundering matters. In 2002, Eren established The Eren Law Firm and Steven Pinter joined The Firm in 2004.
Pinter and Eren advise banks, other financial institutions and other clients on OFAC sanctions and the anti-money laundering provisions of the USA Patriot Act and on the inter-play between the two bodies of law and their detailed regulations. They also represent clients in applications for OFAC licenses (such as the unblocking of funds and accounts), other sanctions relief, and in sanctions and anti-money laundering enforcement actions. They advise banks with respect to payments flowing through the US financial system, the relationships between banks in the United States and foreign banks, and customer, account, and transaction due diligence.