20 Essex Street’s Sara Masters and Penelope Nevill describe the complex use of global sanctions and how they affect business
Sanctions are an increasing presence on the legal landscape. The UK Treasury website currently lists 22 sanctions regimes affecting 20 countries. Sanctions cut across various practice areas, from commercial law to human rights, and are a permanent fixture on regulatory compliance checklists across a wide range of industries. Judges and industry operators alike regularly find themselves asking whether their day-to-day activities, such as releasing a vessel from arrest or completing a sales contract, will put them in breach of a sanctions regime.
