Growing businesses often discover export control risks only after a shipment is blocked, a bank payment is frozen, or a regulator calls. At that point, the stakes are high and the margin for error is small. Sequoia Legal focuses on keeping you out of that danger zone by turning complex export rules into clear, workable processes. With guidance from an experienced Export Control Attorney, you can move goods, tech, and data across borders with confidence instead of guesswork. This page shows how focused legal support protects your growth, protects your reputation, and helps you avoid costly delays and penalties.
Product-classification steps that determine whether licensing is required
Misclassifying a product is one of the fastest ways for a growing company to stumble into export trouble. When you are expanding quickly, it is tempting to copy a past classification or rely on a vendor’s spreadsheet. Sequoia Legal starts by breaking your products down into their technical details, end uses, and destinations. Then your Export Control Attorney identifies which export control numbers and categories apply and where licenses may be needed. You get a clear roadmap so your sales and logistics teams do not guess their way into a violation.
How Sequoia Legal handles classification
- Analyze product specifications, software functions, and encryption features.
- Determine EAR and, where applicable, ITAR jurisdiction and specific control numbers.
- Flag items that require licenses, exceptions, or special handling by destination or end user.
- Create practical classification summaries your internal teams can actually use.
Practical challenges companies face when interpreting EAR and ITAR rules
The EAR and ITAR are dense, technical, and constantly evolving. For a growing business, reading the regulations is not the problem—knowing how to apply them to real products and real transactions is. Terms like “dual-use,” “deemed export,” or “defense service” can mean something very specific in an enforcement action. Sequoia Legal helps you navigate these gray areas so you can move forward with confidence instead of hesitation. You get clear answers on what you can ship, share, or demonstrate, and under what conditions.
Where an Export Control Attorney provides clarity
- Evaluating whether your technology is subject to ITAR or only to EAR.
- Deciding if a demo, training, or remote access counts as an export.
- Assessing whether an exception really applies—or if you need a license.
- Translating technical engineering language into compliance decisions.
See also: How a Professional Fountain Tech Company Can Save You Time and Money
Internal compliance systems that reduce exposure to OFAC-related violations
Even if your products are properly classified, you can still face severe penalties if you transact with a sanctioned party or country. Growing businesses often lack robust screening tools or consistent procedures, which leaves gaps that OFAC regulators can exploit. Sequoia Legal helps design internal systems that make sanctions compliance part of your everyday operations. Your Export Control Attorney works with your team to integrate checks into sales, finance, and shipping workflows. The goal is simple: catch problems before they become violations.
OFAC-focused controls Sequoia Legal helps you build
- Customer and counterparty screening against current sanctions lists.
- Transaction review processes for high-risk countries, sectors, or activities.
- Escalation paths when a possible match or red flag appears.
- Written policies that align with your banking and insurance partners’ expectations.
Audit routines that help identify weaknesses in global shipping practices
As your exports grow, small process flaws can compound into serious risk. Maybe one warehouse uses older paperwork, or one region skips screening under time pressure. Internal audits reveal these issues before regulators or banks do. Sequoia Legal designs practical audit routines that fit your size and risk profile, so they are realistic to maintain. You get an honest picture of your current practices and a prioritized list of fixes.
What a Sequoia Legal export audit can cover
- Sample review of recent shipments, licenses, and exception use.
- Checks for consistency between classifications, invoices, and shipping documents.
- Testing of screening logs and escalation records.
- Verification that corrective actions actually changed behavior, not just paperwork.
Staff-training programs that reinforce correct export-control procedures
Policies only work if your team understands them and knows what to do in real situations. New hires, new markets, and new products all increase the chances of someone making an honest mistake. Sequoia Legal builds targeted training around the roles that touch exports—sales, engineering, logistics, and finance. Instead of generic slides, your Export Control Attorney uses your products, your destinations, and your workflows as examples. This kind of practical training turns compliance from a mystery into a routine habit.
Training that actually changes behavior
- Short, role-specific modules for frontline teams with clear “do and don’t” lists.
- Scenario-based sessions showing what to do when a red flag appears.
- Leadership briefings focused on risk appetite, accountability, and resources.
- Ongoing refreshers to keep up with regulatory and business changes.
Documentation habits that support accurate tracking of regulated items
When regulators investigate, they look first at your records. Missing, inconsistent, or informal documentation can make even a compliant export look suspicious. Sequoia Legal helps you build documentation habits that support your story and your licenses. That includes how you record classifications, end-use checks, screening results, and license determinations. Strong records not only protect you in an audit, they also speed up repeat business and internal approvals.
Strong documentation Sequoia Legal encourages
- Centralized logs for product classifications and rationale.
- Records of denied-party and sanctions screening for each transaction.
- Files showing license applications, conditions, and how you complied with them.
- Version control for policies so you can prove what rules were in place when.
Oversight from legal advisors that minimizes penalties in 2025 enforcement actions
Enforcement trends for 2025 are clear: agencies are coordinating more, asking for more data, and imposing higher penalties, especially on growing companies that “should have known better.” Having Sequoia Legal involved early signals that you are serious about compliance, not simply reacting after a problem appears. Your Export Control Attorney can guide voluntary self-disclosures, respond to agency inquiries, and negotiate outcomes if issues arise. With proactive oversight, many mistakes can be contained, corrected, and turned into a manageable event instead of a business crisis. This is the safety net growing exporters need while they move fast.
Why growing businesses choose Sequoia Legal
- Deep, focused experience with EAR, ITAR, and OFAC in high-growth environments.
- Practical, business-friendly advice instead of theoretical lectures.
- Support for both day-to-day questions and high-stakes investigations.
- Clear pricing and tailored scopes so smaller teams can still access top-tier counsel.
If you are expanding across borders, now is the time to tighten your export control compliance, not after a shipment is seized or a bank account is frozen. Sequoia Legal helps you build systems that protect your company while still letting you move quickly. Reach out today to speak with an Export Control Attorney about your products, your markets, and your risks, and put a smarter compliance strategy in place before the next deal closes.
