George E. Pence, Senior Counsel, International Trade

George E. Pence

Senior Counsel

Areas of Focus

George E. Pence, Senior Counsel, International Trade

George E. Pence

Senior Counsel

gpence@akingump.com

Areas of Focus

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Biography
  • Practice focuses on global investigations and related administrative enforcement actions and criminal and civil proceedings.
  • Served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

George advises clients on global investigations and white collar defense, with a particular focus on cross-border enforcement risks arising from export controls and sanctions, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and national security regulations.  His clients include international manufacturing, advanced technology, aerospace, and defense companies. 

Before joining Akin, George was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California, where he served as a point person for investigations and prosecutions involving export crimes, terrorism and other foreign policy and national security matters. He also served as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Intermittent Legal Advisor for Counterterrorism to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

George earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as the articles editor for the Virginia Law Review.

Representative Work
  • Represented C-suite executives of software companies in Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations and prosecutions related to fraud allegations.
  • Defended manufacturers against DOJ allegations of fraud and immigration violations.
  • Defended a semiconductor technology company in an export controls investigation before the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security and the DOJ.
  • Assisted an international leader in test, design and emulation solutions in internal investigations, regulatory disclosures and corrective actions related to potentially unauthorized exports and re-exports.
  • Represented executives and board members in connection with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) investigations involving allegations of fraud, money laundering and market manipulation.
  • Counseled international oil and gas company related to a DOJ investigation of alleged sanctions and export control violations and foreign government investigation of allegations of tax evasion by a third party.

Education
  • J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2005

  • Bachelor of Arts in History, Princeton University, cum laude, 2002

Clerkships
  • U.S.C.A., 9th Circuit

  • U.S.D.C., Northern District of Georgia

Bar Admissions
  • California

  • New York

Recognitions
  • Office of Director of National Intelligence, National Counterintelligence and Security Professional Award for Outstanding Counterintelligence Operation.
  • U.S. Attorney's Office, Nominated for the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security.
  • Super Lawyers, Southern California, Rising Star, 2014-2016.
  • American Civil Liberties Union, Community Service Pro Bono Award, 2013.
Affiliations and Public Service
  • Member, Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence.
  • Assistant U.S. Attorney, Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, 2016-2021.

Insights and Achievements

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