Focuses on economic sanctions, export controls, national security (including EU and U.K. investment review), trade regulation, and anticorruption and anti-money laundering compliance.
Has particular experience regarding Russia, China and the Middle East.
Advises clients across industry sectors such as energy, semiconductor and hi-tech, telecommunications, aerospace and defense, commodity trading, investment funds and private equity on multijurisdictional sanctions and export compliance.

The advocate listed above has registered the following principal (and secondary) legal practice areas in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal areas:

1. Jasper Helder is registered for Administrative law (EU law)

Based on this registration, he is required to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in each registered principal legal practice area in accordance with the standards set by the Netherlands Bar.

Jasper Helder’s practice focuses on international trade and corporate compliance regarding sanctions, export controls, national security, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. He also advises on other aspects of trade regulation, including customs, trade remedies, free trade agreements and rules of origin.

Clients call upon Jasper for direct, timely and pragmatic advice, as well as his deep, detailed experience with regulatory agencies. He is routinely successful in resolving regulatory issues and disputes for clients.

His clients include multinational companies headquartered in Europe, the United States as well as Russia, in sectors from energy, semiconductor and hi-tech, aerospace, defense and shipping, to commodity trading investment funds, private equity and investment funds.

His work usually involves multiple jurisdictions, including European Union (and EU member states), as well as the United Kingdom, United States and Switzerland. Much of his work involves the interaction between U.S. sanctions, export controls and national security regulation and other jurisdictions, including the compliance impact of local laws and ‘blocking regulations’.

Jasper is experienced in conducting internal investigations, preparing voluntary disclosures and negotiating these to a regulatory resolution/settlement, the development of compliance programs as well as mitigating compliance risks in corporate transactions and representation before regulatory agencies and institutions.

Representative Work

Advising a global semiconductors manufacturer on the U.K. framework for national security reviews of foreign investment under the U.K. Enterprise Act, the U.K. National Security and Investment Act and in relation to an ad-hoc review by the U.K. National Security Advisor.
Advising a global telecoms leader on the sanctions compliance aspects of a debt restructuring and subsequent divestment of its Russian operations.
Advising several clients on unilateral high-tech export controls adopted by different EU member-states.
Advising several clients on sanctions compliance aspects of their withdrawal from the Russian Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) 2 project.
Advising state and privately owned oil and energy trading companies on sanctions compliance in relation to the G7 ‘price-cap’ for Russian oil and oil products.
Advising a semiconductors leader on the impact of U.K. and other national security and investment regulations on the acquisition of an Asian wafer fab.
Customs litigation in respect of retroactive claims for customs- and anti-dumping duties related to common storage of biofuels of different origins.
Advising a global leader in heavy lift transportation on the sanctions compliance aspects of its divestment of its Russian operations.
Advising a private equity (PE) fund on the refinancing of European operated cruise vessels owned by a sanctioned Russian state-owned financier.
Advising a global fertilizer company on sanctions compliance in relation to ‘firewalls’ in its corporate governance structure to mitigate the impact of a sanctions designation of one of its former shareholders, including recognition of these ‘firewalls’ by EU member state regulators.
Successful representation of a private investor resulting in the withdrawal of an investigation by an EU member state national competent authority into alleged ‘control’ by sanctioned parties of a football club.
Advising several fund clients on secondary transactions in Russian-issued securities and sanctions compliance, including:
- Sanctions compliance in relation to Russian-forced conversion of depositary receipts for such securities.
- The impact of the EU sanctions designation of the Russian National Securities Depositary.

"Exceptional knowledge of UK, EU and US sanctions and the ability to coordinate all these elements into an easily comprehensible advice."

Legal 500 UK, 2022

Languages
Dutch
English
French
German

Education
J.D., Erasmus University Rotterdam

Bar Admissions
Netherlands Bar Association
Registered Foreign Lawyer in England and Wales

Recognitions

Acritas, Acritas Star, 2019.
Chambers Global, International Trade/WTO, Europe-wide, 2013 to 2022.
Chambers UK, Sanctions, 2024.
Chambers Europe, International Trade/WTO, 2013 to 2022.
The Legal 500 UK, Trade, WTO, Anti-dumping and Customs, 2017-2024.
Who’s Who Legal, Trade & Customs, 2016-2023.
Who’s Who Legal, International Sanctions, 2020-2021.
Who’s Who Legal, Global Elite Thought Leader, Trade & Customs - International Sanctions, 2021.
Global Investigations Review 100, recommended for representing companies in Dutch, EU and U.S. sanctions enforcement cases, 2020.

Affiliations and Public Service

Netherlands Bar Association.

Speeches and Publications

Giving Paper “The Legal and Practical Impacts of Sanction on Construction Contracts” at Informa Construction Contracts & Law Conference, London, July 5, 2022.
Giving Paper “Legal Aspects of Sanctioned Country Business for Pharma, Medical and Agri Sectors” at Nielsonsmith Trade Compliance in Life Sciences, Universities and Research Institutes Conference, Zurich, May 12. 2022.
Giving Paper “EU Blocking Regulation – Impact of European Court of Justice Judgment in Bank of Melli Iran v Telekom Deutschland GmbH” at Nielsonsmith Trade Compliance in Life Sciences, Universities and Research Institutes Conference, Zurich, May 11. 2022.
“Protecting the Crown Jewels - New U.K. National Security Rules for Foreign Investment in a Post-COVID-19, Post-Brexit World”, Akin Gump Webinar, London, June 2020.