Focuses on economic sanctions, export controls, national security (including EU and U.K. investment review), trade regulation, anticorruption and anti-money laundering compliance.
Has particular experience regarding Russia, the Middle East and China.
Advises clients across industry sectors such as energy, semiconductor and hi-tech, telecommunications, aerospace & 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’s practice encompasses a wide range of trade, regulatory, contentious and transactional matters. He focuses on international trade and corporate compliance regarding sanctions, export controls, national security, anticorruption and anti-money laundering (AML). He also advises on other aspects of trade regulation, including customs, trade remedies, free trade agreements and rules of origin.

With his experience in developing strategies to face regulatory challenges and working with regulators, Jasper helps clients see around corners in dealing with the complexities of doing business in geopolitically challenging and highly regulated industries and jurisdictions.

Jasper conducts regulatory and internal investigations, preparing voluntary disclosures and negotiating these to a regulatory resolution/settlement, including in the context of criminal matters.

In addition, Jasper advises senior executives and companies on self reporting, the development of compliance programs, as well as mitigating compliance risks in corporate transactions and representation before regulatory agencies and institutions. Jasper’s deal work includes providing counsel on mergers & acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures (JVs), due diligence, shareholder issues and other corporate (governance) advice.

Clients call upon Jasper for strategic planning, bespoke solutions and a path forward in the face of high-stakes regulatory issues. With the client’s business objectives front of mind, Jasper provides direct, timely and pragmatic advice, drawing on his deep, detailed experience with regulatory agencies. He is routinely successful in resolving regulatory issues and disputes for clients.

Jasper’s clients include multinational companies headquartered in Europe, the United States, as well as foreign subsidiaries of Russian companies. He provides advice to clients across sectors, from energy (upstream & downstream), semiconductor and hi-tech, aerospace & defense, shipping, to commodity trading, private equity, private credit, sovereign wealth funds and other investment management businesses.

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.”

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.

“We have worked with Jasper Helder, an absolute authority in his domain. Jasper is a fast and creative thinker who does not shy away to get into the practical side of things. His assistance was crucial in navigating one of the most complex cases our company has dealt with in the past decade.”

The Legal 500 UK, 2025

Languages
Dutch
English
French
German

Education
J.D., Erasmus University Rotterdam

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

Recognitions

Chambers UK, Sanctions, 2024-2025.
The Legal 500 UK, Trade, WTO, Anti-dumping and Customs, 2017-2025.
Chambers Global, International Trade/WTO, Europe-wide, 2013-2022.
Chambers Europe, International Trade/WTO, 2013-2022.
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.
Acritas, Acritas Star, 2019.

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.
Comments “Areas and Priorities for U.S. and EU Export Control Cooperation under the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council,” co-authored with Kevin Wolf and Emily Kilcrease, January 14, 2022.
“Protecting the Crown Jewels - New U.K. National Security Rules for Foreign Investment in a Post-COVID-19, Post-Brexit World”, Akin Webinar, London, June 2020.