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Laurel Saito

Associate | She/Her/Hers
Associate | She/Her/Hers
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Areas of Focus

Overview

Laurel Saito is an associate in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s International Trade Group. Laurel’s international trade practice includes U.S. export controls, U.S. economic sanctions, import regulatory compliance, and various aspects of international trade litigation. Her practice spans transactions, investigations, and compliance and regulatory advice.

Laurel maintains an active pro bono practice representing clients seeking asylum.

While in law school, she studied abroad in London and served as a student attorney representing clients at risk of eviction with Rising for Justice’s Housing Advocacy and Litigation Clinic. She also assisted with an International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) family reunification case and interviewed refugees in Amman with IRAP’s Jordan office.

Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Laurel served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines and worked with immigrant and refugee youth at nonprofits in Seattle and New York City. She also interned in Phnom Penh with the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials, which provides assistance to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia to prosecute senior members of the Khmer Rouge for genocide and other serious crimes.

Career & Education

    • Seattle University, B.A., cum laude
    • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude
    • Seattle University, B.A., cum laude
    • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude

    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    • California
    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    • California

Laurel's Insights

Client Alert | 8 min read | 02.21.25

Cartels, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and the High Stakes for Businesses

The new Trump administration is focusing intensely on “cartels” and other transnational criminal organizations, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. Many of the entities designated as FTOs today are active in Latin America and the United States, and sometimes seek to extort money or have other dealings with legitimate businesses operating in their territories. The State Department’s designation of eight such entities will not only raise the pressure on the entities designated, but also will create new risks and pressures for companies operating in areas where these FTOs are active. Below, we summarize the recent developments and the ramifications of these designations for businesses....

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Insights

Client Alert | 8 min read | 02.21.25

Cartels, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and the High Stakes for Businesses

Publication | 05.16.24

Aid And Sanctions: Ukraine, Israel And Taiwan Aid Bill Expands U.S. Sanctions And Export Control Authorities

Podcast | 05.13.24

Global Trade Talks: Expanded U.S. Sanctions and Export Control Authorities Included in the Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan Aid Bills

Client Alert | 14 min read | 05.03.24

Aid and Sanctions: Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan Aid Bill Expands U.S. Sanctions and Export Control Authorities

View All Insights

Practices

Laurel's Insights

Client Alert | 8 min read | 02.21.25

Cartels, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and the High Stakes for Businesses

The new Trump administration is focusing intensely on “cartels” and other transnational criminal organizations, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. Many of the entities designated as FTOs today are active in Latin America and the United States, and sometimes seek to extort money or have other dealings with legitimate businesses operating in their territories. The State Department’s designation of eight such entities will not only raise the pressure on the entities designated, but also will create new risks and pressures for companies operating in areas where these FTOs are active. Below, we summarize the recent developments and the ramifications of these designations for businesses....

View All Insights