1. Home
  2. |Professionals
  3. |Robert Clifton Burns

Robert Clifton Burns

Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel
Y2J1cm5zQGNyb3dlbGwuY29t
VCard
VCard

Areas of Focus

Overview

Robert Clifton Burns is a senior counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. Clif focuses his practice on export controls, economic sanctions, customs, national security, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He represents clients in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and the United States.

His clients are in a broad range of industries including medical devices, military equipment, financial services, travel and hospitality, and agriculture. Clif counsels clients on compliance matters as well as, in handling internal investigations, voluntary disclosures, and criminal defense. In addition, he represents M&A clients in international transactions with national security implications before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Clif’s export control work encompasses a broad range of areas and includes matters involving the Export Administration Regulations administered by the Department of Commerce, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations administered by the State Department, and the country-based economic sanctions program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department. He also has experience in developing compliance programs for each of these three regulatory schemes, conducting due diligence for compliance with these schemes, and submitting voluntary disclosures of prior unlicensed exports.

Clif was an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center from 2004 until 2016. He was editor-in-chief of the Northwestern University Law Review and a law clerk for the Honorable Robert A. Sprecher with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

He speaks fluent French. 

Career & Education

    • Northwestern University, B.A., with honors, 1975
    • Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1978
    • Northwestern University, B.A., with honors, 1975
    • Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1978

    • District of Columbia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
    • District of Columbia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

    • French
    • French

Robert's Insights

Client Alert | 6 min read | 05.27.25

U.S. Departments of State and Treasury Issue Immediate Sanctions Relief for Syria

On May 23, 2025, the U.S. Departments of State (“State”) and the Treasury (“Treasury”) took actions that resulted in immediate sanctions relief for Syria. Specifically, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued General License 25 (“GL 25”) pursuant to the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (“SySR”), the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations (“NPWMD”), the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations (“IFSR”), the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (“GTSR”), and the Foreign Terrorist Organization Sanctions Regulations (“FTOSR”). In parallel, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and State took supporting actions outlined below....

View All Insights

Insights

Client Alert | 6 min read | 05.27.25

U.S. Departments of State and Treasury Issue Immediate Sanctions Relief for Syria

Client Alert | 14 min read | 11.01.24

Protectionist Trade Policies in the New Administration: A Question of Degree

Press Coverage | 08.26.24

China Objects To New Sanctions On Firms Aiding Russia

Press Coverage | 05.10.24

U.S. Moves To Sanction China Military Vendor CETC's Chip Arm

View All Insights

Practices

Robert's Insights

Client Alert | 6 min read | 05.27.25

U.S. Departments of State and Treasury Issue Immediate Sanctions Relief for Syria

On May 23, 2025, the U.S. Departments of State (“State”) and the Treasury (“Treasury”) took actions that resulted in immediate sanctions relief for Syria. Specifically, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued General License 25 (“GL 25”) pursuant to the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (“SySR”), the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations (“NPWMD”), the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations (“IFSR”), the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (“GTSR”), and the Foreign Terrorist Organization Sanctions Regulations (“FTOSR”). In parallel, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and State took supporting actions outlined below....

View All Insights