Caroline J. Watson

Caroline Watson is Counsel in the International department. She focuses her practice on international trade, with an emphasis on export controls and economic sanctions. 

Growing up in the Middle and Far East and traveling extensively around the world, Ms. Watson brings a keen understanding of international issues and cross-cultural communication to serve clients in international trade-related matters. She counsels clients in a wide variety of industries, including energy, financial, technology, shipping, aerospace, defense, manufacturing, consumer goods, chemical and pharmaceutical, and scientific research and development.

Ms. Watson frequently advises clients on export controls (International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR)) and sanctions compliance and risk for business operations and major transactions. She has experience developing compliance programs, conducting risk assessments, internal investigations, and regulatory compliance audits, and representing clients in government inspections and investigations. 

She also advocates her clients' interests regarding compliance issues in submissions to and conferences with various government agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry Security (BIS), the U.S. Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). She has assisted clients in obtaining crucial licensing, guidance, rulings, and classifications from these agencies as well as filing registrations and mandatory reports with them.

In addition, her work involves advising and representing clients in enforcement-related matters, such as investigations, voluntary disclosures, and formal proceedings. 

Prior to joining Miller & Chevalier, Ms. Watson was an associate at a DC law firm focusing primarily on regulatory compliance matters for the defense industry. She also participated in a fellowship at an international law firm in Moscow, Russia, where she assisted with contract, sanctions, and compliance matters. 

While attending law school, Ms. Watson was an associate on The George Washington International Law Review and a semi-finalist in the 2015 Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court, an international law student competition held annually in Frankfurt, Germany.