Melissa Burgess

Melissa Burgess advises on export controls, economic sanctions, and foreign investment laws and regulations. With a client base encompassing defense contractors of all sizes, multinational energy companies, financial institutions, and technology startups, she has significant experience addressing an array of related national security, foreign ownership, control, and influence (FOCI) mitigation, and compliance matters. 

Clients operating around the world turn to Ms. Burgess for support in endeavors ranging from manufacturing affordable and exquisite weapons systems, to providing cloud services, and navigating complex sanctions. Her experience encompasses the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), firearms and explosives import, export, and manufacturing regulations, and nuclear/atomic energy export controls. She guides both investors and target companies through Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews and investigations, and in negotiating and complying with National Security Agreements. Ms. Burgess also counsels on sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and on compliance with national security restrictions on equipment, services, and entities of concern, including prohibitions stemming from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Covered List. 

She has assisted clients in obtaining authorizations for arms brokering, cross-border manufacturing, and imports/exports involving high risk and embargoed countries; successfully petitioning for sanctions relief; responding to regulatory inquiries, inspections, and investigations; and resolving voluntary and directed disclosures. She creates, overhauls, and implements compliance programs; provides strategic assistance troubleshooting interconnected supply chain, sales, and compliance efforts; and conducts due diligence and obtains regulatory clearance for investments and other acquisitions.

Ms. Burgess advocates before many regulatory agencies, including the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the Bureau of Industry Security (BIS), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), CFIUS, OFAC, the State Department’s Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation (SPI), and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). 

Ms. Burgess received her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law where she focused on homeland and national security law.