Matthew Tuchband

Previous Work

Prior to joining ArentFox Schiff, Matthew served for 21 years at the Treasury Department’s Office of the Chief Counsel for Foreign Assets Control, including the last 14 years as the Deputy Chief Counsel overseeing a team of attorneys that provided legal counsel to OFAC and reviewed all of OFAC’s economic sanctions actions. As the longest serving sanctions legal specialist at Treasury, Matthew was involved in almost every important sanctions development of the last two decades, including the extension of OFAC jurisdiction over transactions by foreign financial institutions, the formation and evolution of the “50 percent” rule, the increasing use of “secondary sanctions,” and major shifts in sanctions on Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Ukraine/Russia, and Venezuela, among others.

Considered uniquely skilled in the uses and limitations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Matthew was involved in drafting over 65 sanctions-related Executive Orders signed by the President, working closely with colleagues across the government to guide, focus, and protect the use of Presidential emergency authorities.  Matthew also conducted detailed reviews of OFAC-issued regulations, including all those published from 2005 through 2019. He provided review and final legal sign-off on OFAC compliance, enforcement, licensing, designation, and delisting actions and worked closely with the Department of Justice on various cases brought against OFAC. For his work, Matthew received the Secretary’s Honor Award, the Legal Division’s Excellence in Management Award, and several Meritorious Service Awards, among others.

Previously, Matthew was an associate with Crowell & Moring LLP where his practice focused on economic sanctions, export control, customs, and international trade.

Publications, Presentations, & Recognitions

Publications

• “Firms Struggle With Ethics Of Repping Sanctioned Russians“ Law 360 Pulse, March 29, 2022
• “US Agencies Under Pressure From Heavy Sanctions Workload“ International Trade Today’s Export Compliance Daily, March 29, 2022
• “Companies Turn to End-Use Statements, Frequent Screening to Comply With Russia Sanctions, Lawyers Say” International Trade Today’s Export Compliance Daily, March 18, 2022

Presentations

• “Russia Sanctions & Export Controls Update” Massachusetts Export Center, March 16, 2022

Life Beyond the Law

In addition to coffee ice cream, Matthew enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, biking, travel (50 states and 6 continents – one cold continent to go!), guitar, SCUBA, snorkeling, growing extremely hot peppers, and attempting to keep up with his teen-age children.