Peter E. Harrell advises companies and investors on international legal, regulatory, and geopolitical risks, including tariffs, economic sanctions, export controls, and trade compliance matters.

Harrell’s client base includes technology companies, asset managers, financial institutions, energy and industrial companies, and others seeking legal as well as geopolitical and strategic policy advice. He has helped clients navigate the changing tariff landscape, complex OFAC sanctions and U.S. export control matters, and a diverse range of other geopolitical and regulatory risks.

Representative matters

• Advised a major U.S. consumer and business electronics manufacturer on navigating tariff changes in 2025 and 2026, and on scenario planning for future tariff developments.
• Advised a major energy company on sanctions changes in the Middle East and Latin America and potential future developments.
• Advised a Fortune 100 company on the potential benefits and risks of a recent U.S. government equity investment in one of its suppliers.
• Advised a U.S. company on obtaining a CHIPS Act award from the Department of Commerce.
• Advised multiple U.S. and foreign companies on OFAC sanctions compliance and BIS export controls matters.
• Served as co-counsel to more than 200 members of the U.S. Congress filing amicus briefs in Learning Resources v. Trump, the 2026 Supreme Court case involving IEEPA tariffs.

In government

From January 2021 through 2022, Harrell served at the White House as Senior Director for International Economics, jointly appointed to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. In that role, he co-led President Biden’s E.O. 14017 supply-chain resilience agenda, including development of the U.S. strategy to strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem and to promote resilient supply chains across a range of critical products.

He served as the White House representative to the CFIUS Committee and coordinated U.S. government work on sanctions and export controls, including sanctions on Russia in response to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Prior to his White House service, Harrell worked as an attorney in private practice and at the U.S. State Department. Earlier in his career, he covered Capitol Hill as a reporter.

Scholarship & commentary

In addition to his private practice, Harrell serves as a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University’s Institute for International Economic Law. A frequent public commentator, he has testified before multiple congressional committees and the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission. His essays and op-eds have appeared in publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Politico, and Lawfare, among other outlets.

Harrell is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and holds a J.D. from Yale Law School.