Eric L Hirschhorn

Eric Hirschhorn, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Winston & Strawn, has been active in the areas of international law, litigation, and professional responsibility for more than two decades. As deputy assistant secretary for export administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce (1980-81), Mr. Hirschhorn headed the organization now known as the Bureau of Industry and Security, managing the U.S. export control system, antiboycott compliance, restraints on imports for national security reasons (under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962), and the Commerce Department’s functions under what now is the Exon-Florio Law. Earlier, while a member of President Jimmy Carter’s staff (1977-80), he worked on reorganizing the U.S. Government’s international trade, public diplomacy, and foreign assistance mechanisms. Mr. Hirschhorn has represented foreign and domestic clients on a host of international commercial and regulatory matters since returning to private law practice in 1981. His practice includes advising and assisting clients regarding the regulations governing exports, as well as financing and other aspects of international transactions (including letters of credit). He also has conducted litigation involving several foreign governments, and has handled regulatory matters before the departments of Commerce, Treasury, State, Defense, and Homeland Security. Since 1986, Mr. Hirschhorn has served as executive secretary of the Industry Coalition on Technology Transfer (ICOTT), a group of high-technology trade associations whose members are affected by U.S. export controls. In addition to his work in the international trade area, Mr. Hirschhorn conducts a considerable amount of railroad litigation before the federal courts and the Surface Transportation Board. He also counsels and represents lawyers regarding professional responsibility issues. Mr. Hirschhorn is the partner in charge of conflicts and loss prevention in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He is chair of the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee, which recommends changes in the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct. He formerly served as a member, vice chair, and chair of the D.C. Bar Legal Ethics Committee. He also is a member of the New York City Bar Association and the Thurgood Marshall American Inn of Court. Mr. Hirschhorn received a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a J.D., cum laude, from Columbia University, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.