Prior Experience
Richard joined DLA Piper after chairing the International group at another large law firm.
From 1987 to 2004, Richard served as director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Treasury Department. Throughout his tenure, Richard oversaw the administration and enforcement of 39 economic sanctions programs in furtherance of US foreign policy and national security goals. His leadership guided the agency through many of the major foreign policy challenges the nation has experienced in the past two decades, from the advent of multilateral sanctions against Iraq in 1990—coupled with a protective blocking of US $50 billion in Kuwaiti assets—to the transformation of the agency after the attacks of September 11, 2001, to track and disrupt terrorist organizations and their financing networks.
In his time at OFAC, Richard was responsible for implementing economic sanctions and asset controls against Burma, Cuba, Iran, Liberia, Libya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, narcotics traffickers in Colombia and narcotics kingpins and their networks operating worldwide, as well as for maintaining the prohibition against financial transactions with Syria. Other economic sanctions that he implemented and saw through to completion included programs targeting the Taliban, North Korea, Serbia, Angola, Haiti, South Africa, Panama, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Throughout his time at OFAC, the agency played a significant role within the domestic and the international communities, confirming that economic sanctions can be an effective tool of international diplomacy. The strategies developed under his leadership and supervision for implementing sanctions and targeting terrorists are among the principal tools used today to wage the war on terrorism and terrorist financing.
Prior to his assignment with OFAC, Richard held a number of other positions in the Treasury Department, including director of the Office of Trade and Tariff Affairs and deputy to the assistant secretary (Regulatory, Trade and Tariff Affairs), where he was the principal advisor to the assistant secretary for enforcement on customs, international trade, commercial and regulatory matters.
Recognitions
- President Reagan's Presidential Rank Meritorious Executive Award
- President Clinton's Presidential Rank Distinguished Executive Award
- President George H. W. Bush's Presidential Rank Distinguished Executive Award
- The Treasury Medal, United States Department of the Treasury
- Department of the Treasury Management Excellence Award
- Outstanding International Law Office Award, American Bar Association Section of International Law
- Superior Public Service Award, US Department of the Navy
- Listed in Chambers USA: Nationwide International Trade
- Listed in Chambers Global for USA International Trade: Export Controls & Economic Sanctions
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of International Trade and Finance Law (2008 – present)
- Albert Gallatin Award
Chambers USA has repeatedly recognized Richard for "his praiseworthy expertise in economic sanctions matters. As former director of OFAC, he brings a wealth of experience to his private practice. Clients see this as a major draw, asserting 'when Newcomb is on your team, government attorneys take you seriously—he has a tremendous amount of credibility.'" Clients have described him as "an in-house counsel’s dream," "an esteemed expert, very responsive and highly practical." Richard "is a highly regarded 'subject matter expert' in sanctions work." He has also been recognized in Chambers Global, which has stated that "the 'superlative' Richard Newcomb"... "is proficient in handling a wide range of trade issues, and is best known for his expertise in export regulations and economic sanctions."