Hdeel Abdelhady

Hdeel Abdelhady brings to the table a unique blend of transactional and regulatory/compliance skills honed in independent and large firm practice, and as in-house  secondment counsel to U.S. and foreign banks. Noted for her commitment to clients, Hdeel works to understand clients’ business and goals, and takes a strategic, commercially-aware approach to her representation of clients.

Hdeel has acted as lead transactional and regulatory counsel to U.S. and foreign banks, sovereign entities, companies and nonprofits. On their behalf, Hdeel has negotiated, drafted and executed conventional and Islamic finance, corporate, and commercial transactions; advised U.S. and foreign banks, money services businesses, companies, and non-profits on sanctions, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorism financing matters, including providing client training and drafting compliance programs; and structured and advised on bespoke investments and transactions combining multiple objectives and legal systems. In addition, Hdeel has represented U.S. and foreign companies in disputes opposite sovereigns and private parties. Her matters have involved the United States, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Having handled transactions, compliance matters and disputes, Hdeel understands how transactions are put together, and why they fall apart. She is well-positioned to identify and manage legal and related risk.

Hdeel has since 2004 served as a Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University Law School, where she currently teaches Regulation of Foreign Access to U.S. Technology and Transactional Islamic Law. She has also taught an American legal skills course for international graduate students from around the world. Hdeel has published extensively. In addition to her MassPoint publications, Hdeel’s writings have been published in, among other publications, the World Bank Legal Review, Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, the Sustainable Law and Development Journal, Law360, Reuters, and Ahram Online. 

Transactions

• Crafted bespoke framework for agricultural/food security investment combining conventional asset management standards and Islamic transactional frameworks on behalf of a government entity.
• Developed endowment structure, on behalf of a Middle East-based NGO backed by the UAE government and a multilateral development bank, combining Islamic waqf and common law trust structures with legal and governance elements comporting with Shari’ah and civil law requirements, including anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance.
• Advised bank on lease financing documentation and best practices and drafted suite of lease financing documentation for use in transactions amenable to standardization.

Export Controls/Technology Regulation/U.S.-China Tech War

• Advise U.S. and foreign companies on U.S. export controls and related measures as applicable (e.g., sanctions).
• Advise U.S. and foreign parties on existing and emerging U.S. laws and regulations applicable to technology transfer, investment, and commerce with cross-border elements, including foreign investment in the United States (CFIUS/FIRRMA), export controls, sanctions, research-related regulations.
• Counseled university compliance personnel on emerging U.S. laws, regulations, and policies restricting foreign participation in certain STEM research and related policy issues around “academic espionage” and U.S.-China developments around emerging technologies.
• Developed and teach one-of-a-kind law school course on the regulation of foreign access to U.S. technology.

Sanctions Counseling and Compliance

• Advise U.S. and foreign financial services providers, sovereign-affiliated entities, companies, and individuals on compliance with U.S. sanctions, including Ukraine-related Sectoral Sanctions on Russia, Iranian Transactions and Assets Control Sanctions, Venezuela Sanctions, Global Magnitsky Sanctions, Sudan Sanctions, and Rough Diamond Trade Controls.
• Advise U.S. persons on transactions and transfers related to inherited property pursuant to OFAC-administered Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR).
• Advise on and draft OFAC license applications.
• Advise on extraterritorial jurisdiction and effects of U.S. unilateral sanctions as to non-U.S. persons and transactions.

Banking Regulation and Compliance/AML/CFT

• Advise foreign entities on establishment of foreign banking organizations in the United States and related regulatory requirements at the federal and state levels.
• Advised on the establishment of state- and federal-chartered banks.
• Advised prospective bank incorporator/principals on non-bank structures/entities available under U.S. law to conduct international banking.
• Advised U.S. and foreign banks and prospective banking market entrants on AML, CFT, and related domestic and international standards applicable to international and correspondent banking.
• Represented entity in early stages of establishing a money services business in the District of Columbia.
• Drafted AML, CFT, sanctions, and anti-corruption (including FCPA) compliance programs for U.S. and foreign entities, some including safeguards rules  applicable to “financial institutions” (FTC).

Nonprofit Board Service/Pro Bono

• Served on the board of directors of a Gates Foundation-supported Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization engaged in human, civil, and women’s rights advocacy and legal scholarship; advised entity on contractual and governance matters and drafted strategic development plan ratified by the board.
• Served as a special advisor to the board of directors of a Washington, D.C. nonprofit organization engaged in rule of law advocacy and advised the organization on the establishment and maintenance of its tax-exempt  status and governance.
• Represented a Washington, D.C. church in a mortgage refinancing transaction opposite a DC Metro Area bank.

• District of Columbia
• Commonwealth of Virginia
  
• State of Maryland
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

JD, The George Washington University Law School (2002)

Activities and Awards

• Member, Moot Court Executive Board
• Chairwoman, Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition
• “Best Overall Competitor” and “Best Oralist” awards, Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court competition
• Class of 2002 Clinics Volunteer Service Award
  
• President, Street Law Student Association
• Law Clerk, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
• Judicial Intern, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

BA; Political Science, History (Middle East and Africa), University of Pittsburgh (1997) 

• Hdeel Abdelhady named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, July 2019.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted in Reuters, CFTC’s Glencore investigation seen reflecting broader U.S. anti-corruption strategy, July 2019.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted in PaymentsSource, BRICS v. SWIFT:  Russia spearheads payments plan to guard against U.S. sanctions, July 2019.
• Hdeel Abdelhady appointed to the American Bar Association Task Force on Gatekeeper Regulation and the Profession, June 2019.
• Hdeel Abdelhady discussed the ratcheting up of U.S. sanctions on NPR’s Morning Edition, May 2019.
  
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted on the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Hawaii (travel ban/Muslim ban case) in Law360, June 2018.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted by the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists on the NYDFS’ enforcement action against Pakistan’s Habib Bank.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was appointed American Bar Association Section of International Law Liaison to the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted in Islamic Finance News (IFN) on the potential impact of the U.S. Election (2016) on Islamic finance and investment in the United States. IFN is the world’s leading provider of Islamic Finance news, November 2016.
• Who’s Who Legal recognized Hdeel Abdelhady for Corporate: M&A & Governance in 2016.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was re-appointed as the American Bar Association Section of International Law’s Liaison to UNCITRAL.
• Hdeel Abdelhady’s article in Ahram Online on changes to Egypt’s investment laws were mentioned in Weekend Reading: Investing in Egypt, Haunting 1967 Photos, and August in Turkey, Council on  Foreign Relations, June 6, 2014.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted on the Dubai Islamic Economy in Spark Your Legal Career With These In-Demand Law Jobs, U.S. News & World Report, March 12, 2014.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was quoted in Political divisions slow Islamic Finance in Egypt, Reuters, April 22, 2012.
• A program led by Hdeel Abdelhady was covered in Hawkamah, American Bar Association forum on Islamic finance, CPI Financial, May 4, 2010.
• Hdeel Abdelhady was mentioned in Arab International Women’s Forum to host first US conference, Business Intelligence Middle East, June 22, 2008.