US Defense Contractor Enlists Axiom to Secure State Department Compliance

Challenge

A Fortune 250 defense contractor enters a consent agreement with the US State Department after a series of export compliance violations. As part of the consent agreement, they need to disclose all prior violations. To do so, they must investigate each violation, draft a disclosure filing, and update policies in advance of tight deadlines. To handle this project, they need immediate lift from an experienced partner.

Approach

Axiom delivers a 6-person strong team consisting of 4 lawyers, a paralegal, and a compliance professional. With the goal of exiting the consent agreement, the team investigates a backlog violations from prior years, and files disclosures accordingly. The lawyers, experienced in ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and AECA (Arms Export Control Act) compliance, also advise on policy adjustment to ensure future violations no longer occur. Over 2.5 years of support, the Axiom team supports a number of these disclosures to achieve long-term compliance with the US Departments of State and Commerce.

Impact 

• Axiom team handled a number of disclosure filings and investigations from start to finish, enabling in-house legal team to continue their ongoing projects without disruption.
• Met filing deadlines from US State and Commerce Departments to achieve compliance without incurring significant penalties.
• Saved 44% compared to competing outside counsel over 2.5 years of support.

*Cost savings estimates are based on actual Axiom rates compared to equivalent law firm rate averages as listed in Wolters Kluwer’s Real Rate report.