The United States and Colombia have historically maintained a strong bilateral partnership that has been the envy of much of Latin America. However, the bilateral relationship today is facing a test as U.S. and Colombian approaches to shared problems increasingly diverge. The next several months present milestones that will have significant implications for bilateral trade, investment, development aid, and security cooperation.

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Photo of Kimberly Breier Kimberly Breier

Kimberly Breier has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Breier, a non-lawyer, was Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Kimberly Breier has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Breier, a non-lawyer, was Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She also served as the Western Hemisphere Member of the Policy Planning Staff.

Ms. Breier was previously the founder and Director of the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative, and the Deputy Director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also was Vice President of a consulting firm, leading country risk assessment teams for private clients in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.

In addition to her private sector and think tank experience, Ms. Breier served for more than a decade in the U.S. intelligence community as a political analyst and manager, primarily focused on Latin America.

From January 2005 to June 2006, Ms. Breier served at the White House in the National Security Council’s Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, first as Director for Brazil and the Southern Cone, then as Director for Mexico and Canada, and also as an interim Director for the Andean region.

Prior to her government service, Ms. Breier was a senior fellow and director of the National Policy Association’s North American Committee—a trilateral business and labor committee with members from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

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Photo of Daniel Erikson Daniel Erikson

Daniel P. Erikson has more than twenty years of experience in international relations, foreign policy, national security, and defense policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. A non-lawyer, Dan’s experience includes serving at the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Office…

Daniel P. Erikson has more than twenty years of experience in international relations, foreign policy, national security, and defense policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. A non-lawyer, Dan’s experience includes serving at the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Office of the Vice President, and the Department of State, as well as work for think-tanks, universities, and private sector consultancies.

Prior to joining the firm, Dan was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, where he served as the lead White House advisor on the hemisphere. His work covered all diplomatic, economic, and national security issues related to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Canada.

Dan was previously the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense. At the Pentagon, he successfully advanced U.S. defense priorities as the Department’s senior policy official for the Western Hemisphere, with a focus on defense modernization, effective security cooperation, counter-narcotics, climate resilience, cyber, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. In this capacity, Dan served as a member of the Senior Executive Service and managed a team of civilian and military defense professionals to provide policy guidance to the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Southern Command.

Dan also served in the White House as Special Advisor to the Vice President, where he covered foreign affairs, economic, and national security issues in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to this, Dan was Senior Advisor for Congressional and Inter-Governmental Affairs and Senior Advisor for Policy at the U.S. Department of State. His responsibilities included advising State Department leadership on complex diplomatic issues and key administration and congressional priorities.

In addition to his U.S. government experience, Dan has held senior positions in the private sector, think-tanks, and academia. He has published widely on a range of topics in international and Latin American and Caribbean affairs and testified before the U.S. Congress. He is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the U.S. State Department’s Superior Honor Award.

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Photo of Veronica Yepez Veronica Yepez

Veronica Yepez leads Covington’s compliance and investigations practice in Latin America.

She is an experienced white-collar lawyer who regularly conducts cross-border investigations and represents corporate and individual clients before U.S. criminal and civil enforcement authorities. She has been recognized by Global Investigations Review…

Veronica Yepez leads Covington’s compliance and investigations practice in Latin America.

She is an experienced white-collar lawyer who regularly conducts cross-border investigations and represents corporate and individual clients before U.S. criminal and civil enforcement authorities. She has been recognized by Global Investigations Review as one of the world’s top 100 “Women in Investigations” and by Latinvex as among Latin America’s top 100 lawyers.

Complementing her investigations practice, Veronica helps multinational companies and financial institutions manage evolving compliance risks, including with respect to U.S. anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and anti-terrorism statutes.

A tri-lingual lawyer, Veronica draws upon her deep understanding of local business culture in Latin America and her on-the-ground experience to help clients operating in the region navigate complex cross-border compliance issues.

Prior to joining the firm, Veronica founded a leading compliance practice in Latin America, serving both multinational and Latin American clients.

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Photo of Nikhil Gore Nikhil Gore

Nikhil V. Gore represents financial institutions, sovereigns, and global corporations in investigations, disputes, and regulatory advocacy before U.S. and international financial services regulators.

As co-chair of Covington’s financial services investigations and government enforcement practice, Nikhil leads anti-financial crime investigations, as well as a…

Nikhil V. Gore represents financial institutions, sovereigns, and global corporations in investigations, disputes, and regulatory advocacy before U.S. and international financial services regulators.

As co-chair of Covington’s financial services investigations and government enforcement practice, Nikhil leads anti-financial crime investigations, as well as a wide range of financial institution governance, control, safety and soundness, and consumer and market conduct matters. He has served as lead counsel for multiple major financial institutions in safety-and-soundness matters before the OCC and Federal Reserve; secured unprecedented outcomes for community banks challenging FDIC supervisory and enforcement actions; and represented global banking institutions in anti-financial crime investigations in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Nikhil also counsels clients on a range of financial statutes and regulations, including those governing U.S. fiscal law and the investment and payment authorities of government agencies; the control of money laundering and the licensing of money transmission; and the combatting of terrorist financing.

In his disputes practice, Nikhil is part of the Covington team representing Ukraine in state-to-state arbitrations against the Russian Federation and was appointed by the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine to the Legal Task Force on Accountability for Russian War Crimes. He has handled treaty arbitrations and commercial disputes spanning Asia, Eastern Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Africa.

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Photo of Peter Flanagan Peter Flanagan

Peter Flanagan counsels clients on a broad range of compliance requirements affecting international trade and investment. These include most notably export controls, economic sanctions constraints, defense trade limitations, and the implications of related non-U.S. requirements. He also has experience in financial services regulation. …

Peter Flanagan counsels clients on a broad range of compliance requirements affecting international trade and investment. These include most notably export controls, economic sanctions constraints, defense trade limitations, and the implications of related non-U.S. requirements. He also has experience in financial services regulation.

Peter has advised leading companies in the oil and gas sector, pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, defense contractors, manufacturing entities, financial institutions and private equity firms, software and high-technology concerns, and university-affiliated laboratories. Consistently ranked as a top-tier practitioner, Peter has deep experience in assisting multinational clients with complex compliance, enforcement, and licensing matters before the key U.S. trade controls agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and State.

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Photo of Joshua Williams Joshua Williams

Josh Williams helps clients assess and manage the impact of U.S. economic sanctions and export controls on their global operations. He has deep expertise in the economic sanctions laws and regulations administered and enforced by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department, and…

Josh Williams helps clients assess and manage the impact of U.S. economic sanctions and export controls on their global operations. He has deep expertise in the economic sanctions laws and regulations administered and enforced by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department, and in the export control laws and regulations administered and enforced by the U.S. Commerce Department, State Department, and Census Bureau.

Josh advises leading U.S. and non-U.S. companies across a range of industries, including companies operating in the energy, financial services, pharmaceutical, technology, aerospace and defense, telecommunications, consulting, and consumer products sectors.

Josh regularly assists clients with complex trade controls compliance, enforcement, licensing, and transactional matters. He also has significant experience leading trade controls risk assessments and counseling companies seeking to develop or strengthen their compliance programs.

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Photo of Adam Szubin Adam Szubin

Adam Szubin leverages his extensive experience in U.S. government and private practice to advise leading global companies and financial institutions facing an increasingly dynamic and uncertain national security regulatory landscape.

Adam previously led the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and…

Adam Szubin leverages his extensive experience in U.S. government and private practice to advise leading global companies and financial institutions facing an increasingly dynamic and uncertain national security regulatory landscape.

Adam previously led the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence and served for nearly a decade as the Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). His practice focuses on advisory and enforcement matters involving U.S. national security, with a particular emphasis on economic sanctions, export controls, money laundering, and investment security matters.

Adam’s distinguished 13 year tenure at the U.S. Department of the Treasury spanned the presidential administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. As the Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Adam led the Treasury Department’s policy, enforcement, regulatory, and intelligence functions aimed at combating foreign adversaries, international terrorist organizations, proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, narcotics traffickers, and others posing threats to U.S. national security and economic interests.

He also advised the Treasury Secretary and National Security Council on a wide range of economic and national security issues, including matters before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). As OFAC Director, he led the Treasury Department’s administration and enforcement of U.S. economic and trade sanctions.

Earlier in his career, Adam served in the Department of Justice (DOJ) as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General and worked as a trial attorney in DOJ’s Civil Division.

In addition to his work in private practice, Adam is a professor of practice at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

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Photo of Arun Venkataraman Arun Venkataraman

Arun Venkataraman leverages 20 plus years of government and private sector experience to provide legal, policy, and strategic advice to clients on a range of international trade matters.

Arun joined the firm after serving in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Arun Venkataraman leverages 20 plus years of government and private sector experience to provide legal, policy, and strategic advice to clients on a range of international trade matters.

Arun joined the firm after serving in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Most recently, he served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the International Trade Administration (ITA) from 2022-2025. Arun led the federal government’s efforts to expand commercial opportunities for U.S. firms overseas and foreign firms in the United States, including by facilitating deals between U.S. and foreign companies, improving commercial policy environments, resolving barriers to trade and investment, and negotiating governmental agreements to promote commercial partnerships. He also served as Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the Secretary on all aspects of foreign economic policy within the Department. In this role, Arun led negotiations with foreign governments on technology policy, as well as Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs.

Before joining the Biden Administration, Arun was Senior Director, Global Government Engagement, at Visa. He developed and executed engagement strategy, in advocacy before the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as with trade associations, international organizations, and other stakeholder groups on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax, and sanctions.

During the Obama Administration, Arun served as ITA’s first-ever Director of Policy, where he led efforts across the Commerce Department to remove global trade and investment barriers and strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. industry, including in such markets as China and India. This included leading Department efforts to support Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, and secure improvements in China’s competition law and semiconductor policies.

Arun also served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) as the Director for India, where he led the development and implementation of U.S.-India trade policy, for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership. He also served as USTR’s Associate General Counsel, representing the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in bilateral and multilateral negotiations on international trade agreements.

Prior to USTR, Arun was a Legal Officer in the Appellate Body Secretariat at the WTO, where he advised on appeals in litigation between countries under WTO rules. He also served as a Law Clerk for Judge Jane A. Restani at the U.S. Court of International Trade.

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Photo of Kate McNulty Kate McNulty

Kate McNulty is a senior associate in the Washington office who helps clients navigate complex international trade and investment matters. She counsels companies, trade associations, and governments on U.S. trade and tariff measures, as well as implementation of responsive measures by foreign governments.

Kate McNulty is a senior associate in the Washington office who helps clients navigate complex international trade and investment matters. She counsels companies, trade associations, and governments on U.S. trade and tariff measures, as well as implementation of responsive measures by foreign governments. She provides legal and strategic advice to clients on global policy issues and geopolitical risks, including assessing and mitigating reputational, economic, or physical risk to their businesses or investments. She advises clients on the application and use of international treaties—including free trade agreements (FTAs), bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and agreements under World Trade Organization (WTO) framework—to open markets and resolve disputes, also advising clients seeking to understand and engage with the negotiation and implementation of such agreements.

Kate also focuses her trade practice on U.S. anti-forced labor laws as well as business-related human rights matters, advising clients on the application and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and Withhold Release Orders (WROs) issued by the U.S. government. She helps clients develop and implement strategies to mitigate supply chain risks, including by building compliance programs, developing due diligence procedures, and conducting risk assessments. She also advises clients on conducting human rights-related investigations and implementing related findings.

Kate has represented corporate clients in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, including under ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, and ICDR rules, and also represents clients in proceedings before U.S. administrative bodies and U.S. courts, including in trade remedy proceedings (AD/CVD).

She also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on international human rights and public international law. She has represented U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to secure the release of one of its journalists in a prisoner exchange with Russia. Her work also includes representation of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, and the Public International Law & Policy Group.

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Photo of Antonio Leal Holguín Antonio Leal Holguín

Antonio Leal Holguín is a policy advisor with over 15 years of experience as a lawyer and consultant focused on Latin America. He provides strategic advice to clients operating or investing in the region and to Latin American companies doing business in the…

Antonio Leal Holguín is a policy advisor with over 15 years of experience as a lawyer and consultant focused on Latin America. He provides strategic advice to clients operating or investing in the region and to Latin American companies doing business in the United States. Antonio also supports the firm’s business development in Latin America.

Antonio has advised life sciences, technology, financial services, manufacturing, transportation, and private equity firms on matters related to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and other countries in Latin America.

Antonio previously practiced law in Colombia, where he advised domestic and international clients, as well as national and local government agencies. He is admitted to practice law in Colombia and New York and is a native Spanish speaker. At Covington, he acts in a policy advisor and not a legal capacity.

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