Alexandra López-Casero concentrates her practice on international business transactions, export controls, economic sanctions, national security (Exon-Florio) reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and energy and infrastructure projects.
Alexandra’s export control work encompasses the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) administered by the Department of Commerce, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) administered by the State Department, and the country-based economic sanctions program administered by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Her practice ranges from counseling clients on complying with these regulations and sanctions programs, obtaining government licenses and authorizations, conducting export control due diligence prior to acquisitions, designing and implementing compliance programs, submitting voluntary disclosures of prior unlicensed exports and other export control violations, and assisting clients with government investigations and enforcement proceedings related to trade and sanctions matters. In this regard, she represents clients before the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, Treasury, Defense, Energy, and other agencies.
In addition, Alexandra has significant experience representing U.S. and foreign clients in national security reviews before CFIUS. Alexandra has assisted in the development of successful regulatory strategies for a number of M&A transactions. She also provides counsel on structuring, negotiating, and documenting transactions to address regulatory issues.
In the energy area, Alexandra forms part of the Nixon Peabody team serving as project counsel to the eleven load serving entities that are participants in the CapX 2020 Transmission Expansion Projects. The CapX projects are designed to substantially enhance the transmission grid in Minnesota and surrounding states. Her energy and infrastructure experience also includes representation of the Prairie State participants in connection with the drafting and negotiation of the $2.9 Billion Target Price Engineering Procurement and Construction Agreement and related exhibits for the construction of a new approximately 1600 MW, mine-mouth, pulverized coal-fired power plant to be located in southern Illinois. She has in addition been involved in the drafting of Target Price Engineering Procurement and Construction Agreements for Wisconsin Power and Light Company in connection with a new coal-fired CFB generating unit to be built at Cassville, Wisconsin, and in connection with air pollution retrofit work in Wisconsin Power and Light’s existing coal fleet. Alexandra has also been involved in the representation of E.ON U.S. in connection with a hydroelectric project in the Midwest and representation of the Florida Municipal Power Agency in connection with its development and construction of simple cycle and combined cycle gas-fired generation facilities in Treasure Coast, Florida.
Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Alexandra worked in the corporate group of a prominent international law firm in Frankfurt, Germany, where she advised U.S. clients on cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the E.U. and Germany. Upon graduation from law school in Germany, she clerked at the Bavarian Court of Appeals in Munich and the surrounding area for two years. Alexandra is a native German and Spanish speaker and is proficient in Italian and Mandarin Chinese.
Alexandra received her legal education in the U.S. and in Germany. She obtained her J.D. at the University of Regensburg in Germany and her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served on the International Student Advisory Committee of the Journal of International Economic Law. She also studied at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, where she received a Certificate in Chinese Law and Business.
*Alexandra is admitted to practice in the state of New York, as well as in Germany. She is licensed to practice as a Special Legal Consultant in the District of Columbia. Alexandra is not a member of the District of Columbia Bar and is supervised by members of the firm who are members of the District of Columbia Bar.
Recent Presentations
“Introduction to U.S. Export Controls,” Nixon Peabody’s Semi-annual CLE Program, November 15-16, 2012, Rochester and Buffalo, New York. (Presenter)
“The Export Control Implications of Cloud Computing,” Silicon Valley Association of General Counsel (SVAGC), October 21, 2011, Santa Clara, California. (Presenter)