Of Counsel, Los Angeles, Washington DC
444 South Flower Street
8th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071-2901

TEL: 213.243.6140
FAX: 213.243.6330
EMAIL: jliebman@mckennalong.com

PROFILE

John R. Liebman is of counsel at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, both in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.  His practice emphasizes international trade regulation, technology transfer, and multinational business transactions, advising manufacturers, exporters, importers, international trade service companies, and software developers. 

In the area of international trade regulation, Mr. Liebman advises clients on export laws, unfair trade practices, and anti-bribery laws, including those facing compliance issues and enforcement actions in these areas.  Mr. Liebman’s clients include aerospace and defense contractors, subcontractors, and academic and research institutions.  He also advises financial institutions offering credit support to exporters and importers, including credit insurance and guaranty programs offered by the Export-Import Bank, and has wide experience in international leasing of capital goods.

Previous to his private law career, Mr. Liebman served in Washington, D.C., with the Agency for International Development, Department of State, first as counsel and later as program director.  He is a recipient of the National Order of the Southern Cross from the Brazilian Government and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

From 1983 through 1990, Mr. Liebman was elected a Commissioner of the California State World Trade Commission, during which time he acted primarily as the state’s trade lobbyist.  Mr. Liebman was also a member of the Southern California District Export Council from 1974 through 1991, including two terms as Chairman of the Council.  In 1989, his contributions to the Southern California trade community were recognized by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce with the prestigious Stanley T. Olafson Bronze Plaque.  As an expert in U.S. export controls, Mr. Liebman served as a member of the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Encryption (PECSENC) by appointment of the Secretary of Commerce from 1998-2001, and currently serves as a member of both the President’s Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration (PECSEA) and the Defense Trade Advisory Group, U.S. Department of State.  He is an advisor to the Pardee Center at RAND Corporation, and has been a lecturer at the UCLA School of Law and an adjunct professor of law at Loyola Law School.

Mr. Liebman is a past chair of the State Bar International Law Section, as well as the International Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.  Widely published in legal and business journals, Mr. Liebman is co-author (with William A. Root and Rozsel M. Thomsen II) of United States Export Controls, a comprehensive reference work on U.S. export regulations published by Aspen/Law & Business, currently in its fourth edition.

In addition to his professional activities, since 1980, Mr. Liebman has been a director and a member of the executive committee of the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic, a leading provider of mental health services to children in South Central Los Angeles, and is a past Chairman of that organization.  Prior to entering law school, Mr. Liebman served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.