Akin Deepens Bench of Former OFAC Officials with Return of Dallas Woodrum

Akin Gump announced the return of Dallas Woodrum as an international trade partner in its Washington, D.C. office, strengthening the firm's roster of former Treasury Department and OFAC leadership. Woodrum's recruitment underscores Akin's competitive positioning in the high-stakes sanctions and national security practice, an area experiencing sustained client demand according to firm co-chair Abid Qureshi.

Woodrum brings more than a decade of combined public and private sector experience across sanctions regulation, policy, licensing, and civil enforcement. Most recently, he served as OFAC's Assistant Director for Regulatory Affairs, where he operated at the center of U.S. sanctions policy-making and implementation. In that capacity, he led the development of regulations and general licenses—core implementation tools for sanctions compliance—and played a key role in shaping sanctions provisions under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, one of the most consequential emerging frameworks for digital assets and financial innovation.

Prior to his most recent role, Woodrum served as Section Chief in OFAC's Enforcement Division, where he helped lead the office's digital assets, cryptocurrency, and emerging technology enforcement efforts. This background positions him to advise institutional clients on navigating complex regulatory environments at the intersection of sanctions compliance and fintech.

Woodrum's hire builds on Akin's existing sanctions leadership team, which now includes Jason Prince (former Chief Counsel), Michael Wain (former Deputy Assistant Director for Policy), and James Treanor (former Attorney-Advisor). Qureshi characterized the recruitment as part of a strategic investment to lead the market for complex sanctions and national security matters, particularly as regulatory frameworks around digital assets and financial innovation continue to evolve.