Francesca M.S. Guerrero, Associate

Francesca Guerrero is a corporate associate in the Washington, D.C. office. She concentrates her practice in domestic and international business transactions.

Ms. Guerrero’s experience includes advising clients on cross-border investments, joint-ventures, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, overseas business registration and reporting requirements, and a variety of other commercial matters.

She regularly counsels clients on corporate governance, compliance, and due diligence matters, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Her experience includes: performing due diligence on agents, consultants, and distributors; advising clients regarding gifts and hospitalities; reviewing potential acquisitions and joint venture partners; and advising and assisting with internal investigations of potential FCPA violations.

Ms. Guerrero also counsels clients regarding the Exon-Florio provisions and related filings before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). In addition, Ms. Guerrero advises clients on compliance with embargoes and other controls administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of Treasury.

She also regularly advises tax exempt organizations, including public charities, private foundations, advocacy groups, and trade associations, on corporate governance and transactions.  Ms. Guerrero’s experience includes assisting with the formation of new nonprofit entities and subsidiaries as well as nonprofit mergers and restructurings.  She also regularly advises tax exempt organizations regarding compliance with IRS regulations and requirements.  Ms. Guerrero also counsels Section 501(c)(3) and Section 501(c)(4) organizations regarding restrictions on lobbying and political activity.

Honors and Awards

Ms. Guerrero was among the attorneys in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office who were awarded the Frederick B. Abramson Award by the D.C. Bar in 2008 for the Project 990 initiative to assist non-profit companies with new corporate governance-related reporting requirements. Ms. Guerrero was also recognized with the Community Partner of the Year Award in 2007 for her participation in establishing Winston & Strawn’s volunteer program with the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. In addition, she was among the attorneys in the firm’s D.C. office who were active with the bar’s small business educational initiative, which received the District of Columbia Bar Association’s 2007 Best Bar Project Award.

Education

Speeches and Publications

Ms. Guerrero’s publications include:

• “National Security and Foreign Government Ownership Restrictions on Foreign Investment: Predictability for Investors at the National Level” Sovereign Investment: Concerns and Policy Reactions, Oxford University Press, 2012 (with Mark A. Clodfelter)
• “New Sweep Account Disclosure Requirements,” Community Banker, May 2009 (with Paul Pilecki)
• “Launch or Lurch? Findings of the Commission on the Regulation of the U.S. Capital Markets in the 21st Century,” The Deal, March 2007 (with Christine Edwards)

Her speaking engagements include “Risk Management for Non-Profits,” guest speaker, Connections, DCTV, October 2010; “Skill-Building Through Pro Bono,” panelist, Women’s Bar Association seminar, May 2010; “Overview of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States,” presenter, CLE seminar, April 2010; and “What’s in a Contract and Why,” presenter, DC Bar small business seminar, annually 2006-2010.