In October 2022, the U.S. government imposed novel and complex semiconductor export control rules designed to limit Chinese access to advanced integrated circuits for artificial intelligence and other technology innovations with potential military applications. The 139-pages issued by the U.S. Commerce Department forced semiconductor companies to interpret and immediately comply with the massive new regulatory regime. Tokyo Electron, an $84 billion Japanese-based global innovative semiconductor production equipment maker with significant U.S. operations, turned to a 32-year-old Dallas lawyer only four years out of law school for guidance. Maria G. Alonso did not disappoint.
“Maria immediately pulled up her sleeves and went to work, advising company executives in the U.S. and Japan on the nuances of the new rule and how it would impact the company in the U.S. as well as its operations abroad,” said Stinson international trade partner Elsa Manzanares. “There is no doubt Maria Alonso was the right person at the right time.” Citing her success, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Alonso one of two finalists for the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Rookie of the Year.