International Trade

  • February 23, 2024

    Commerce Dept. Partly Waives 'Buy America' For BEAD

    The U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday announced limited waivers from "Buy America" requirements under the agency's $42.5 billion broadband deployment program to make sure that enough advanced components can flow to projects around the country.

  • February 23, 2024

    Nonprofit Fights To Keep Child Forced Labor Cocoa Suit Alive

    A nonprofit on Friday challenged U.S. Customs and Border Protection's bid to dismiss allegations the agency ignored a four-year petition to ban major chocolate companies from importing cocoa allegedly harvested by children, saying the delay harmed it by impairing its mission.

  • February 23, 2024

    Ex-Dechert Atty Can Keep Depo Confidential In Hacking Case

    A former Dechert LLP partner can keep her deposition under wraps in an airline mogul's suit seeking to prove an international hacking conspiracy, a special master in North Carolina has ruled in a blow to the tycoon, who accused the attorney of trying to shield misconduct.

  • February 23, 2024

    Ex-Vitol Oil Trader Convicted On FCPA Rap

    Former Vitol Oil Group trader Javier Aguilar was convicted Friday of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering violations, after nearly two months of trial over claims that he bribed officials in Ecuador and Mexico in order to win $500 million in business deals for the global energy and commodities company.

  • February 23, 2024

    International Trade Group Of The Year: Grunfeld Desiderio

    Grunfeld Desiderio Lebowitz Silverman & Klestadt LLP continued to rack up critical wins for foreign exporters in the past year, including a major Chinese tire manufacturer for which it secured a rare 0% dumping rate, and successfully defended against fraud allegations by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, earning the firm a spot among Law360's 2023 International Trade Groups of the Year.

  • February 23, 2024

    Lawyers Question UK's Sanction Muscle 2 Years After Invasion

    A lack of enforcement over suspected sanctions breaches two years on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left lingering doubts about the effectiveness of the U.K.'s response — even though prosecutors recently opened the first such criminal case, legal experts say.

  • February 23, 2024

    US Hits Russia With Largest Sanctions Since Ukraine Invasion

    The U.S. announced over 500 new sanctions on Russia Friday following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, marking the largest number of sanctions since Moscow invaded Ukraine two years ago.

  • February 22, 2024

    10th Circ. Won't Enforce $2.3M Award In Shipping Feud

    The Tenth Circuit has shut down a shipowner's bid to enforce a $2.3 million arbitral award against a charterer's founder following a dispute over a stymied Venezuelan oil shipping deal, rejecting arguments that the shipowner could hold the founder liable as his company's alter ego.

  • February 22, 2024

    Russian Bank President Charged With Sanctions Violations

    The head of a Russian-state-owned bank has been charged in New York federal court with evading economic sanctions by conspiring with others to maintain his two super-yachts and a luxury home in Aspen, Colorado, prosecutors said Thursday.

  • February 22, 2024

    Ex-Vitol Trader Denies Knowing Of Bribes, As Trial Nears End

    Counsel for a former Vitol Group executive told a New York federal jury in closing arguments Thursday that his client wasn't aware of bribes being paid to officials in Ecuador and Mexico in order to obtain $500 million in state contracts, while a prosecutor insisted that the former oil trader was the linchpin to the corruption scheme.

  • February 22, 2024

    Commerce's Intransigence Spurs 2nd Xanthan Gum Remand

    The U.S. Department of Commerce's continued refusal to provide a Chinese xanthan gum producer a chance to correct its customs data before issuing penalties called for a second remand in the case, a U.S. Court of International Trade judge ruled Thursday.

  • February 22, 2024

    Feds Back Fed. Circ. Deference To Trump Solar Duty Change

    The Biden administration urged the full Federal Circuit not to rehear energy companies' challenge to modified safeguard duties on solar goods, disagreeing with the importers' contention that a panel gave former President Donald Trump too much deference when allowing the safeguards.

  • February 22, 2024

    Biz Group Urges OECD Candidates To Back Digital Duties Ban

    The U.S. Council for International Business laid out its priorities for countries vying to be members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, looking to garner support for a global moratorium on digital tariffs that is set to expire in a week.

  • February 22, 2024

    Rail Coupler Maker Says Duty Suits Too Dissimilar To Merge

    A trio of cases challenging new duties on rail couplers from China and Mexico aren't similar enough to consolidate, according to a U.S. producer whose attorney used to represent a rival manufacturer that filed one of the suits.

  • February 22, 2024

    International Trade Group Of The Year: Crowell & Moring

    Crowell & Moring LLP saw success on both sides of the Atlantic this year, with its attorneys successfully representing Indian steel importers in a trade matter involving dozens of European enforcement agencies and winning the quick remand of American steel anti-dumping duties, landing it a spot among Law360's 2023 International Trade Practice Groups of the Year.

  • February 21, 2024

    DOJ Says Yakuza Boss Tied To Trafficking Nuclear Materials

    A Japanese national — who authorities allege is a leader of the Japanese Yakuza crime syndicate — conspired to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar to other countries, including to a person he thought was an Iranian general, authorities alleged in New York federal court Wednesday.

  • February 21, 2024

    Cannabis CEOs Wasted Wealthy Russian's Money, Suit Claims

    Two California businessmen who were given $145 million by a now dead Russian billionaire to begin cannabis growing operations in the state are accused of gross mismanagement and squandering his investment, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County court.

  • February 21, 2024

    Chinese Silicon Co. Says CBP Can't Back Forced Labor Finding

    A Chinese silicon producer is challenging U.S. Customs and Border Protection blocking its imports, arguing that the agency has provided no evidence to back up its finding that the company relied on forced labor.

  • February 21, 2024

    FCC Commissioner To Meet With Indian Gov't On TikTok Ban

    FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is finally getting the chance to chat with Indian officials about the country's decision to ban TikTok over concerns about the Chinese government's influence over the app, a decision he has pushed for here in the United States, during a visit to India.

  • February 21, 2024

    Scammer Freed By Trump Indicted On New Charges

    A previously convicted scammer whose sentence was commuted by former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury on new charges that he began running multiple rackets, including a fraudulent aid-for-Ukraine scheme, shortly after leaving prison, New Jersey's top federal prosecutor said.

  • February 21, 2024

    Commerce Can't Cite Wikipedia To Expand Duties, Court Says

    The U.S. Department of Commerce couldn't convince the U.S. Court of International Trade that Wikipedia articles supported its expansion of vertical engine tariffs, with a judge noting that U.S. courts have repeatedly rejected Wikipedia as a source.

  • February 21, 2024

    Judge Threatens Ex-Trump Aide With Contempt Over Records

    A D.C. federal judge threatened to hold a Trump-era White House aide in contempt for his continuing failure to turn over all the records covered by the Presidential Records Act to the U.S. government.

  • February 21, 2024

    King & Spalding Trade Expert Jumps To Jenner & Block In DC

    Jenner & Block announced on Wednesday it had hired an international trade partner and six-year King & Spalding LLP veteran to join the firm's national security and crisis practice in Washington, D.C.

  • February 21, 2024

    White House Acts To Shore Up Cybersecurity At US Ports

    The Biden administration on Wednesday moved to boost cybersecurity at U.S. ports, announcing a series of actions that include new proposed rules to establish minimum data security safeguards and an executive order requiring transportation vessels and facilities to report cyber incidents.

  • February 20, 2024

    Liberal Justices Hint Chevron Deference Hanging By A Thread

    In the U.S. Supreme Court's latest battle royal over administrative powers, left-leaning justices at oral arguments Tuesday openly suggested that the landmark legal doctrine underpinning modern rulemaking might soon shrivel up, clearing the way for industry-led challenges to regulations on the books for decades.

Expert Analysis

  • The Supreme Court Is At War With Itself On Extraterritoriality

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued two conflicting pronouncements about the presumption against extraterritoriality without acknowledging the tensions between these decisions, which leaves lower courts, practitioners and potential defendants in the dark, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

  • Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

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    With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.

  • Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled

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    In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.

  • 5 Ways Firms Can Rethink Office Design In A Hybrid World

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    As workplaces across the country adapt to flexible work, law firms must prioritize individuality, amenities and technology in office design, says Kristin Cerutti at Nelson Worldwide.

  • Opinion

    Bar Score Is Best Hiring Metric Post-Affirmative Action

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies, law firms looking to foster diversity in hiring should view an applicant's Multistate Bar Examination score as the best metric of legal ability — over law school name or GPA, says attorney Alice Griffin.

  • Ghosting In BigLaw: How To Come Back From Lack Of Feedback

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    Junior associates can feel powerless when senior colleagues cut off contact instead of providing useful feedback, but young attorneys can get back on track by focusing on practical professional development and reexamining their career priorities, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

  • Steps To Success For Senior Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

  • Cannabis Seed Importation Carries CBP Enforcement Risks

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    Though cannabis seed importation may be arguably legal, potential importers — such the recent MMJ-Global Cannabis partnership to bring cannabis THC products into the U.S. — risk action from U.S. Customs and Border Protection until the agency issues an official ruling on cannabis seed admissibility, say Adams Lee and Vince Sliwoski at Harris Bricken.

  • FARA Advisory Opinions Raise Questions For Digital Media

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's latest advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act indicate that the broad geographic reach of the internet and digital media could bring a wide variety of activities within the scope of FARA, but lawyers are left to try to discern nuggets of guidance from these heavily redacted letters, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

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    At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

  • Opinion

    Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice

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    The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • Halkbank Ruling Gives Gov't Leverage But Erodes Comity

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Halkbank v. U.S., denying the Turkish state-owned bank immunity from prosecution, erodes the historic principle of comity in favor of imposing domestic law on foreign states, and could potentially usher in an era of mutually assured litigation between world powers, say Solomon Shinerock and Annika Conrad at Lewis Baach.

  • Preparing For FDA's Surprise Foreign Drug Inspection Regime

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    Foreign drug manufacturers face an increased likelihood of unannounced inspections under a recently expanded U.S. Food and Drug Administration pilot program, so they should take several steps to prepare — or face the risk of an import alert blocking their product from the U.S. market, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Justices' Corruption Ruling May Shift DOJ Bank Fraud Tactics

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month in Ciminelli v. U.S., curtailing a government theory of wire fraud liability, prosecutors may need to reconsider their approach to the bank fraud statute, particularly when it comes to foreign bank enforcement, says Brian Kearney at Ballard Spahr.

  • Tips For Obtaining Removal From OFAC's Sanctions List

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    To obtain interim relief or removal from the Office of Foreign Assets Control's specially designated nationals list, sanctioned individuals or entities must determine why they were designated and seek relief from OFAC, while demonstrating transparency and a willingness to remediate conduct, says Robert Seiden at Seiden Law.

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