Trade Policy

Holland & Knight’s International Trade Group routinely represents the interests of foreign governments and U.S. and foreign industries before the agencies of the United States Government, the United States Congress and multilateral financial institutions. We partner with our clients to determine desired trade policy outcomes and create a detailed plan to implement those outcomes. We then effectively lobby the relevant governmental and international entities to achieve the desired result.

In the area of bilateral trade negotiations, we have served for the past two years as advisors to the Kingdom of Bahrain, a strategically important country in the Middle East, in connection with its negotiation of a U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA). We have advised the Bahraini Government on three levels, working simultaneously on technical trade negotiations with USTR, lobbying of appropriate members of Congress to ensure passage of the FTA by Congress, and strategic communications counseling. Our Trade Group also advises a number of important Colombian industry groups with respect to the ongoing U.S.-Andean FTA negotiations.

We regularly represent foreign governments and private sector clients on a wide variety of matters before all of the federal government agencies with responsibilities for the development of U.S. international commercial policy, with particularly strong contacts at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security (which now houses the former U.S. Customs Service). One of our attorneys was formerly an Assistant General Counsel at USTR. In this area of practice, we work closely with our Government attorneys, including a number of former members of Congress, whose contacts in the Executive Branch and on Capitol Hill can prove invaluable in advocating for our clients. Representations of this type include the governments of the United Kingdom, El Salvador, all five Central American countries, Senegal, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as a broad range of foreign commercial interests. Our Trade Group has considerable experience with the GATT, WTO, CBI, NAFTA and other trade agreements.

Our Trade Group has successfully represented coalitions of U.S. companies on high-profile public policy and lobbying campaigns in support of open U.S. trade and investment policies. Our experience in U.S. trade policy enables Holland & Knight to work with companies on both major trade lobbying initiatives and narrower, company and sector-specific concerns relating to tariff, customs, market access and antidumping/countervailing duty provisions of U.S. trade legislation.

A key ingredient in effective representation in the trade policy area is a strong working knowledge of the specific trade specialties. Our Trade Group works daily on a wide variety of international trade matters, such as customs, trade litigation, U.S. export controls and sanctions. In addition, our Trade Group can draw upon the resources, knowledge and contacts of a wide range of experienced Holland & Knight lawyers from areas as diverse as telecommunications, international banking and labor law.

The following is a brief overview of some of the Trade Group’s experience in this area:

• advises two key Colombian industry groups with respect to the ongoing U.S. Andean Free Trade Agreement
• advises a major trade association regarding strategies to lessen the impact of a recent U.S. Customs directive regarding bonding requirements for seafood imports
• advised the Government of Turkey on a possible Free Trade Agreement with the United States and prepared a report on the compatibility of such an agreement with Turkey’s Associate Membership with the European Union
• serves as counsel to the UK Ministry of Defense regarding U.S. defense trade control policy
• represented a coalition of all five Central American countries regarding passage of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act
• represented El Salvador regarding bilateral trade and disaster relief matters
• represented a U.S. fireworks manufacturers’ association regarding modifications of U.S. Customs laws