International Trade Regulation
Lawyers helping clients overcome the impact of trade regulations
HFW's international trade regulation practice advises clients on, and resolves issues related to, the impact of regulations mandated by the European Union and World Trade Organization. Our primary objective is to help clients overcome commercial obstacles related to market access and import and export-related difficulties that result from government intervention and market regulations worldwide
What we do in International Trade Regulation
We deal with domestic regulations governing import and export trade flows and investment, as well as the impact of international treaties on such regulations, including public international (treaty and customary) law; international economic integration processes; and the practical implementation of elaborate international trade agreements and arrangements.
In recent years, the EU has concluded free trade agreements with major economies such as South Korea, and made progress in signing ambitious new free trade agreements with important commercial partners such as India and Canada.
We have assisted clients in analysing and anticipating these opportunities and preparing their strategic business plans in advance.
We are highly recommended in Chambers and the Legal 500 for our EU Trade practice:
“This firm’s strong trade practice advises clients in many countries on anti-dumping, antisubsidy and safeguard issues relating to a variety of products. It is currently advising a client on the OFT investigation into price fixing in the supermarket industry, and successfully represented Chinese exporter Zhejiang Xinan Chemical Industrial Group in a case concerning whether partial state ownership of a company can be the sole reason to deny it market economy status.”
Our experience in International Trade Regulation
We have helped clients access new export markets, overcome foreign investment restrictions, eliminate illegal foreign tariffs, remove discriminatory foreign regulations, and successfully defend against anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, safeguard and trade sanctions proceedings. We provide below some examples of our work in this area:
- Regularly representing corporate clients and various non-EU Governments in anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard proceedings initiated by the EU against third country imports.
- Regularly representing clients on sanctions issues, for example litigation in the English courts under the EU sanctions against Iran.
- Preparing procedures for international companies for compliance with the UK Bribery Act 2010.
- Representing a multinational in an anti-corruption investigation by the World Bank into the award and performance of a major infrastructure contract.
- Representing clients before the EU Courts in cases concerning EU trade defence investigations.
- Advising Third country Governments in their trade-related disputes with the EU, as well as in negotiations with the EU for the conclusion of symmetrical and asymmetrical (preferential) Free Trade Agreements.
- Advising on the export of numerous minerals and chemicals from countries such as China, South East Asia, the CIS, Canada and South America, into various markets.
- Advising on the export and regulatory environment related to numerous finished goods from Japan, China, the Middle East, the US and Russia in to Europe and vice versa.
