International Trade

Fennemore’s International Trade team helps businesses operate with confidence in an increasingly complex global marketplace. As tariffs, trade regulations, and enforcement actions continue to evolve, companies need clear, practical guidance to manage risk and stay competitive. Our multidisciplinary approach brings together corporate, regulatory, tax, intellectual property, and dispute resolution perspectives to address the full scope of challenges clients face in cross-border operations. We work closely with clients to respond to immediate trade issues while anticipating policy shifts that may impact their business. By combining regulatory insight with a business-focused approach, we help clients make informed decisions, maintain compliance, and position themselves for long-term success in international markets.

Fennemore’s International Trade team helps businesses navigate an increasingly complex global trade environment shaped by tariffs, shifting regulations, and evolving policy priorities. We work alongside clients to manage immediate trade challenges while positioning their businesses for long-term success in international markets. Our multidisciplinary approach brings together corporate, regulatory, tax, intellectual property, and dispute resolution perspectives to address the full scope of challenges clients face in cross-border operations.

Our team supports companies facing tariff impacts, trade investigations, and regulatory uncertainty by providing practical, forward-looking guidance. We monitor developments in Washington, D.C. closely, including legislative and executive branch activity, so clients can anticipate changes, adapt strategies, and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. Where appropriate, we also help clients engage in the policymaking process.

We are prepared to respond to all types of trade actions that have been active in recent years, including:

• Section 232: Help clients manage tariffs imposed for national security reasons, including those affecting imports of iron, steel, and copper, and assist in pursuing available exclusions to reduce cost impacts.
• Section 301: Advise clients on tariffs arising from unfair trade practices, including those targeting imports from China, and help address risks related to market access, intellectual property protections, and regulatory barriers.
• Section 201: Guide clients through safeguard actions involving import surges, including proceedings before the U.S. International Trade Commission, to address the reimposition of duties and protect business operations.
• Antidumping: Assist clients with cases involving international price discrimination that causes injury or threat of injury to U.S. producers.
• Countervailing duties: Assist clients in cases involving foreign government subsidies, helping navigate investigations and manage exposure to additional U.S. duties
• Trade agreements: Help clients take full advantage of agreements such as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by ensuring compliance with rules of origin and other requirements to reduce or eliminate tariffs.
• Customs: Support clients with day-to-day import and duty matters, including tariff classification, valuation, country of origin marking, and compliance issues, particularly in cross-border trade with Mexico and Canada and the use of foreign trade zones.
• Tariff refunds: Work with clients across industries, including agriculture, to pursue available tariff refunds and recover costs tied to improperly applied or invalidated duties.
• Section 122: Advise clients on short-term tariff actions imposed to address unfair foreign competition, helping assess product coverage, identify exclusions, and respond quickly to minimize business disruption.
• Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFIUS): Counsel clients on foreign investment regulations, including real estate transactions near sensitive sites, helping secure approvals and avoid penalties or forced divestitures.
• International Investment: Support clients in structuring and executing inbound and outbound foreign investment transactions, particularly those involving cross-border activity with Mexico.
• Export Controls and Sanctions: Help clients navigate complex export control laws and economic sanctions, ensuring compliance when dealing with sensitive products, technologies, and restricted countries or parties
• Agribusiness: Assist agricultural enterprises operating across the U.S.-Mexico border with trade, investment, and regulatory matters, leveraging regional experience to address industry-specific challenges.
• Nearshoring: We advise companies on nearshoring and supply chain realignment strategies, particularly involving Mexico, helping them evaluate operational, regulatory, and trade considerations to reduce costs, mitigate risk, and improve market access.

Our focus is on helping clients reduce risk, stay compliant, and make informed business decisions in a rapidly changing international trade landscape.