Robert L. LaFrankie is a senior counsel in Crowell & Moring's International Trade Group and resident in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Bob regularly advises manufacturers, exporters, and importers in
all aspects of international trade and customs proceedings before various
government agencies, courts, and international tribunals. He focuses on
trade-related litigation and counseling, including trade remedy proceedings
and U.S. Customs compliance and enforcement issues. Bob has successfully
defended numerous clients located throughout Asia, Europe, and the
Americas that produce or import a diverse range of products, including flat-rolled
and specialty steel products and components, chemicals and plastics,
frozen and canned food products, paper products, motor vehicle parts and
components, specialty valves and valve systems, disposable lighters,
petrochemical and renewable fuels, anti-friction bearings, and other
manufactured products. In addition to litigation and compliance
counseling, Bob engages in strategic trade remedy and customs planning
activities for clients, particularly for companies with global sourcing,
manufacturing, and export/import operations. He also advises companies
with regard to NAFTA compliance issues and related audits of client
facilities.
Bob also has significant government experience in international trade. He
served as a senior attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for Import
Administration at the U.S. Commerce Department, where he defended the
agency’s international trade decisions from legal challenge before U.S. courts, the World Trade Organization dispute settlement bodies, and NAFTA
bi-national panels. In that capacity, he also acted as legal counsel in
government-to-government negotiations addressing various cross-border
trade disputes, and advised agency and congressional staff on legislative and
regulatory proposals affecting international trade.
Highlighted Matters
- Lead counsel in numerous antidumping and countervailing duty
proceedings and related court appeals involving a range of
manufactured products sourced from multiple countries; supervised
more than 25 U.S. Commerce Department on-site “verification” audits
of client facilities in Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, China, and the
United States.
- Advise major global steel producers on customs and trade compliance
aspects of integrated sourcing, manufacturing, and import/export
operations on multiple continents.
- Advise numerous manufacturers, exporters, and importers on U.S.
Customs compliance requirements applicable to imported goods,
including entry, classification, valuation, bonding, and country-of-origin
issues, as well as compliance with Foreign Trade Zone rules and
audits.
- Regularly conduct/assist internal trade-related “audits” of client
facilities for trade and customs compliance purposes, including review
of data systems, accounting records/procedures, and sales, cost, and
correspondence files.
- Regularly assist U.S. and foreign manufacturers with multi-country
sourcing, manufacturing, and import/export operations, including
related Customs and NAFTA compliance issues.
- Advised governments and manufacturers in connection with ongoing
and threatened WTO trade litigation and disputes and implementation
of remedies.
- Currently representing major European manufacturer in a multifaceted
trade remedy dispute involving the U.S. Commerce
Department, U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court
of International Trade.
- Currently representing the Indian shrimp industry in ongoing trade
dispute with the U.S. Government and U.S. domestic seafood
industry, including multiple administrative proceedings and court
appeals.
- Agency counsel in high profile “interlocutory” appeal at the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit involving consolidated challenges to
multiple antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imported
uranium from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United
Kingdom.
- Consistently implemented effective strategies to minimize antidumping
liability, including annual review planning and successful revocation
proceedings.
- Actively engaged in challenging so-called “targeted dumping”
methodologies before the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. Court of
International Trade, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- Regularly challenges existing antidumping and countervailing duty
orders at the U.S. International Trade Commission during “sunset”
proceedings.
Prior to attending law school, Bob worked as a legislative assistant in the
Economic Affairs section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in
Washington, D.C. He also spent a year abroad teaching English and
international trade law at the Guilin Institute for Electronics Technology in
Guilin, China.
Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Columbia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, U.S. Court of International Trade
Speeches & Presentations
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"Antidumping and Trade Remedies - What it Means to Asia," Platts SBB Steel Markets Asia Conference 2012, Hong Kong, China
(November 2012).
Panelist: Robert L. LaFrankie.
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"Antidumping Overview," Seminar for the Brazilian Department of Trade Remedies (DECOM), Brasilia, Brazil
(May 2012).
Speaker: Robert L. LaFrankie.
-
"Dealing with Antidumping Duties," Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo (FIESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
(May 2012).
Speaker: Robert L. LaFrankie.
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"An Overview of EU Antidumping Orders Affecting Thai Plastic Bags," The Federation of Thai Industries, National Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand
(September 2011).
Speaker: Robert L. LaFrankie.
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"Trade Remedy Aspects of International and Bilateral Safeguards Remedies," The Department of Foreign Trade, Royal Thai Government, Bangkok, Thailand
(September 2011).
Speaker: Robert L. LaFrankie.
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"How U.S. Antidumping Policy Undermines U.S. Competitiveness: A Pro-Reform Perspective," The CATO Institute, Washington, D.C.
(June 2011).
Panelist: Robert L. LaFrankie.
Publications
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"United States: U.S. Government Expands the Use of Zeroing in Antidumping Investigations," Mondaq
(May 13, 2010).
Co-Author: Robert L. LaFrankie.
Client Alerts & Newsletters
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"The Month in International Trade — June 2017,"
International Trade Bulletin
(July 10, 2017).
Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Frances P. Hadfield, Edward Goetz, Michelle J. Linderman, Gordon McAllister, Edward Norman, John Laird, Carlton Greene, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Paul Davies, Melissa Morris, Ian A. Laird, John B. Brew, Daniel Cannistra, Eduardo Mathison, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Robert Holleyman, Robert L. LaFrankie
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"The Month in International Trade — May 2017,"
International Trade Bulletin
(June 8, 2017).
Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Frances P. Hadfield, Edward Goetz, Daniel Cannistra, Alexander H. Schaefer, John B. Brew, Robert L. LaFrankie, Charles De Jager, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Adeoye O. Johnson, Aaron Marx, Eduardo Mathison, Carlton Greene, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Thomas A. Hanusik, Sarah Bartle, Kelly T. Currie, Dalal Hasan, Ian A. Laird, John Laird, Alan W. H. Gourley, Adelicia R. Cliffe, M. Yuan Zhou
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"The Month in International Trade — April 2017,"
International Trade Bulletin
(May 4, 2017).
Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Edward Goetz, Frances P. Hadfield, Paul Davies, Daniel Cannistra, Alan W. H. Gourley, Alexander H. Schaefer, John B. Brew, Robert L. LaFrankie, Charles De Jager, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Carlton Greene, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Gordon McAllister, Edward Norman, Christopher Monahan, Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro, Mariana Pendás, Angela B. Styles, Kris D. Meade
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"Commerce Initiates Investigation into Steel Imports' Impact on U.S. National Security,"
International Trade Bulletin
(April 20, 2017).
Contacts: Daniel Cannistra, Alan W. H. Gourley, Alexander H. Schaefer, Jeffrey L. Snyder, John B. Brew, Robert L. LaFrankie, Charles De Jager, Benjamin Blase Caryl
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"This Month in International Trade — March 2017,"
International Trade Bulletin
(April 6, 2017).
Contacts: John B. Brew, Edward Goetz, Frances P. Hadfield, Paul Davies, Melissa Morris, Daniel Cannistra, Alexander H. Schaefer, Robert L. LaFrankie, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Jeffrey L. Snyder, Carlton Greene, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Christopher Monahan, Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro, Charles De Jager, Alan W. H. Gourley, M. Yuan Zhou, Adelicia R. Cliffe, Andrew Blasi
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"This Month in International Trade — September 2016,"
International Trade Bulletin
(October 11, 2016).
Contacts: John B. Brew, Frances P. Hadfield, Edward Goetz, Adrian Jones, Ian A. Laird, Charles De Jager, John Laird, Gordon McAllister, Aaron Marx, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Mariana Pendás, Daniel Cannistra, Alexander H. Schaefer, Robert L. LaFrankie, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Gail D. Zirkelbach, Jason M. Crawford, Paul Davies, Danie Beukman, Christopher Monahan
In the News