Irwin Altschuler began his career in 1975 with the U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Treasury Department when those agencies were charged with enforcing unfair trade remedy laws of the United States. He advised senior Customs, Treasury and Justice Department officials on major antidumping cases, and spent substantial time in Japan investigating and resolving those disputes. Irwin also served as a liaison with a number of U.S. attorneys, prosecuting cases of fraud and other serious customs violations.
Since entering the private sector in 1980, Irwin has built a practice that retains its original focus on trade remedies litigation and enforcement proceedings and has grown to include trade policy matters and, increasingly, business issues arising from accessing and defending international markets. Irwin's practice has a strong focus on Mexico. During the past 25 years, he has represented some of Mexico's largest corporations and Mexican government entities, in international trade and other complex legal, policy and business matters.
Areas of Concentration
· Trade remedies
· Trade policy
· United States-Mexico relations
· International business and foreign investment issues
Significant Representations
· Litigated numerous antidumping and countervailing duty cases before the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission and their reviewing tribunals; the U.S. Court of International Trade; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; and NAFTA Chapter 11 and 19 Dispute Panels.
· Counseled foreign governments and companies on litigation and related proceedings at the World Trade Organization.
· Appeared before the U.S. Trade Representative and other agencies on matters including Section 201 and 301 cases and tariff preference proceedings.
· Counseled a foreign government's agriculture department on a full range of bilateral and multinational regulatory, judicial and political issues arising from agricultural trade, and assisted in developing direct sales programs to United States mass retailers.
· Assisted in the defense of a Mexican bank subject to federal prosecution in connection with the "Casablanca" money laundering "sting" operation.
· Represented clients before Congress on issues including, most recently, proposed amendments to U.S. unfair trade laws, renewal of the Andean Trade Preferences Act, renewed "Fast Track" negotiating authority to the President, and the Farm Bill.
· Assisted a major multinational corporation with establishing operations in Mexico, providing business advice ranging from the selection of partners and distributors, and the likely impact of Mexican government and policy
· Helped a major U.S. company resolve issues with regulators and partners in a South American nation.
Professional & Community Involvement
· Member, American Bar Association
· Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
· Member, Fundacion Pro Ninos de la Calle, I.A.P. (Mexican charity that provides training and job opportunities for Mexican street children)
· Member, Maryland State Bar Association
Awards & Recognition
· Listed, Chambers Global, a directory of the most highly recommended lawyers worldwide (2008 and 2009)
· Listed, Chambers and Partners USA Guide, an annual listing of the leading business lawyers and law firms in the world (2007 and 2008)
· Listed, Best Lawyers in America® (2008 and 2010)
· Rated, AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5
Articles, Publications, & Lectures
· Lecturer, "Aspects of U.S. Trade Law and NAFTA Provisions," University of Monterrey (Mexico) Law School, Mexico
· Lecturer, "U.S. Patriot Act and Its Impact on Anti-Money Laundering Efforts," Mexican Bankers' Association
· Commentator, "NAFTA at 10: Progress, Potential, and Precedents" (Panel, NAFTA: Trade, Economic Integration, and Security) Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.
· Co-Author, "The North American Free Trade Agreement: The Ongoing Liberalization of Trade With Mexico," 28 Wake Forest Law Review Number 1, Spring, 1993