Patrick Childress, former assistant general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in the international trade practice, the firm announced. Childress joined the USTR general counsel office in 2020, where he advised Congress, administration officials and federal agencies on various trade matters, including "digital trade, climate, trade in automotives, foreign investment and regional matters involving Canada and Mexico," the firm said.
The Council of the European Union on May 12 extended the sanctions against cyber-attacks threatening the EU for another year, until May 18, 2026. The council also extended the legal framework for the restrictions for three years, pushing them until May 18, 2028. The framework lets the EU impose targeted sanctions on individuals or entities involved in "cyber-attacks which cause a significant impact, and constitute an external threat to the EU or its member states," the council said. The measures currently apply to 17 people and four entities.
Jerrob Duffy, former head of DOJ's litigation unit in the criminal fraud section, has joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the investigations, white collar and fraud practice, the firm announced. Duffy joins from Squire Patton, and his practice includes sanctions violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act proceedings and the False Claims Act investigations, Hogan Lovells said.
The U.K. extended its sanctions license permitting the winding down of transactions with Amsterdam Trade Bank N.V., which is a majority-owned subsidiary of sanctioned Russian bank Alfa-Bank. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation extended the license until May 12, 2030. OFSI also amended the license to say that any party, including the "Bankruptcy Trustees and any other insolvency practitioner," can make, receive or process any payments or "exercise all rights" in connection with any insolvency proceeding related to ATB or "the fulfilment of the Bankruptcy Trustees' statutory functions."
The U.K. on May 9 added five people and four entities to the Russia sanctions list. The entities are Russian energy companies BX Energy and Nord Axis and financial service companies Romarine and Soglasie Insurance Co. Ltd. The individuals are the following five executives at sanctioned Russian energy company Coral Energy Group: Etibar Eyyub, Tahir Garayev, Ahmed Kerimov, Anar Madatli and Talat Safarov.
The European Commission opened a public consultation regarding a list of U.S. imports that could become subject to tariffs in response to the flurry of U.S. trade action, should talks with the White House fall through, the commission announced. The list covers over $107 billion worth of U.S. imports, including a "broad range of industrial and agricultural products," it said.
National security attorneys Maria Alejandra del-Cerro and Elyssa Kutner have joined DLA Piper as partners in the national security and global trade practice, the firm announced. Del-Cerro is a former attorney in the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and joins DLA Piper from Crowell & Moring, where she'd worked as a partner since 2022. Kutner joins the firm from Sidley Austin, where she worked as an associate, then as counsel, since 2020.
John Kabealo, founder of Kabealo Law, and Evan Sills, former counsel at Kabealo Law, have joined Kirkland & Ellis as partners in the international trade and national security practice group, the firm announced. Kabealo Law, a boutique national security law firm, specialized in the national security regulatory process, dealing with issues related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, Team Telecom and cybersecurity, Kirkland said.
The U.K. on May 1 amended one entry under its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. OFSI updated the listing of Albert Shigabutdinov to reflect that he's a director of the TAIF Group, a firm operating in the Russian energy, financial services and communications sectors.
Egypt opened a safeguard investigation on hot-rolled flat steel on April 22, the country told the World Trade Organization. Egypt's Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade said interested parties should make themselves known within 30 days of April 22.