Represents corporate and government clients in administrative and appellate litigation covered by various trade remedy laws affecting inbound trade, including antidumping, countervailing duty, safeguards, Section 232 and Section 301.
Significant experience representing trade groups and U.S. and international companies on trade and other regulatory issues impacting renewable energy and storage industries, including the solar and electric vehicle industries.
Counsels and defends clients on customs regulatory issues and in administrative and appellate litigation.
Advises on international obligations and opportunities under bilateral, regional and multilateral trade and investment agreements, including pursuing and defending disputes under such agreements.
Recently completed a two-year term as President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association.
Matt is a partner in Akin’s international trade practice, where he focuses mostly on trade remedies, customs and other trade policies affecting the importation of goods. Matt has achieved the highest industry honors, including being ranked as a Leading Lawyer in International Trade Law by Chambers USA, Chambers Global and The Legal 500. Clients interviewed by Chambers describe Matt as “an extremely talented and effective international trade lawyer.”
Additional industry recognitions highlighting Matt’s market-leading practice include being named a Trailblazer by The American Lawyer. Matt was also featured in The American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week series for securing pivotal wins regarding U.S. imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) solar products at the U.S. Court of International Trade.
When Akin won the Law360 International Trade Group of the Year award, Matt was profiled for his work on behalf of a coalition of blueberry importers and distributors facing an investigation. The successful defense “set a strong precedent for seasonal imports facing government-initiated probes,” according to Law360.
Matt has represented hundreds of clients across the globe involving multiple industries in antidumping duty, countervailing duty and safeguard litigation, and routinely provides counsel on the business implications of day-to-day trade and customs regulation. He regularly appears before various U.S. agencies and courts, including in proceedings before the Department of Commerce (DOC), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). He also represents clients in appeals before the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Matt’s current casework includes counseling foreign exporters and importers in several antidumping and countervailing duty investigations and reviews. He also takes his clients’ matters up on appeal to federal court, including the pending challenge to Section 301 duties on U.S. imports from China.
Matt also advises clients on opportunities and risks presented by international obligations under bilateral, regional and multilateral trade and investment agreements, including World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution and counseling. Relying on his knowledge of WTO agreements, Matt advises clients on whether actions taken by member governments comply with WTO agreements, on implementation procedures under U.S. law and on methods for resolving trade disputes, including through formal dispute settlement.
In addition to his remedies, policy and WTO work, Matt has experience in the full range of the U.S. trade regulatory regime, including export controls, economic sanctions, anticorruption and antiboycott laws.
As an adjunct law professor at the American University Washington College of Law, Matt co-teaches a course on “The U.S. Trade Regime” and assists with coaching the school’s WTO moot court team. Matt has also served in various leadership positions in the trade bar throughout his career, most recently as President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) from 2020-2022.
Representative Work
Represents associations and companies in ongoing AD, CVD and safeguard matters involving imports of solar cells and modules before DOC, ITC and the federal courts.
Leads the largest trade lawsuit in history challenging President Trump’s Section 301 duties on imports from China.
Represents the largest Mexican exporter and its U.S. parent before the DOC and the ITC in AD and CVD cases against U.S. imports of fabricated structural steel from Mexico, Canada and China, and in appeals before North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panels and the federal courts.
Represents a Mexican producer of residential washers in an AD case before DOC and in NAFTA panel appeals.
Represented a coalition of importers and exporters before the ITC in a safeguard case against imports of fresh and frozen blueberries.
Represented the 60-company strong Ad Hoc Coalition of Cabinet Importers before the ITC in AD and CVD cases against wooden cabinets from China.
Represented three Japanese steel producers in the ITC’s fourth sunset review of the AD duty orders against Stainless Steel Bar from Brazil, India, Japan and Spain.
Represented the government of Canada in the Softwood Lumber AD and CVD litigation before the DOC and ITC
Represented a Southeast Asian government in biodiesel CVD cases before the DOC and ITC.
Represented a multinational chemical company in customs litigation before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Represented a major German manufacturer in AD proceedings on lightweight thermal paper from Germany before the DOC and ITC and in federal courts.
Represented a Latin American government in a CVD investigation on sugar from Mexico.
Represented a major replacement tires retailer and wholesaler in AD/CVD investigations of passenger and light truck tires from China and represented the same company in earlier China safeguard and related customs matters.
Represented exporters and importers in AD and CVD investigations and reviews of frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam and other countries.
Counseled a large financial information services supplier on foreign market access issues, including a WTO dispute with China regarding restrictions on marketing, sales and investment in financial information services.
Counseled a television programming association and industry members on market access barriers and intellectual property violations in foreign markets.
Represented a major solar energy developer in AD/CVD investigation of solar cells and modules from China.
Represented a major producer and importer in an AD/CVD case against refrigerators from Mexico.
Represented a Southeast Asian government and various exporters in the investigation and review of the first U.S. AD case against Vietnam on fish fillets.
Advised an Asian government and industry in the WTO appeal on U.S. hot-rolled steel AD measures (2000-2001), WTO appeal on U.S. steel safeguard measures (2002-2003) and the WTO appeal on U.S. sunset procedures (2002-2003).
Advised an Australasian government and industry in the 2000 International Trade Centre midterm review and a WTO appeal of U.S. lamb meat safeguard measures
. Helped lead joint injury defenses of importers, foreign producers and foreign exporters, incorporating novel economic and econometric analyses, in the 1999-2000 and 1992-1993 U.S. cold-rolled steel AD/CVD investigations and Court of International Trade appeals, and in the 2001 U.S. steel safeguard investigations.
Supervised various DOC AD investigations and administrative reviews for Japanese and Brazilian steel and Thai canned pineapple clients.
Led a factual investigation on behalf of a multinational photography company in a 1995 Section 301 market access case involving photographic film and paper before the USTR.