Akin Gump Advises Government of Liberia on WTO Membership

(Washington, D.C.) – On July 14, 2016, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that Liberia became the 163rd WTO member following the ratification last month by the Liberian Parliament of its Protocol of Accession into the organization. Liberia, which applied for WTO membership in 2007, was advised on this matter by a pro bono team from Akin Gump, who worked with the government on a number of issues in the weeks leading up to the ratification.

Spencer Griffith, a partner in Akin Gump’s international trade team in Washington, stated, “We congratulate Liberia for acceding to the WTO, and were very pleased to have been able to work with the government of Liberia on this important development for their country. WTO membership will open doors that will help Liberia grow its economy and provide many new opportunities for its citizens, and it has been exciting to be a part of that.”

The team from Akin Gump worked alongside members of the non-profit International Senior Lawyers Project to advise on customs, pre-shipping , as well as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) issues related to the WTO agreements.

In addition to Mr. Griffith, the Akin Gump team advising the government of Liberia on this matter included international trade partner Stephen Kho, senior counsel Alan Yanovich, and associates Cynthia Liu and Emily Fuller Opp.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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