John R. Gilliland
Consultant
Areas of Focus
- International Trade
- International Trade Policy
- Food & Agriculture Policy
- World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Resolution & Counseling
- Sovereign Governments
- Advises clients on international trade and regulatory matters, with extensive experience in the agriculture and food sectors.
- Former International Trade Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.
- Former Legislative Assistant to Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).
John Gilliland brings more than 25 years of experience to help clients navigate the intersection of international trade and domestic policies, providing strategic counsel and representation to shape policy outcomes.
Over the course of his career, John has represented clients on a diverse range of matters before Congress and across the executive branch, as well as at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in foreign jurisdiction-based trade investigations. He has also advised sovereign clients on treaty negotiations and disputes, regional security and human rights.
He has advised on the negotiation or implementation of more than a dozen U.S. free trade agreements, the enactment of numerous trade-related statutes and the application of WTO-consistent measures on biotechnology.
His work in the food and agriculture sector has included enactment and implementation of the last four Farm Bills, numerous matters before the U.S. Department of Agriculture, establishment of a major sustainability and supply chain tracing initiative, and the creation of an agriculture disease research program.
- Counsel the main trade association representing the U.S. cotton industry, advising on matters before the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Trade Representative and Congress, and assisting in the establishment of a major environmental sustainability initiative with global supply chain tracing.
- Represented the United Arab Emirates in gaining congressional approval for the U.S.-UAE Agreement to Peaceful Civilian Nuclear Energy Cooperation, which has become the nonproliferation gold standard for nuclear cooperation agreements.
- Advised a major European-based agriculture seed and technology manufacturer on domestic and international trade matters, including biotechnology trait approval processes in foreign markets.
- Assisted the Florida citrus industry in the design and creation of a new citrus disease research program in the 2014 Farm Bill.
- Led a coalition of U.S. manufacturing companies to secure enactment of 2006 and 2010 Miscellaneous Tariff Bills as well as establishment of an administrative petition process for duty suspensions in the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016.
EducationJ.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1994
B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1990
J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1994
B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1990
Bar AdmissionsDistrict of Columbia
Georgia
District of Columbia
Georgia
- Who’s Who Legal: Trade & Customs Law (2018 – current).
- International Trade Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
- Legislative Assistant, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas)
- Adjunct Professor, American University Washington College of Law
- (forthcoming) Fast Track: A Legal, Historical, and Political Analysis, 2nd. Edition, Brill Publishers, co-authored with Hal S. Shapiro.
- “Trade Agreements and the U.S. Congress – the Case of the TPP,” chapter in The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership: Analysis and Commentary, edited by Jorge A. Huerta-Goldman and David A. Gantz, 5-39, Cambridge University Press (2022), co-authored with Sheridan S. McKinney.
- “USMCA: An overview of its implementation. Challenges, potential disputes and win-win opportunities,” Dorantes Advisors, Mexico City, Mexico (October 2022).
- “International Trade Law: How Big is the Target on Agriculture’s Back?” Presentation at the American Agricultural Lawyers Association, 2018 Annual Education Symposium. Portland, Oregon (October 2018).
- “U.S. Agriculture Trade: Overview and Update on Current and Emerging Issues,” Webinar presentation, University of Arkansas National Agricultural Law Center (May 2018).
- “International Trade and Agriculture Discussion,” Presentation at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, 2018 Winter Policy Conference. Washington, D.C. (January 2018).
- “Will Protectionism Trump Inclusive Trade?” Presentation at the World Trade Organization Public Forum. Geneva, Switzerland (September 2017).
- “The Race for the White House and What It Means for Agriculture,” Presentation at the Women in Agribusiness Summit. Chicago, Illinois (September 2016).
