Sovereign Governments

Akin’s top-tier lobbying & public policy and international trade practices assist governments and state-owned entities around the world in navigating unstable international and domestic trade patterns, trade and investment barriers, financial policy shifts and unprecedented global events.

Foreign governments and the companies we represent rely on us to help them understand and respond to U.S. and international developments that affect their interests. Our interdisciplinary team includes one of the largest and most successful public policy practices in Washington, D.C., a preeminent international trade practice and deep experience with regulatory agencies in the United States and around the world.

With offices in major world and financial capitals, including New York, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, London and Washington, D.C., we leverage our global reach to provide comprehensive government relations services on economic and trade issues, including:

Advising on trade relations, negotiation of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), implementation of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and advocacy regarding trade and WTO disputes.
Assisting with all matters related to FTAs, including advocacy before the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), members of Congress and business community stakeholders.
Developing and implementing strategic plans to raise the visibility and awareness of foreign sovereign specific issues before the U.S. administration, Congress and relevant agencies.
Similarly, developing and implementing strategy plans to raise the profile of issues with foreign governments and international organizations.
Advising Freely Associated States on matters relating to Compacts of Free Association with the U.S., including federal programs and associated funding.
Advising on Generalized System of Preferences renewal and program reform.
Analyzing bilateral economic relationships country-by-country, state-by-state and sector-by-sector, as needed.
Counseling on U.S. tax and tariff policies.
Advising on efforts to secure permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with the U.S.
Representing clients in WTO, U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and other FTA disputes.
Representing sovereign nations and investors in investor-state arbitration proceedings.
Representing sovereigns in antidumping, countervailing duty, safeguards and section 232, 301 and 337 proceedings.

Our team includes sophisticated lawyers and practitioners with experience in private practice, as well as distinguished records of public service in Congress, the Office of the USTR, the National Economic Council, the National Security Council, the departments of State, Defense, Commerce, the Treasury, Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Representative Matters

Provide comprehensive government relations advocacy and policy services to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including advising on the Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel (the “Abraham Accords”) and securing congressional approval for the U.S.-UAE Agreement to Peaceful Civilian Nuclear Energy Cooperation.
Advise the Embassy of Korea in the U.S. and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on U.S. policy and regulations involving trade, including trade remedies, outbound investment and FTAs including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).
Provide comprehensive government relations advocacy and policy services to the foreign affairs and trade ministries of an Asian country, including WTO and trade remedy disputes and section 232 matters, and advising the embassy on U.S. policy and regulations, IPEF and bilateral trade negotiations.
Advise an Asian government on bilateral issues with the U.S., including IPEF, FTA negotiations and U.S. export controls and sanctions issues.
Advise two Pacific Island nations on the renewal of their Compacts of Free Association with the U.S.