Trade Negotiations

Our partners are experts on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and international trade agreements.  We advise clients on the enforcement of existing trade rules and assist them in their participation in ongoing trade negotiations, including bilateral and regional trade negotiations the U.S. has undertaken.  We are actively engaged in the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and will be closely monitoring possible U.S.-EU free trade talks.  We continue to track discussions in Geneva about how to re-engage the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations.

Legal Services

Our legal services include: the analysis of foreign and domestic measures for compatibility with international trade laws; the preparation of briefs in formal dispute settlement cases -- including under Section 301 of U.S. trade law; the preparation and review of commercial and contractual agreements; and the evaluation of proposed legislation and regulations to determine their impacts on our clients.

Business Support

DTB Associates offers business support to a variety of clients from companies and associations interested in establishing a legal and commercial presence in the U.S. or abroad, to the management on an interim basis, of the day-to-day operations of Washington, D.C.-based trade associations.  DTB Associates, for example, operates an export trading company (ETC), which was formed by the poultry industries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States as part of the Central America Free Trade Agreement to administer U.S. poultry shipments to Central America.  DTB also advises exporters and importers on rules and regulations applying to shipments of products to and from the U.S. market.

Regulatory Matters

We have been heavily involved in resolving regulatory problems in areas such as biotechnology, food safety, plant and animal health, and fisheries issues. The misuse of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and other non-tariff barriers to restrict trade has become increasingly common.  We have a thorough and practical knowledge of the applicable provisions of the WTO, trade agreements, and domestic U.S. regulations that govern SPS and other market access issues, and how these can be used to challenge successfully such restrictions.

Legislation and Agricultural Policy

The partners of DTB Associates are actively involved in a variety of legislative initiatives on behalf of their clients including trade, agriculture, fisheries, immigration, and appropriations matters, both before the U.S. Congress and key agencies of the Administration.  In the area of agricultural policy, working with AgRisk Management, DTB Associates has been able to provide economic analyses to back-stop these policy efforts.

Fee Structure

We have a flexible fee structure that can accommodate the particular needs of a client. Please contact us to discuss your specific issue to see how we may be able to assist in finding a solution.