The Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) and the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Present a Panel Discussion on Careers & Internships in International Trade, Customs, and Export Controls Law
The Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) andthe American Society of International Law (ASIL) Present a Panel Discussion:
Have you ever thought about being an international trade lawyer? Hear from practitioners about the many opportunities in the international trade law field and how to start your career. As part of CITBA’s and ASIL’s commitments to a diverse trade bar, this event is geared towards law students and recent graduates from underrepresented groups.
Topic: Careers & Internships in International Trade, Customs, and Export Controls Law
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET / 1:00 – 2:00 PM PT
Place: Zoom link will be sent to those who RSVP.
Price: This event is free and open to all.
Moderator:
Jaelyn Edwards Judelson advises clients on various aspects of regulatory compliance affecting international business, with a particular emphasis on regulations applicable to dual-use goods and technology. She also assists clients with global investigations and compliance, including export controls, economic sanctions, anticorruption and antibribery. Previously based in London, Jaelyn’s practice also includes experience with the application of U.S. law to non-U.S. entities and operations, including clients in industries such as: aerospace and defense, logistics and freight forwarding, communications, technology and manufacturing.
Panelists:
Currita C. Waddy is currently the Assistant Chief Counsel for the United States Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security in New Orleans, Louisiana. In that capacity, she provides legal services to a five-state area covering over 19 ports of entry into the United States. Her main areas of law include international trade, immigration, intellectual property rights, contracts, federal tort claims, labor, and ethics. Ms. Waddy began her federal government career with the United States Customs Service, Department of the Treasury, in 1987 as a staff attorney in Washington, D.C. In 1995, after becoming a managing attorney, Ms. Waddy relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. The agency was renamed United States Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security in March of 2003. Ms. Waddy is a graduate of Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Public Administration. She received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Howard University School of Law, Washington, DC. She is an active member of various legal, community, and social organizations.
Shama Patari is currently the Executive Director and legal counsel for global trade and government relations at Lenovo. As in-house counsel she advises the company on all aspects of international trade regulation, planning and compliance, including customs, export controls, economic sanctions, embargoes, international trade agreements and preference programs. She also represents the company before Customs agencies around the world. Prior to Lenovo, Shama was an associate and former partner at Barnes, Richardson & Colburn, LLP where she practiced in all areas of Customs and International Trade Law. Her practice primarily focused on counseling various clients on import and export matters across several industries including automotive, agricultural commodities, plastics, textile and apparel, electrical goods, chemicals, and other consumer products. She also represented foreign and domestic clients before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Industry and Security, Canada Border Services Agency, the Court of International Trade, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In her spare time, Shama teaches International Trade Law to second and third year students at the Loyola School of Law. Shama received her J.D. in 2007 and LL.M. in 2009 from The John Marshall Law School.
Mercedes C. Morno is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where she was Editor-in-Chief of her law journal and a finalist in the annual moot court competition. Subsequent to law school, Mercedes completed a federal judicial clerkship in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mercedes then served as Senior Attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance in the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that capacity, she advised the agency with respect to the administration of U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty laws. In recognition of her significant contributions to the agency, Mercedes was selected for special recognition by the General Counsel. Mercedes was also awarded with the Distinguished Attorney Award for Exceptional Performance and a Gold Medal Award. Mercedes has since joined the international trade practice group at King & Spalding, LLP, specializing in international trade and regulatory matters. Mercedes focuses in particular on representing clients in trade remedy and trade compliance proceedings and related litigation. Mercedes advises across sectors, including the steel, chemical, defense, and technology industries. In her free time, Mercedes enjoys traveling and outdoor physical activities such as ziplining.
Roop K. Bhatti is the U.S. International Trade Commission’s Chief of Staff under the current Democratic Chair, Jason E. Kearns, managing all of the agency’s operational and administrative activities in addition to providing counsel on a variety of legal and policy matters. During her tenure at the Commission, both as an aide to Commissioner Kearns and as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, Ms. Bhatti has provided legal advice in antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, safeguard investigations, and economic studies. Before joining the Commission, Ms. Bhatti was an associate at the law firm of Picard Kentz & Rowe, where she represented clients in matters related to U.S. trade litigation, international trade policy, trade negotiations, board advisory work, and federal taxation. She represented domestic industries before the Commission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Commerce, the Court of International Trade, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Previously, Ms. Bhatti was a policy advisor to The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a group of 26 major global apparel companies formed to undertake the improvement of safety in Bangladeshi garment factories. In that role, Ms. Bhatti worked on a variety of issues, including trade policy related to the country’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) status and antitrust and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance. Ms. Bhatti holds a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Chicago in International Studies and South Asian Languages & Civilizations.
Jini Koh received her B.A. in International Relations and Environmental Studies from Tulane University and her J.D. from the University of Alabama. After law school, she clerked for Judge Nicholas Tsoucalas of the U.S. Court of International Trade. From there, Jini decided to specialize in international trade, first as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (NYC) and then as an attorney at Crowell & Moring (DC & NYC), where her practice focused on advising clients on all areas of import regulatory compliance, trade remedies, and litigation arising therefrom. In 2017, she joined Amazon as their customs attorney advising the Consumer business on trade compliance, international expansion, and global trade policy matters. Last year, Jini switched roles and leads the global logistics legal team supporting cross-border logistics programs.