Valerie Ellis joined Heller Ehrman in 2008 and practices international trade law.  Ms. Ellis is a member of the Antitrust & Trade Regulation Practice Group.

Experience

Ms. Ellis’ practice focuses on a range of U.S. laws that affect cross-border trade and investment, including antidumping (AD), countervailing duty (CVD), escape clause relief (Section 201), customs, and laws involving export controls, anti-boycott compliance, and national security implications of foreign direct investment in the United States.

As a former U.S. government official within the Department of Commerce’s Import Administration, Ms. Ellis administered the U.S. antidumping and countervailing laws.  She now applies that expertise in defending respondents in AD and CVD actions before the Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission.  Her work extends to the World Trade Organization (WTO), where she has represented foreign governments in matters involving U.S. implementation of its WTO obligations.  In the area of cross-border investment, She is actively involved in work under the Exon-Florio Amendment, the legal regime regulating foreign direct investment as it relates to national security, which is coordinated by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Ms. Ellis is also a member of the firm's Climate Change Practice Group, where her experience in trade agreements serves as a resource to clients seeking to invest in green development abroad while also benefiting from preferential U.S. trading regimes.  She also advises clients regarding international trade obligations under the WTO, such as most favored nation and national treatment, and specific WTO exceptions related to protection of the environment and national security.

Representative Engagements

• Representation of major petrochemicals processor before U.S. Customs and Border Protection regarding country of origin claims under the Caribbean Basin Initiative
• Representation of foreign manufacturer in the acquisition of a business involving dual-use technology before CFIUS
•  Defense of frozen shrimp industries in Thailand, Vietnam, and India before the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission in original investigations, administrative reviews, and settlements
• Defense of carbon and stainless steel and steel products from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Thailand (Department of Commerce, International Trade Commission, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. Court of International Trade)
• Defense of South American agricultural interests before the International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce in antidumping duty proceedings
• Representation of foreign governments before the Court of International Trade in challenges related to the application of the U.S. countervailing duty laws

Publications

• International Trade Client Alert  04.22.2008
• “Proposed New Legislation Would Tighten Review Process for Foreign Acquisitions in the U.S.,” North America Free Trade and Investment Report, January 2007   mm.dd.yyyy
• “Enjoin the Byrd Amendment,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, October 2006 (co-author)   mm.dd.yyyy
• “U.S. Energy and Foreign Direct Investment: Is the Foreign Capital Flow for Oil & Gas at Risk?” Oil & Gas Financial Journal, Volume 4, Issue 6, June 2007 (co-author)   mm.dd.yyyy
• "U.S. Broadens Its M&A Barricades," The European Lawyer, Issue 72, October 2007 (co-author)  mm.dd.yyyy
• "The Potential Clash of Climate Change Policy and International Trade Law," Business Brief Law, Volume 4, Issue 1, Fall 2007 (co-author)   mm.dd.yyyy