Former International Trade Commissioner chair and current commissioner Rhonda Schmidtlein will join WilmerHale as a partner in the international trade, investment and market access practice group, the firm announced. The ITC, in a concurrent press release, said the commissioner will step down Feb. 1. Schmidtlein was confirmed to the ITC in 2014, previously serving as chair for 17 months in 2017-18.

Ryan Majerus, former acting assistant secretary for enforcement and compliance at the Commerce Department, has joined King & Spalding as a partner in the international trade practice, the firm announced. Majerus has held various positions in the U.S. government, including senior policy adviser for supply chains at the White House National Economic Council and assistant general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

International trade attorney Moushami Joshi has joined Husch Blackwell as senior counsel, Joshi announced on LinkedIn. She joins the firm from Pillsbury Winthrop, where she worked as an attorney for over 10 years. Prior to working at Pillsbury in Washington, Joshi worked as an international trade partner at L&L Partners in India.

International trade attorney Michelle Avrutin has left Schagrin Associates, the firm said in a notice to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Avrutin joined Schagrin in 2020. The firm declined to comment on the reason for her departure.

Alejo Cabranes, former senior policy adviser with the Treasury Department, is joining DOJ as an attorney in its National Security Division, he announced on LinkedIn. Cabranes has worked at Treasury since 2023, where he helped implement sanctions and anti-money laundering policies.

Trade attorney Kristen Smith has departed Sandler Travis, the firm said in a notice to the Court of International Trade. Smith worked at Sandler Travis for over 20 years, joining in 2005, most recently as a practice leader and member of the trade remedies practice.

International trade attorney Neil Helfand was elevated to partner at Grunfeld Desiderio, the firm announced. Helfand, a former CBP attorney in the Office of Regulations and Rulings, is based in New York and works on various customs issues, including country of origin determinations, tariff classification and detentions, and seizures.

Joshua Levy, a DOJ attorney who oversaw multiple high-profile export control-related cases, will resign from the federal government Jan. 17, the agency announced this week. Levy most recently served as the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, leading an office that charged two men in December for shipping sensitive drone technology to Iran (see 2412170021) and that fined American defense firm RTX in October to resolve allegations that it tried to defraud the U.S. government and commit defense export control violations (see 2410160058).

Hogan Lovells elevated international trade attorney Michael Jacobson to partner, the firm announced on Jan. 6. Jacobson joined the firm in 2013 in the international trade and investment practice, centering his practice on trade remedies litigation and investor-state arbitration. Hogan Lovells additionally announced that three trade attorneys were elevated to counsel: Mario Lara Rodriguez in the Mexico City office, Stephanie Sun in the Shanghai office, and Deborah Wei in the Washington, D.C., office.

International trade firm Sandler Travis expanded into Houston after five trade attorneys from customs firm The Law Office of Lawrence W. Hanson, P.C. joined the firm, Sandler Travis announced. The attorneys are Larry Hanson, a former attorney for the U.S. Customs Service, who joined as of counsel; James Amyx and Matthew Cummins, who joined as senior associates; and Bilal Hassan and Parker Edwards, who joined as associates.