Virginia Lenahan was named the chief international trade counsel on the Senate Finance Committee’s majority staff, committee Chair Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced in an Oct. 3 emailed news release. Since joining the committee in 2019 as a trade counsel, Lenahan has worked on issues related to USMCA, the Inflation Reduction Act and more.

Covington announced last week that it opened a trade controls enforcement practice group to represent clients in sanctions and export controls investigations. The practice group combines the firm's trade controls regulatory practice and its white collar defense and investigations practice and will house teams in China, the EU, the U.K. and the U.S. Eric Sandberg-Zakian, a sanctions and export controls partner based in Washington, D.C., will head the practice group, Covington said.

Meghan Pearce, former federal policy director at tech advocacy group TechNet, has joined Steptoe as a senior international trade legislative assistant in the government affairs and public policy practice, Pearce announced on LinkedIn. Pearce started at TechNet in 2020, working up to policy director. Earlier, she worked as a legislative correspondent for Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

International trade attorney Chris Clark is departing Squire Patton for DLA Piper, he confirmed with Trade Law Daily. Clark has worked as an associate at Squire Patton since 2018 and will join DLA Piper as an associate.

Jacob Loshin, former assistant general counsel for enforcement and intelligence at the Treasury Department, has joined the law firm Sparacino, which specializes in anti-terrorism and whistleblowing matters, he announced on LinkedIn. Loshin left Treasury earlier this month (see 2409090007).

International trade lawyer Mary Mikhaeel will leave Miller & Chevalier, where she has worked as a senior associate since January 2023, according to a notice at the Court of International Trade. The firm said Mikaheel will leave the firm effective Sept. 23. Mikhaeel told Trade Law Daily she will be joining Covington's business and human rights practice group. She has been at Miller & Chevalier since 2020, when she joined as an associate, moving from Fox Rothschild.

Keith Schomig left White & Case to join Paul Hastings’ national security and global trade practices, the firm announced this week. Schomig advises clients on national security reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.

Raj Parekh, a former trial attorney with DOJ’s National Security Division, is joining the Bureau of Industry and Security as the agency’s first chief of corporate enforcement, BIS announced this week. Parekh will be the “primary interface” among BIS special agents, the agency’s chief counsel office and DOJ as they work “to advance significant corporate investigations.” Parekh most recently worked as the highest-ranking career official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Christopher Stagg, an export control lawyer and former official with the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, started a new role as assistant editor at Bartlett's Annotated International Traffic in Arms Regulations, he announced on LinkedIn. The regularly updated publication is run by trade lawyer Jim Bartlett and includes ITAR-related footnotes, appendixes with statutes, court cases, consent agreements, government guidance and user aids.

Jacob Loshin is leaving his position as assistant general counsel for enforcement and intelligence at the Treasury Department, he announced on LinkedIn. Loshin has worked on Treasury enforcement and intelligence issues since 2021, and he served as senior adviser to the agency’s general counsel from 2017 to 2020.