Julia Bonestroo Banegas, former attorney at Husch Blackwell, joined Jones Walker as special counsel in the maritime practice group and member of the maritime regulatory team, the firm announced. Banegas' practice will center on advising clients on "federal and state maritime regulations" and "establishing compliance programs that support uninterrupted trade and efficient operations."
Ken Wainstein, a former U.S. national security prosecutor and intelligence official, has joined Mayer Brown as a lawyer advising on export controls, sanctions, foreign direct investment and other national security enforcement issues. Wainstein was most recently the DHS undersecretary for intelligence and analysis.
Darshak Dholakia, a former partner at Dechert, has joined McDermott Will as a partner in the regulatory practice group in Washington, D.C., the firm announced. Dholakia's practice centers on economic sanctions, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption laws and export controls, the firm said.
International trade attorney E.J. Thomas has rejoined Morris Manning as a senior associate, the firm announced. Thomas previously worked at the firm from 2014 to 2019, joining first as a paralegal and then rising to international trade associate. Thomas later joined Covington & Burling as an associate in 2023 and now returns to Morris Manning's international trade practice.
Trade and patent attorney James Jeffries has rejoined Kutak Rock as an attorney in the intellectual property and corporate practice group, the firm announced. Jeffries worked as chief legal officer at Kuat Innovations from 2021 to 2025 after initially working for Kutak Rock as an attorney and partner from 2018 to 2021. At Kutak, Jeffries will work on trademark and patent matters, along with customs and international trade issues, including tariff exposure mitigation and vendor relationship structuring.
The entire international trade practice of Curtis Mallet-Prevost has joined Pillsbury Winthrop, Pillsbury announced on March 17. Led by partners Daniel Porter, Matthew McCullough and James Durling, the 14-member trade team will greatly expand Pillsbury's international trade practice, the firm said. Porter was the head of Curtis' trade practice, initially joining the firm in 2012.
The Washington International Trade Association announced that Nasim Fussell is the new chair of its board of directors. Steve Lamar of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, who had been the WITA board’s chair since 2004, will remain on as a board member. Fussell leads the trade practice at lobbying firm Lot Sixteen. She was previously chief international trade counsel for the Senate Finance Committee and, before that, trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee.
Jane Dempsey, former attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the International Trade Commission, has joined Polsinelli as counsel in the trade remedies practice, the firm said. At the ITC, Dempsey served as lead counsel in trade remedies litigation before the Court of International Trade and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Brandon Kennedy, a former DOJ trial attorney in the international trade field office, has joined Grant Herrmann as a senior associate focusing on commercial litigation, he announced on LinkedIn. Kennedy told Trade Law Daily that he was already eyeing a move to the private sector but that the "daily chaos of the new administration" accelerated the move. He joined DOJ in 2020 as a trial attorney focused on customs-related litigation.
Brandon Kennedy, a trial attorney in DOJ's international trade field office, has resigned from the agency, Kennedy confirmed to Trade Law Daily. He will be joining a law firm focusing on commercial litigation unrelated to international trade. Kennedy joined DOJ in 2020 as a trial attorney, focusing on customs-related litigation.