The Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce (OCC-IC) provides legal support to the Department of Commerce, particularly the Department's International Trade Administration (ITA), including ITA’s three business units, Enforcement and Compliance, Global Markets, and Industry and Analysis.  (Legal support for ITA’s Enforcement and Compliance unit is also provided by the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance.) The mission of ITA is to create prosperity by strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements.  

OCC-IC attorneys work on cutting edge legal issues including electronic commerce, digital trade, data privacy, anti-corruption, foreign investment, trade facilitation, government procurement, and international standards.  OCC-IC attorneys routinely engage with U.S. policy makers, Department of Commerce and ITA leadership, interagency legal partners, and foreign counterparts to help drive ITA's work forward.  This work includes participating in international trade and economic negotiations, and supporting efforts to monitor compliance with these commitments.  Together our team works on legal solutions that enable ITA to advance the U.S. economy and strengthen U.S. industry's global competitiveness.

Contact

Phone: 202-482-0937

Email: occic@doc.gov

Fax: 202-482-2111

Our Team

The office consists of the Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel, Assistant Chief Counsels, Senior Counsels, Attorney Advisors, Administrative Specialists, and frequently one or more externs or interns.

Our Attorneys: 

John F. Cobau, Chief Counsel for International Commerce (on sabbatical) 

Daniel Hylton, Deputy Chief Counsel for International Commerce (Acting Chief Counsel until June 2023)

Kathryn Nickerson, Assistant Chief Counsel

Glenn Kaminsky, Assistant Chief Counsel

Will Hamby-Hopkins, Senior Counsel (Acting Deputy Chief Counsel until June 2023)  

Cairo Jennings, Senior Counsel

Edd Rivera, Senior Counsel 

Alexandra Chaffin, Senior Attorney

William Stroupe, Senior Attorney 

Stephanie Zable, Senior Attorney 

Nakuma Wani-Kenyi, Attorney Advisor

Jillian Casey, Attorney Advisor

Catherine Tassin de Montaigu Knop, Attorney Advisor

Our Administrative Support Staff:

Taryn Adams, Senior Administrative Specialist

Lisa Smith, Administrative Specialist

What OCC-IC Attorneys Do

Opportunities to Work at OCC-IC

We often seek talented attorneys, including current judicial law clerks, to join our office and its mission supporting the International Trade Administration (ITA).  If you are looking for a collegial and diverse environment to work on cutting edge legal issues in international law and trade law in support of the United States and our economy, our office may be a good fit.  Attorneys hired will interpret and analyze U.S. law, U.S. trade, economic, and investment agreements, and foreign trade agreements, laws, regulations, and policies in order to help ITA support U.S. companies' efforts to succeed in the global marketplace. 

OCC-IC is strongly committed to its mission, public service, diversity, inclusion, and collegiality. The office prides itself on its creativity, dedication and track record of excellent legal service and counsel.   

OCC-IC Internship Opportunities 

Our office offers two internship positions every summer and two externship positions during the fall and spring semesters.  These internship and externship positions provide a unique opportunity for talented law students interested in public service, international law, and trade law to become acquainted with the work of this office as well as the Department of Commerce. Our interns and externs are deeply integrated into OCC-IC’s team and have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of substantive assignments.  Interns and externs receive work in a number of different specialty areas within OCC-IC to ensure that they receive broad exposure to the various facets of the Office’s practice.  They work with different attorneys throughout the office, on assignments that range from quick-turnaround projects to longer-term, in-depth research and writing assignments.

For current internship opportunities please click here.

OCC-IC Links and Resources

Anticorruption Links and Resources

Cross-Border Data Flows Links and Resources

Investment Links and Resources