Jeffrey G. Weiss

Supply Chain & ESG Compliance, Strategy & Advocacy

• On behalf of a coalition in the renewable energy sector, helped develop and execute a legal, policy and advocacy strategy for building demand for their product and rebuilding their US supply chain.
• On behalf of a coalitions and associations in several sectors, including batteries, chemicals, renewable energy, and critical minerals, helped develop and execute legal, policy, and advocacy strategies for building, rebuilding, or safeguarding US supply chains.
• Counsel companies on compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, including providing legal analysis of relevant provisions; conducting "deep dive" supply chain due diligence; creating an internal "playbook" for addressing forced labor issues; advising on sourcing strategies, supplier guidance, corporate communications, and meetings with regulators; and monitoring relevant global developments.
• Provided a Fortune 50 company with a trade and climate analysis of four countries to enable the client to select the optimal suppliers for its steel and aluminum needs from a carbon border measure perspective. The analysis covered Paris Agreement commitments, current and projected climate-related regulatory regimes, the carbon intensity of steel and aluminum production processes, and geopolitical factors. 
• Lead a coalition of associations, seaports, tech companies, carriers, and others in support of creating international standards and frameworks to increase transparency and interoperability in the supply chain. 
• Provide counsel, strategic advice, and advocacy assistance to a food and agricultural trade association on improving the movement of cargo throughout the United States and to export markets. This includes potential executive actions, legislation, and regulation in the supply chain space, as well as making connections with potential partners at major seaports and liner shipping companies in order to improve freight movement. 
• On behalf of a large customs broker/freight forwarder, worked to enact favorable changes to US bankruptcy law that helped customs brokers and freight forwarders weather COVID-19 and the associated downturn.

Trade Policy/Global Economic Policy & Negotiations

• Represent a global container shipping association with regard to USTR's investigation of Chinese shipbuilding practices under Section 301.
• Represent a large manufacturer with respect to a USTR request for review of an alleged denial of worker rights under the USMCA's Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.
• Provided a large manufacturer with a legal analysis of Canadian provincial measures and their consistency with USMCA commitments.
• On behalf of an NGO, submitted comments to USAID on the use of trade and aid policy to influence the treatment of vulnerable populations by trading partners.
• On behalf of a global chemicals association, developed a strategy with respect to a non-science-based measure being contemplated by a WTO Member that could have global implications.   
• Represent a WTO member with regard to USTR's investigation of its digital services tax under Section 301.
• On behalf of a large bank, successfully resolved a market access issue (i.e., unnecessarily high in-country capital requirements) with respect to providing its banking services in China.
• On behalf of a large retailer, led a coalition of companies and trade associations in a successful Capitol Hill and administration advocacy campaign to block issuance of a US Customs and Border Protection rule in the waning days of the Trump administration that would have significantly increased section 301 tariffs.
• On behalf of a US FTA partner, analyzing the Financial Services Chapter of the FTA and providing counsel on the compatibility of a measure with its provisions.
• On behalf of a WTO member, provided a comprehensive analysis on possible US legislative and regulatory climate measures, including: likely components of such measures; a comparison of the measures on a host of factors, such as WTO consistency, administrability, and likely trade impacts; potential pathways to enactment; the politics of climate in the United States; and options to mitigate the impacts.
• Provided strategic advice to an agricultural trade association in the lead up to COP26.

International Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Good Regulatory Practice

• Provide counsel to companies and trade associations on development of standards, including consortia standards, voluntary consensus standards, and international standards.
• On behalf of a trade association, developed and helped execute a successful multi-association global strategy to block development of an ISO standard that would have severely impeded market access for the association’s members in China and potentially other markets.  
• On behalf of a prospective US FTA partner, provided a detailed analysis of the US standards and conformity assessment system and potential negotiation strategy.
• On behalf of an NGO, drafted a report on how to use international standards to achieve a UN sustainable development goal relating to public health.
• On behalf of a trade association, developed principles and a checklist regarding good regulatory practices for the digital economy.
• On behalf of a trade association, co-authored a public report on the benefits of independent third party conformity assessment. 

• "How will evolving AI standards shape the future of critical infrastructure?" Artificial Intelligence Working Group Meeting, Critical Infrastructure Security Consortium, November 7, 2024
• "Regulatory Cooperation for 2030 and beyond," 30 Years of the TBT Agreement – WTO, November 8, 2024   
• "Local, national, and global partnerships supporting industry and government working together to build strategic supply-chain resilience," Toward Resiliency in US Critical Supply Chains, MITRE's Supply Chain Summit, November 20, 2024          
• "Maintaining Compliance During Turbulence – A Global Discussion on Navigating New Regimes and Corporate Obligations," Lex Mundi Webinar, May 21, 2024
• "EU US Regulatory Landscape - Focus on Sustainability," ANSI Company Member Forum, March 21, 2024

• "The Rise of ESG: How Important is it for Law Firms and their Client Relationships?" International Bar Association, June 29, 2023

• "Digital Standards – The Key to a Better Shipping Experience," RILA's LINK2023: The Retail Supply Chain Conference, February 20, 2023
• "Focus on Digitalization of End-to-End Supply Chains," APEC’s Framework for Supply Chain Connectivity, February 18, 2023
• "US-UK Trade Agreement: Now is the Time," CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business, February 15, 2023
• "Infrastructure, Logistics, and Issues Impacting Trade," Farm Foundation Roundtable, January 12, 2023

• "State of the US Supply Chain and 2023 Outlook," 32nd Annual Vinyl Compounders Conference, Plastics Industry Association, December 9, 2022

• "Human Rights and Supply Chain Screening: Key Takeaways on the 2022 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and Ethical Business Conduct," ACI's US-China Trade Controls Conference, October 12, 2022
• "Supply Chain & Shipping Challenges Facing Manufacturers," Government Affairs Conference, American Wire Producers Association in Alexandria, September 21, 2022
• "Supply Chain Pressures and Digitization in the Binational Great Lakes Region," Great Lakes Economic Forum, June 28, 2022
• "Building an Ecosystem of Trust,"TIC Summit 2022, Brussels, Belgium, June 1, 2022
• "Journeying Towards Sustainability: is Greenwashing Avoidable?" TIC Summit 2022, Brussels, Belgium, June 1, 2022
• 9^thAnnual Global Supply Chain Excellence Summit, Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute at the University of Southern California, October 19, 2021
• "Regulation, Trade, and Standards Relating to Consumer Products Containing Hemp - Derived CBD," co-sponsored webinar with Dorantes Advisors and LGCA Consuling Affairs, September 30, 2020

• Deputy Director of Policy & Strategic Planning and Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Secretary, Department of Commerce (2015-2017)
• Senior Advisor for Standards and Global Regulatory Policy, Office of the Secretary, Department of Commerce (2013-2015)
• Associate Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (2011-2013)
• Senior Director, Technical Barriers to Trade, Office of the US Trade Representative (2007-2011)
• Assistant General Counsel, Office of the US Trade Representative (2005-2007)
• Assistant Legal Advisor, Mission of the United States to the World Trade Organization (2001-2004)

• American Bar Association
  • Vice chair, Regulatory Policy Committee, Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice (2019-present)
  • Co-chair, International Trade and Customs Committee, Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice (2015-2019)
  • Board member, Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice (2017-2020)
  • Executive branch liaison, Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice (2012–2017)
• Board of directors, ASTM International (2017-2019)