Some examples of past work done by the principal of the firm, Dr Brett Williams

Advocacy in World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement

  • Cooperating with Trade Law Defense PLLC, Williams Trade Law acted for the government of the Republic of Indonesia in Australia - Anti-Dumping Measures on A4 Copy Paper from Indonesia WT/DS529; assisting with preparation of 2nd written submission, 2nd Meeting of the Parties with the Panel, and Responses to Questions from the Panel.  This was the first WTO panel to consider whether government intervention can be treated as a "particular market situation" under Article 2.2 of the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement so as to justify departing from using domestic prices in the exporting country to determine normal value.  

Anti-dumping Law

  • Advice on Australian anti-dumping law and submissions to the Australian Antidumping Commission;  including on determination of normal value and dumping margins, more particularly on issues of 'particular market situation' and 'constructed cost' methodology, eg for the Sinar Mas Group in ADD Investigation (341) on A4 copy paper from Brazil, China, Indonesia and Thailand. 
  • Advice on Australian anti-dumping law and submissions to the Australian Anti-Dumping Review Panel in application by the Sinar Mas Pulp and Paper Products Group in ADRP Review 2017/55 A4 Copy Paper exported from Brazil, China, Indonesia and Thailand. 
  • Teaching appellate court judges from Sri Lanka on anti-dumping law under the WTO and under the Sri Lankan Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties Act 2018 (Sri Lanka).

 

Law of the ASEAN Economic Community

  • Contributions to and advice on preparation of Memorandum of Foreign Trade Regime for the government of Timor-Leste for purposes of accession to the ASEAN Economic Community
  • Teaching a course on the Law of the ASEAN Economic Community in the LLM programme at Charles Darwin University.

 

Preparing for Accession to the World Trade Organization

  • Teaching public officials of the Peoples Republic of China in Canberra and in Beijing in 2000 and 2001 about aspects of WTO law including dispute settlement and safeguards for the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, antidumping and subsidies for the Department of Agriculture, and dispute settlement for the Ministry of Justice. 

 

Terms of Accessions to the World Trade Organization

  • Report for the Chamber of Commerce of Samoa and the government of Samoa on Challenges and Opportunities for Samoa arising from accession to the WTO.
  • Follow up conduct of private - public dialogue on choosing amendments to Value Added Tax to conform to WTO national treatment rules.

 

Advice on WTO Rules: national treatment and subsidies rules

  • eg., Report on WTO consistency of options for regulating the production and sale of ethanol in Australia
  • eg. advising on obligations under the WTO Agreement on Anti-Dumping.
  • eg. advising on obligations under a WTO ruling to bring measures into conformity with the WTO.

 

Advice on Investment and Services and Movement of natural Persons issues under Free Trade Agreements

  • eg., Report on the impact of provisions of the US-Australian Free Trade Agreement on proposals related to privatisation of electricity generation assets in New South Wales
  • eg., Report on the impact of provisions on movement of natural persons in the Chile Australia Free Trade Agreement