Angela Ellard, chief Republican trade counsel on the House Ways and Means Committee, will be one of the four deputy directors-general at the World Trade Organization, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced May 4. Ellard has served on the committee staff since 1995.

Akin Gump added Cindy Owens, previously with Covington & Burling, as a counsel in its international trade practice, the firm said in a news release. Owens “represents multinational clients on customs matters, including classification, valuation, country of origin, drawback, transfer pricing, foreign trade zones, bonded warehouses, free trade agreements and general entry process requirements,” it said.

Latham & Watkins hired Damara Chambers, previously with Vinson & Elkins, as a partner in the Litigation & Trial Department and a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations practice, Latham said in a news release. “Chambers is a leading lawyer who focuses on cross-border investment matters, including national security reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and the Department of Energy, among other agencies,” the firm said.

Arent Fox hired David Tafuri as a partner, Richard Griffiths as a senior adviser and Jasmine Zaki as an associate in the International Trade and Investment practice, the law firm said in an April 29 news release. All three previously worked at Dentons.

James Holbein, of counsel at Braumiller Law Group, was appointed to the roster of people available to serve on the USMCA Chapter 10 panels, the firm announced in an April 20 news release. The Chapter 10 panels are established at the request of industry seeking alternative courts to adjudicate antidumping and countervailing duty matters.