International and WTO Law O’Connor and Company offers clients specialist advice on their trading relations and transactions in Europe. In particular, we focus on bilateral trade relations between the EC and third countries and on multilateral world trade relations. We are able to advise international corporations on all aspects of regulatory barriers to trade in goods and services. Our lawyers represent EC Member State and third country governments and trade associations in their dealings not only with EC institutions and other Member States, but also with third country governments. The firm regularly represents our clients in litigation on trade law issues in the EC courts in Luxembourg and the courts of the EC Member States. The firm has participated in a number of dispute settlement procedures before the GATT and the WTO. On behalf of third country clients, O’Connor and Company has advised on the major EC market access cases in the agricultural sector and, in particular, on bananas, sugar, hormones and poultry.   Other areas of expertise in WTO and EC trade law include: general market access questions, intellectual property, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, technical barriers to trade, customs regulations, rules of origin determinations, customs issues, import licensing, duty suspension applications, market protection mechanisms, and preferential tariff arrangements.  We have also advised foreign governments on WTO accession negotiations and private parties on the implications for their businesses.   The firm has advised the European Commission on legal aspects of barriers to trade in a number of South-East Asian countries, in a number of Eastern European Countries, and in the former USSR countries. O’Connor and Company has also advised the European Commission on a successful WTO action brought by the EC against the US for breach of the TRIPs Agreement and has completed a detailed analysis for the European Parliament on the impact of the WTO dispute settlement procedures on the EC’s common agricultural policy.   O’Connor and Company is closely involved with the GATS 2000 services negotiations, representing major corporations in the postal, energy and financial services sectors. In particular, the firm has advised on issues of services sector classification and in the preparation of the companies’ lists of offensive and defensive interests.  O’Connor and Company is liasing between its clients and the national and EC trade negotiators to make sure that its clients’ interests are taken into consideration and protected while establishing the EC trade agenda and negotiating trade concessions at the WTO.   Lawyers in the firm maintain close working relationships with officials in the European Community, the US administration and in the embassies in Brussels, Washington, Geneva and EC Member States capitals.  The firm has participated in a number of projects involving other international organisations such as FAO, the WCO, OECD, WIPO and the UPU. Our publications