Webcast: U.S. Tariff Policy: Navigating Uncharted Waters
Webcasts | August 8, 2025
The recent flurry of tariff announcements from the Trump Administration has further roiled the already uncertain trade environment facing countries and companies around the world. These new tariffs are set against the backdrop of increasingly complicated relationships between Washington and other states and continued doubts of the legality of many of the President’s tariffs. Join Gibson Dunn experts — including former senior trade officials — to discuss the latest announcements, what we know and don’t know, what we might expect going forward, and how global corporates can best navigate the uncertainties.
PANELISTS:
Ron Kirk is Senior Of Counsel in Gibson Dunn’s Dallas and Washington, D.C. offices. He is Leader of the International Trade Advisory and Enforcement Practice Group and a member of the Sports Law, Public Policy, Crisis Management and Private Equity Practice Groups. Ambassador Kirk has had an extensive career in Public Service. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in April 2013, Ambassador Kirk served as United States Trade Representative (USTR) and was a member of President Obama’s Cabinet, serving as the President’s principal trade advisor, negotiator and spokesperson on trade issues. He also served as Mayor of Dallas from 1995 – 2001, and as Texas Secretary of State in 1994 appointed by Gov. Ann W. Richards.
Adam M. Smith is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and serves as co-chair of the firm’s International Trade Advisory and Enforcement and Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Groups. He is an experienced international lawyer with a focus on international trade compliance and white collar investigations, including federal and state economic sanctions enforcement, tariffs, CFIUS, embargoes, export and import controls, and anti-bribery/anti-corruption regulations. Clients benefit from Adam’s experience in the Obama Administration, where he was Senior Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Director for Multilateral Affairs on the National Security Council. At OFAC, he was instrumental in shaping and enforcing sanctions policies, briefing congressional and private sector leaders, conducting extensive international outreach, and negotiating complex agreements. On the National Security Council, he advised the President on international sanctions, coordinated inter-agency efforts, and developed strategies to counter corruption and promote asset recovery.
Samantha Sewall is of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s International Trade Advisory and Enforcement and Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Groups. She advises clients on compliance with U.S. legal obligations at the intersection of global trade, foreign policy, and national security, focusing her practice on compliance with U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, national security reviews of foreign direct investment (CFIUS), customs, and anti-boycott laws. Samantha has experience advising companies across a wide range of sectors including aerospace, banking and financial institutions, defense, energy, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, shipping, retail, telecommunications, and travel.
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