Gregory O. Somers

Biography

Gregory O. Somers practises international trade and investment law, with an emphasis on WTO rights and obligations, anti-dumping, countervail and safeguard matters, import and export controls, customs law, investor rights and government contracting.

Mr. Somers counsels governments, corporations, law firms and trade associations on Canadian and international trade law as well as strategic trade planning. He has advised governments and key industries in WTO disputes involving periodicals, agricultural products, lumber, pharmaceuticals and automobiles, and has conducted trade litigation before dispute panels established under the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement, as well as the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and the Federal Court of Canada. Clients have included federal and provincial governments engaged in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and in drafting domestic and treaty trade laws.

In addition, Mr. Somers has advised and represented corporate and government clients in all aspects of the government contracting process, from bid preparation and post-award negotiation to benchmarking and bid award challenge.

Year of Call

• Ontario Bar 1988

Law School

• LL.B., Dalhousie University, 1986
• LL.M., International Trade Law, University of Ottawa, 2003

EDUCATION

• B.Sc., McGill University, 1977
• B.A., Queen's University, 1982

Selected Client Work

• Included federal and provincial governments engaged in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and in drafting domestic and treaty trade laws

Speaking Engagements

• Frequent speaker to business organizations and academic institutions in connection with trade law and policy, the WTO, and the NAFTA

Media Highlights

• Quoted in "Trade Stance Weighs on Obama's Plan to Strengthen Foreign Ties," Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2008.
• Canadian correspondent for the European journal International Trade Law & Regulation.

Rankings and Recognitions

• Best Lawyers in Canada - International Trade and Finance Law, 2008
• 2008 LEXPERT / American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
• Chambers Global Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers
• The Legal Media Group / Euromoney Guides to the World's Leading Lawyers
• Woodward White's The Best Lawyers in Canada
• Who's Who Legal / The International Who's Who of Trade and Customs Lawyers

Memberships and Activities

• Canadian Bar Association (International Law and Customs Committees)
• American Bar Association (International Law Section)
• International Bar Association (Trade Law Committee)