Joanne E. Osendarp advises and represents governments, industry associations, export credit agencies, and companies in international trade and investment matters, including countervailing duty, antidumping, and other trade remedy proceedings before the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission, as well as appeals to the Court of International Trade, the World Trade Organization, and panels under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Joanne has also represented governments in investment arbitrations, state-to-state arbitrations, and international trade negotiations. She is currently assisting the UK government in its negotiation of five free trade agreements, including the UK-Mexico, UK-India, and UK- Canada Agreements, as well as working with the UK on its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Joanne has distinguished herself in international legal circles as Canada’s principal U.S.-based lawyer in its high-profile, ongoing softwood lumber dispute with the United States, called the “biggest trade battle on the planet” by The Economist. Chambers Global recognizes her as having “Foreign Expertise in Canada.” She has been described by her clients as “a senior experienced trade lawyer of international repute blessed with superb judgment.”
Prior to joining Blank Rome, Joanne served as chair of the International Trade practice and co-chair of the International Trade and Investment practice at various Am Law 100 firms. Prior to private practice, Joanne worked for the Government of Canada as senior counsel to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Department of Justice, and was lead counsel for all institutional issues relating to NAFTA, including subsidies and dumping, safeguards, and Section 301 actions. Joanne headed up Canada’s teams in the WTO Aircraft dispute with Brazil and all arbitrations arising out of the 1996 Softwood Lumber Agreement. She was also Principal Counsel for the Agreement on Internal Trade and Assistant Principal Counsel to Canada for the negotiation of the NAFTA.
