Regulation
and Legislation
The career
experience of the principals in the firm as former Congressional
staffers gives Kalik Lewin unique perspective on the process
of developing, drafting and lobbying on legislation in the U.S.
Congress and pending regulatory matters before various government
agencies. The firm addresses legislative and regulatory issues
through a multi-disciplinary approach leveraging political capital,
legal expertise and strong relationships across the executive
branch and in the Senate and House of Representatives to manage
political risks and craft legislative and regulatory solutions
for its clients.
Customs
The firm
advises clients on the regulatory requirements for the testing
of imports to ensure compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary
(SPS) standards for food and agricultural products. Working
closely with the USDA and the U.S. Customs Service, Kalik Lewin
provides clients with representation concerning imported food
and agricultural products, including trade preference duty reductions,
classification, drawback, quota management, quarantine regulations,
and labeling requirements.
Food
and Drug Administration
Food and
agriculture clients benefit from Kalik Lewin's expertise in
regulatory matters under the Food and Drug Act. The firm represents
clients before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on matters
including advice on labeling, standards of identity, traceability,
and developments in biotechnology and the regulation of genetically-modified
organisms in food and feed (GMOs).
U.S.
Department of Agriculture
Extensive
experience working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
gives Kalik Lewin superior means with which to represent clients
on regulatory and commercial compliance issues before the agencies
of the USDA. The firm works extensively with the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Foreign Agricultural
Service (FAS), the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the
Farm Services Administration (FSA) on issues including emergency
disaster relief for crop loss, marketing orders, regulation
of biotechnology products and services, importing and exporting
of agricultural products and plant patents.
International
Agreements
Kalik Lewin
has uncommon expertise in representing the interests of companies,
governments and industry groups in the negotiation and implementation
of bilateral, regional, and multilateral international agreements
involving food and agriculture trade. The firm works closely
with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on agreements addressing
issues such as food and feed traceability, tariff reduction,
regulatory compliance and harmonization, the use of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs), market access, and quotas. Kalik
Lewin regularly advises clients on developments in global and
regional negotiations on agriculture involving NAFTA, FTAA and
the WTO. The firm offers additional expertise on the effects
on food and agriculture trade of U.S. trade preference programs
such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the Caribbean
Basin Initiative (CBI), the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA)
and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
