The University of Georgia School of Law partnered with the Washington International Trade Association (“WITA”) to present a second annual webinar about careers in international trade and law. This webinar was part of WITA Academy’s ongoing Pathways to Opportunity Series: Careers in International Trade & Law, through which law students and undergraduates are able to learn about career opportunities in international trade and law from law firms and trade professionals.
Moderated by Georgia Law Professor Desirée LeClercq, this year’s panel included:
Introductions from Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director
A panel discussion featuring:
Bethany Davison, Associate, Mowry & Grimson (B.S. Georgia State University; J.D. Georgia State University College of Law)
Samuel Negatu, Director, Government Affairs, Consumer Technology Association; former Senior Advisor, U.S. House of Representatives; former Assistant General Counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (B.A. University of California, Santa Barbara; J.D. Washington University in Saint Louis)
Brian Soiset, Attorney, U.S. International Trade Commission; former International Attorney, U.S. Department of Commerce (B.A. University of Georgia; J.D. William & Mary University; LL.M. Queen Mary University of London)
Paul Thornton, Attorney, Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce (B.A. Hampden-Sydney College; J.D. American University Washington College of Law)
During the panel discussion, students were able to gain insights from trade law experts, engage with policymakers and legal practitioners, and explore career opportunities in international trade law from government, companies, and law firms. Students gained a unique perspective on the wide-ranging career paths available in the trade law and policy community, creating connections with key players across both the public and private sectors.
A recording of the panel is available to WITA members. To join, email: events@wita.org
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
The panel focused on concerns about the second Trump administration’s impact on the international legal order, including U.S. engagement with international bodies and the potential effects on areas such as international criminal law and human rights law.
LeClercq also moderated the panel “Teaching Human Rights: From Specialized Courses to Doctrinal Integration”, which explored innovative approaches to teaching human rights, including strategies for standalone courses and ways to integrate human rights perspectives into first-year doctrinal courses and other core parts of the law school curriculum.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq delivered a keynote address at the International Conference on Corporate Sustainability Regulations and Governance on Labor Rights in Global Supply Chains, held in Douliu, Taiwan, on 19 December 2025.
Her keynote, “Supply Chain Management under the Trump Administration: from Trade Agreements to Forced Labor Bans,” examined how shifting U.S. trade policy and enforcement tools shape corporate supply chain strategy, with a focus on labor rights compliance and emerging forced labor restrictions. A short video from her time in Taiwan was shared in an Instagram reel.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
In the post, LeClercq analyzes the International Court of Justice’s proceedings connected to the International Labour Organization’s request for an advisory opinion on whether the right to strike is protected under Convention No. 87. She focuses on how non-binding ILO principles interact with binding conventions, and what that distinction could mean for interpreting Convention No. 87 in international law and in related policy contexts.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
In November, University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq traveled to Atlanta with a group of students as the culmination of their semester-long exploration of international trade.
15 students, including J.D., LL.M., and Graduate Certificate in International Law students, spent the semester examining potential trade and investment opportunities between the State of Georgia and the United Kingdom from an interdisciplinary perspective. They researched and wrote a paper examining key export and import sectors in Georgia and the United Kingdom, and then prepared a hypothetical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two. The students spent the day in Atlanta presenting to, and fielding technical questions from, three different audiences: representatives from the state of Georgia, transactional and international lawyers from Eversheds Sutherland, and foreign diplomats from the U.K. consulate.
Georgia Department of Economic Development
The group’s first stop of the day was hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the state’s sales and marketing arm, and had in attendance other state representatives.
At the GDEcD, Madina Bekisheva (GCIL student), Sutton Eady (J.D. ’27), Md. Asaduzzaman Jabin (GCIL student), and Jalyn Ross (J.D. ’27) worked together to present their portion of the hypothetical legal instrument. In their presentation, the group argued for greater collaboration and synergies between the state and the United Kingdom to attract, facilitate, and potentially grow trade. Their arguments centered on export and import data from similarly situated states and novel predictive models they had built demonstrating how enhanced collaborations with the United Kingdom could increase trade and job opportunities in Georgia. The students used the model to identify specific sectors in industry, renewable energy, commerce, and agriculture, among others, where Georgia’s economy and workers could benefit.
Eversheds Sutherland
The group’s second stop of the day was the Atlanta office of Eversheds Sutherland, a global law firm specializing in corporate, energy, litigation, tax, and real estate. This firm has a meaningful relationship with the UK, as it is where the Eversheds law firm originated prior to their 1988 merger with Sutherland. The firm’s global headquarters is located in London, and its historic ties to the country are evident in their presence throughout the British legal market. Students Leighlee Mahony (J.D. ’26) and N’Guessan “Clement” Kouame (LL.M. ’24, J.D. ’26) presented. Both students argued that enhanced trade and investment collaboration between Georgia and the United Kingdom could offer reciprocity in sectors, including legal services.
The students were hosted by Jenny Lambert, Partner, and attended by several practicing attorneys in transactional and international work. The students benefitted both from the lunch that Eversheds Sutherland generously provided, as well as in-depth and vigorous questioning by the firm’s attorneys.
British Consulate General Atlanta
The group’s third and final stop of the day was the British Consulate General Atlanta. Students Maya Roper (J.D. ’27), Victor Azure (LL.M. ’26), Wambui Kamau (LL.M. ’26), and Madina Bekisheva (GCIL student) presented the group’s data and modeling to U.K. diplomats and officials. The group again walked the audience through specific trade and industry sectors, with a special focus on battery production for electric vehicles, the Georgia aerospace industry’s advantage, and veterinary medicine.
Student Reflections
“Coming from a non-law background in Computer Science, I learned that successful trade and partnerships do not thrive on innovation alone. They must be shaped by policy and political realities, economic conditions, population needs, national interests, and stakeholder relationships. The Atlanta trip made this clear by showing how quickly trade negotiations can shift based on context, not on the brilliance of the technology or business itself.” – Md. Asaduzzaman Jabin (GCIL student)
“This course was a great blend of theory and practice, requiring intensive and insightful legal research to understand and gather the materials, as well as concise, precise, and clear drafting of the MoU. The most significant site visit for me was the visit to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. It was a great experience to compare our findings with the department’s work and its vision for improvement. It was also interesting to know that people at the GDDE were doubtful about the use of models for the prediction of growth or value from MoUs. It shows how sometimes new technology may face skepticism for its implementation and convince people to advance or improve their old methods.” – N’Guessan “Clement” Kouame (LL.M. ’24, J.D. ’26)
UGA’s Office of Research, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, provides “pre-seed” funding to facilitate the formation of faculty teams and collaboration around critical areas of research expertise or emerging research topics. The goal is to stimulate large-scale research team formation and position UGA faculty groups to be more competitive in attracting resources for collaborative research, including internal UGA seed grants and ultimately, external grant support.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, International Law and U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law.
University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq was featured in Inside U.S. Trade regarding rapid-response mechanism petitions under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The article titled “RRM ‘black boxing’ spurs solidarity among tri-national labor reps” was written by Margaret Spiegelman and published 10/14/25.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, International Law and U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law.
University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq recently delivered a presentation for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Trade & Economic Diplomacy Faculty entitled “Growing Employment Through Trade: The Role of Fair Labour Standards.”
LeClercq discussed the evolution of international labor standards, noting how rules once designed to protect workers and improve living conditions are now used by countries such as the United States to enforce rights abroad and reshape global supply chains. Drawing on her experience as director of labour affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and as a legal officer at the International Labour Organization, she illustrated this trend through examples from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, International Law and U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law.
exchange of notes 