Christopher Cochlin

Chris Cochlin advises businesses and governments on a wide range of international trade matters, including antidumping and countervailing duty litigation, trade policy and trade negotiations, bilateral investment, and market access strategies to challenge or defend foreign and domestic government measures. He also advises Canadian and international companies in the defense, energy, materials, high technology, and communications sectors extensively on customs compliance and on compliance with Canada’s export controls, economic sanctions and the controlled goods (defense contracting) regime.

Mr. Cochlin represents a wide variety of North American manufacturers in antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, including: large North American steel producers in multiple antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings against various countries; a large U.S. appliance producer in multiple countervailing duty proceedings against South Korea; U.S. sugar producers in countervailing duty proceedings against Mexico; and North American power transformer producers in multiple antidumping duty proceedings. Mr. Cochlin also advises a wide variety of North American businesses and Canadian and foreign governments on trade policy, trade negotiations, and bilateral investment matters, including: Canadian forestry companies, industry associations, and provincial governments regarding bilateral trade in logs, structural lumber, and pulp and paper products; dairy processing companies on trade law and policy; and international research-based pharmaceutical company associations regarding trade and bilateral investment aspects of intellectual property rights. Finally, Mr. Cochlin advises energy sector, high technology, and financial institutions clients extensively on compliance with Canadian export controls and economic sanctions, including representation before the Canadian Export and Import Controls Bureau and the Canada Border Services Agency.

Mr. Cochlin served as international trade counsel for nearly a decade in the Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, where he provided strategic advice to government officials on trade and investment treaty and policy issues. Mr. Cochlin has briefed and argued numerous trade disputes at the WTO and under the NAFTA (now USMCA), including before WTO panels and the Appellate Body (e.g. softwood lumber, dairy products, upland cotton, regional aircraft), and has appeared before numerous other ad hoc trade tribunals. He also served as lead counsel in FTA negotiations, and as a Trade Policy analyst at the Government of Canada’s Department of Finance developing policy and negotiating positions on antidumping and countervailing duty rules for the WTO Doha Round of trade negotiations.

Mr. Cochlin is the recipient of the Government of Canada’s Head of the Public Service Award as well as several awards for trade service relating to his work advising on and litigating trade disputes.