London—Dentons is boosting its International Trade practice in the UK with the hire of Roger Matthews. He will link up with International Trade experts across the global firm, as well as a newly-combined multi-disciplinary UK Regulatory and Trade group, to further enhance Dentons’ global international trade and regulatory expertise.

A senior lawyer who has previously spent over a decade in key EU and UK government departments, Roger is an International Trade and Regulatory specialist. He has particular experience in international sanctions, import/export controls, EU internal market laws and other international trade restrictions. He also advises on EU law and practice, including assisting clients in their preparations for Brexit. Roger has worked in private practice and as a legal adviser on EU financial services at HM Treasury and the Bank of England, and has experience as a European Commission official on sanctions and trade matters.

The Firm's global International Trade practice already offers clients access to some of the world's leading experts across Europe, the US, Mexico and Canada, including Paul Lalonde – an international trade lawyer who was involved in the negotiations of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union; Edward Borovikov - a highly regarded international trade and competition lawyer in Brussels with in-depth experience of WTO and EU trade law and practice, trade policy and international trade and investment negotiations; and a 25-strong team in the US covering the full range of international trade issues facing both US and non-US companies.

UK & Middle East CEO Jeremy Cohen comments, “Advice on international trade, including trade negotiations, sanctions, customs control and export controls compliance, trade remedies and investment treaty disputes, will become part of any full service commercial law offering once the UK leaves the EU. This is an under-developed area in the UK legal market which plays to the strengths of Dentons' global expertise and platform. I am delighted that someone of Roger's calibre has decided to join us at a time when many firms in the UK are looking to build up their capabilities in this area."

Roger Matthews adds, "Following Brexit the UK will need to establish its own place in the web of many international treaties, and then legislate to reflect those treaties every time we complete a bilateral trade deal. International trade experience will therefore become integral to any client that moves people, money, goods or provides services across borders. Unlike most firms in the UK, Dentons can already offer clients one of the world’s foremost International Trade practices, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to add to the Firm's UK capability at a unique moment in time when London is expected to become an international trade hub alongside Brussels and Washington DC."

Roger’s arrival coincides with the launch of multi-disciplinary UK Regulatory and Trade group that brings together for the first time over 20 partners whose practices already make them market leaders in a range of regulatory disciplines. The group will work with colleagues across Dentons' global business, offering expertise in sectoral regulation, (e.g. in energy, financial services, rail, data and communications, water and infrastructure), competition, health, safety and environment, tax, white collar crime and investigations, anti bribery and corruption and related disciplines.

Jeremy Cohen adds, "We already have a very strong bench of lawyers and established market-leading reputation for advising clients across numerous regulated industries. Our newly-established Regulatory and Trade group will bring all of this expertise together in response to increasing demands for stand-alone regulatory advice in the UK and cross-border. Since last summer, as you would expect, we have seen a huge rise in instructions from clients across a wide range of sectors undertaking detailed reviews of possible future regulatory and trading arrangements. Working alongside Roger, the UK Regulatory and Trade group will be very well placed to respond to this client demand."

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