Profile: Richard O Cunningham

Trade and Customs

Biography: Trade & Customs

Dick Cunningham is senior international trade law partner in Washington, DC-based Steptoe & Johnson LLP. He litigates cases under the US and foreign import relief laws and is active in trade policy issues, in negotiating trade agreements and in helping clients develop international legal and commercial strategies.

Mr Cunningham has been involved, normally as lead counsel, in most of the major US anti-dumping, countervailing duty and safeguards cases of the last four decades. He served as chair of the American Bar Association Task Force on competition law and international trade. As president of The Cordell Hull Institute, he is active in issues relating to the WTO and Doha Round, and he serves on the executive committee of the Canada-United States Law Institute.

Mr Cunningham provides advice and advocacy with respect to trade policy decisions by the US and other governments. He has represented major US and foreign companies in domestic and WTO dumping, subsidy and safeguard cases, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Norsk Hydro, USEC, Boeing, Corus and Outokumpu. He has advised US electronics, metals, chemical and consumer products industries on market access issues, and US and foreign agricultural interests on subsidy, market access issues, and US and foreign agriculture interests on subsidy, market access, state trading and phytosanitary issues. Mr Cunningham has worked closely for more than 35 years with senior trade officials of the US, the EU, Japan, Canada and numerous other countries. His book, Trade Policies & Strategies, was published in 2005 by Cameron & May (London).

Dick Cunningham is supported by more than 50 Steptoe & Johnson international trade attorneys in Washington, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, London and Brussels.