Rimon Law Bolsters International Trade Practice with Four New Attorneys and Launches Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Practice as well as Deepening Customs Expertise

Washington D.C. – Rimon Law is pleased to announce the arrival of Partners Sandra Bell, James Min, Mi-Yong Kim and Associate, Chelsea Ellis.

The group adds significant strength and depth to the firm’s International Trade practice.

“Rimon has always been international in focus. This group of attorneys deepens our international trade expertise, and we are delighted to share that we now have an Export Controls and Economic Sanctions practice as well as a deeper bench on customs expertise,” said Juan Zúñiga, Managing Partner of Rimon.

The four attorneys joining Rimon are as follows:

Sandra Bell: Sandra Bell represents clients on regulatory procedures relating to customs tariff and import issues including securing and responding to decisions on prospective and current import transactions, international trade policy and regulatory programs, and border security and trade enforcement programs. Ms. Bell has over three decades of customs, international trade and border security experience at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) where she held several positions most recently, as Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Office of International Trade (OT) and as Executive Director of Regulations and Rulings, OT.

Ms. Bell provides key customs law advice to a variety of clients, including major manufacturers and distributors of imported and exported finished goods and raw materials such as lumber, chemicals, textile and apparel/accessories; automotive vehicles and parts; food products and ingredients; software, industrial coating systems, medical supplies, energy products, luxury consumer goods and professional use products. She also assesses corporate customs compliance independently or as part of the firm’s due diligence reviews for mergers and acquisitions transactions. Ms. Bell joins Rimon from DLA Piper.

On her move to Rimon, Sandra Bell said:  “I was blown away by the article written by Rimon Founding Partners, Michael Moradzadeh and Yaacov Silverman on the firm’s model, “Disrupting the Law Firm Model”, and by the people with whom I spoke in the firm actually living the disruption.  This law firm captured what I always thought should be the practice of law, with the bonus of being on the international stage.”

James Min: James Min has over two decades of extensive experience advising global companies and organizations on international trade law. Mr. Min specializes in economic sanctions, export controls, customs, CFIUS, internal corporate compliance, internal investigations, and other cross border transactional and regulatory law. In addition, Mr. Min has led large national and international internal investigations for multinational companies dealing with sanctions, export controls, and customs violations as well as successfully mitigating potential fines for clients. Mr. Min has unique expertise and experience helping clients navigate U.S. secondary sanctions and extraterritorial enforcement of U.S. trade laws. He also represents many clients before OFAC and BIS for licensing, unblocking, delisting, as well as before OFAC, BIS, CFIUS and CBP in investigations and enforcement cases.

Mr. Min previously served as the global chair of international trade law for the DHL Group that serves every country in the world, availing him to practical experiences of solving legal challenges in the highest risk countries. Previously, he was a senior trade attorney for FedEx Express where he assisted the company’s market access in countries such as Libya, Vietnam, China, Russia and Kazakhstan. He also served as an industry sector trade advisor to the U.S. Government during the Bush Administration. Earlier in his career, Mr. Min served as a trade attorney for the U.S. Department of Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Based in the Washington, D.C. Office, he joins Rimon from LimNexus LLP, where he was the co-managing Partner.

Mr. Min commented: “With my global trade practice with clients around the world operating in every corner of the earth, Rimon’s international platform that provides flexibility was a great fit to further expand and bolster our offerings to clients.”

Mi-Yong Kim: Also joining Rimon from LimNexus LLP is Mi-Yong Kim, who has approximately 30 years of experience related to U.S. export controls and national security laws while in the U.S. Government and in private practice. She spent most of her career in the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce in multiple senior level positions.

Based on her expertise gained through her long-term government service, she has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the decision-making process of the U.S. Government related to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR); the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR); and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Most recently, for approximately three years, she was an attorney with law firms in Washington, D.C., working with domestic and international high-tech and semiconductor clients on compliance with U.S. export controls and sanctions regulations. She has significant experience working in Taiwan and representing Taiwanese clients. Mi-Yong Kim is based in Washington, D.C.

“Joining Rimon allows me to offer a full range of legal services to clients”, said Mi-Yong Kim on her move.  “Having an international presence is a definite plus in counseling multinational corporations.”

Chelsea Ellis: Chelsea Ellis joins Rimon as an associate in Rimon’s New York office. Ms. Ellis’ practice focuses on international trade, trade enforcement matters, economic sanctions, export controls, CFIUS, internal corporate compliance, import regulations, customs, internal investigations, data privacy, financial technology, and other cross-border transactional and regulatory law. She has experience in federal and state regulatory compliance concerning securities, corporate, and intellectual property law. As legal counsel for many global corporations, she brings extensive experience to her clients. She provides practical and solution-driven advice on complex matters such as U.S. secondary sanctions and the extraterritorial implications of U.S. export control laws.

Ms. Ellis also advises foreign investors and U.S. businesses in high-technology sectors through the intricacies of CFIUS requirements, ICTS regulations, and securing the necessary licenses and approvals from U.S. trade authorities. Ms. Ellis previously worked in the United States Trade Representative’s Office in Washington, D.C. as a contract attorney and as a Russia trade analyst.

Ms. Ellis commented: “I am thrilled to join Rimon and its International Trade Practice Group, where I look forward to contributing to the firm’s dynamic and innovative approach to global trade challenges. I look forward to leveraging my experience in this field to contribute to Rimon’s impressive track record of delivering exceptional legal solutions to its clients on a global scale.”

Rimon’s Chief Legal and Growth Officer, TJ Henry commented, “Rimon is now a powerhouse in international trade law. This is an exciting development in Rimon’s growth story.”

Read the press coverage on this story below:

Law360

Attorney at a Glance

International Trade Today

Xira

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About Rimon PC

Rimon PC has 48 offices across five continents. The firm is widely known as being at the vanguard of legal innovation.

The firm has been repeatedly recognized by the Financial Times (FT) as one of North America’s most innovative law firms. The firm’s Founding Partners were both named ‘Legal Rebels’ by the American Bar Association’s ABA Journal and have spoken on innovations in the practice of law at Harvard and Stanford Law Schools.

Rimon and its lawyers have also received numerous awards for excellence, including from Best Lawyers and Chambers.

For more information, please visit http://RimonLaw.com.