TORONTO, ONT. -- Lauren D. Rachlin, Esq., a partner in Hodgson Russ LLP's Corporate & Securities and International/Cross-Border Practice Groups, has received an appointment making him eligible to serve on international dispute resolution panels related to Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The dispute resolution panels derive from Chapter 19 of NAFTA, which established an appeals process to handle anti-dumping and countervailing duty disputes between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Countervailing duties are placed on a product when an importing country believes the product has been illegally subsidized and will result in economic injury. Anti-dumping tariffs can be placed on a product when it is sold in the importing country for less than in its home market and could harm domestic manufacturers of the same product. Disputes under Chapter 19 are acted on by a five-member panel, two of whom represent the United States and are selected from the U.S. roster.

Mr. Rachlin, who held this appointment in the past and, during that appointment, served on two panels, said, "Without Chapter 19, manufacturers seeking to appeal countervailing and anti-dumping duties imposed by another NAFTA country would be effectively without a remedy."

A licensed foreign legal consultant in Ontario, Mr. Rachlin is resident in Hodgson Russ's Toronto and Buffalo offices. He concentrates his practice in international business law with a primary focus on Canada, general corporate law, international trade, distribution, and investment. Mr. Rachlin serves by appointment on the United States Trade Representative's International Trade Advisory Committee on Customs and Trade Facilitation. He was the driving force behind the creation of the International Law and Practice Section of the New York State Bar Association and served as the section's first chair. Mr. Rachlin was a founder of the Western New York International Trade Council, now World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, for which he now serves as a director member of its advisory board.

Mr. Rachlin served as a member of the United States Delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Rachlin served on the executive committee of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and was a member of the International Advisory Committee of the World Arbitration Institute. Mr. Rachlin received a J.D. from Harvard University and a B.S. from the University at Buffalo.

With approximately 200 attorneys practicing in all major areas of law, Hodgson Russ is the 206th largest law firm headquartered in the United States, as reported by the National Law Journal. It is one of approximately 100 firms in the country listed in America's Greatest Places to Work With a Law Degree. In addition, Hodgson Russ was named one of the country's most admired employers for 2003 by American Employer Digest. The Firm, which was established in 1817 and is among the oldest law firms in the U.S., is the only law firm that can count two former U.S. presidents, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, among its alumni. The eight offices of Hodgson Russ are located in Albany, Buffalo, JFK International Airport, Johnstown, and New York City, New York; Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For more information, go to www.hodgsonruss.com.

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