WASHINGTON, DC – Capitol Counsel today launched its new trade practice, naming former Congressman Charles Boustany as chairman and Capitol Counsel Partner and General Counsel Josh Kardon as co-chairman. Capitol Counsel Partner Martin B. Gold will also join the practice along with Bruce Hirsh, a former senior official in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
“We are already representing clients in the trade space and with our strong bipartisan talent and expertise on this issue, we thought it was time to launch a formal trade practice. Our diverse team of experts is able to handle just about any trade-related case and give our clients the tools they need to win,” said John D. Raffaelli, Founding Partner at Capitol Counsel.
During his 12 years in Congress, Dr. Boustany established himself as an expert and leading Republican voice on trade policy and was a co-founder of the Friends of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Caucus and Co-chair of the U.S.- China Working Group and the Japan Caucus. Dr. Boustany also served on the influential House Ways and Means Committee as a Senior Member of the Trade Subcommittee and was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tax Policy. Following his retirement one year ago, he is eligible to register to lobby on behalf of Capitol Counsel’s clients.
Josh Kardon served as Chief of Staff to Senator Ron Wyden for 17 years, where he was personally involved in a host of trade agreements and enforcement battles. As a partner with Capitol Counsel, Kardon has been involved with several high-profile trade cases. Kardon was the lead SolarWorld lobbyist in successful cases against China in 2012, 2014, and 2018. Of the 30 domestic solar cell manufacturers in business in the U.S. when Kardon began representing SolarWorld, only SolarWorld survived. As a partner with Capitol Counsel, Kardon has played key roles in a variety of high-profile trade enforcement cases, including solar and timber products.
Martin B. Gold has extensive experience working on China-related issues. Gold has been a guest lecturer at Tsinghua University and Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is the author of numerous books, including “Forbidden Citizens: Chinese Exclusion and the U.S. Congress: A Legislative History” and “A Legislative History of the Taiwan Relations Act: Bridging the Strait.” Gold’s book “Senate Procedure and Practice” is considered the authority on Senate rules and procedure, and he frequently advises in the offices of Senators. Gold currently serves on the adjunct faculty at George Washington University.
Bruce Hirsh, a former top official in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington, DC and Geneva, Switzerland, will also join the trade practice as of counsel. Hirsh is credited with leading the U.S. negotiating team for the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, the first new multilateral trade agreement at the WTO, and negotiating Japan-related provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Hirsh is the founder of Tailwind Global Strategies LLC and has also held top positions in Congress, including as Chief International Trade Counsel on the Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Max Baucus.
About Capitol Counsel
Capitol Counsel is a full-service, bipartisan, and bicameral lobbying firm recognized for its expertise in tax, health care, financial services, energy, commerce, and trade. For more information on Capitol Counsel, please visit our website at www.capitolcounsel.com or contact John D. Raffaelli at (202) 861-3200.