Devin S. Sikes assists sovereign and corporate clients who span the globe as they navigate complex international trade matters before U.S. agencies, U.S. courts, and international tribunals. Devin principally represents clients in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, customs matters, and proceedings conducted pursuant to Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Due to his extensive experience in high-stakes international trade litigation, Devin regularly counsels clients on their options for judicial review of unfavorable laws and determinations.
He has developed strategy, authored briefs, and argued in over 35 cases before the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) and over 10 appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit). Devin also represents clients in dispute settlement before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Apart from his work on international trade matters, Devin has counseled clients on a broad range of issues in disputes before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C., Second, Seventh, and Federal Circuits. In those disputes, Devin advised clients on questions concerning administrative law, civil procedure, immigration, patents, and veterans’ benefits.
Prior to joining Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Devin served in the U.S. Government for nearly a decade in various roles in the Judicial and Executive Branches. Most recently, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Evan J. Wallach of the Federal Circuit.
Before his clerkship with Judge Wallach, Devin worked as a Senior Attorney in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (Commerce) Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance. In that role, he represented Commerce in some of the most significant antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings arising over the last decade, including constitutional litigation that affected imports from nonmarket-economy countries like China; WTO litigation that concerned an “as such” challenge to Section 129 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act; and investigations of sugar from Mexico. In each matter assigned to him, Devin advised Commerce on its legal obligations and defended the agency in subsequent litigation before U.S. courts and the WTO.
During his tenure with Commerce, Devin also advised Congress on draft legislation relating to the application of the countervailing duty law to nonmarket-economy countries and assisted in the negotiation of three suspension agreements. He received a Gold Medal, the highest form of honorary recognition for distinguished performance bestowed by the Secretary of Commerce, for his efforts on the draft legislation and a Bronze Medal, the highest honorary award for superior performance granted by Commerce’s International Trade Administration, for his work on certain suspension agreements.
Devin began his career as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Judith M. Barzilay of the CIT. In that role, he assisted Judge Barzilay in actions before her at the CIT and in matters assigned to her when she sat by designation on the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Devin received his J.D., with a Certificate in International Trade & Finance, from the University of Kansas School of Law. During law school, he was named a Dean’s Scholar; an Evelyn, Richard & Blanche Thompson Scholar; and a KU Law Leadership Scholar. He also served as a staff editor on the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, as well as a research assistant to Professor Raj Bhala, a renowned international trade law scholar. Devin graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in Philosophy and Spanish, receiving Departmental Honors in Philosophy.
Representative Work:
- Devin’s recent engagements include:
- Sharpe v. United States (Fed. Cir.): representing appellant, a U.S. military veteran, who seeks back pay related to his unlawful termination
- Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada (NAFTA): representing the Government of British Columbia in appeals challenging various aspects of Commerce’s and the U.S. International Trade Commission’s (ITC) final determinations in the trade remedy investigations of softwood lumber from Canada
- Wilmar Trading Pte Ltd et al. v. United States (Ct. Int’l Trade): representing plaintiffs in various appeals challenging Commerce’s final determinations in trade remedy investigations on biodiesel from Indonesia
- Represented the Government of British Columbia before Commerce in the countervailing duty investigation of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada and in the expedited review of the countervailing duty order on softwood lumber products from Canada
- Representing a U.S. automobile manufacturer before Commerce in the ongoing investigation of imports of automobiles and automotive parts conducted pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962
- Represented NEC Energy Solutions before the U.S. Trade Representative in achieving an exclusion from duties that would otherwise have been imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
- Hernandez-Hernandez v. Sessions (2d Cir.): representing appellant who seeks asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the United Nations Convention Against Torture
- Canadian Solar, Inc. v. United States (Fed. Cir.): representing appellants who challenge Commerce’s country-of-origin determination in trade remedy investigations on solar cells and modules from China
Affiliations:
Devin maintains close ties to various community and professional organizations, including:
- Federal Circuit Bar Association
- Customs and International Trade Bar Association
- Washington International Trade Association
- Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court.
Devin has also guest lectured on international trade and appellate litigation at various law schools across the United States, including the William & Mary Marshall—Wythe School of Law, the American University Washington College of Law, and the University of Kansas School of Law.
Education:
- J.D., University of Kansas School of Law, 2008
- B.A., University of Kansas, 2005
Clerkships:
- U.S. Court of International Trade
- U.S.C.A., Federal Circuit
Bar Admissions:
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Texas
Cost
Rate : $$$