Melissa M. Brewer
Special Counsel
- Email Address
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- Location
- Washington, DC
- Phone number
- (202) 342-8807
With invaluable insight honed during her years of government service, Melissa Brewer focuses on international trade issues, helping her clients navigate the decision-making processes involved in trade cases.
In this capacity, Melissa represents domestic industries in U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings against unfairly priced and subsidized foreign imports.
She practices before the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Trade Commission, Office of the United States Trade Representative, and she has appeared before the U.S. Court of International Trade and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Melissa has represented clients in proceedings before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including requests for classification of goods and rulings pertaining to the country of origin of imported merchandise. She also counsels clients on issues pertaining to various free trade agreements and the agreements of the World Trade Organization.
Prior to joining Kelley Drye, Melissa served as an attorney advisor to the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance at the United States Department of Commerce. She drafted petitions, motions, briefs, and other written submissions in cases before the Court of International Trade, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
Melissa works extensively on the domestic implementation of WTO decisions pursuant to Sections 123 and 129 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. Melissa advises department officials on administrative law, judicial precedent, agency regulations and practice, and customs liquidation issues in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, reviews, and other administrative proceedings.
Melissa has experience dealing with matters concerning foreign trade zones, the regulatory rulemaking process, and proceedings concerning scope and circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duty orders.
“My government experience helps me advise clients on complex trade remedy proceedings so they can compete in their respective markets.”
Assisted in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations and five year “sunset” reviews before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission on behalf of domestic producers of various steel products, aluminum products, textiles, agricultural products, and power grid products.
Worked on the appeals of agency determinations on behalf of various domestic producers before the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Worked on implementation proceeding of WTO dispute before the U.S. Department of Commerce conducted under Section 129 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.
Assisted in the representation of various domestic producers in scope and circumvention proceedings before the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Assisted U.S. companies seeking rulings on the country of origin and classification of imported goods before U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assisted in development of advice regarding the implications and impact of various agreements of the World Trade Organization, including provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT); the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade; the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (Antidumping); the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures; and the Agreement on Safeguards.
On behalf of an international manufacturing company, assisted in the development of compliance materials regarding export control regulations under the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Named as a Rising Star by Law360 in the area of International Trade Law, 2022.
Recipient of the “Burton Award” for legal writing, 2018.
United States Department of Commerce, Office of General Counsel Award for Exceptional Performance, 2015.
The Best Lawyers in America© “Ones to Watch” (Woodward/White, Inc.), International Trade and Finance Law, 2025
Women in International Trade, member
Customs and International Trade Bar Association, International Trade Committee Member
Catholic University Law alumni mentor