The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative this week announced the hiring of two new officials.

Mike Miller recently left his position as head of the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to join the Defense Department as deputy director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, a State Department spokesperson said Dec. 12. Miller previously served as deputy assistant secretary for defense trade in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, where he oversaw a flurry of recent changes and updates to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (see 2211100023, 2209280038, 2204290032 and 2105200061).

Jerrob Duffy, former head of the Litigation Unit in the Fraud Section of DOJ's Criminal Division, has joined Squire Patton as a partner in the Government Investigations & White Collar practice, the firm announced. Duffy worked for over two decades at DOJ, rising to the role of chief of the Fraud Section's Litigation Unit, where he oversaw matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering, securities and other violations, the firm said.

Ian Cohen has been named deputy managing editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Mara Lee has been named senior editor.

Mike Walsh, former chief of staff and acting general counsel at the Commerce Department, has joined Shearman & Sterling as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office's litigation wing, the firm announced. His practice will center on the national security elements of cross-border transactions, including matters involving the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., export controls, Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions and other cross-border investment proceedings. From 2018 to 2021, Walsh oversaw "legal initiatives" at Commerce, including CFIUS, export enforcement functions and appellate litigation. Most recently, Walsh was a partner at Foley & Lardner.

Laura Black, former director of policy and international relations in the Treasury Department's Office of Investment Security, has joined Akin Gump as senior counsel in the foreign investment and international practices, the firm announced. Based in Washington, D.C., Black will focus on investment screening within a national security context and advising clients on international investment risks, multijurisdictional review of transactions, cross-border M&A and outbound investment issues, the firm said. While at OIS, Black was the chief drafter of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018. She also served as the "point person" between the Biden administration transition team and the Office of International Affairs and Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, which includes the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., Akin Gump said.

Julia Webster, former senior associate at Borden Ladner, has joined Baker McKenzie as a partner in the international commercial and trade practice, the firm announced. Based in Toronto, Webster will focus on "trade remedies, free trade agreements, blocking measures, customs compliance, anti-corruption laws, economic sanctions, supply chain ethics, and cross-border M&A," the firm said. Webster previously worked as a senior associate in Borden Ladner's disputes and international trade practice. She is a sessional lecturer at law school of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Julian Zou, former partner at Venable and international financing attorney, joined Procopio Cory as a partner in the Silicon Valley office, the firm announced. Zou's practice will center on his experience working on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Chinese anti-bribery law counseling and investigations, the firm said.

Akerman LLP added two partners to its ranks, with Matthew Goldstein joining the Washington, D.C.-based Government Affairs and Public Policy practice, and Andrew Dominguez joining the International Litigation and Arbitration practice in Miami, the firm announced.

John Carlin, former acting deputy attorney general at DOJ, has joined Paul Weiss as co-head of the Cybersecurity & Data Protection practice and partner in the Litigation Department, the firm announced. Carlin's practice will focus on cyber incident responses, crisis management, national security issues, white collar defense and the work of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., the firm said. At DOJ, he held the acting deputy AG position from January to April 2021, later serving as principal associate deputy AG under Deputy AG Lisa Monaco and AG Merrick Garland. Carlin's work centered on oversight of the FBI, leading an initiative to stop corporate crime, and cracking down on individuals and entities helping Russia evade sanctions, the firm said.