John Anwesen is the Founder and Principal Attorney of Lighthill and an advocate with a vision of a connected world. He has helped companies remain competitive in the U.S. market and, in many cases, eliminate import duties entirely through disciplined defense and creative legal strategy. John approaches each engagement by identifying the overlooked details that reframe the larger picture and open new paths forward for his clients.
John advises on a broad range of international trade matters, with a focus on antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) proceedings, trade remedy actions under Sections 232 and 301, customs matters, export controls, and sanctions. He also defends clients in U.S. agency investigations and related litigation and dispute resolution. His background spans leading AD and CVD cases at the U.S. government level and advising clients across a wide range of industries in private practice. With nearly a decade in international trade, he brings technical depth and practical judgment to every engagement.
Representative Matters
- Prepared and submitted one of the most comprehensive comments in the Bureau of Industry and Security's Section 232 investigation into whether imports of copper threaten to impair national security of the United States
- Represented clients before the International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce in AD, CVD, and injury investigations into imports of corrosion-resistant steel products
- Defended a U.S. importer of quartz surface products during Customs risk assessment information requests
- Led the successful defense of a brass rod producer during a Department of Commerce antidumping duty investigation
- Directed the defense of a manufacturing client in a countervailing duty investigation involving oil country tubular goods
- Guided clients through legal hazards associated with anticircumvention proceedings
- Secured rulings from Commerce confirming that a client's solar products fall outside the scope of AD/CVD orders
- Provided counsel on due diligence processes for the sale of laser-sensing technology products
- Developed legal strategies challenging Commerce's Differential Pricing methodology
- Provided legal advice to the International Trade Administration's Enforcement & Compliance Unit
- Led verification of subsidy programs in Thailand for Commerce, focusing on the solar panel industry
- Presented recommendations to Assistant and Deputy Assistant Secretaries at the International Trade Administration
Publications
Education
- University of California, Riverside — B.A., Economics, 2012
- University of Maryland School of Law — J.D., 2015
- International Trade Administration — Law Certificate Program, 2017
- Arizona State University, Thunderbird School — Executive Certificate, Global Business
