Biography • Trade & Customs

Richard Belanger advises companies, industry associations, and governments on international trade issues, particularly customs, export controls, trade remedies, trade policy and related legislation. His practice extends to counselling, administrative proceedings, litigation and legislative activities. Mr Belanger has developed and helped to implement import/export compliance programmes for major multinational companies from a wide range of industry sectors, including heavy equipment, pharmaceuticals, electronics, steel, food products, footwear and apparel.

Mr Belanger is counsel to the US Business Alliance for Customs Modernization (BACM), a coalition of large companies dedicated to streamlining and harmonising government processes for imports and exports. He serves on the rules advisory committee to the US Court of International Trade, and is a member of the Trade Support Network (TSN), a group of private sector advisers which provides input to the US government into the design and development of modernisation systems, such as the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). He has served on two advisory bodies to the World Customs Organization and is a former board member of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association. He began his professional career at a customs brokerage, and later served in government as an attorney-advisor at the predecessor agency to US Customs and Border Protection.

Mr Belanger received his JD from Boston University School of Law and his BA from the University of New Hampshire. Admissions include the US Court of International Trade, the US Court of Appeals, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.