King & Spalding has brought on board Jamieson Greer, the former chief of staff to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office.

Greer joined the Trump administration in May 2017, after less than a year as of counsel at Kirkland & Ellis. He spent four years as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where Lighthizer served as a partner before resigning in January 2017. He left the government at the start of April, after being approached by King & Spalding about joining the firm.

"I really loved the USTR. I feel fortunate to be able to be involved in some high-profile projects," he said. "But the opportunity at King & Spalding was really compelling. The trade group has expertise in every area of trade law and a diverse client base. I know the people well, I like them, and I enjoy working with them."

Greer is not the only veteran of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to find a home at King & Spalding, as former general counsel Stephen Vaughn joined the firm in 2019.

During his stay in the federal government, Greer worked on negotiations for the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal, signed in January, and the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

"I feel like I've been able to be on the front edge of a new trade paradigm that has been established largely in a bipartisan fashion," he said. 

Greer added that he's looking forward to working with existing firm clients and bringing on new clients in industries such as manufacturing, automotive, tech, life sciences, energy, and private equity.

"The thing about trade is that it touches every aspect of the economy," he said. "This virus is making people think about their supply chain. I can add a lot of value right now for companies looking towards opportunities in this emerging world."

Before entering private practice, Greer served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, acting as both prosecutor and defense counsel in criminal investigations and courts-martial.

"Our strategy is to continue to grow our substantive and geographic strength by adding leading talent to our existing team in Washington, Brussels, Geneva, and other offices," Steve Orava, head of the international trade team, said in a statement. "Jamieson provides additional in-depth expertise and experience, especially in key areas such as trade with China, the EU, and the wider North American region."

Other high-profile Trump administration figures now at the firm include former Deputy U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, national intelligence director Dan Coats, and Zach Harmon, who returned to the firm after a stint as chief of staff to FBI Director Chris Wray, himself a former King & Spalding partner.

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