Christian LAU

Christian Lau is partner at Dentons and an experienced and recognized international trade lawyer. With more than 20 years’ experience, Christian assists clients navigate and resolve a wide range of issues under international trade law, including the agreements of the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) and plurilateral/bilateral trade agreements, as well as under EU/UK trade remedy laws.
Christian advises government and private-sector clients on the consistency of domestic policies with international trade law obligations. Where potential inconsistencies exist, he advises defensively on the mitigation of litigation risk and offensively on securing negotiated settlements.
Where trade disputes cannot be resolved through negotiations, Christian advises on the development and implementation of litigation strategies. His litigation experience covers each procedural context, from original proceedings reviewing claims of violations, to compliance proceedings reviewing the sufficiency of measures taken to comply (including reverse compliance proceedings), and arbitration proceedings on the level of permitted trade sanctions, where those are necessary to induce compliance. He has worked for complainants, respondents and third parties.
Throughout his career, Christian has litigated dozens of WTO proceedings, including several of the most complex trade disputes, as well as some of the most important disputes for the WTO members concerned. He has a broad and deep sectoral expertise, covering agriculture and commodities, advanced manufacturing, automotive, aviation, consumer goods, energy, finance, pharmaceuticals, and science and technology.
Christian also advises on the negotiations of new international trade agreements. In a domestic law context, Christian advises on compliance with various international trade related regulatory requirements as well as trade remedies.