Wiley Rein’s Timothy Brightbill Elected Vice Chair of Industry Trade Advisory Committee

Timothy C. Brightbill, a partner in Wiley Rein’s International Trade Practice, has been elected vice chair of an industry advisory panel that makes policy recommendations to the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative.

Mr. Brightbill has served since 2007 on the 25-member Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) on Services and Finance Industries. Comprised of business leaders from the U.S. manufacturing and services sectors, the group provides a public-private forum to ensure that industry has a voice in formulating the nation’s trade policy.

The services ITAC will play a critical role in several ongoing U.S. trade negotiations, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would be the largest U.S. free trade agreement, the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the newly launched Trade in International Services Agreement (TISA), which seeks to expand services trade among 22 WTO members, including the United States and the European Union.

Mr. Brightbill’s panel is among 16 ITACs that were established under the Trade Act of 1974 to ensure that U.S. officials were consulting with the private sector during trade negotiations. Policy makers rely on ITAC advisors to identify trade barriers and provide advice on key objectives and bargaining positions for multilateral, bilateral, and regional trade negotiations, as well as other trade-related policy matters.