The Port of Los Angeles has been able to function "close to normal" since June 1 despite issues arising from labor negotiations between dockworkers and terminal operators, Port Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a press conference June 13. "The Port of L.A. terminals are open, trucks are moving, and vessels by and large have been on schedule," Seroka said (see 230609004, 2306050077 and 2303270032).

UPS plans to close the Sandler Travis Trade Advisory Services headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, and cut 82 jobs, according to an April 4 report in Crain’s Detroit Business. UPS acquired the trade consultancy in 2017 (see 1712040023).

Nuvocargo, a digital platform focused on U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade, launched a new customs brokerage product this week designed to streamline customs operations at the U.S.-Mexico border. The product is meant to “reduce complexity at the border by providing a single point of contact throughout the entire process,” the company said, and will “fully outsource supply chain management by combining freight, customs, and insurance products” with “software designed for” trade between the two countries. “The product captures 7 border-specific data points, including reception and review of documents, MX and US Customs clearance status, and Exam flags; a level of detail never before experienced in the market,” Nuvocargo said.

Three trade groups thanked U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai for starting consultations with Mexico over what they call "discriminatory policies" in the energy sector, but warned: "It appears that the administration of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will not change the course of his country’s energy policy without continued, direct and forceful pressure from the U.S. government."

Law firm Quinn Emanuel will open an office in Beijing, its second office in mainland China. The new office will bolster the firm's China practice on matters including international arbitration and government agency investigations, among them DOJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Quinn Emanuel also helps large companies with "critical internal investigations and government enforcement actions involving their China operations," the firm said. Xiao Liu, Quinn Emanuel's China practice chair, will head the Beijing office.

EFL Global acquired Trans American Customhouse Brokers, the buyer said in a Feb. 27 news release. The fully owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s Expolanka Holdings paid $42.5 million for a 100% equity interest in Trans American and its related companies, Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times reported.

Global law firm Akerman created a new Economic Sanctions and Export Controls Practice team. The group will work to assess "the scope and impact of sanctions and export controls" and design compliance programs, while also "litigating prohibited persons designations, freeing frozen assets, responding to audits, and obtaining licenses," it said Feb. 24.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark, in her annual "State of American Business" speech Jan. 12, said that if the Biden administration fails to strike a balance on how to respond to China's economic posture, it "could undermine our security, our economy, our competitiveness, and our future."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's John Murphy said that manufacturers are some of the biggest supporters of free trade deals because half their goods are exported.

Nardello & Co., a global investigations firm, opened an office in Los Angeles that will be led by Managing Director Amie Chang, the firm announced. Chang returns to the U.S. from the firm's Hong Kong office, where she worked on various due diligence investigations, providing litigation support and aiding sensitive political risk engagements in China, the firm said. Prior to joining the firm, Chang worked as a DOD intelligence analyst and as a State Department diplomat. The firm's focus includes white collar criminal and civil litigation, due diligence, anti-corruption and fraud investigations, and asset tracing.