Brian Bombassaro advises on legal and policy matters encompassing international trade, investment, and finance. In 2020, he returned to Arnold & Porter after serving as International Trade Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Finance.
Brian is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and he practices in each language. He is a Member of the Bretton Woods Committee and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
In his international trade practice, Brian advises on international trade laws and agreements. From 2017 to 2019, he advised the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on legal and political aspects of international trade issues, including U.S.-China trade relations, tariffs imposed under national security laws, and trade agreement negotiations. In private practice, his clients have included a financial services provider, a global technology business, and metals manufacturers. Previously, he interned with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).
In his international investment practice, he serves as counsel to sovereign governments and private investors in matters of foreign investment law and dispute resolution. His practice in this area centers on advocacy in arbitration proceedings under investment treaties, often before the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
In his finance practice, he advises sovereign borrowers as well as creditors to sovereign governments on the negotiation, implementation, enforcement, and restructuring of financial agreements, including capital markets instruments (registered and under Rule 144A/Regulation S), credit agreements, and financial services contracts.
Brian graduated from Yale Law School, where he served on the Yale Law Journal and was awarded the William T. Ketcham, Jr. Prize. At the Harvard Kennedy School, he earned a Master in Public Policy (International Trade & Finance), and he holds B.S.B.A. and B.A. degrees from the University of Florida. He lectures annually at Yale Law School and Georgetown Law School on international law topics.
Experience
- U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on legal and political aspects of international trade issues, such as U.S.-China trade relations; tariffs under national security laws; trade agreement negotiations (e.g., USMCA, Korea-U.S. Trade Agreement Modernization, U.S.-Japan Interim Trade Agreement,); U.S. trade promotion authority (TPA); trade in financial services; investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS); trade agreements and international tax laws; U.S. policy toward the World Trade Organization (WTO); OECD accession candidates; U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP); and Senate review, confirmation, and oversight of presidential nominees and appointees.
- U.S. Financial Institution concerning WTO GATS obligations relevant to proposed measures by the European Union.
- An Automobile Manufacturers Association concerning WTO obligations under the GATT, SCM Agreement, and TRIMs Agreement.
- U.S. Metals Manufacturer concerning United States international trade laws applicable to processed metals.
Perspectives
Credentials
Education
- J.D., Yale Law School, 2012
- M.P.P., Harvard Kennedy School, 2008
- B.S.B.A., B.A., University of Florida, 2006
Admissions
- District of Columbia
Government & Military Service
- U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
Activities
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Guest Lecturer, Yale Law School
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Guest Lecturer, Georgetown Law School
- Member, Bretton Woods Committee
- Term Member, Council on Foreign Relations
Languages
- Portuguese
- Spanish