Dan Ujczo
Senior Counsel
Dan is a senior counsel in the firm’s International Trade and Transportation practice groups. His practice focuses on providing end-to-end counsel across clients’ Canada-U.S., North American and global supply chains. This trade counsel includes customs classification and compliance, utilization of preferential trade agreements such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), tariff mitigation and exclusions, procurement issues such as Buy America/Buy American, and anti-dumping/countervailing duty issues. He also advises clients in the negotiating of transportation agreements, managing trusted trader and related security programs, and addressing issues at ports-of-entry.
Dan’s unique Canada-U.S. experience encompasses serving in the governments of Canada and the United States, private practice and academia. He served as an officer in Canada’s foreign ministry where he worked towards improving North America’s borders and ports-of-entry. For nearly a decade, Dan was a visiting professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and managed a lab that served as a legal adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard. His public service also includes having served as a Career Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Judge Peter C. Economus. In that capacity, Dan participated in federal and civil trial litigation and performed by designation in cases pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Dan also assists clients, economic development organizations and governments with cross-border investment and expansion projects. This includes coordinating legal counsel on matters such as corporate structuring, taxation, immigration, incentives, intellectual property, employment among others. Dan serves as external general counsel to a number of cross-border companies.
Examples of Dan’s experience include:
- Developed and maintained customs compliance programs for Tier One automotive companies.
- Designed and negotiated a suite of master transportation agreements across all modes for Fortune 100 multinational company and conducted ongoing training for business teams.
- Interpreted USMCA rules of origin and developed compliance regimes for companies operating in the automotive, advanced manufacturing, chemical, textile polymers and technology sectors.
- Represented large agri-food association, automotive companies, and retailers in trade negotiations including USMCA.
- Assisted multiple steel and aluminum clients and customers in securing exclusions from Section 232 tariffs.
- Counselled clients on Section 301 (China) tariffs exclusions.
- Advised electric vehicle companies on purchasing strategies to meet trade agreements requirements and Buy America/Buy American threshold.
- Assisted e-commerce companies with customs issues including Section 321 de minimis.
- Represented government stakeholders in issues relating to regulatory cooperation.
- Advised large engineering firm with global expansion, licensing, and staffing plans.
- Provided trade counsel to multiple renewable energy programs.
- Serve as external general counsel to Canada-U.S. real estate private equity fund heading one of the largest privately-funded economic development projects in North America.
- "China-U.S. Legal and Regulatory Update," Thompson Hine International Trade Update, August 2021
- “Executive Order Targets Rail, Ocean and Air Transportation Competition and Unreasonable Practices,” Thompson Hine Transportation Update, July 2021
- "USMCA Free Trade Commission Holds Inaugural Meeting as USMCA in Full Force," Thompson Hine International Trade Update, May 2021
- "New Year, New NAFTA – Evaluating USMCA’s Impact on Current Operations and Due Diligence Procedures," Thompson Hine Business Law Update, Spring 2021
- "It’s Time to Change Attitudes Over Northern Latitudes," Area Development, 2019
- “The Mexican Auto Industry – Looking Forward,” US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Chicago, Illinois
- “NAFTA vs. USMCA, Global Compliance and Legal Issues,” Ohio Small Business Development Centers, Cleveland, Ohio
- “Global Trade and Tariff Update,” Global Chamber, Phoenix, Arizona
- “USMCA - the First Three Months,” NTEA, the Association for Work Truck Industry, Troy, Michigan
- “International Insight,” Succeeding in Canada Seminar, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
- “Trade and Economic Development,” IEDC, Atlanta, Georgia
- Case Western Reserve Distinguished Recent Alumni, 2010
- Order of the Barristers
- CALI and Anderson publishing awards for excellence in Civil Procedure
- Frederick K. Cox International Law Center Award
Professional Associations
- Columbus Bar Association
- Life Member, Executive Order of the Ohio Commodores
- National Board Member and Managing Council, American Chamber of Commerce in Canada (AM-CHAM Canada)
- President, Ohio-Canada Business Association (OHIO-CAN)
- Vice-President, U.S., North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO)
- Advisory Committee, Ohio-Pennsylvania Stateline Export Initiative (OPEI)
- Vice-President, Henry T. King, Jr. Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group
- Principal/co-Founder, Canada-US SAGE Group
Community Activities
- The Catholic Foundation Professional Advisors Group
- Knights of Columbus Council 5253
- Performing Arts Creative Ensemble (PACE!)
Leading USMCA & Canada-U.S. Lawyer Daniel Ujczo Joins Thompson Hine’s International Trade Practice in ColumbusThompson Hine LLP
January 25, 2021