Rambod is recognized as one of Canada’s most knowledgeable and experienced trade lawyers.
He has extensive experience advising on and arguing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) cases and World Trade Organization (WTO) cases, participating in multilateral environmental negotiations, and advising on issues including agricultural trade, subsidies and antidumping, export controls, and technical barriers to trade. Rambod has also served on postings to the WTO and the European Union, and as Counsellor at the WTO, advising on antidumping disputes.
In addition to his trade expertise, Rambod has significant experience in financial regulation. As General Counsel at Finance Canada during the financial crisis, Rambod gained unique insight into the Department’s non-tax business lines, in particular regulation of financial institutions, anti-money laundering measures, and trade in financial services. He has advised finance ministries and central banks in both advanced and developing countries.
Rambod was named the Canadian Competition Bureau’s first Deputy Commissioner for Competition Promotion in 2014, where he helped establish the branch. In this role, he was responsible for economic analysis and advocacy, compliance, and international cooperation.
Prior to joining BLG, Rambod worked at a global firm in Geneva, providing policy and legal advice to public and private sector interests on a range of access, regulatory, litigation and institutional issues.
Rambod has taught international economic regulation and litigation at various universities in Canada, the United States and Europe throughout his career.
Rambod is fluent in English, French and Farsi.
Experience
- Barrister
- Government of Morocco in a WTO dispute against Tunisia in respect of Morocco’s antidumping practices; the dispute is under appeal
- Government of Canada in various WTO disputes:
- Canada – Wheat Board, head of delegation in the first ever dispute on the scope of state-trading enterprise obligations of the WTO Agreement, secured significant win for Canada.
- U.S. – Final Determination of countervailing measures on softwood, head of delegation in the first ever dispute before the Appellate Body of the WTO on the scope of "in-country" benchmarks for subsidies cases and the definition of "goods" in the SCM Agreement
- U.S. – Byrd Amendment, head of delegation, first ever disputes on what constitutes "specific action against a subsidy" with important and far-reaching consequences for subsidy disciplines
- Canada – Measures Affecting Export of Civilian Aircraft (21.5) co-counsel in systemically important case clarifying the scope of obligation of a state in implementing panel reports
- Brazil – Export Financing Programme for Regional Aircraft (21.5) lead counsel, first case on the legal test for meeting the requirements of key exception to the prohibition on export subsidies in the SCM Agreement
- Canada – Measures Affecting Export of Civilian Aircraft co-counsel, first case on the scope of de facto export subsidy disciplines of the SCM Agreement, and the export financing activities of Export Development Canada
- Brazil – Export Financing Programme for Regional Aircraft lead counsel, first case on the scope of a developing country's obligations under the SCM Agreement, as well as key systemic findings on procedural questions
- Solicitor and litigation manager
- Government of Canada, in various domestic public law litigation:
- Reference re Securities Act, [2011] 3 SCR 837: Series of constitutional references dealing with Parliament's jurisdiction to regulate securities to ensure national financial stability.
- Canada (Attorney General) v. Federation of Law Societies of Canada, [2015] 1 SCR 401: Long-running case involving the interaction between Canada's money laundering regime, internationally-agreed financial monitoring and reporting requirements, and constitutionally protected rights related to solicitor-client privilege
- Bank of Montreal, et al. v. Réal Marcotte, et al., 2013 CanLII 18832 (SCC): Canada participated as intervenor at various levels leading to the Supreme Court to safeguard Parliament's authority over consumer protection in respect of banking
- The International Trade Centre:
- Advised the Central Bank, the Finance Ministry, and the Trade Ministry of Uzbekistan on WTO accession services trade negotiations, in particular in respect of financial services liberalization, and strategic aspects of multilateral negotiations.
- Advised the Finance Ministry and the Trade Ministry of the Republic of Iraq on WTO accession services trade negotiations, in particular in respect of financial services liberalization.
- ACT for Living Wages, advised on due diligence implementation and the structure of dispute settlement mechanisms in the textile sector in Cambodia and Türkiye
- Government of Canada, in various domestic public law litigation:
- Barrister
- Government of Morocco in a WTO dispute against Tunisia in respect of Morocco’s antidumping practices; the dispute is under appeal
- Government of Canada in various WTO disputes:
- Canada – Wheat Board, head of delegation in the first ever dispute on the scope of state-trading enterprise obligations of the WTO Agreement, secured significant win for Canada.
- U.S. – Final Determination of countervailing measures on softwood, head of delegation in the first ever dispute before the Appellate Body of the WTO on the scope of "in-country" benchmarks for subsidies cases and the definition of "goods" in the SCM Agreement
- U.S. – Byrd Amendment, head of delegation, first ever disputes on what constitutes "specific action against a subsidy" with important and far-reaching consequences for subsidy disciplines
- Canada – Measures Affecting Export of Civilian Aircraft (21.5) co-counsel in systemically important case clarifying the scope of obligation of a state in implementing panel reports
- Brazil – Export Financing Programme for Regional Aircraft (21.5) lead counsel, first case on the legal test for meeting the requirements of key exception to the prohibition on export subsidies in the SCM Agreement
- Canada – Measures Affecting Export of Civilian Aircraft co-counsel, first case on the scope of de facto export subsidy disciplines of the SCM Agreement, and the export financing activities of Export Development Canada
- Brazil – Export Financing Programme for Regional Aircraft lead counsel, first case on the scope of a developing country's obligations under the SCM Agreement, as well as key systemic findings on procedural questions
- Solicitor and litigation manager
- Government of Canada, in various domestic public law litigation:
- Reference re Securities Act, [2011] 3 SCR 837: Series of constitutional references dealing with Parliament's jurisdiction to regulate securities to ensure national financial stability.
- Canada (Attorney General) v. Federation of Law Societies of Canada, [2015] 1 SCR 401: Long-running case involving the interaction between Canada's money laundering regime, internationally-agreed financial monitoring and reporting requirements, and constitutionally protected rights related to solicitor-client privilege
- Bank of Montreal, et al. v. Réal Marcotte, et al., 2013 CanLII 18832 (SCC): Canada participated as intervenor at various levels leading to the Supreme Court to safeguard Parliament's authority over consumer protection in respect of banking
- The International Trade Centre:
- Advised the Central Bank, the Finance Ministry, and the Trade Ministry of Uzbekistan on WTO accession services trade negotiations, in particular in respect of financial services liberalization, and strategic aspects of multilateral negotiations.
- Advised the Finance Ministry and the Trade Ministry of the Republic of Iraq on WTO accession services trade negotiations, in particular in respect of financial services liberalization.
- ACT for Living Wages, advised on due diligence implementation and the structure of dispute settlement mechanisms in the textile sector in Cambodia and Türkiye
- Government of Canada, in various domestic public law litigation:
