MEET THE PROFESSIONAL
February 2019
Reema Radwan
Reema Radwan is an attorney with the United States Customs Service in Washington, DC in the Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings. Within this capacity, she drafts binding rulings concerning the classification of imported merchandise under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S., eligibility of imports for marking as products of NAFTA countries, and country of origin determination for purposes of classification. Reema also assists with trade litigation before the Court of International Trade and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by reviewing and providing comments on motions and briefs filed both by Department of Justice and opposing plaintiff-protestants.
We are very excited to feature her this month in our “Meet the Professional” series.
Below are a few questions to help facilitate this interactive connection. At the end of the page you will have an opportunity to post your own questions for Reema Radwan.
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Describe your current Occupation & Degree/s and Universities.
I completed my undergraduate degrees in Political Science and International Development Studies with a minor in Arabic at UCLA and my J.D. at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. After working in commercial litigation for a few years, I decided to shift gears and specialize in trade and customs. In order to develop that specialization and build a network that would allow me to pursue new career opportunities, I moved to Washington, DC where I completed my LL.M. degree at Georgetown University Law Center in International Business and Economic Law with a Certificate in WTO Studies. It was through the knowledge base and career network I built during my time at Georgetown that landed me in my career today as an attorney in the Office of Trade with the U.S Customs Service.
Awards/recognitions:
- Graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA (2004)
- St. Thomas More Law Honor Society (2006)
- First Honors Award in Legal Drafting (2006)
- Chief Articles Editor, Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review (2007-2008)
- Student Fellow, Georgetown’s Institute of International Economic Law (2011-2012)
- CALI Award for U.S. and International Customs Law (2012)
- LL.M. ”With Distinction” and Dean’s List in International Business & Economic Law at Georgetown University Law Center (2012)
- Bar Admission to the United States Supreme Court Bar (2016)
- Board Member, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association (2014-Present)
Discuss a moment or turning point in your life that led you to your career path:
I had been practicing commercial litigation at a large law firm in Los Angeles for about 2 years after law school and I found the work to be deeply unsatisfying. I had always wanted to do more global-facing legal work as it relates to international economic systems. At the same time, I was craving a change and had been considering a move to DC after spending a semester there during an internship program through UCLA and I also spent about 9 months interning there before law school. I always found DC to be an energizing and dynamic environment for the work I wanted to do. It was at that point that I decided to apply for Georgetown’s LL.M. program in International Business and Economic Law.
Discuss a role model or mentor who influenced your career choice:
There isn’t a specific role model or mentor that helped guide me but when I was doing my LL.M., I found that reaching out to certain professors was incredibly useful. A lot of my professors either were working or used to work in international economic organizations or government agencies so they had a lot of expertise in their field. They provided me with valuable guidance about the local job market and the kind of work that I wanted to do. They were also able to introduce me to people who worked at organizations or agencies that meshed with my career goals
Do you recall any specific challenges you encountered and overcame?
Uprooting my life in Los Angeles, paying more tuition, and moving to DC to earn my LL.M. at Georgetown was definitely a big risk because in the legal field, especially just after the slow recovery from the recession around 2010, landing a job in DC is just as much about the network you build as it is about your grades in school. With that in mind, I was determined not to squander the opportunity I had to study at Georgetown and spent most of my free time from school networking. What’s nice about my field is that it is a niche field with a small universe of people working in the type of jobs that I was pursuing. One of the most useful things I did at that time was “cold emailing” people on LinkedIn to set up coffee meetings. Most of the people that I reached out either knew some of my contacts or worked in jobs that interested me to learn more about what he or she does on a day-to-day basis. It was through there that I ultimately developed the contact that led me to where I am today.
Another specific challenge for me personally was that at the same time that all of this was happening, I was adjusting to gradual hearing loss that had been developing over the years. By that point, I learned that the best way to approach this challenge is to be upfront when I meet people and let them know how to best communicate with me. Though as a word of advice to anyone facing similar challenges, I intentionally did not disclose my hearing loss in resumes to prevent any bias from developing beforehand, and to let my skills and accomplishments speak for themselves. Granted, I could do this because I did not need any accommodations during the interview but this is not always the case for others with different disabilities.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
After starting my career in the private sector and spending the last 5 years in the public sector as an attorney for the U.S Customs Service, I see myself working to develop greater niche expertise on issues such as trade agreements, trade remedies, and commodity classification as customs law is such a dynamic field that changes constantly. At the same time, I also see myself taking on more of a mentorship role to others seeking to work in government in DC, particularly with women and people with disabilities.
I also see myself pursuing more outside civic responsibilities to improve my local community. For example, right now, I am working with others in DC to advance local legislation requiring a certain number of open captioned movie screenings each week. I have met with DC Councilmembers to discuss this legislation and recently testified in front of the DC Council about the importance of this legislation. I strongly believe in one’s civic responsibility to use skills that he or she has developed in order to advance important issues that improve the local community. I also hope to do similar outside work for environmental protection.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?
I am not a natural networker. Like anything else, it is a muscle that you have to exercise. So my greatest piece of advice is not to be afraid to get out of one’s comfort zone. Expand your network and set up coffee chats with people that have careers that sound even remotely interesting. Even if it doesn’t lead to anything, it is a learning experience on so many levels. It helps you learn more about potential jobs while also improving your networking skills. Sometimes, one person may not be able to help but they might be able to introduce you to someone that can.
Tell us a little bit about your hobbies outside of your field:
As I mentioned above, right now, I am currently focused on advocating on behalf of the Open Movie Captioning Act in DC, along with learning sign language. Aside from that, I enjoy museum hopping and cultural events in DC, exploring local DC neighborhoods on foot and traveling with my husband, snuggling with our sassy but beautiful Siberian kitten named Nikita, and Facetiming with my adorable niece and nephew, I’m also a big history nerd and enjoy subjecting my husband and kitten to the latest historical films or miniseries on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
A Q&A form will be uploaded shortly. In the meantime feel free to send any questions you would like to ask Reema Radwan to admin@network1017.com
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