There is one certainty. Trump’s tariffs will act as a full employment law leading to exponential growth of lawyers and lobbyists trying to influence government legislation, regulation and policy in this sub-field of trade law. Actually, most lawyers today know very little about this field, but that won’t stop the growth. Demand for any knowledge in this area will grow greatly because of the concerns of domestic and global corporations engaged in global commerce and the related ecosystem of suppliers and other parties.

“The problem is that Trump’s tariff program would energize and empower elites. By directing government to impose levies on allies and adversaries alike, he’d be giving more strength to the swamp monsters he’s supposed to be defeating …. When Washington wants to impose new taxes, including tariffs, the companies and people who would be affected rush to trade associations, public-relations firms and lobbyists for help …. We saw this play out in response to Trump’s tariffs during his first term. When he imposed strict steel and aluminum tariffs in 2018, thousands of U.S. companies lobbied the Commerce Department to end the tariffs or exempt their operations. Some companies exempted from the tariffs lobbied the Commerce Department to keep them in place on their competitors …. As his tariff regime expanded, the number of companies deploying lobbyists in Washington tripled. There were roughly 100 groups lobbying on tariff issues when Trump took office. By June 2018, there were nearly 450. Imagine how many more there will be if his second-term tariff program is as expansive as he’s promising.”  “Tariffs and the Swamp.” Wall Street Journal (12.26.24).