Paulette Vander Schueren

“A creative international trade lawyer with very deep knowledge and experience. She adds value by identifying solutions to the issues companies with global supply chains face in today's complex environment.”

Paulette Vander Schueren is a senior partner in Mayer Brown's International Trade Product Group in Brussels, after leading the team for well over a decade.

Chambers Global stated that “Paulette Vander Schueren is consistently singled out for her depth of experience in this field, and is described by sources as "one of the best customs and trade lawyers in the world” and Chambers Global 2021 mentions that clients value Paulette for her “enormous wealth of experience, eye for the larger detail.” Chambers Europe 2022 states that sources deem her to be "very wise and a pleasure to listen to," further noting that "she is extraordinary in many respects." The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers - Trade & Customs lists her as a Global Elite Thought Leader. Paulette is also recognized as part of the Hall of Fame in Legal 500 EMEA – Customs, Trade, WTO and Anti-Dumping in Belgium.

She advises clients on all aspects of international and EU trade and customs law, with particular emphasis on trade remedies, customs and export control and sanctions as well as EU decision-making procedures having an impact on trade.

She represents and advises clients in trade remedy cases before the EU institutions and outside the EU, including on anti-dumping, subsidies, safeguard and, in the EU, on Trade Barrier Regulation matters.

She advises foreign governments on the implementation and interpretation of trade remedy laws and also advises private and governmental clients on the negotiation and interpretation of international and bilateral agreements concluded by the EU as well as on WTO issues. Paulette has also been involved and handled WTO dispute settlement proceedings.

Paulette represents clients in a wide range of customs matters involving inter alia tariff classification, including before EU and EU Member State authorities as well as the World Customs Organization (the "WCO") and authorities outside the EU. She represents clients on customs valuation matters involving EU and WTO/WCO provisions before EU, EU Member State and third country authorities. She advises on economic tariff regimes such as inward processing and processing under customs control or duty suspensions and tariff quotas. She counsels clients on EU and international origin rules as well as origin labelling and on the EU's General System of Preferences.

Paulette represents and advises private companies in relation to the interpretation of EU and international provisions on export controls and economic sanctions and on the implementation of these provisions by EU Member States, both as regards ad hoc issues and the drafting of compliance documents or contractual provisions. She also advises on the implications of the EU’s anti-boycott provisions. In these matters, Paulette and her colleagues in Brussels work closely together with their colleagues in the US and the UK who are experts in these matters.

Paulette’s EU Regulatory experience includes EU's harmonization legislation and its implementation in the EU Member States, including technical regulations and standards, safety regulations and provisions affecting the marketing of goods (for example, sales promotion guarantees), as well as excise, VAT and environmental provisions. With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in the EU, Paulette has also counselled clients on EU institutional matters and the balance of powers.

Paulette and her colleagues advise also on a number of novel regulatory issues including forced labour, environmental issues including deforestation, CBAM and ETS, foreign direct investment, third country subsidies regulations, supply chain due diligence requirements or other ESG related matters.

Paulette has been involved in numerous international trade disputes and appeared before the European Commission as well as the European Courts. She has also appeared in and counsels on WTO dispute settlement.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown in 2005, Paulette was co-head of the International Trade team at another prominent law firm where she practised in the same field since 1981.