Former US Exim deputy general counsel, Carter Lawson, has joined the Washington DC office of global consulting and advisory firm 32 Advisors as a principal.

Lawson will be working with Kevin Varney, also formerly of US Exim, on the international trade finance division.

“I plan to focus on government-supported export project finance,” he explains to GTR, adding that the sector will continue to play a major role in the trade financing market.

Lawson worked in a number of different jurisdictions across the world while with US Exim and hopes to continue to work in these areas.

“I have worked on a lot of co-finance and parallel finance with other institutions so I’ve gotten to know their operations, their personnel, and how they like deals structured,” he says.

Mexico is a major trade partner with the US, and thus an important customer for US Exim, and Lawson will continue to work in the region, as well as further south in Latin America.

However, India will also be an important jurisdiction. While working at the US bank, Lawson led the due diligence team which worked on several large Indian solar projects.

“That turned into a good bit of business for the bank,” he explains, “and I would love to do more”.

“I like the market, I like the country – it’s dynamic, there is a lot going on obviously and I could really provide some value to that market, so I’m hoping to do as much Indian work as I can get.”

Other jurisdictions that Lawson will be continuing to work with include Turkey, and a range of countries in the Middle East.

“I’m really trying not to pigeon-hole myself and do it on a deal-by-deal basis,” he adds.