Derick Holt to Receive ‘40 Under 40’ Award from National Bar Association

July 20, 2022

Washington, DC – Wiley, a preeminent DC law firm, is pleased to announce that International Trade partner Derick G. Holt has been recognized by the National Bar Association (NBA) among this year’s “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates.” 

The annual awards honor the nation’s top lawyers under the age of 40 who exemplify a broad range of high achievements. The recipients will be honored at the 40 Under 40 Awards Gala on July 27, during the NBA’s annual convention in Memphis, TN.

“These awards are designed to recognize attorneys who have shown a true commitment to advancing important legal interests as demonstrated by their hard work, creativity, leadership and the successes they have achieved at this stage in their respective careers,” said National Bar Association President Carlos Moore in this year’s announcement of the honorees.

Recognized as a “Rising Star” by The National Law Journal (2021) and Law360 (2020), Holt has been instrumental in Wiley’s biggest trade cases – including successfully representing domestic steel manufacturers as well as U.S. chassis, wind tower, and wire rod producers in subsidy and antidumping investigations to obtain trade remedies and protect American jobs.

Holt is also a leader in addressing the intersection of international trade with diversity, equity, and inclusion. He serves as Vice Chair of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association’s DEI Committee, advocates for changes needed in the trade field to foster more engagement and inclusivity among historically underrepresented groups, and has established an endowed scholarship at Howard University School of Law for students interested in international trade.

He recently participated in an International Trade Commission hearing and several roundtables on the “Distributional Effects of Trade and Trade Policy on U.S. Workers,” focusing on race and ethnicity. Last year, he launched the popular podcast series “Making Trade Inclusive for All Americans,” which addresses decades of U.S. trade policy that have perpetuated or exacerbated unequal access to the benefits of trade. Holt’s podcast guests have included House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn; Steel Manufacturers Association President Philip Bell; Jamila Thompson, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative; and other newsmakers.

The National Bar Association was founded in 1925 and is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students.