Fred Rocafort, Attorney

Fred Rocafort

Fred is a former diplomat who joined Harris Bricken after more than a decade of international legal experience, primarily in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. His wide range of experience includes starting and operating his own business in Asia, working as an in-house counsel for a Hong Kong-based multinational, as well as many years as a State Department official, providing a client-centric perspective to his legal work. Fred co-hosts Harris Bricken’s weekly Global Law and Business podcast, which covers legal and economic developments in locales around the world to decipher global trends in law and business with the help of international guests. In addition, Fred is a regular contributor to the award-winning China Law Blog and the award-winning Canna Law Blog.

Fred began his career overseas as a U.S. vice-consul in Guangzhou, China, adjudicating thousands of visa applications and advocating for fairer treatment of American companies and citizens in China and for stronger anti-counterfeiting enforcement. After entering the private sector, Fred worked at a Shanghai law firm as a foreign legal advisor and later joined one of the oldest American law firms in China. He also led the legal team at a Hong Kong-based brand protection consultancy, spending most of his time out in the field, protecting clients against counterfeiters and fraudsters from Binh Duong to Buenos Aires.

Fred is an ardent supporter of FC Barcelona—and would be even in the absence of Catalan forebears who immigrated to Puerto Rico in the mid-1800s. An avid explorer of Hong Kong’s countryside, he now spends much of his free time discovering the Pacific Northwest’s natural charms.

More About Fred

Co-Host of Harris Bricken’s Global Law and Business Podcast.

Counseling Your First Cannabis Client: Marijuana vs. Hemp, State vs. Feds, and Other Key Issues, Washington State Bar Association, February 2, 2021.

Protección de la propiedad intelectual: Diferentes perspectivas, Universidad Anáhuac, May 7, 2020.

Navigating PPE Purchases from China, HB Conferences Webinar, April 23, 2020.

Effects of COVID-19 on Doing Business with China, WTC Utah Webinar, March 19, 2020.

Guest Lecturer, Comparative IPR Law, California Western School of Law, March 5, 2020.

The New Era of Doing Business in the US, Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Madrid, Spain, November 7, 2019.

The New Era of Doing Business in the US, Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Barcelona, Spain, November 6, 2019.

The Fight Against Counterfeiting: Views from the Frontlines, Florida State University, March 1, 2018.

Zonas de desarrollo económico en Latinoamérica, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China, September 9, 2013.

China awaits a new US ambassador as names circulate in Washington, South Morning China Post, February 24, 2021.

U.S. Military Posturing Across the Globe, The Morning Dispatch, December 23, 2020.

A Bad Week for Hong Kong, The Morning Dispatch, December 4, 2020.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, The Morning Dispatch, November 17, 2020.

Wilbur Ross Remained on Chinese Joint Venture Board While Running U.S.-China Trade War, Foreign Policy, October 29, 2020.

Did China Use Prison Labor to Make Masks?, NTD News, September 1, 2020.

‘You Work Like Animals’: Inside China’s Vast Prison Labor System, The Epoch Times, August 25, 2020.

Xinjiang’s sprawling conglomerate may be biggest ever to face US sanctions, South China Morning Post, August 24, 2020.

‘It’s So Much Worse Than Anyone Expected.’ Why Hong Kong’s National Security Law Is Having Such a Chilling Effect, Time, July 23, 2020.

Security law, US sanctions complicate operations for HK fund firms, Ignites Asia, July 21, 2020.

China’s Crackdown on Hong Kong Is About Intimidation, The Dispatch, July 3, 2020.

Hong Kong’s National Security Law Has Left Lawyers Uneasy, Law360, June 9, 2020.

Coronavirus: inside China’s ‘Wild West’, where ‘mask machines are like cash printers’, South China Morning Post, April 17, 2020.

Sanctions, new tariffs? What it means for US to certify Hong Kong as not autonomous from China, The Straits Times, May 28, 2020.

Important Tips for Protecting Your IP from China, GlobalAutoIndustry.com, October 7, 2019.

US small businesses are fighting an uphill battle against counterfeiters in China, CNBC, October 6, 2019.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property in China, The Far East Podcast, Season 2, Episode 1, September 8, 2019.

US bill on Hong Kong sends further chill through city’s economy, stokes fears of American exodus, South China Morning Post, September 26, 2019.

Regular contributor to the award-winning China Law Blog and the award-winning Canna Law Blog.

A aproximação necessária do governo Bolsonaro com Joe Biden, Estadão, January 27, 2020.

Requiem for Hong Kong, El Mundo, August 7, 2020.

Quelling the Quagmire of Counterfeits, NWLawyer, November 2019.

Lecciones chinas, El Vocero, July 24, 2013.

Apuntes sobre el Derecho chino, El Vocero, August 7, 2013.

Represented buyer and seller groups in cross-border PPE (personal protective equipment) transactions exceeding $3.5 billion.

Secured revocation of withhold release order (WRO) imposed on Brazilian company falsely accused of using forced labor.

Established brand protection guidelines and audit program for one of the world’s largest sportswear manufacturers, covering over 100 supplier facilities in Asia and South America.

Assisted Hong Kong Customs in the investigation of an online counterfeiting ring, communicating with the counterfeiters to set up a sting operation and joining the arrest unit to examine seized goods on the spot.

Advised an Ohio university on a joint venture with an educational institution in China.

Represented a Chinese electronics company in the establishment of a manufacturing joint venture in Florida.

Executive Board, International Practice Section, Washington State Bar Association

  • University of Notre Dame Law School (J.D.)
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong (L.L.M., Chinese Business Law)
  • University of Michigan (B.A.)
  • London School of Economics (General Course)
  • Florida
  • District of Columbia
  • Washington State
  • Spanish
  • Mandarin
Fred Rocafort