In the next few weeks, I am giving lectures and doing a webinar on the general topic of export compliance. In my legal practice over the past 20 years as a Customs and International Trade attorney, I am increasingly involved with clients on export compliance and penalty matters. The laws and regulations have changed dramatically over the past few years, as has the name and number of Federal agencies enforcing them, plus the penalties for non-compliance are much higher now.
Please call (305) 260-1053 with any questions regarding the below seminar/webinar (or compliance generally).
(1) On Wednesday, November 18, from 9 to 12 noon at the Doubletree Miami Mart, on behalf of the Florida Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association, I am lecturing on complying with the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) requirements. The seminar is entitled “Export Controls Compliance and Best Business Practices,” and it will cover everything from identifying the correct ECCN (Export Commodity Classification Number) in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), to submitting an export license, to the decrementing of the license by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to interacting with Special Agents of the BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement conducting an investigation, to negotiating a favorable resolution after a Notice of Proposed Penalty has been issued against the company for an export violation. I will also cover the various trade embargoes and sanctions with countries and foreign nationals and foreign organizations enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). That means everything from Cuba to Zimbabwe and from Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) to narco-traffickers. Violations of BIS and OFAC regulations may result in severe criminal punishment or monetary penalties in the millions of dollars, plus individuals have personal liability.
(2) This Thursday, November 19, from 6:30-8:15 p.m, at the University of Phoenix, 11410 NW 20th Street, Miami, on behalf of the South Florida Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM), I will discuss “Export Controls Compliance and Penalties”.
(3) On December 3, 2009, I will be a speaker in an “AES Compliance Webinar” from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. It is sponsored by the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) Educational Institute. To participate, simply go to www.ncbfaa.org and select “AES Compliance Webinar” under “Upcoming Events.” The webinar answers the questions of how, when, and why to file the required Electronic Export Information (EEI) using AESDirect. U.S. Customs is now regularly issuing penalties against exporters or freight forwarders for not properly filing the EEI. If you are wondering what happened to the old Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) form, you should participate in this webinar that I am doing in cooperation with the U.S. Census Bureau.
