Our Customs and International Trade Law Department has extensive experience in the business and legal issues regulating customs law, international trade law, food and cosmetics law, export licensing and compliance, and related intellectual property issues. Whether a United States Government agency is conducting an audit, serving a subpoena, pursuing an investigation, making an allegation of fraud, or issuing penalties or liquidated damages, we get involved. Our clients are typically importers, exporters, customs brokers, freight forwarders, air and ocean carriers, manufacturers, trucking companies, and warehouses – all part of the international supply chain.

We daily interact with and appear before various Federal agencies, especially the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

We regularly assist clients in the following areas:

  • U.S. Customs Matters
    • C-TPAT
    • Bonded Warehouses
    • Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ)Licensing and Operation
    • In-bond Documentation and Processing
    • Fines and Penalties
    • Seizures and Forfeitures
    • Trademark and Copyright Matters
    • Tariff Classification
    • Customs Value
    • Country of Origin
    • Antidumping Duties
    • Focused Assessments
    • Customs Broker Licensing, Penalties, and Revocations
    • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests
    • Customs Audits
    • Express Consignments
    • Recordation with U.S. Customs of Trademarks and Copyrights
    • Protests
    • U.S. Customs Ruling Requests
    • Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA, DR-CAFTA, AGOA, CBI, ATPE, etc.)
    • Liquidated Damages Claims
    • Customs Request for Information (CBP Form 28)
    • Prior Disclosures
    • Import Quotas
    • Recordkeeping
    • Customs Bonds
    • SED (Shippers Export Declaration) & AES (Automated Export System) Matters
  • U.S. Food & Drug Administration
    • FDA Bioterrorism Act of 2002 www.fda-usa.com
      • U.S. Agent Services
    • Cosmetic Import Regulations
      • Cosmetic Labeling Review
      • Declaration of Ingredients
      • Medical Claims
    • Food Import Regulations
    • FDA Notice of Action
      • Responding to Warning Letters
    • Import Alerts
      • 483-Inspection Observation Responses
    • Adulteration and Misbranding
    • Dietary Supplements
  • U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control – OFAC
    • Cuban Embargo
      • Compliance
      • Licensing
      • Penalties
      • Investigations
    • Anti-Terrorism Sanctions
    • Blocked Funds
  • Export Licensing
    • U.S. Commerce Department
      • Licensing
      • Export Commodity Classification Number (ECCN)
      • Export Administration Regulations (EAR)
      • Bureau of Industry and Security
        • Investigations
        • Subpoena
        • Penalties
        • Denied Persons and Specially Designated Nationals
      • Voluntary Disclosure
      • Comprehensive due diligence
  • U.S. State Department
    • Licensing
    • Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)
      • Investigations
      • Penalties
    • International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
    • Comprehensive due diligence
  • Dispute Resolution
    • U.S. Court of International Trade
    • Federal Courts
    • Cooperate with Legal Counsel in Courts outside the United States
  • Federal Administrative & Regulatory Compliance
    • Cargo Claims
    • FAA Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Investigations and Penalties
    • U.S.D.A./Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ) Matters –
    • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)violations
    • Counsel on Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions
    • U.S. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Cargo Security
    • U.S. Fish and Wildlife
    • U.S. International Trade Commission Exclusion Orders
  • Transportation Security Administration
    • Explain legal obligations required by TSA regarding Sensitive Security Information (SSI).
    • Explain legal obligations required by TSA for Indirect Air Carriers (IAC).
    • Respond to TSA issued letters of investigation.
    • Respond to TSA Notices of Proposed Penalty.
    • Mitigate penalties imposed by TSA