Representative List of Past Projects
Examples of matters we have worked on in the past are provided below. This list is intended to represent the types of matters we handle, but it is not our intent to suggest that similar results can be guaranteed as the facts of individual cases can vary significantly.
- Represented carrier in $2,000,000 penalty action for alleged manifest errors, mitigating penalty amount to $25,000.
- Negotiated expedited testing and release program with FDA for imported perishable commodities through litigation contesting ongoing release delays.
- Defended an importer in a $20,000,000 penalty action brought by U.S. Customs, obtaining full remission of the penalty claim through negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Served as customs counsel for white color crime lawyers representing the owner of a company who was charged with conspiring with customs broker to incorrectly report or smuggle goods.
- Defended an importer in a $9,000,000 demand for antidumping duties claim stemming from a government audit, obtaining complete dismissal by administrative petition to U.S. Customs Headquarters.
- Assisted U.S. trademark owner to bring forth Customs warehouse raids, arriving merchandise exams, and enforcement action and against an importer of counterfeit goods.
- Obtained release of over $50,000,000 worth of imported shipments detained and seized by Customs at multiple ports of entry for wrongly alleged IP violations.
- Obtained millions of dollars in duty refunds through federal legislation and Miscellaneous Tariff Bills, for importers wrongly required to deposit duties in scenarios in which no administrative remedy was available under existing regulations.
- Successfully represented an air carrier in appealing and overturning Customs’ denial of its request for a license to operate a customs brokerage business.
- Obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for numerous companies through successful federal litigation contesting the assessment of taxes against exports in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
- Won several actions at the U.S. Court of International Trade resulting in millions of dollars of duty refunds for clients involved in tariff classification disputes with Customs.
- Brought successful federal court action against U.S. Treasury Department, obtaining expedited issuance of OFAC export licenses being wrongfully delayed, and resulting in new regulations granting a general license for this category of merchandise.
- Removed a large importer from a Customs audit and into the Importer Self-Assessment program (ISA), by rapidly creating and assisting in the implementation of ISA level written customs compliance procedures, and providing representation during the ISA application review.
- Assisted U.S. corporation in obtaining global duty free tariff treatment for its product, through representation at U.S. Customs Headquarters and action at the World Customs Organization.
- Represented U.S. exporter of apparel and household products (including shipments from Mexican maquiladoras and Chinese factories) in NAFTA, classification and valuation verifications by Canada Customs, reducing duty and penalty claim from over $800,000 to less than $5,000.
- Assisted a client with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales to the Middle East, to identify applicable export controls and implement procedures for compliance.
- Assisted large importer in negotiating and implementing a Compliance Improvement Plan (CIP) to end an audit by U.S. Customs that had been ongoing for several years.
- Evaluated benefits of operating in a foreign-trade zone for a U.S. manufacturer, provided representation in its subzone application and in the zone agreement negotiations with zone grantee, and assisted in the implantation of a zone program resulting in over $500,000 annual duty and tax savings.
- Obtained U.S. Customs approval for an importer to alter tariff treatment of goods thereby saving over $15,000 in duties per weekly entry.
- Developed related party transfer pricing accounting policy that permitted a corporation to reduce duty payments by over $300,000 per year.
- Provided comments to Customs on proposed changes to the manifest regulations, successfully establishing an exemption for the client industry.
- Negotiated expedited USDA testing and release for food commodities imported by client.
- Overturned adverse NY Customs tariff classification Ruling Letter by successful appeal to Customs HQ.
- Created compliance manual for carrier.
- Successfully reversed Customs’ denial of duty drawback claim, and added additional duty refunds under a one-time waiver of prior notice of intent to export.
- Obtained expedited ATF licenses for shipments of explosives and demilitarized munitions.
- Represented domestic pipe industry as Defendant-Intervenor in case brought by importers against Customs’ application of the country of origin marking rules.
Awards
