International Trade

The U.S. has a complex system of laws governing international trade and the import of various goods. The governing statutes contain specific requirements for conducting investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Department of Commerce (depending on the type of investigation). Counsel must have the legal and technical support necessary to deal effectively with these time demands.

The International practice group represents clients dealing with domestic and international trade regulation in the areas of antidumping and countervailing duties (Sections 701 and 731), import relief under the escape clause (Section 201), import infringement of patents, trademarks and copyrights (Section 337) and China safeguard investigations (Section 421). Members of International Practice Group have practiced before the ITC and are admitted before the Court of International Trade and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

CUSTOMS/ IMPORTATION

The International Practice Group counsels clients in transactions involving the movement of goods, services, or capital across borders. Assistance and representation are provided with respect to all laws administered by the United States Customs and Border Protection, including tariff-rates, the classification and valuation of imported merchandise, assists bonded warehouse operations, temporary importation under bond (TIB), duty drawback, penalties, liquidated damage claims, seizures and forfeiture proceedings, country-of-origin marking and other labeling requirements, quotas, and preferential tariff programs and free trade agreements like NAFTA and GSP. International attorneys work with clients to conduct customs audits that identify past violations and to develop programs to promote compliance with the customs laws. The group also specializes in helping clients benefit from certain preferential trade arrangements when they are determining where to establish manufacturing operations overseas.

EXPORT AND COMPLIANCE

U.S. manufacturers are increasingly finding customers overseas for their goods and services and are encountering the multi-faceted system of export controls in place in the United States. Even U.S. companies that have only domestic customers may be exporting technical data, under the deemed export rule, if controlled technical data is available to their foreign employees in the United States, with an emphasis on encryption issues. International attorneys assist with export control, licensing and compliance involved in the export of U.S. products under the Export Administration Act and Regulations (EAA/EAR), the Arms Export Control Act and Regulations (AECA/ITAR), and the Foreign Assets Control Regulations. Assistance is also provided with sanctions programs, boycott and anti-boycott regulations, and the denied and debarred persons lists.

Our legal services are provided by Armstrong Teasdale LLP, our second generation of family business using their services.