International Trade Disputes Lawyer

Trade Dispute Legal Services at Transnational Matters PLLC

Trade rewards speed and punishes uncertainty. When a shipment is blocked, a distributor defaults, or a regulator opens an investigation, an international trade disputes lawyer keeps your business moving. Transnational Matters PLLC represents trading companies and service providers in disputes and regulatory matters across borders.

Our trade practice spans private disputes and public enforcement. In addition, we monitor the sanctions and tariff landscape daily, because compliance failures now create commercial disputes as often as contracts do.

Disputes Your International Trade Disputes Lawyer Handles

• International sale of goods and distribution agreement disputes
• Sanctions and export control compliance and enforcement defense
• Antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings
• US customs penalties, seizures, and classification disputes
• Service agreement and agency conflicts across borders
• Section 337 investigations before the ITC

Regulatory Storms: Sanctions, Tariffs, and Duties

Trade rules shift fast. For instance, our guides on sanctions and export controls in commercial contracts and antidumping and countervailing duties show how quickly regulation becomes a balance-sheet issue. We defend companies in these proceedings and build compliance that prevents them.

Why Trading Companies Choose Our Firm

We are based in Miami — a gateway of the Americas — and we practice where trade actually flows. Therefore, our advice reflects ports, carriers, and counterparties as they operate in the real world, not just on paper — the perspective an international trade disputes lawyer needs.

Common Scenarios an International Trade Disputes Lawyer Resolves

A foreign supplier ships nonconforming goods, then hides behind a distant forum clause. A competitor petitions for antidumping duties that would price you out of the US market. An OFAC inquiry lands because a customer resold your products into a sanctioned country. Modern trade disputes mix private contract fights with public enforcement — and mishandling one side often worsens the other.

Speed matters doubly in trade: goods perish, markets move, and agency deadlines are unforgiving. Accordingly, we run commercial and regulatory tracks in parallel rather than sequentially.

How Your International Trade Disputes Lawyer Handles Your Case

Every engagement starts with a confidential consultation. We assess your contracts, your treaty position, and your commercial goals before recommending a path. In trade matters, we assess regulatory exposure at intake — because settlement terms, admissions, and even document handling in a private dispute can affect agency proceedings.

• Case assessment: we map your legal rights, evidence, and realistic recovery within the first weeks.
• Forum strategy: arbitration, litigation, or structured negotiation — we choose the venue where you hold the most leverage.
• Building the record: we work with industry experts to convert files and correspondence into persuasive evidence.
• Resolution and enforcement: we push for early settlement from a position of strength, and when a fight is necessary, we take it through award and collection.

An Experienced International Trade Disputes Lawyer in Miami

Transnational Matters PLLC is led by founding attorney Davy Karkason, Esq., ACIArb, a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators who concentrates on international arbitration and investor-state dispute settlement. From our Miami base — the commercial gateway of the Americas — we represent clients in proceedings and negotiations across four continents, working in coordination with local counsel where the matter requires it. When you need an international trade disputes lawyer who understands both regulators and tribunals, that combination is exactly what this firm was built to provide.

Who Our International Trade Disputes Lawyer Team Represents

Our trade clients span goods and services, from single-market importers to global platforms.

• Importers, exporters, and distributors
• Commodity and consumer goods traders
• Manufacturers with international supply chains
• Logistics, technology, and professional services firms
• E-commerce sellers facing border and platform issues

Miami’s trade corridors are our home field, but engagements run wherever your counterparties and regulators sit — often several places at once.

International Trade Disputes Lawyer FAQs

Our overseas supplier breached the contract. Where do we sue?

The contract’s forum and law clauses control the starting point, but arbitration clauses, conventions like the CISG, and asset locations shape the real strategy. Sometimes the fastest recovery runs through the supplier’s bank guarantees rather than the merits.

How do antidumping and countervailing duty cases start, and can we fight them?

Domestic producers petition Commerce and the ITC; investigations follow strict statutory timelines. Foreign producers and US importers can participate, contest dumping margins, and challenge injury findings — but only if they engage immediately.

What should we do first when OFAC or BIS contacts us?

Preserve documents, stop the questioned transactions, and call an international trade disputes lawyer before responding. Voluntary self-disclosure can dramatically reduce penalties, but the decision requires analysis, not reflex.

Do we really need to worry about Section 337?

If you import products into the US and a competitor holds patents, yes. Section 337 investigations move faster than district court and can exclude your products at the border. Early response preserves defenses and settlement leverage.

Can trade agreements help my business in a dispute?

Sometimes directly — USMCA and other agreements contain dispute mechanisms and preferential rules that change outcomes. More often they shape the regulatory background your dispute lives in, which is why we track them continuously.

A distributor in another country refuses to return inventory after termination. Options?

Contract remedies, replevin-style local actions, and leverage through unpaid invoices all apply. Distribution laws in some countries add termination indemnities — knowing them before termination prevents expensive surprises.

How do we protect ourselves before signing with a new foreign counterparty?

Due diligence, security instruments, and dispute clauses that actually work in the counterparty’s jurisdiction. An hour of clause review beats a year of enforcement — we offer fixed-fee contract reviews for exactly this reason.

Incoterms Disputes Between Suppliers and Buyers

Incoterms 2020 decide who bears cost, risk, and customs duties at each leg of a shipment, yet contracts often mix FOB, CIF, DDP, and EXW without adjusting insurance or payment triggers. We reconstruct the sale documents and enforce the allocation the parties actually agreed to, through negotiation, litigation, or arbitration.

Non-Conforming Goods and Rejected Shipments

When non-conforming goods arrive, the buyer wants to reject, cover, and claim damages, while the seller demands a chance to cure. We preserve evidence, enforce inspection and notice requirements, quantify losses, and guide the resale of rejected goods so losses stop growing.

Breach of Contract Under UCC Article 2 and the CISG

Domestic sales follow UCC Article 2, while cross-border sales usually fall under the CISG unless excluded, and the differences often decide the case. We identify the governing law first, then build the strongest claim or defense under its rules on tender, warranties, avoidance, and notice.

ICC Arbitration and Other Forums for Trade Disputes

Where a valid arbitration clause exists, we pursue and defend claims in ICC arbitration, the ICDR, SIAC, and other institutions, with awards enforceable in more than 170 countries under the New York Convention. Without a clause, we litigate in court alongside our international arbitration and import and export law teams.

Importer of Record Disputes and Liability

The importer of record answers for entry filings, tariff classification, valuation, and duties, so CBP penalty notices and fights over who should hold that role land quickly. We defend penalty claims, negotiate with customs authorities, and restructure supply chains so the right entity carries the risk.

Customs Brokers, Clearance Failures, and Incoterm Obligations

A licensed customs broker files entries from data the parties supply, and one wrong classification can strand goods at port, while the chosen Incoterm decides who must obtain licenses and clear the goods. We resolve clearance disputes among buyers, sellers, and brokers, including demurrage and detention claims.

Speak With Our Team Today

Your project deserves counsel that understands both the industry and the law. Contact our Miami office for a confidential consultation with a international trade disputes lawyer, or send us a secure inquiry through our contact page. We represent clients across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.