Import and export law is where a single misstep compounds: a wrong tariff classification becomes years of underpaid duties, a missed license becomes an enforcement case, a detained container becomes a lost season. Our import-export practice serves importers, exporters, and logistics providers with the day-to-day mechanics — and the disputes when the mechanics fail.
Customs Compliance Fundamentals
- Tariff classification — HTSUS analysis, binding-ruling requests, and defending classifications under CBP challenge
- Valuation — transaction value, assists, royalties, and related-party pricing questions that drive duty exposure
- Country of origin and marking — origin determinations, substantial transformation, and preference-program qualification under USMCA, CAFTA-DR, and other agreements
- Duty mitigation — drawback, foreign-trade zones, and tariff engineering done before the entry, not after the penalty notice
When CBP Pushes Back
Detentions and exclusions, CF-28 information requests, CF-29 notices of action, liquidated-damages claims, and Section 592 penalty cases each have their own clocks and escalation paths — from protest through the U.S. Court of International Trade. A prior disclosure, made before CBP commences an investigation, can dramatically reduce penalty exposure; deciding whether and when to file one is the highest-stakes judgment in customs practice.
Export Controls and Licensing
On the outbound side: EAR classification and licensing through BIS, restricted-party screening, deemed-export questions, and the sanctions overlay handled with our OFAC practice. Voluntary self-disclosures on the export side follow their own calculus and their own rewards.
Contract Risk in Trade
Incoterms allocate risk more precisely than most contracts acknowledge; letters of credit fail on discrepancies; supply agreements go quiet on who bears a new tariff. We draft and dispute the commercial paper of trade alongside the regulatory work — including international trade disputes when relationships break.
Container detained, penalty notice received, or classification challenged? Deadlines in customs matters are short and jurisdictional. Contact our office.
Attorney advertising. General information only, not legal advice. © Transnational Matters PLLC.
