Global Practice

A significant component of our International Trade & Customs Practice is the counsel and advice we provide clients on the myriad opportunities that exist in the global arena. Our multi-disciplinary team of attorneys, advisors, economists, statisticians and former government officials permits us to provide the broadest representation to our clients, including the following specific areas:

Companies are often confronted with difficult choices when deciding where or how to expand their businesses internationally. Whether seeking to introduce a new product into the marketplace or expand an existing presence, we provide needed intelligence on the proper placement and positioning of merchandise to better ensure product acceptance.

Regional trade arrangements such as MERCOSUR and NAFTA present companies with a wide range of opportunities to market their products with minimal government intervention and at favorable rates of duties. Many of these agreements overlap, with one or more countries participating in a variety of compacts. We help companies realize the benefits to be obtained from participating in such agreements by analyzing the requirements that must be satisfied to secure preferential treatment, and proposing where to locate manufacturing and distribution facilities so that the maximum degree of preferential treatment is obtained.

Each country has its own unique set of rules and regulations for the importation of goods into its territory. Obtaining familiarity with these requirements is crucial to the success of any foreign business venture. We provide the full range of information to assist companies in evaluating the costs of entering product into a foreign jurisdiction, including tariff classification and rate(s) of duty, customs valuation, import licensing and other documentary requirements, and country of origin determinations.

A key component to any international transaction is an assessment of the most cost-effective and least troublesome way in which to move commodities through the stream of commerce. We evaluate companies' transportation options, and -- through the use of alternative carriers, forwarders, and duty deferral mechanisms -- develop specific approaches toward minimizing the cost of moving product to the marketplace.

Countries increasingly realize that negotiation, rather than confrontation, presents the best means to ensure ongoing and fair access to the marketplace. Through our Washington, D.C. office, we have represented foreign countries, trade associations, and individual importers/exporters before various U.S. and foreign government agencies on a wide range of international trade-related issues.

The advent of the World Trade Organization has changed the rules for the resolution of bilateral and/or multilateral disputes. Unlike past dispute resolution mechanisms, today's arbiters have the ability to force violating countries to change their practices or face severe offsetting measures. We are active participants in representing the interests of our clients in the WTO process and in the workings of such organizations as the World Customs Organization and the International Chamber of Commerce.