Trade & Customs Lawyers Worldwide.

A Trade & Customs lawyer acts as a strategic navigator for moving goods across borders, ensuring you don’t get stuck in the expensive web of international regulations. Their core services go beyond simple paperwork; they handle high-stakes “classification” and “valuation” disputes to lower your duty rates, defend your company during government audits, and secure critical export licenses for sensitive technology. They also litigate “unfair trade” cases—like fighting accusations of dumping cheap products—to prevent crippling penalty tariffs from destroying your profit margins.

If Customs seizes your cargo, a lawyer typically has a strict deadline—often just 30 to 60 days—to file a “petition for remission” or a “claim” to get it back. They effectively act as your crisis manager, challenging the legality of the seizure by proving your paperwork was correct or negotiating a reduced fine (mitigated penalty) to release the goods. In the U.S., for instance, they navigate the complex administrative forfeiture process to prevent your property from being sold off or destroyed by the government.

Both are penalty tariffs designed to protect domestic industries, but they target different “unfair” practices. Antidumping duties (AD) are slapped on foreign companies that sell goods at less than “fair value” (cheaper than in their home market) to kill local competition. Countervailing duties (CVD), on the other hand, are imposed when a foreign government illegally subsidizes its own manufacturers (with tax breaks or cheap loans), allowing them to export goods at artificially low prices.

Yes, because violating export controls is often a strict liability offense, meaning you can be fined even if you didn’t intend to break the law. A lawyer helps you build an “Export Management Compliance Program” (EMCP) to screen customers against government “denied party lists” and classify dual-use technologies (items with both civilian and military applications). This is critical for avoiding criminal charges under strict regimes like the U.S. ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) or the UK’s Export Control Act.

Correct classification requires navigating the “Harmonized System” (HS), a massive global index of product codes that determines your duty rate. A lawyer uses the “General Rules of Interpretation” (GRI) to argue why your product fits into a lower-tax category—for example, proving a smart-watch is a “data transmission device” (often duty-free) rather than a “watch” (high duty). They can also file for a “Binding Ruling” from Customs, giving you a legal guarantee of your tax rate before you ship a single unit.

Incoterms (like FOB, CIF, or DDP) are standard three-letter codes that define exactly when risk transfers from seller to buyer. A lawyer reviews these to ensure they match your actual logistics contracts; for example, if you agree to “DDP” (Delivered Duty Paid), you are legally responsible for clearing customs in the buyer’s country, which can be a tax nightmare if you aren’t registered there. A lawyer ensures you don’t accidentally agree to pay for risks—like shipping insurance or import taxes—that you didn’t budget for.

A lawyer uses “tariff engineering” strategies to legally modify your product or supply chain to qualify for lower duties. This might involve the “First Sale Rule” (basing duties on the factory price rather than the middleman price) or “Duty Drawback” (getting a refund on import duties if you later export the goods). They also help you prove “Country of Origin” so you can claim zero tariffs under free trade agreements like the USMCA (North America) or the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.