Attorneys:
Peter A. Quinter
Chair

Alan S. Becker
Richard J. Alan Cahan
Jennifer Diaz
Martin Klimpl
Deirdre Nero Valladares
Caleb W. Sullivan

We regularly interact with and appear before various Federal agencies, including the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the U.S. State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board (FTZB), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

Our attorneys are well known and respected as leaders in international trade law. We are active in various organizations in the international trade community and have lectured and written many articles for these organizations. As an example, we are on the Board of Directors of the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association (FCBF), the World Trade Center (Miami), and the Florida Cargo Security Council (FCSC). We are leaders in the legal community, including the Customs Law Committee of the International Law Section of both the Florida Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Practice Group Chair Peter Quinter is Board Certified in International Law by the Florida Bar, and is considered a specialist in this area of law.

We regularly assist clients in the following areas:

1. U.S. Customs Matters
   1. C-TPAT
   2. Bonded Warehouses
   3. Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ)Licensing and Operation
   4. In-bond Documentation and Processing
   5. Fines and Penalties
   6. Seizures and Forfeitures
   7. Trademark and Copyright Matters
   8. Tariff Classification
   9. Customs Value
   10. Country of Origin
   11. Antidumping Duties
   12. Focused Assessments
   13. Customs Broker Licensing, Penalties, and Revocations
   14. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests
   15. Customs Audits
   16. Express Consignments
   17. Recordation with U.S. Customs of Trademarks and Copyrights
   18. Protests
   19. U.S. Customs Ruling Requests
   20. Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA, DR-CAFTA, AGOA, CBI, ATPE, etc.)
   21. HTS 2007 Changes
   22. Liquidated Damages Claims
   23. Customs Request for Information (CBP Form 28)
   24. Prior Disclosures
   25. Import Quotas
   26. Recordkeeping
   27. Customs Bonds
   28. SED (Shippers Export Declaration)& AES(Automated Export System) Matters
       
       
2. U.S. Food & Drug Administration
   1. FDA Bioterrorism Act of 2002 www.fda-usa.com
   2. Cosmetic Import Regulations
      1. cosmetic labeling
      2. declaration of ingredients
      3. medical claims
   3. Food Import Regulations
   4. FDA Notice of Action
   5. Import Alerts
   6. Adulteration and Misbranding
   7. Dietary Supplements
      
      
3. U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control - OFAC
   1. Cuban Embargo
      1. licensing
      2. penalties
      3. investigations
   2. Anti-Terrorism Sanctions
   3. Blocked Funds
      
      
4. Export Licensing
   1. U.S. Commerce Department
      1. licensing
      2. Export Commodity Classification Number (ECCN)
      3. Export Administration Regulations (EAR)
      4. Bureau of Industry and Security
         1. investigations
         2. subpoena
         3. penalties
         4. Denied Persons and Specially Designated Nationals
      5. Voluntary Disclosure
      6. Comprehensive due diligence
   2. U.S. State Department
      1. licensing
      2. Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)
         1. investigations
         2. penalties
      3. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
      4. Comprehensive due diligence
         
         
5. Dispute Resolution
   1. U.S. Court of International Trade
   2. Federal Courts
   3. Cooperate with Legal Counsel in Courts outside the United States
      
      
6. Federal Administrative & Regulatory Compliance
   1. Cargo Claims
   2. FAA Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Investigations and Penalties
   3. U.S.D.A./Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ) Matters –
   4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)violations
   5. Counsel on Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions
   6. U.S. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Cargo Security
   7. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
   8. U.S. International Trade Commission Exclusion Orders
      
      
7. Transportation Security Administration
   1. Explain legal obligations required by TSA regarding Sensitive Security Information (SSI).
   2. Explain legal obligations required by TSA for Indirect Air Carriers (IAC).
   3. Respond to TSA issued letters of investigation.
   4. Respond to TSA Notices of Proposed Penalty.
   5. Mitigate penalties imposed by TSA.

Client Experiences
Our clients vary from multinational corporations known throughout the world to small and medium sized companies. We represent individuals and companies located in the United States and overseas which are involved in all aspects of international trade, including importers, exporters, freight forwarders, customs brokers, manufacturers, trucking companies, terminal operators, airlines, ocean cargo carriers, free trade zones. A few examples are provided below to demonstrate the diversity of our practice and depth of our experience:

• Representation of a printer manufacturer in recording trademarks and copyrights United States Customs and Border Protection (U.S. Customs) to partner with U.S. Customs to prevent the unauthorized importation of merchandise which bears a recorded trademark or copyright.
  
  
• Representation of a perishable handler in successfully obtaining Miami Dade Aviation Department badges for all employees to permit access to secure cargo area.
  
  
• Representation of a cosmetic and over the counter drug manufacturer in Food and Drug Administration compliance.
  
  
• Representation of an individuals in substantially mitigating penalties assessed from the Office of Foreign Assets control for alleged violation of Cuban Embargo.
  
  
• Representation of an importer regarding substantially mitigating liquidated damages for failure to redeliver merchandise per Food and Drug Administrations request.
  
  
• Representation of a multi-channel specialty retailer in a tariff classification request.
  
  
• Representation of a full service sourcing and product development company in a scope ruling request regarding candles covered under the antidumping order.
  
  
• Representation of a coffee exporter in Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) application.
  
  
• Representation of a foreign corporation regarding responding to United States Customs and Border Protection arising from monetary currency seized at the United States border for failure to report importing monetary instruments.
  
  
• Representation of an electronics importers in responding to United States Customs and Border Protection arising from allegedly importing counterfeit goods into the United States.
  
  
• Representation of an alcohol importer in applying for a importer permit with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
  
  
• Representation of a clothing importer in responding to United States Customs and Border Protection arising from missing information to receive duty free status under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act.