Arent Fox Adds Customs and Trade Law Partner in New York

Arent Fox is pleased to announce the expansion of its International Trade & Investment practice with the addition of customs and trade law Partner Angela M. Santos in the firm’s New York office.

Santos counsels clients on compliance with federal regulations involving the importation of merchandise. In particular, she helps companies identify business solutions and structure their transactions to facilitate the importation of merchandise, ensure regulatory compliance, minimize duties, and eliminate Customs penalty exposure.

Santos’s Experience

• Santos’s focus includes advising clients on compliance issues involving rules governing the importation of merchandise issued by US Customs and Border Protection (Customs) and other government agencies (including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative). She represents importers, manufacturers, agents, Customs brokers, freight forwarders, bonded warehouses, and trading companies in various industries such as fashion, consumer products, electronics, food and drug, and cosmetics.
• Santos helps clients manage Customs audits, respond to Customs inquiries and investigations, secure the release of detained or seized goods, mitigate or eliminate Customs penalties, and submit prior disclosures, where necessary. She has represented clients in False Claims Act investigations, FBI and ICE investigations, and in litigation in the Court of International Trade.
• Santos advises clients on the development of internal import compliance programs and manuals to reduce the risk of Customs liability. She evaluates client’s supply chains and assists with the implementation of forced labor compliance programs. Santos responds to Custom questionnaires and prepares petitions for the release of merchandise detained in connection with forced labor Withhold Release Orders.
• She has extensive experience with strategies to mitigate the effects of Section 301 duties as well as the implementation of duty savings programs including First Sale and Buying Agency and eligibility for Free Trade Agreements.
• Before joining Arent Fox, Santos was a partner at an international boutique law firm dedicated to the Customs and Trade practice. She also worked in Finance at an Energy Trading Software company prior to her legal career.