STR INTERNATIONAL TRADE LIMITED - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate for Sandler
ADAM SREBNIK is an associate for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. He concentrates his practice on customs compliance matters including tariff classification, detentions and seizures, country of origin, bonded warehouses, quotas, trade agreements, forced labor issues and trade remedies.
Mr. Srebnik assists clients with import compliance and enforcement before CBP, DHS, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and product safety and admissibility before the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
He also has extensive experience with tariff mitigation strategies. He has helped several U.S. businesses receive product exclusions and exclusion extensions from Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs, resulting in significant duty savings.
Mr. Srebnik holds a J.D. from The American University Washington College of Law and a B.B.A. in economics from the Zicklin School of Business at City University of New York Baruch College.
ALVARO FERREIRA is an economist and international trade advisor who serves as an Independent Consultant through ST&R's Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Ferreira advises foreign governments, trade associations and multinational corporations in Latin America, the U.S. and Asia on a wide variety of economic, commercial, regulatory and international trade subjects. He monitors and interprets trade rules, legislation and policy in the U.S., the European Union, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and various other countries in Latin America and around the world. His consulting expertise includes advising clients on import and customs procedures, tariff and quota treatment, tariff classifications, rules of origin, licensing requirements and preferential tariff treatment under various FTAs and trade preference programs. Mr. Ferreira has advised clients on preferential and non-preferential tariff treatment for apparel and other products in a range of markets, including the U.S., the EU, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Central America, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Mr. Ferreira is the principal author of two regular reports that provide an in-depth analysis of regulatory, legislative and trade policy developments in the U.S. and Latin America that are of potential interest to Hong Kong and mainland Chinese exporters. He has authored numerous reports on trade and economic policy, corporate strategy and structural conditions in the textile, clothing and retail industries.
Before joining the Firm, Mr. Ferreira served as manager of trade consulting services at IBERC, an international trade consultancy based in Washington, D.C. His professional experience has also included work with the Delegation of the European Commission to the United States, the European-American Business Council and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mr. Ferreira holds an M.A. in international relations from The George Washington University and a B.A. in economics and government from Lafayette College. He is a national of Spain and is bilingual in Spanish and English and fluent in French.
Alvaro Ferreira is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member With Sandler
AMANDA LEVITT is a Member with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, resident in the New York office. Her practice is focused on international trade and customs law, particularly relating to classification and marking / country of origin issues. She has advised clients on a broad range of matters including customs audits, forced labor issues, Section 232 and 301 tariff mitigation, penalties, first sale valuation, and product eligibility under trade preference programs including the Israel Free Trade Agreement and the Qualified Industrial Zone program.
Prior to joining ST&R, Ms. Levitt served as an Associate with an international trade law firm and dealt with issues such as trademark enforcement, antidumping duties, and regulatory matters involving the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.
Ms. Levitt was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in the New York metro area 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. She is a member of the bar in the state of New York. She holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.S. from Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Counsel to Sandler
ANDREW MARGOLIS is Of Counsel to Sandler, Travis and Rosenberg, resident in the Miami Office.
After a 32-year career with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), Mr. Margolis brings extensive experience in ocean transportation regulation in matters related to ocean freight forwarders and NVOCCs, steamship lines, ports, terminals and import/export companies. His expertise includes dispute resolution and adjudication of complaints under the Shipping Act pertaining to ocean freight overcharges and unfair practices.
Mr. Margolis served as the FMC's Miami District Director before being named the South Florida Area Representative in 1995, a position he held through 2018. In that role he was responsible for FMC investigative, liaison and outreach activities throughout the southeast and Puerto Rico, participating in joint operations with numerous local and federal government agencies, including the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI and CBP. Mr. Margolis also ran FMC enforcement activities in the region, and his collaboration with FMC attorneys on the prosecution and settlement of dozens of investigations resulted in the collection of over $10 million in penalties for violation of the Shipping Act. His work also included lecturing and authoring articles on numerous maritime shipping issues including tariffs, service contracts, and enforcement.
Prior to entering federal service, Mr. Margolis practiced as an attorney, concentrating on criminal defense and immigration law. He received his bachelor's degree from Queens College, City University of New York, and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1983.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Senior Member
- Senior Member of Sandler
BETH RING is a senior member of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., founder of the firm's New York office in 1984 and an original member of its operating committee. With over 45 years of experience, Ms. Ring's expertise covers the full range of customs and trade issues. Specifically, she counsels importers across diverse industries on matters related to classification, valuation, transaction structuring, duty preference programs, trade remedy laws and trade policy issues. She has assisted many importers in structuring their transactions to allow for maximum duty savings, and has considerable experience handling seizure cases at both the administrative and judicial levels. She handles commercial litigation involving contract and trademark disputes and leads the firm's Consumer Product Safety Practice Group.
Prior to joining ST&R, Ms. Ring represented the U.S. steel industry in antidumping and countervailing duty cases, advised the U.S. Department of Commerce on the Steel Voluntary Restraint Agreements, lectured the Venezuelan steel industry on U.S. trade remedy law, drafted legislation on temporary duty suspensions and frequently testified before Congress.
From 1987 to 1992, Ms. Ring was counsel to the government of the Dominican Republic in its textile quota negotiations with the United States. She also was appointed by the World Bank to conduct a study of the free zone program in the Dominican Republic. She assisted the government of El Salvador in rewriting its export promotion law after successfully representing El Salvador in antidumping and countervailing duty cases.
Ms. Ring has lectured on United States customs law for various U.S. and international associations and teaches many of the customs law webinars that ST&R publicly offers.
Ms. Ring holds both a J.D. and a B.A. in history (magna cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania, and she studied international and European Community law at the Hague Academy of International Law and the Free University of Brussels. She has litigated cases before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and other federal district courts. She is admitted to the bar of the state of New York. She served on the board of directors of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, chairing CITBA's Meetings and Events Committee for 20 years. She is also a member of the Customs Operations Committee of the American Association of Exporters and Importers and the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of Sandler
CATHERINE CAYCE is a Member of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. in the Export Controls and Sanctions Practice. With over a decade of law firm and in-house counsel experience, she focuses on ensuring that clients understand and comply with export regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations. She has extensive experience helping clients to build, implement, and maintain robust and practical export control programs, conducting internal investigations, preparing voluntary disclosures and government filings, and providing clients with hands-on advice on a wide variety of export compliance and sanctions issues.
Prior to joining ST&R, Ms. Cayce served as senior counsel for international trade compliance at several global companies. She has led and managed teams responsible for global trade compliance policy development and roll-out, training, communication, investigations and disclosures, and export compliance due diligence in mergers and acquisitions.
Ms. Cayce holds a J.D. from the College of William & Mary and a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University. She is a member of the bar in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Education
J.D., College of William & Mary
Bachelor's, Georgetown University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Operating Committee
- Managing Partner, Operating Committee With Sandler
CHARLES CROWLEY is a Managing Partner, Operating Committee with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the New York office. As a nationally-recognized authority on international trade and business law, Mr. Crowley has substantial experience leading and directing global trade and customs practices.
He concentrates his practice on assisting multinational corporations with a wide variety of customs and international trade activities, including international supply chain security and management, intellectual property rights, import/export process management, antidumping and countervailing duty matters, unfair trade actions and anti-corruption compliance.
In addition, Mr. Crowley provides counsel to clients on customs issues such as first sale and other valuation matters, duty refunds and tax/tariff reductions, foreign-trade zones and customs audits. He also advises clients on penalty matters and brings considerable insight to these issues as a former attorney with U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Regulations and Rulings and as a licensed U.S. Customs Broker in good standing since 1999.
Mr. Crowley currently devotes a significant amount of time working in Asia for various clients importing and exporting to the U.S. He is a leader on the firm's initiative to address forced labor concerns via supply chain reviews, due diligence strategies, and proactive remediation.
Among his clients are companies who import and export products such as food, textiles and apparel, electronics, high-technology equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive products, heavy equipment, steel, machinery, footwear and eyewear. In the textile and apparel industry, Mr. Crowley advises several large, well-known manufacturers and retailers.
Prior to joining Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, Mr. Crowley was a senior partner with two of the Big Four accounting firms for a combined tenure of 15 years. This experience enables Mr. Crowley to provide clients with comprehensive advice associated with the various aspects of imports and exports, including tax, finance, logistics and global risk management.
Mr. Crowley is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Tax Court. He is a member of the bar in New York, Massachusetts (inactive) and Washington, D.C. (inactive). He belongs to the Customs and International Trade Bar Association and the National Council of International Trade in Business, is a member of the board of the American Association of Exporters and Importers, and is a former president of the Customs Lawyers Association. His publications include the Import Handbook (1997; co-editor) and a bi-monthly column in the TradeWatch Customs and International Trade Global Newsletter, and he is a member of the editorial board for the International Tax Newsletter.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member With Sandler
CHRISTINA LEONARD is a Member with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. Ms. Leonard advises domestic and multinational clients on customs compliance and international trade. Her practice includes tariff classification, country of origin marking, valuation, trade preference programs, duty refunds, first sale, penalty mitigation, protests and prior disclosures. She also advises clients on duty-saving opportunities and strategic responses to China Section 301 tariffs.
Prior to joining ST&R, Ms. Leonard served for a decade with an international trade and customs firm, representing clients in U.S. Customs audits, Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls and Department of Commerce Section 232 duties, among other matters. During law school, her legal internships included positions at the U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs & Border Protection and the multinational Chanel, Inc. Prior to law school, she served for four years as an associate with Charles River Associates, an international economic consulting firm, where she specialized in mergers and antitrust.
Ms. Leonard is a member of the bar in the state of New York and is admitted to appear before the U.S. Court of International Trade. She previously served on the International Trade Committee of the New York City Bar Association. She holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, a B.A. from Wellesley College and a General Course Degree from the London School of Economics.
Darrel Spires is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Customs Audits & Partnership Programs Leader With Sandler
DARYL MOORE is Customs Audits & Partnership Programs Leader with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Moore has almost 30 years of experience working in the audit environment focusing on import compliance and internal controls. During that time he spent 18 years working for U.S. Customs/CBP as an auditor, computer audit specialist, audit supervisor and field director before joining ST&R. As the Houston field director for Regulatory Audit, he had field oversight responsibilities over the south central region of the U.S. which included almost 40 auditors in six offices managing nearly every type of audit and non-audit service CBP performs. During his career with CBP Mr. Moore worked in several field offices throughout the country, including time spent as an acting oversight director for Regulatory Audit in Washington, D.C.
Working for ST&R, he represents clients undergoing customs audits in the U.S. and Canada, conducts "mock" audits for clients, consults with and performs quantification for clients involved in prior disclosures, assesses internal controls and assists clients with CTPAT Trade Compliance applications and provides applicable training. Mr. Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Fox University, a Master's degree in business administration from Portland State University and a Certificate of Educational Achievement from the Professional Development Institute at the University of North Texas.
Daryl Moore is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Operating Committee
- Co - Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce Working Group
- Managing Partner, Operating Committee
DAVID E. COHEN is a Managing Partner, Operating Committee with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in its Washington, D.C., office.
Mr. Cohen brings more than 30 years of combined public and private sector experience as an attorney and trusted counselor. His practice focuses on providing strategic advice to a wide range of clients on international trade and customs law matters including valuation, preference programs and customs audits. In particular, he assists companies in structuring multi-tiered transactions to maximize lawful duty savings and mitigate the impact of the Section 301 tariffs levied against China-produced imports. Mr. Cohen also works closely with the firm's Trade Negotiations and Legislative Affairs practice on issues such as the development and implementation of trade laws and regulations and representation of client interests before federal agencies and judicial bodies.
Before joining the Firm, Mr. Cohen served as an attorney for the U.S. Customs Service's Office of Regulations and Rulings from 1993 to 1999, where he concentrated on customs and international trade matters. During his tenure at Customs headquarters, he was affiliated with the Carrier Rulings Branch, the Special Classification and Marking Branch and the Value Branch.
Mr. Cohen serves as Co-Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce Working Group on Valuation, a member of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's Legal Task Force, and as a trustee for the Edmund Burke School in Washington DC.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance and risk management from the University of Wisconsin and a Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School, where he was student articles editor of the Marquette Law Review. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal and District of Columbia circuits, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is the author of The Community Reinvestment Act, Asset or Liability?, which was published in the spring 1992 issue of the Marquette Law Review.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate & Trade Policy Advisor
DAVID OLAVE is an Associate and Trade Policy Advisor for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. He employs a unique blend of experience in customs law, trade negotiations, legislative procedures, lobbying and civil society outreach to advise clients on the potential impact of trade-related legislation and to work with the U.S. government to address clients' needs. His areas of expertise include free trade agreement negotiations, the Generalized System of Preferences, the miscellaneous trade bill, international labor and corporate social responsibility standards, state and federal product safety regulations, and designing effective government relations and messaging strategies for firm clients. He has represented clients' interests before the House Ways and Means, Senate Finance, House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees as well as before different federal agencies, including the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Labor, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State and the International Trade Commission.
Previously, Mr. Olave worked for the international government affairs office of Eli Lilly and Co. In this position he assisted in the development and advocacy of policies related to intellectual property rights, technology and health and represented the company in several multi-stakeholder groups. He has also worked for the Colombian government's Trade Bureau in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. House of Representatives. As part of his graduate studies he worked as an independent consultant on U.S. government advocacy efforts for an overseas labor and civil society organization.
Mr. Olave holds a J.D. from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, a master's degree in international trade policy from George Mason University, and a B.A. in international politics and business from Brigham Young University. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. His publications include "Expiring Trade Preferences Impact American Companies" (North American Free Trade and Investment Report, Vol. 21, No. 5, March 15, 2011) and "Evolving Labor Standards and Human Rights Agenda: The Impact on Trade" (North American Free Trade and Investment Report, Vol. 21, No. 10, May 31, 2011).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee With Sandler
DEBORAH B. STERN is a Partner, Advisory Committee with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the Miami office. Ms. Stern advises domestic and multinational clients on both U.S. and foreign customs compliance and other trade matters. She concentrates her practice in traditional customs areas, such as tariff classification, seizures and penalties, country of origin marking, valuation, trademark infringement, broker compliance, bonded warehouses, government procurement, trade preference programs and free trade agreements, as well as the World Customs Organization's Harmonized System. With special emphasis in the high-tech sector, she has substantial experience in almost every product area of the tariff schedule.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Stern spent five years with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Washington, D.C., where she authored nationally binding interpretive rulings and agency determinations on tariff classification, USMCA eligibility and country of origin marking; assisted in litigation matters before the Court of International Trade; and coordinated with other regulatory agencies on customs and trade policy issues.
Ms. Stern was also a U.S. delegate to the WCO's Harmonized System Committee and HS Review Sub-Committee, representing U.S. interests in international classification disputes and legal and interpretive amendments to the HS. In this capacity she negotiated the 2007 amendments to the HS Explanatory Notes and was a member of a multilateral group that drafted revisions to the Explanatory Notes for the high-tech chapters of the HS (84, 85 and 90). She also participated in international negotiations on NAFTA matters and the U.S.-Chile FTA.
Ms. Stern holds a B.A. from Florida State University and a J.D. from FSU's School of Law, graduating with cum laude distinction for both degrees. She is a member of the state bars of Florida and Virginia (inactive). She previously served in the international law section of the American Bar Association, the international section of the Florida Bar Association, and Customs Lawyers Association. She is a past president of the South Florida chapter of the Organization of Women in International Trade (2008-2010), and has been active with the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association, the ProVisors professional network, and the Customs Committee of the high-tech trade association CompTIA, serving as chair of its HS Work Group since 2014. She was appointed to the Board of Directors of the World Trade Center Miami in 2021, and the Board's Executive Committee in 2023. She is a 2021 recipient of the World Trade Center Miami's prestigious International Women's Day Award. She actively engages in educational programming for legal and trade organizations.
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant for Sandler
DENNIS WRIGHT is an independent consultant for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. He has broad expertise in a range of import-related areas and has advised companies on such issues as regulatory and statutory compliance, tariff classification, valuation, marking, and eligibility for special trade programs such as USMCA, KORUS and the Automotive Products Trade Act.
Prior to joining ST&R, Mr. Wright served for many years with Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services Inc. as vice president and senior vice president of consulting services. Earlier in his career, which began in 1961, he was the owner/operator of his own Detroit-based customs brokerage company and an executive consultant at one of the northern border's premier customs brokers.
Mr. Wright is a past president of the Detroit Customs Brokers Association and has presented numerous speeches and seminars on international trade issues.
Dennis Wright is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Independent FDA Regulatory and Strategic Consultant
DOMENIC J. VENEZIANO is an Independent FDA Regulatory and Strategic Consultant to Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.
Mr. Veneziano provides advice on the importation of all Food and Drug Administration-regulated commodities and the resolution of problems that may occur. He also evaluates medical device and food facilities to determine compliance with good manufacturing practice regulations and the Food Safety Modernization Act, and he assists clients in correcting any deviations found during FDA inspections or third-party audits.
Mr. Veneziano served as director of the FDA's Division of Import Operations for more than ten years. In that role he was responsible for oversight of FDA's import operations program and provided leadership, guidance, and direction to approximately 1,000 field investigators in more than 320 U.S. ports of entry. He also served as co-lead in the development of the FSMA import regulations and was senior advisor on the implementation of FSMA and the FDA Safety and Innovation Act. He represented FDA on the Automated Commercial Environment/International Trade Data System board of directors and the Border Interagency Executive Council and was responsible for ensuring that all FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection systems such as PREDICT and ACE met all operational needs.
Mr. Veneziano began his FDA career in 1992 as a field investigator in the New England District specializing in medical device inspections. In 1998 he became a supervisory investigator in New England overseeing the medical device and import programs and in 2003 he established, staffed, and directed the Prior Notice Center, FDA's first 24/7/365 operational office.
Mr. Veneziano holds a B.S. in engineering from the University of Maine.
Domenic Veneziano is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director
- Senior Director, International Trade & Government Relations
EDWARD STEINER is Senior Director, International Trade and Governmental Relations, for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Steiner has over two decades of experience in the fields of public policy and international trade and development.
Mr. Steiner consults for a diverse client base including private industry, trade associations and foreign governments. He represents clients on a wide range of trade and customs policy and operational matters before the U.S. Congress and Administration, as well as other governmental and non-governmental organizations. Mr. Steiner has spoken and written on a range of trade and customs-related issues including Section 301 and 232 tariffs and tariff exclusions, ocean shipping reform, e-commerce, and product and food safety, and has conducted seminars and webinars on these subjects for audiences throughout the U.S. and overseas.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Steiner worked as a legislative aid for Californian Representatives Sam Farr and Loretta Sanchez. As Legislative Director for Rep. Sanchez - former vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee - he helped organize the committee, including defining subcommittee jurisdictions, scheduling hearings, and directly overseeing the work of the Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee. For Rep. Farr, Mr. Steiner handled a legislative portfolio that included foreign operations appropriations, trade and tax.
Mr. Steiner received his Master's degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in international economics and relations, and worked for more than three years as an international development professional with a specialization in post-conflict reconstruction in Washington, D.C., Guatemala and Kosovo. He has experience working in national and international development agencies, including the International Organization for Migration, the World Bank and U.S. Agency for International Development. Mr. Steiner has spent over five years studying and working overseas and is fluent in Spanish, French and Swedish.
Edward Steiner is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee Textiles & Apparel Practice Leader Forced Labor Practice Leader
- Partner, Advisory Committee With Sandler
ELISE SHIBLES is a Partner, Advisory Committee with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the San Francisco office. She leads the firm's Textiles and Apparel Practice as well as its Forced Labor Practice.
She advises and counsels clients on trade agreement and preference program requirements for a variety of different types of goods under U.S. and non-U.S. trade programs including USMCA, QIZ, ASEAN-China and EU-Vietnam, among others. She also has extensive expertise in all aspects of textile and apparel trade and policy including classification, origin, marking, Section 301 tariff mitigation, drafting and reviewing proposed legislation, and strategy for trade negotiations. She has represented the interests of numerous international companies in free trade negotiations, including rules of origin, customs procedures and market access. Ms. Shibles advises clients on "Made in USA" marking and advertising standards under both federal and California law. She also counsels clients on compliance efforts with regard to forced labor and on traceability of resources and production in response to origin verifications.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Shibles served for over 11 years with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, formerly the U.S. Customs Service. As a specialist in textile and apparel policy, she was part of the U.S. Government negotiating team and participated actively in the negotiations of numerous free trade agreements including those with CAFTA-DR, Korea, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Oman and Bahrain. She drafted various provisions and helped develop legislation and regulations to implement FTAs and preference programs, trained foreign industry and government representatives on rules of origin and assisted with compliance efforts such as foreign factory inspections, classification and valuation reviews and trade data analysis.
Ms. Shibles holds a J.D. from the University of California at Davis and a B.S. in textile and apparel production, merchandising and design from Iowa State University. She is a member of the California Bar Association.
ELIZABETH CHIAVETTA is an auditor for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. She has over 10 years' experience in the audit environment.
Prior to joining ST&R Ms. Chiavetta served as director of audit policy for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where she oversaw three branches within Regulatory Audit's Audit Policy Division. Among other things, she directed the first major update of CBP's Focused Assessment program in more than ten years and implemented new regulations on the use of statistical sampling in audits and disclosures. Earlier in her career she served as chief of CBP's Policy Branch, where she directed the development of regulatory audit policies, procedures, and technical guidance, and as a senior auditor for both CBP and the Defense Contract Audit Agency.
Ms. Chiavetta holds a B.S. in business administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo with concentrations in accounting and financial analysis.
Elizabeth Chiavetta is not admitted to the practice of law.
ERNEST TONG is an export controls and classification consultant with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., based in Greenville, S.C. He specializes in export classifications for complex parts, technologies, and software.
Mr. Tong has nearly 15 years' experience working for a large, diverse, global corporation determining export classifications, improving the efficiency of classification processes, developing software for managing classification data, and classification training. He is familiar with export regulations in the U.S. and many other countries. He also served six years on the U.S. Department of Commerce's transportation advisory committee for export control.
Mr. Tong has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute (aka Kettering University) and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.
Ernest Tong is not admitted to the practice of law.
Education
Masters, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
Bachelor's, Mechanical Engineering, General Motors Institute (aka Kettering University)
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Senior Member of Sandler
GERALD B. HORN is a Senior Member of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. and a senior partner in the New York office. Mr. Horn specializes in customs, international trade and transportation law, with particular emphasis on cross-border transactions between the United States and Canada. This has included the establishment of numerous related party and three-tiered sales transactions, customs audits, seizure and penalty cases, classification determinations, and USMCA verifications and origin determinations.
Mr. Horn, an "AV" rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, has been widely recognized for his presentations and lectures on textile and apparel issues and international trade matters before the Canadian Apparel Federation, the Apparel Manufacturers Institute of Quebec, The Quebec Apparel Productivity Center, the American Management Association and the Canadian Importers Association. He has been a featured writer for Canadian Apparel magazine.
Mr. Horn is a graduate of Syracuse University (B.A., 1971) and he received a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 1974. He is a member of the bar of the state of New York. Mr. Horn's professional affiliations have included the American Bar Association, the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, the Apparel Manufacturers Institute of Quebec and Canadian Apparel Federation, the Association of Food Industries, the New York UJA-Federation, the Harvar Society of U.S. Customs (past president) and The Canadian Society of New York. He was a contributing author to North American Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin (Unz & Co., 1993).
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Founder
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Founder and Counsel to Sandler
GILBERT LEE SANDLER is Founder and Counsel to Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the Miami office. Mr. Sandler has extensive experience in handling complex international trade, intellectual property and litigation projects for a wide range of clients including importers, exporters, manufacturers, bonded warehousemen, foreign-trade zones, customs brokers, freight forwarders, carriers, financial institutions and surety companies. After serving six years as a senior trial attorney in the Department of Justice (Customs Section), he began a 38-year career in private practice emphasizing international trade, including the technical areas of tariff classification, valuation and preference; quota qualification; product marking and labeling laws; copyright and trademark protection; security measures; trade compliance and audit programs; penalty avoidance and defense; and multiple other import requirements administered by federal and state agencies (e.g., FDA, EPA, USDA) involving issues such as health, safety, the environment and ethical sourcing.
Mr. Sandler has been appointed by five administrations to advise the United States government on international trade negotiations, including the Uruguay and Doha rounds, free trade agreement negotiations, the Customs Valuation Agreement, the Harmonized Tariff Classification Agreement and the Kyoto Convention. He has served on the Advisory Committee on Customs Commercial Operations, where he played a leading role in the committee's work on the development of the Department of Homeland Security and on security programs such as the Container Security Initiative and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.
Mr. Sandler holds a J.D. from the New York University School of Law and an A.B. (with honors) from Dartmouth College. He is a member of the bars in New York and Florida and has chaired the Florida bar's International Law Section. He serves on the board of the American Association of Exporters and Importers and chaired its Regulated Industries Committee. He has chaired the Florida International Trade and Investment Council, the World Trade Center Miami and is a member of the International Business Committee to the Florida Chamber of Commerce. As a member of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, he has served as vice chairman for International Business and Immigration. He co-chaired all nine annual Customs/Trade/Finance Symposiums of the Americas and was appointed by President Clinton to the Host Committee for the Summit of the Americas held in December 1994. He currently serves as general counsel to the Florida Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, the American Surety Association and the American Free Trade Association.
GREGORY STANCZYK is an auditor for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. He has nearly 15 years' experience in the audit environment.
Prior to joining ST&R Mr. Stanczyk served for many years as a regulatory auditor for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In this capacity he conducted different types of complex audits on import and export issues, including classification, value, reconciliation, free trade agreements, and antidumping and countervailing duties. He also evaluated companies' customs compliance programs and procedures to identify compliance risks and internal control deficiencies. He later served as a data analytics auditor where, among other things, he served as a subject matter expert in the extraction and manipulation of CBP import and export transactions as well as commercial business and enforcement information.
Earlier in his career Mr. Stanczyk was a senior associate for a major consulting firm advising clients on complex international trade, risk management, and regulatory compliance issues.
Mr. Stanczyk holds a B.S. in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has done post-baccalaureate work in finance.
Gregory Stanczyk is not admitted to the practice of law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Operating Committee
- Managing Principal, Operating Committee International Trade & Government Relations Practice Leader
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Litigation Practice Leader
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
Job Titles:
- Director, Trade Compliance
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Customs and International Trade Consulting
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee Trade Remedies Practice Group Leader
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee Export Controls & Sanctions Practice Leader
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Operating Committee
- Managing Partner, Operating Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Operating Committee
- Managing Partner, Operating Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member of the Operating Committee
- Managing Partner, Operating Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Manager, Customs & International Trade Consulting
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Senior Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Senior Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Partner, Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Member & FTZ Practice Leader
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Founder
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team
- Senior Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Members & Practice Area Leaders Team