GIVENS & JOHNSTON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- of COUNSEL
- of COUNSEL - CANADA
Rob Howard is a multilingual international trade professional from Canada and licensed Texas attorney. He started with Givens & Johnston as a Law Clerk in 2016, passed the Texas Bar Exam in 2019, and now works primarily with clients outside of the United States.
Rob speaks multiple languages (English native, advanced Spanish, advanced French, and conversational Mandarin). Before joining Givens & Johnston, Rob spent a number of years working in the private sector with companies around the world. His international business experience outside of the legal field includes international business consulting with a Canadian consulting firm based out of Argentina, and four years working in a variety of technical and business management roles with National Oilwell Varco, including two years as a project coordinator in the company's China offices. Rob has also worked for the Canadian Government in international trade development, where he worked with manufacturers across Canada to support public and private export initiatives.
Rob's experience working with the Canadian Government, combined with his experience in the corporate sphere, provides Rob with a perspective on both the public and private interests involved in cross border trade. He brings his skills to Givens & Johnston where he assists Canadian companies in understanding U.S. trade regulations. To this end, Rob has assisted companies by providing technical support for tariff classification purposes with US Customs, drafting protests and prior disclosures, conducting due diligence investigations related to exports of dual-use technology, and drafting training manuals on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance.
Rob Howard is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) which is Canada's most recognized professional designation in international trade.
Robert T. Givens has been practicing international trade law for over 40 years. Robert is admitted to practice before the Federal District Courts and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, along with the Court of International Trade, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Robert founded his practice in 1974, following three years of service with U.S. Customs as an Import Specialist. While at CBP, he cultivated an understanding of the intricacies of trade law in the United States and the Government's tactics for enforcement. Consequently, Robert has gained a unique perspective in international trade, analyzing all issues both from an importer's perspective as well as the Government's. Prior to his time as an Import Specialist, Robert served with the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, achieving the rank of 1st Lieutenant
Robert has handled import and export issues for companies of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Matters have included establishing Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs), tariff classification and valuation, country of origin, antidumping and countervailing duties, among all of the other issues affecting importers and exporters. Robert regularly represents clients before Customs in petitions, protests, and prior disclosures in an array of actions such as penalties, seizures and forfeitures, and liquidated damage claims. He also regularly represent clients in actions before other Federal Agencies regulating imports. He has also assisted licensed customs brokers in many areas including licensing and compliance. In addition, Robert has served as the lead counsel successfully in cases before the Court of International Trade and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Throughout this time, Robert has authored numerous articles, spoken at numerous events regarding international trade law and has been an AV Rated Attorney by Martindale.
Sharon Steele Doyle is a senior associate at Givens & Johnston, PLLC. Ms. Doyle has represented clients in matters over a wide range of issues. She has handled cases before various government agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USCG, Fish & Wildlife, FDA, EPA, and DOT. Ms. Doyle has represented clients at the administrative and judicial level on issues such as vessel repair duties, tariff classification, endangered species, country of origin, DOT, preferential trade agreements (e.g., NAFTA), and trademark/copyright. Her representation has covered a variety of matters before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including applications for relief, ruling requests, administrative protests and other customs-related issues. Ms. Doyle has represented clients in appeals of agency determinations before the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas; U.S. Court of International Trade; and, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Ms. Doyle also has assisted companies facing possible government enforcement actions including penalties, seizures, and forfeitures.