Meredith A. DeMent

Meredith assists clients with issues involving valuation, country-of-origin, tariff classification, free trade agreements, duty preference programs and trade enforcement actions, such as the ongoing actions pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. She has experience with customs prior disclosures, penalty petitions, compliance audits, enforcement actions before US Customs and Border Protection, as well as trade litigation before the US Court of International Trade and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Meredith also advises clients on international trade due diligence in connection with mergers and acquisitions, strategic customs planning, and the design, implementation and administration of effective compliance programs.

Meredith has represented clients before the US Department of Commerce as well as the US Court of International Trade and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in both customs and antidumping cases. She has also prepared corporate clients for on-site Customs Focused Assessments and has filed protests, prior disclosures, and penalty petitions involving issues of tariff classification, product valuation, GSP eligibility, and country-of-origin marking on a wide range of products.

• Obtaining release of merchandise deemed inadmissible by US Food and Drug Administration on expedited basis.

• Advising multiple major US retailers in connection with import detentions by US Environmental Protection Agency.

• Securing Section 301 product exclusions on behalf of companies in consumer goods, industrial and medical sectors.

• Advising major healthcare company on design and implementation of anti-forced labor compliance program.

• Managing and conducting internal audit and review of customs compliance program of major US consumer goods retailer.

• Obtaining successful classification rulings on behalf of multiple companies to mitigate impact of Section 301 duties.

• Advised company in pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector in connection with comprehensive review of US customs valuation procedures.

• Representing companies in US and other government audits/verifications under NAFTA and other free trade agreements and preparing associated voluntary prior disclosures.

• Representing company in building/construction sector in US Customs and Border Protection Focused Assessment (audit) with successful resolution.

• Obtaining millions of dollars of duty refunds resulting from changes in law regarding tariff classification of consumer goods products for major US retailer.

• American Bar Association – International Law