Stein Shostak Shostak Pollack & O'Hara, LLP - Washington, DC

Overview

The experience of the firm and its members in the area of U.S. Customs law is evidenced by many favorable administrative rulings as well as court decisions of the U.S. Customs Court and its successor, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and its successor, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Many of the court cases and Customs rulings obtained by the firm on behalf of its clients are cited as landmark decisions.

Members of the firm appear before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and have appeared before other federal courts throughout the United States, Customs and Border Protection and other offices/agencies which directly regulate imports and exports, including the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Commission (ITA) and Bureau of Export Controls (BXA), the International Trade Commission, office of the U.S. Trade Representative, as well as other government agencies having laws enforced by the Customs Service, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Department of Agriculture, Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, and Office of Defense Trade Controls. In addition, the firm monitors trade legislation through its Washington, D.C. office, and frequently comments and testifies on legislation under consideration by the U.S. Congress.

Representative Clients

The firm represents both multinational companies and small companies that are engaged in importing and exporting a wide variety of products throughout the world, including agriculture, automobile, chemicals, electronics, footwear, textiles, and toys. etc.

Representative clients for which the firm is customs counsel include: Bali Company, BenQ America Corporation, Bugle Boy, Casio Communications Corp., Ford Motor Company, The Franklin Mint, Kenwood USA, Mattel, Nike, Packard Bell NEC, Pioneer North America, Skechers, U.S.A., Skil Corporation, Sony Corporation of North America, and Yamaha Motor Corporation, among others.

Community Involvement

Active involvement in all phases of international trade has been a policy of the firm since its inception. Members of the firm have served and continue to serve in active leadership positions in many organizations, including the American Association of Exporters and Importers, the Joint Industry Group, the Foreign Trade Association of Southern California, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Border Trade Alliance, the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, the State Bar of California International Law Section, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association Customs Law Committee. In addition, members of the firm frequently conduct and participate in seminars on customs and international trade matters. Since the late 1990's Elon Pollack has been an active member of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Court of International Trade. Since 1996, Mr. Pollack has served as an Instructor in the Global Logistics Specialist Program offered at California State University at Long Beach, California.