Robert Shapiro knows international trade. He counsels clients on all aspects of international import and export transactions with a focus on the highly complex and changing issues surrounding compliance and geopolitics.
As chair of the firm’s international trade practice, Robert’s clients depend on his experience and geopolitical perspective to help them navigate the often confusing, diverse and ever-changing policies, laws and regulations governing international activities. He regularly represents clients before the full range of trade-regulating agencies at the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Treasury, Commerce and independent agencies and committees.
Robert’s extensive experience includes advising clients on the valuation, classification and origin of imported merchandise; the avoidance or recovery of duties; and compliance with export controls, sanctions, and other national security laws and regulations. To ensure compliance, Robert is skilled at “teasing out the details” of a product’s and its components’ origins to identify, for example, if forced labor was used in any stage of a component’s production.
In addition, Robert delights in saving clients’ money. He is adept at pursuing novel arguments that diminish or recover duties and tariffs, in one instance recovering $30 million for a client. He also closely follows the ebb and flow of geopolitical and technological change to advise clients on what may be lurking ahead—issues surrounding AI or the technology controls impacting trade with China, for example. Businesses make global investments and engage in transactions that may require reconsideration in light of such changes, and Robert has the perspective to counsel them with clarity.
Prior to practicing law, Robert served as vice president of a major logistics firm and understands that international trade is about the movement of goods and the continuation of business. He brings these practical insights to counseling his clients on compliance, enforcement and other matters throughout supply chains.
Professional
- The American Association of Exporters and Importers
- The Court of International Trade Bar Association
- The Customs Trade Support Network, Trade Ambassador
- American Bar Association Customs Committee
- Society for International Affairs
- Women in International Trade
- Washington International Trade Association
Community
- Trustee – Institute for Education
- Customs and Border Protection Trade Support Network
- Trade Ambassador
- Listed in “Washington D.C. Super Lawyers,” 2014-2017 (by Thomson Reuters)
- Co-Presentor, “U.S. Trade Policy and Convergence of Import and Export Controls: Navigating the Complex International Trade Landscape”
Strafford, January 24, 2024 - “Accidental Globalist – Exporter Edition”
World Trade Center St. Louis, January 2023 - “How to File a Successful Petition with CBP”
ICPA 2022 Summer Conference, Paradise Island, Bahamas, June 2022
- Checklists of Foreign Countries Subject to Sanctions
updated September 2024 - Trade Compliance Handbook
updated September 2024 - “Customs Business Confusion”
Business Law Today, August 2, 2024 - Quoted, “China Tariffs: Potential Impact on the Chemical Industry”
Chemical Processing, May 21, 2024 - “International Trade Policy And Compliance Reflect Holistic Shift” article
Law360, December 2022
If I’m indoors and not analyzing a new trade regulation, there’s a good chance I’m baking—pursuing the perfect loaf of bread—or listening to some excellent jazz, bluegrass or rock, including the Grateful Dead. If I’m outdoors, I may be walking my goldendoodle named Curie (my pets are always named after scientists), running, or perhaps skiing when the opportunity arises.