Suzanne counsels clients on U.S. laws and policies affecting international trade and business, including customs and import control laws. Her experience covers a wide range of commercial and enforcement laws that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies administer, including:

Duty preference programs
Tariff classification
Valuation (including transfer pricing)
Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs
Antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders, including Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) investigations
Intellectual property rights enforcement
Country of origin marking
Forced labor
Audits
Antiterrorism and border protection initiatives (e.g., the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism)
Disclosures
Seizures and forfeitures
Fraud and strategic investigations
Civil and criminal penalties
Binding rulings.

Prior to joining Akin, Suzanne served for more than six years as a senior attorney-advisor at the Office of International Trade, Regulations and Rulings at CBP. There, she served in the following branches:

Valuation & Special Programs
Penalties
Trade and Commercial Regulations
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) & Restricted Merchandise.

Suzanne issued binding rulings, advisory opinions, internal advice and other agency decisions to various importers and other businesses regarding:

Penalty determinations
Eligibility for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other duty preference programs
Customs valuations (covering transfer pricing and additions to, or deductions from, transaction value)
Country of origin marking
IPR Enforcement.

Suzanne played a key role in the administration of CBP’s enforcement of IPR at U.S. borders. She drafted and issued agency decisions regarding seizures of merchandise infringing trademarks and copyrights and International Trade Commission patent exclusions orders. She also conducted IPR enforcement training for CBP officers at various U.S. ports of entry.

She is experienced in CBP’s enforcement of consumer product safety laws. In 2009, the Commissioner of CBP awarded Suzanne the Commissioner’s Award for her role in drafting the Importer Self-Assessment Product Safety Pilot Program, a trade partnership program jointly administered by CBP and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Education
J.D., American University, Washington College of Law, 2007
B.A., Colgate University, cum laude, 2004

Bar Admissions
District of Columbia
New York

Recognitions

Chambers Global, International Trade: Customs, 2024.
DCA Live, Emerging Women Leaders in Law, 2024.
Chambers USA, International Trade: Customs, 2023-2024.
The Legal 500 US, International Trade, 2022-2024; Next Generation Partner, 2023-2024; Next Generation Lawyer, 2022.
The National Law Journal, D.C. Rising Stars, 2021.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Commissioner’s Award, 2009.

Affiliations and Public Service

Member and co-chair for Supply Chains, Women in International Trade (WIIT)
Associate member, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., 2022-2023
Senior attorney-advisor, Office of International Trade, Regulations and Rulings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2007-2014

Speeches and Publications

Speaker, “Supply Chains: An Evolving Global Legal and Regulatory Landscape Update,” Responsible & Sustainable Portfolio Conference, Apollo, September 17, 2024.
Speaker, “A Reckoning for Section 301 Country of Origin and Customs Valuation Compliance: Anticipated Increased Enforcement and How Exercise Reasonable Care Documentation,” hosted by American Conference Institute, November 8, 2022.
Speaker, “USMCA: An overview of its implementation. Challenges, potential disputes and win-win opportunities,” hosted by Dorantes Advisors, October 20, 2022.
Speaker, “Panel on Mexican Customs Reorganization: Implications for Importers,” hosted by Akin, Dorantes Advisors and the Organization of Women in International Trade, September 21, 2022.
Speaker, “Recent Developments in International Trade - U.S. Sanctions, Tariff Policy and USMCA,” webinar, hosted by Akin and ACC Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter, April 20, 2021.
Speaker, “Federal Policy Panel: The Road Ahead for Federal Regulations, Trade, & Public Investment,” webinar, hosted by the U.S. Energy Storage Association, February 3, 2021.
Speaker, “Are You Ready for USMCA?,” webinar, hosted by the U.S. Fashion Industry Association and Akin, May 27, 2020.
Moderator, “Customs Key Developments,” 41st Annual International Trade Update, hosted by Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., March 6, 2020.
Speaker, “(More) Tweets, Tariffs and Trade Wars,” Integrated Dual-Use Commercial Companies, Washington, D.C., September 11, 2019.
Speaker, “Retail Webinar: The Current Trade War - How We Got Here and Where We’re Going; including new tariffs on imports from Mexico,” webinar, hosted by Akin, June 11, 2019.
Speaker, “Tweets, Tariffs and Trade Wars,” Integrated Dual-Use Commercial Companies, Washington, D.C., March 14, 2019.
Speaker, “The Trade War with China: How The Section 301 Tariffs Are Impacting The Promotional Products Industry,” webinar, hosted by Akin and Promotional Products Association International, December 4, 2018.
“Identifying and Mitigating Regulatory and Reputational Risk in Your Supply Chain,” panelist, event hosted by Akin and ACC National Capital Region, Washington, D.C., March 22, 2018.
Speaker, “The CBP’s Amended Anti-Counterfeiting Rules: What it Means for Your Firm,” webinar, hosted by The Knowledge Group, August 29, 2016.