Bruce Leeds has decades of experience in international trade law and has successfully served his clients in diverse capacities, from classification and due diligence, to ITAR compliance and drawback. He has significant expertise with importing and exporting high tech products.
Career Highlights
Prior to becoming an attorney, Bruce was an Import Specialist at the U.S. Customs Service in Los Angeles for seven years. During this period, he was promoted to Team Leader and developed significant expertise in working with imports of semiconductors and watches. Bruce then joined Hughes Aircraft Company, where he worked in various positions related to import and export compliance. In this role, he managed export/import documentation, compliance and license functions, and directly supervised as many as 27 employees. He was also responsible for establishing policies and procedures, conducting compliance investigations, and assisting subsidiaries in several states with export/import issues. He later joined Hughes Space & Communications Company and The Boeing Company, serving in export-import compliance positions. Bruce is also a U.S. Army veteran.
Leadership
Bruce has taught several different courses, and been a speaker, at various conferences related to international trade law for more than 30 years. At Boeing, Bruce served as the internal expert on import and export laws and regulations. His accomplishments included chairing the Global Committee established within the Office of Internal Governance to provide research, response, and guidance, on U.S. and non-U.S. changes to export-import laws, regulations, and procedures. Additionally, Bruce was appointed as a company representative to the Private Sector Consultative Group of the World Customs Organization in Brussels.
Bruce has held a number of prestigious leadership positions over the years and continues to do so. He is an active member, and serves on the Board of Governors, for the American Association of Exporters & Importers. He is a Board Member, and past President, of the Foreign Trade Association, as well as Chair of Women in International Trade (Los Angeles). He is also a member of the International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA), and the Society for International Affairs (SIA).
Recognized for his wealth of knowledge, Bruce was appointed by the U.S. Treasury Secretary, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to serve for two terms on the Departmental Advisory Committee on the Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (COAC). He also served as the Chair of COAC in 2007 and 2008.
Credentials
Bruce received his bachelor’s degree from California State University (Los Angeles, California) and his J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law (Los Angeles, California). He also continued with post-graduate studies at California State University and the University of Maryland. He is a Certified Customs Specialist and holds a Customs broker license. Bruce is licensed to practice law in the state of California.
Publications
- Which Way with Huawei? (June 2019)
- Special 301 Duties on Aircraft – Are They Just Winging It? (June 2019)
- Go Get Registered with Customs: CBP Form 5106 Create/Update Importer Identity Form – Updated and Revised (April 2019)
- Export Control Changes and Updates in 2018 (February 2019)
- S. Customs & Border Protection Enforcement of Trademarks (October 2018)
- The Final Stage of Export Control Reform – Revisions to USML Categories I-III (June 2018)
- President Announces Special Duties on Chinese Products (April 2018)
- Lexology: Trade War Coming? Be Prepared! (March 2018)
- S. Customs Considerations in Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions (February 2018)
- Commodity Jurisdiction – You Have to Get it Right! (August 2017)
- TIB or Not to TIB – That is the Question (June 2017)
- Making a Product Outside the United States Using U.S. Materials – Piece of Cake! (April 2017)
- Looking for Assists in All the Right Places (February 2017)
Recent Speaking Engagements
- ICPA Annual Conference “Understanding Export Licensing” (March 24, 2019)
- The 18th Annual “Partnering for Compliance™” East Export/Import Control Program “Overview and Impact of the Tariff War with China-Section 301” (March 5, 2019)
- The Foreign Trade Association Presents: An Export Commodity Classification Number – ECCN (November 14, 2018)
- The 9th Annual “Partnering for Compliance™” West Export/Import Control Program “An overview on the Impact of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act,” (October 16-18, 2018)
- 12th Annual CompTIA Global Trade Compliance Best Practices Conference, “An Era of Trade Enforcement” (September 18, 2018)
- Fourth Annual Global Trade Educational Conference (G.TEC) “Key OFAC Country Changes for 2018” (July 30-31, 2018)
- Customs Compliance for Import Personnel – 2 Day Course (July 19, 2018)
- Export Control Reform- Webinar (April 26, 2018)
Read more articles by Bruce: https://www.braumillerlaw.com/author/bruceleeds/
