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Overview

Carlos stays current with e-commerce and global distribution systems in his domestic and international transportation law practice.

Carlos has skillfully navigated clients through the complexities of transportation law for 40 years. He assists suppliers and transportation companies across Asia; helps establish consolidation facilities in strategic locations; and guides air and ocean transport clients to U.S. fulfillment centers where goods are sold electronically to buyers. Carlos assists retailers and transportation intermediaries in the e-commerce supply chain in addition to helping establish fulfillment service centers in support of e-commerce.

Carlos frequently advises shippers (import/export), motor carriers, ocean transportation intermediaries and other transport clients on regulatory matters, including licensing and standard operating procedures, minimizing risk on export compliance matters and navigating sanctioned country issues. In this area Carlos routinely deals with regulatory matters at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Commerce, Department of State and other federal agencies.

In addition, Carlos structures transactional agreements to establish offshore distribution hubs for retailers and logistics companies, works with warehousing distribution companies to ensure an integrated process between distribution and transportation, and negotiates transportation service packages. He also drafts and negotiates service contracts with ocean steamship lines, shipyards and global transportation logistics clients before the Maritime Administration, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent
  • New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association, Captain of Industry, 2019

Education

  • J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law
  • M.A., Fairleigh Dickinson University
  • B.A., University of Texas at Austin

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association, Transportation Counsel, 1994-present

Languages

  • Spanish, fluent
Experience
  • Establishes best practices for non-vessel owning common carriers (NVOCCs) in implementation of negotiated rate and service arrangement shipping protocols with view to commercial realities of that industry.
  • Counsels U.S. logistics companies with regard to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program.
  • Navigates maritime and air transport clients through complexities of regulation and compliance in matters administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and other governing bodies.
  • Advises clients on International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) administered by Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) at Department of State and with Export Administration Regulations (EAR) of Department of Commerce.
  • Frequently advises on regulatory licensing issues, including assisting clients in licensing, registration and voluntary disclosures when required.
  • Counsels shippers in U.S. domestic trades to structure agreements with motor carriers to allow shippers to act as Property Brokers to secure cargo from other shippers, licensed by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in order to maximize use of container/trailer space on backhaul of motor carrier transport after delivery of their own goods.
  • Works with Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on sanctioned country issues, including those related to Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea and Burma.
  • Structures agreements to establish offshore distribution hubs for international distribution activities for retailers and multinational logistics companies.
  • Establishes offshore and domestic fulfillment facilities for business-to-consumer (B2C) distribution for e-commerce transactions, representing both retailers and multinational logistics companies.
  • Drafts and negotiates service contracts with ocean steamship lines.
  • Represents shipyard and other interests before Maritime Administration, Military Sealift Command, Department of Defense (DOD) and other federal agencies.
  • Advices U.S. domiciled multinationals with regard to obtaining facility and staff security clearances from DOD for handling classified defense articles and on countering issues with Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) program.
  • Advises and assists global logistics firms in negotiating and implementing distribution and warehousing agreements in United States and abroad.
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Outside the Office

Carlos enjoys relaxing with friends and family at his Chesapeake vacation home.

He spends time hiking and boating on the Chesapeake with friends and watching glorious sunsets with his wife over a glass of cabernet.

Historic United States-China Meeting

During the Carter administration in 1979, when the United States began normalizing commercial relationships with China, after the Nixon administration made initial contact with the Chinese government, Carlos initiated and sponsored with a client the first-ever U.S. meeting with Chinese officials in the Washington, DC area. The Chinese mission met with U.S. government officials and select industry representatives involved in international trade, which Carlos invited pursuant to the Chinese Mission’s requests.

Shortly afterward, a China mission from the Ministry of Communication (later the Ministry of Transport) came to the United States to meet with the Federal Maritime Commission to learn U.S. maritime operations and procedures with the goal of implementing them in China. Today, Carlos continues to work with the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China in his international transportation practice.