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David Stepp

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David Stepp is an experienced trade lawyer who provides multinational companies with strategic advice on global customs and international trade compliance matters. David is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Crowell & Moring.

His practice focuses on advising companies on their e-commerce strategies globally, conducting global customs and international trade audits, and assisting clients on improving, benchmarking, and coordinating compliance programs across borders.

David has over 30 years of experience handling international trade regulatory matters, including those related to tariff classification, valuation, country of origin marking, free trade agreements, and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT).

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Register now to join Crowell & Moring for a webinar on how national security has emerged as a central driver of global trade policy, reshaping how governments scrutinize supply chains and enforce trade compliance. Whether you are responding to government inquiries, structuring resilient supply chains, identifying tariff mitigation avenues or preparing for increased enforcement, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge to stay ahead. The webinar will take place on Thursday, September 18, 2025 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET.Continue Reading Register Now! Webinar on Supply Chain Mapping in the Era of National Security

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued its first ever Withhold Release Order (“WRO”) and Finding Modifications Guide (“Guide” or “the Guide”). The Guide serves as a roadmap for importers facing a possible WRO or Finding due to allegations of forced labor in the supply chain of their goods imported into the U.S. Guidance…

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Register here to join us for one or both of these timely sessions.

February 4th – Trump Administration and Trade: Tariffs and Customs

February 11th – Trump Administration and Trade: Sanctions, Export Controls, Investment Restrictions, and Global Mobility

February 4, 2025, 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. ET
Trump Administration and Trade: Tariffs and Customs
Join Crowell’s International Trade and Government Affairs attorneys as they explore the anticipated Trump Administration’s tariffs and their implications along with new customs and trade remedy issues facing importers. Trump’s first administration saw significant new duties, including Section 201, 232, and 301 tariffs, which resulted in importers scrambling to reconfigure supply chains to minimize duties and secure alternative sources for imported goods. This session will provide essential insights and actionable strategies for companies to prepare for the immediate impact of the duties and identify longer term approaches for stable supply lines. In this webinar, our attorneys will discuss the following topics:Continue Reading Register Now! Trump Administration and Trade: Two-Part Webinar Set

US & China Trade War

After a pause in 2022, there has been much talk of the continuation, or resumption, of a wave of retail bankruptcy cases as we begin 2023.  2022 was highlighted by Revlon’s filing (discussed here: Revlon May Signal Another Wave of Retail Bankruptcies | Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer (retailconsumerproductslaw.com)).  Revlon pointed to a number of issues that led to its filing, including most prominently, supply chain issues. Severe impediments in the supply chain – whether the inability to source product or the costs and delays in received goods — have been cited by many debtors since Revlon since as a leading cause of their distress.  And it may get much worse before it gets better, particularly for companies that source, directly or indirectly, from China.Continue Reading Continued Pain in the Retail Sector:  Coming Enforcement of Forced Labor Laws

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) came into force on July 1, 2020. Included in the USMCA are stronger labor provisions Congressional Democrats demanded, with the support of the Trump Administration, that were approved on a bipartisan basis during consideration of the USMCA implementing legislation in late 2019. The stronger labor provisions helped secure the support…

On January 31, 2020, the Trump administration issued an executive order cracking down on U.S. businesses that import directly or facilitate the import of counterfeit or pirated goods, illegal narcotics and other contraband. The order, entitled “Ensuring Safe & Lawful E-Commerce for US Consumers, Business, Government Supply Chains and Intellectual Property Rights,” directs…

Our retail multinational clients often ask if there is an effective way of protecting intellectual property rights (“IPR”) in China. While traditional enforcement remedies in China have been ineffective in the past, customs border protection schemes in recent years have provided a cost effective tool to protect the IPR of brand owners in the retail…