Kevin W. Leonard counsels clients, from small, closely held businesses to Fortune 100 companies, on a broad range of international trade and customs matters. When representing clients faced with complex issues, he draws on twenty-five years of experience in private practice and as an Import Specialist for U.S. Customs & Border Protection, to advise clients effectively. His background, both in private practice and with the government, provides him with the tools to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each issue to effectively represent companies undergoing customs audits and customs investigations. Kevin has extensive experience advising clients and developing creative and practical import strategies in Europe and Asia. Kevin’s practice addresses all aspects of international trade, including classification and appraisement of merchandise, drawback, foreign trade zones/bonded warehouses, rules of origin, marking and labeling, and preferential trade agreements. Kevin has served as an instructor at Pace University’s World Trade Institute and has taught Customs broker licensing exam preparation courses in New York and New Jersey.

Kevin’s representative experience is broad and remarkable. Kevin assisted a prominent Italian luxury brand to reduce its U.S. duties by more than 40% through a restructure of their supply chain. He has assisted a multi-brand e-commerce platform in eliminating customs duties in connection with millions of dollars of sales in the United States. His representation resulted in over $1 million in duty refunds for a U.S. personal computer maker involved in a contentious tariff classification review by U.S. Customs. 

Kevin successfully represented a multinational footwear manufacturer and brand owner undergoing a Foreign Trade Zone audit by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection which resulted in no duties owed. He developed successful strategies for an industrial manufacturer to minimize and avoid duties imposed by the United States against China under Section 301 of Trade Act of 1974. His results speak for themselves in both proactive structuring and organization of strategies and minimizing damages in conflicts.

New York Law School J.D. magna cum laude (1998)

University of Massachusetts at Amherst B.A. cum laude (1992)

US Court of International Trade (2000)

US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (2000)

New York State Bar Membership

Massachusetts State Bar Membership

Instructor:

“Tariff Classifications & Custom Valuation,” World Trade Institute, Pace University (2004-2005)