MICHAEL E. (TED) MURPHY counsels companies on international trade and customs law and serves on the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force. In particular, he advises clients on international trade, trade policy and customs compliance issues, including actions brought under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as well as the administration of international agreements such as the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation, NAFTA and the Information Technology Agreement. He is a frequent speaker on international trade and customs compliance-related topics at seminars in the United States and abroad. Chambers and other publications routinely recognize him as a leading practitioner.
Ted assists clients on all substantive issues handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including complex customs valuation matters, free trade agreement qualification, tariff classification, special program and forced labor issues. He assists clients in developing and implementing effective compliance programs to help ensure that reasonable care is exercised over import matters and in preparing for membership in voluntary programs, such as the Importer Self-Assessment and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. He regularly conducts internal compliance reviews, prepares detailed prior disclosures and compliance improvement plans, and represents clients in customs compliance audits and enforcement actions, including both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. He also regularly provides customs and other regulatory advice in connection with corporate restructurings and mergers and acquisitions, and advises clients on trade-related legislative matters. He frequently works with colleagues in other practices and in other jurisdictions on multidisciplinary customs compliance issues, such as the intersection between transfer pricing and customs valuation, IP licensing and other issues.
Ted also represents clients before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Ted was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Customs Matters and Trade Facilitation (ITAC 14) for the 2010–2014 and 2014–2018 terms.
Ted has been honored as a leading customs compliance practitioner by Chambers USA (Band 1) (2013–2023), Chambers Global (USA) (Band 1) (2016–2023), Who’s Who Legal: Trade & Customs, The Legal 500, and other legal ranking publications.