Geoffrey M. Goodale is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. Mr. Goodale’s practice focuses on export controls, economic sanctions, import compliance, trade litigation, international intellectual property rights protection, foreign direct investment, cybersecurity and compliance counseling to government contractors.
He counsels companies on a wide range of issues relating to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) enforced by the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and the economic sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Mr. Goodale also conducts internal reviews and audits to assess compliance in these areas.
Mr. Goodale also advises clients on all aspects of compliance with U.S. import laws and regulations, including those relating to determining the proper classification, valuation and country of origin of merchandise. He regularly represents clients in matters involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB), including assisting clients in preparing for and undergoing CBP audits. He also assists clients in developing duty-savings strategies through the effective use of duty drawback, foreign trade zones and subzones, preferential duty programs and free trade agreements, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on July 1, 2020, and the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
Mr. Goodale’s experience includes representing both U.S. and non-U.S. companies in all manner of anti-dumping duty and countervailing duty cases before the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), including investigations, administrative reviews, scope ruling requests and anti-circumvention proceedings, as well as in appeals of certain DOC and ITC decisions to the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also has represented complainants and respondents in trade-related intellectual property rights cases filed with the ITC under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and appeals of certain such decisions to the CAFC. In addition, he has assisted companies on various other kinds of trade remedy matters, including ones involving Section 201, Section 232, and Section 301.
Additionally, Mr. Goodale possesses extensive experience in advising clients on international mergers and acquisitions. With respect to acquisitions by foreign entities of U.S. companies, this experience includes, among other things: taking actions necessary to clear proposed deals through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), especially in instances where filings with CFIUS are required pursuant to the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA); filing required submissions with DDTC and/or BIS when export-controlled products and technologies are involved; and structuring transactions so as to mitigate foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) in order for the U.S. company to maintain its Facility Security Clearance (FCL).
Mr. Goodale also assists government contractors on a wide range of matters covered by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), especially relating to the Buy American Act (BAA), the Trade Agreements Act (TAA), and cybersecurity (including Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) issues). In addition, he provides counseling to clients relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conducts internal investigations to ensure that clients comply with the requirements of the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws, such as the UK Bribery Act.
A long-standing and active member of the American Bar Association (ABA), Mr. Goodale currently serves as Co-Chair of the ABA International Law Section’s National Security Committee and Vice-Chair of the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section’s Business and Trade Division. He also currently is the Chair of the Virginia State Bar’s International Practice Section and Co-Chair of the D.C. Bar’s International Committee. In addition, he serves as Chair of the Customs Task Force of the Parallel Imports Committee of the International Trademark Association (INTA).
Mr. Goodale is a 2001 graduate of the George Washington University Law School, where he was notes editor of the American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal. Prior to law school, he received his M.A. and his B.A., with honors, from the College of William and Mary.
