Experience
Matthew Cummins is a Senior Associate at the Law Office of Lawrence W. Hanson, P.C. Matthew has extensive experience in pursuing administrative remedies for client’s trade related issues with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at both the local port and headquarters levels. He also assists clients with U.S. export sanctions under the U.S. Department of Treasury, including matters governed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control concerning the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list and other sanctions programs.  Matthew also renders legal advice pertaining to export controls under the Department of Commerce  Export Administration Regulations administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security. 

Over the course of his career, Matthew has successfully helped clients navigate trade related legal issues through analyzing and assessing critical issues such as HTSUS tariff classification, country of origin, valuation, trade preference program eligibility, export classification and license determinations, and third party screening.  Matthew has represented clients in a myriad of contexts before US regulatory bodies, including defense against EAPA allegations, preparing, and submitting complex prior disclosures, ruling requests, administrative protests, and penalty petitions, and proactively seeking exclusion of antidumping duties through scope rulings. In addition to defending his clients’ trade practices, he has also helped clients navigate the rapidly changing landscape of import tariffs in the wake of Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum and the so called “China 301” duties, including assistance in securing company-specific exclusions from Section 232 duties. 

He assists clients in conducting external audits and developing both import and export compliance programs to avoid legal entanglements before they begin. 

Education
J.D., 2014, University of Houston Law Center
B.A. English-Creative Writing, 2008, University of Tennessee

Admissions
State Bar of Texas, 2014

Organization Participation
Matthew is involved with local and national U.S. Customs brokers and freight forwarders associations, is a member of the American Bar Association International Law Section Customs Law Committee and the American Metals Supply Chain Institute (AMSCI).