Haley N. Wadel

Haley Wadel is a corporate attorney who advises clients on a wide range of customs and international trade issues, including the implementation of import and export strategies. She also advises on matters including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic corporate structuring, and sustainability.

Export Controls & Economic Sanctions

Haley has assisted clients across a range of industries in navigating the requirements of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and U.S. sanctions laws and regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the U.S. Department of State. This includes export classification, licensing, disclosures, and due diligence.

Haley also represents companies engaged in cross-border mergers and acquisitions before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Her practice also involves assisting companies with internal investigations and compliance programs under various anti-corruption regimes (including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Customs & Import Compliance

Haley has worked closely with the many Federal agencies that regulate trade, including the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). She handles issues relating to "pre-compliance" including ensuring compliance with federal government agencies prior to importation. She assists clients with intellectual property right (IPR) protection, including recordation with CBP of trademarks and copyrights registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

She successfully assists clients in navigating and ensuring compliance with CBP laws and regulations. This includes proper assessment of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), compliant country of origin labeling, valuation, and free trade agreement usage. She routinely requests Binding Rulings from CBP to assist her clients with all necessary pre-compliance needs to ensure the use and documentation of "reasonable care."

She is passionate about assisting clients with successfully navigating CBP detentions, seizures, forfeitures, and mitigation of fines and penalties assessed by CBP. She has experience in assisting with responding to CBP Requests for Information (CBP Form 28), responding to Notices of Action (CBP Form 29), and submitting Protests to CBP. She also specializes in mitigating the impact of enforcement actions by federal government agencies.

FARS & DFARS

Haley counsels and advises clients with: construing and complying with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) applicable to both client defense prime contractors and subcontractors (including those flow-downs applicable subcontractors); understanding mandatory or optional nature of FAR and DFARS flow-down clauses included in client customer contracts and client-vendor contracts; meeting government mandates for U.S. content under The Buy American Act and Berry Amendment; and understanding U.S. Government rights to client Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and protecting client contractor/subcontractor IPR under the FAR and DFARS, including identifying client contractor/subcontractor IPR in solicitation responses, placement of restrictive IPR markings, and inclusion of protective IPR contract clauses.

Haley previously worked at various defense contractors and interned with the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service, where she provided guidance on trade compliance to small and medium-sized U.S. businesses.

Haley earned her bachelor's degree in Economics and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a graduate of the Michigan State University College of Law, where she was a managing editor of the International Law Review.