About me

Address: Washington, D.C.: Robert S. Strauss Tower, 2001 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006-1037

Areas of Focus: Customs & Import Controls; International Trade; White Collar Defense & Government Investigations; International Trade Policy; Transportation Policy & Regulation; Lobbying & Public Policy; ITC Section 337 Investigations; Trade Remedy Litigation; Food & Drug Law; National Security; Sustainability; National Security & Global Investigations; Tariff Enforcement Defense; International Trade Commission

Biography:
Lars-Erik represents Fortune 500 companies whose imports and exports are regulated by the Department of Homeland Security agencies of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as by other federal agencies. His experience covers the wide range of commercial and enforcement laws and policies that CBP and ICE administer, including:
- Duty preference programs
- Tariff classification
- Valuation
- Customs brokerage
- Intellectual property rights enforcement
- Country of origin marking
- Binding rulings
- Audits
- Antiterrorism and border protection initiatives (e.g., the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism)
- Export controls
- Sanctions
- Disclosures
- Seizures and forfeitures
- Fraud and strategic investigations
- Civil and criminal penalties.
From 1996 to 1999, Lars-Erik was the assistant chief counsel and managing lawyer for the Customs Service in the Mid-Atlantic, where he supervised the regional legal office and was the principal legal advisor to the customs ports of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and the customs Special-Agent-in-Charge.
From 1989 to 1996, he was a lawyer in the Office of the Chief Counsel and the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of the Treasury. During his tenure, he represented the agency before the Court of International Trade (CIT), federal district courts and a U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement dispute resolution panel. He served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, taught customs law at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and assisted in the drafting of the Customs Modernization Act.

Representative Work:
- Counseling clients through intensive customs audits.
- Representing a company before the CIT in a historic case on CBP’s refusal to grant duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences.

Credentials:
Education: J.D., Emory University School of Law, 1989; B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1985 (with honors)
Bar Admissions: District of Columbia, 1999
Court Admissions: U.S.C.A., 3rd Circuit; U.S.C.A., Federal Circuit; U.S. Court of International Trade; U.S.D.C., Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Recognitions:
- Chambers USA , International Trade: Customs, 2012-2026.
- The Legal 500 US – "Leading Lawyer," 2024-2026, "Leading Partner," 2025, and International Trade, 2016–2026.
- Chambers Global, 2016-2025 .
- Who's Who Legal : Trade & Customs, 2023
- The Best Lawyers in America , International Trade and Finance Law, 2006-2022.

Affiliations:
- Board of Directors, Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
- Member, Joint Industry Group.
- Member, National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, Inc.
- Member, ABA Customs Law Committee.
- Former Assistant Chief Counsel, Mid-Atlantic, U.S. Customs Service.

Insights:
- A Billion-Dollar Milestone: The Trade Fraud Task Force Signals a New Era of Criminal and Civil Trade Enforcement (July 20, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/a-billion-dollar-milestone-the-trade-fraud-task-force-signals-a-new-era-of-criminal-and-civil-trade-enforcement
- CPSC Rule Mandates eFiling of Certificates of Compliance for Imported Consumer Products (July 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/cpsc-rule-mandates-efiling-of-certificates-of-compliance-for-imported-consumer-products
- New Presidential Executive Order Directing Comprehensive Customs Reform: What Importers and Other U.S. CBP Regulated Parties Need To Know (June 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/new-presidential-executive-order-directing-comprehensive-customs-reform-what-importers-and-other-us-cbp-regulated-parties-need-to-know
- Akin Secures Top Rankings in The Legal 500 US 2026  (June 10, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/akin-secures-top-rankings-in-the-legal-500-us-2026
- Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices  (June 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- Pallets, Penalties and Parallel Proceedings: $549.5 Million Perfectus Aluminum Settlement Sets a New High-Water Mark in False Claims Act Trade Fraud Enforcement (May 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/pallets-penalties-and-parallel-proceedings-dollar5495-million-perfectus-aluminum-settlement-sets-a-new-high-water-mark-in-false-claims-act-trade-fraud-enforcement
- From Forest to Felony: Boise Cascade’s $6.3 Million Lacey Act Plea Signals a New Front in DOJ’s Trade Fraud Crackdown (April 29, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/from-forest-to-felony-boise-cascades-dollar63-million-lacey-act-plea-signals-a-new-front-in-dojs-trade-fraud-crackdown
- Back to the Hive: DOJ Revisits FDCA Charges in Trade Fraud Enforcement  (March 9, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/back-to-the-hive-doj-revisits-fdca-charges-in-trade-fraud-enforcement
- Senate Finance Committee Members Move to Eliminate “First Sale” Principle (February 13, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/senate-finance-committee-members-move-to-eliminate-first-sale-principle
- Chambers Global Recognizes Akin’s Lawyers and Practices in 2026 Edition (February 12, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-global-recognizes-akins-lawyers-and-practices-in-2026-edition
- Top DOJ Official Shares Statistics Showing Surge in False Claims Act Trade Fraud Investigations (February 5, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/top-doj-official-shares-statistics-showing-surge-in-false-claims-act-trade-fraud-investigations
- DOJ Record Year of False Claims Act Enforcement Forecasts Even Greater Focus on the False Claims Act in 2026  (January 20, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/doj-record-year-of-false-claims-act-enforcement-forecasts-even-greater-focus-on-the-false-claims-act-in-2026