Frequently Asked Questions
Hiring a compliance consultant means handing someone a look at your records, your processes, and sometimes your mistakes. That deserves clear answers up front. Below are the questions clients and attorneys ask most often, answered plainly, including the ones about what we will not do.
If your question is not here, call (949) 342 6959 or email info@tradeprosconsulting.com. You will speak with Destinee, not a call center.
About The Trade Pros
Who will I actually be working with?
You work directly with Destinee "Dee" Broussard, the founder of The Trade Pros. She is a licensed customs broker and a Certified Customs Specialist with more than ten years in trade compliance. Her background runs from customs brokerage and freight forwarding into corporate compliance leadership supporting global supply chains and highly regulated industries, including aerospace and defense. Your work is not handed off to a junior analyst.
What does it mean that Destinee is a licensed customs broker?
A customs broker license is issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Earning one requires passing the Customs Broker License Examination, a federal background investigation, and ongoing obligations to CBP. It is a meaningful credential because it means the person advising you has been vetted and tested on the same regulations your entries are filed under. Many trade consultants do not hold one.
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What is a Certified Customs Specialist?
The Certified Customs Specialist designation comes from the educational arm of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America. It requires completing a structured curriculum in customs regulations and maintaining continuing education. It sits alongside the customs broker license as evidence of formal, current training rather than experience alone.
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What kinds of companies do you work with?
Importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors, logistics and freight forwarding companies, aerospace and defense suppliers, and the attorneys who represent them. Company size matters less than exposure. A company importing a few product lines with an unclear classification history often carries more risk than a much larger company with a mature program.
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Do you only work with businesses in California?
No. The Trade Pros is based in California and serves businesses across the United States. Federal trade regulations apply the same way in every state, and most work is done remotely with secure document sharing and video calls. Onsite visits and training are available when a project calls for them.
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Are you a customs brokerage that will file my entries?
No, and that distinction matters. The Trade Pros is a consulting practice. We advise, review, classify, train, and document. We do not act as your broker of record or file entries on your behalf. That separation means our review of your entry history is independent, including when the goal is to evaluate work your current broker has been doing.
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How Engagements Work
How does a new engagement start?
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It starts with a discovery call. You describe what is happening in your business, what triggered the concern, and what you want the outcome to be. If we are a fit, you receive a written scope with defined deliverables and fees before any work begins. If we are not a fit, you will be told that on the call, and pointed toward the type of help you actually need.
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What is the free compliance diagnostic, and what is the catch?
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The diagnostic is a short assessment that surfaces likely gap areas across classification, recordkeeping, export controls, and customs processes. There is no catch and no obligation. It exists because most companies cannot describe their compliance exposure until someone asks the right questions. Some companies take the diagnostic, see that their program is in reasonable shape, and never become clients. That is a fine outcome.
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How do you charge?
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Fees are quoted per project against a written scope, so you know the cost before work starts. Ongoing advisory support and training are quoted separately. Pricing depends on the volume of records under review, the number of product lines involved, and how much documentation already exists. You will never receive a surprise invoice for work you did not approve.
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How long does a typical project take?
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A focused classification review or a documentation assessment often runs two to four weeks. A full import and export compliance review of an active program typically runs four to eight weeks depending on record volume and how quickly your team can produce files. Training engagements are scheduled around your calendar. You receive a timeline in the written scope, not an open ended commitment.
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Do you work remotely or onsite?
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Both. Most reviews, classification work, and consultations happen remotely. Training, workshops, and assessments that involve walking a facility or observing a process are delivered onsite when that adds value. You decide which format fits your team and budget.
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What do I need to have ready before we talk?
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Nothing. Come to the discovery call with the problem as you understand it. If the engagement moves forward, you will receive a specific document request list. Common items include entry summaries, commercial invoices, product specifications, current classification records, and any existing written procedures.
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What happens if you find a serious problem in our records?
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You are told directly, in writing, along with the options available to you. Those options may include correcting the practice going forward, filing a post summary correction, or making a prior disclosure to CBP. Under federal law, voluntarily disclosing a violation before the government discovers it can substantially reduce penalty exposure. We are not a regulator and we do not report our clients. Our obligation is to give you accurate information so you and your counsel can decide what to do.
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Scope, Confidentiality, and Limits
Do you provide legal advice?
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No. The Trade Pros provides technical trade compliance expertise, not legal representation or legal advice. When a matter requires legal judgment, such as penalty exposure, litigation strategy, or a formal filing position with legal consequences, you should engage a customs attorney. We work alongside attorneys regularly and will tell you when a question has crossed that line.
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Is my information kept confidential?
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Yes. Client documents, records, and findings are treated as confidential and are not shared outside the engagement. A written confidentiality agreement is signed before records are exchanged, and we are glad to sign yours instead. For matters involving aerospace, defense, or controlled technical data, controls are put in place to keep that data handled appropriately.
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Can you guarantee that CBP will agree with a classification?
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No, and be skeptical of anyone who says otherwise. Classification involves the General Rules of Interpretation, applicable notes, and precedent, and reasonable professionals sometimes disagree. What we do provide is a documented, defensible position with the research behind it. Demonstrating reasonable care is what protects you, and a documented rationale is what reasonable care looks like when someone asks.
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What do you not do?
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We do not file entries, act as your broker of record, practice law, appear as counsel, or promise outcomes with government agencies. We also decline work where the goal is to build a paper trail around a practice the client already knows is not compliant. Saying no to those requests is part of why the rest of our work holds up.
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Support For Attorneys
How do you work with attorneys?
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We serve as the technical trade expert on matters where your client imports or exports. That includes reviewing customs and export records, analyzing classifications and documentation, researching applicable regulations, assessing compliance programs, and translating technical findings into terms that support your legal strategy. You stay in the legal role. We supply the customs and export control substance.
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Can you be engaged through our firm rather than by the client?
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Yes. Many attorneys prefer to retain The Trade Pros directly so the work is performed at the direction of counsel. We follow your engagement structure and your instructions on communication and document handling.
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Will your work be covered by privilege?
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That determination belongs to you as counsel and depends on how the engagement is structured. When a consultant is retained by the attorney to assist in providing legal advice, work product protections may apply. We follow whatever structure and instructions your firm sets, and we will not communicate directly with your client without your direction.
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What types of matters do you support?
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Classification disputes, customs compliance concerns, import and export investigations, regulatory inquiries, internal compliance reviews, valuation and country of origin questions, compliance program evaluations, and risk assessments. Support is available at any stage, from early fact gathering through resolution.
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Trade Compliance Basics
We use a customs broker. Is compliance not their responsibility?
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No. Under federal law the importer of record carries the legal responsibility to exercise reasonable care in classifying, valuing, and declaring imported goods. Your broker files on the information you provide. If that information is wrong, the liability stays with you. This is the single most expensive misunderstanding we encounter.
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How long do we have to keep import and export records?
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Importers are generally required to keep records relating to an import transaction for five years from the date of entry. Export records under the Export Administration Regulations carry a similar five year retention requirement. Records must be retrievable and legible, which is where many companies fall short during an audit even when they technically kept everything.
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What is the difference between an HTS code and an ECCN?
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An HTS code classifies goods coming into the United States and determines the duty rate. An ECCN is an export control classification under the Export Administration Regulations, administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security, that determines whether an export license is required based on the item, the destination, the end user, and the end use. Defense articles fall under a separate list administered under ITAR. Products often need all applicable classifications, not just one.
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What is duty drawback, and would we qualify?
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Duty drawback is a refund of certain duties, taxes, and fees paid on imported goods that are later exported or destroyed. Refunds can reach a substantial portion of what was paid, and claims may generally reach back several years. Companies that both import and export, or that import components used in exported products, are the most common candidates. A review determines whether the recoverable amount justifies the filing effort.
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Do we need a written compliance program?
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There is no universal requirement that says every company must have one. There is a requirement to exercise reasonable care, and a documented program is the clearest way to show it. If your compliance knowledge lives in one experienced person's head, the program leaves when they do, and an auditor has nothing to look at. Written procedures fix both problems.
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How do we get started?
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Take the free compliance diagnostic to see where your gaps likely sit, or book a discovery call to talk it through. Call (949) 342 6959 or email info@tradeprosconsulting.com.
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Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.
