Vanessa Patton Sciarra is a member of the Business Law section at Holland & Knight. She practices in the area of International and Cross-Border Transactions with a particular emphasis on the importation and exportation of products. She has extensive experience representing clients before many federal agencies including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). She has additional experience in the area of product distribution, including negotiation of sales, licensing and distribution agreements. Her expertise includes preparation and implementation of compliance programs for import and export of products, hazardous materials transport and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). She currently advises numerous importers on compliance with U.S. food safety standards and other U.S. consumer products regulations.
Formerly an Assistant General Counsel with the Office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington, D.C., Ms. Sciarra has significant experience in the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), particularly, with respect to services, investment and dispute settlement obligations. Ms. Sciarra served as legal counsel during the negotiation of the General Agreement on Trade Services (GATS) and participated in the drafting of the Uruguay Round implementing bill.
From 1989-1992, Ms. Sciarra was a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice (Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, International Trade Section) in Washington, D.C. In this position, Ms. Sciarra defended the United States in cases involving antidumping duty law, countervailing duty law, customs matters and government contracts. She prosecuted civil cases on behalf of the U.S. Customs Service and regularly briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. From 1988-1989, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Frank M. Johnson, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Ms. Sciarra is not admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.