UNPARALLELED EXPERTISE

Associates

Verena Alvez Mesa

Dr. Verena Alvez Mesa graduated in law at the Westphalian-Wilhelminian University of Münster. During her studies she was employed at the AWA Foreign Trade Academy in Münster. Dr. Alvez Mesa qualified as a solicitor, completing her legal training at the Superior Regional Court at Düsseldorf. She has also successfully participated in many customs seminars and distance learning courses as part of her further training. Dr. Alvez Mesa gained practical experience in the application of customs law at KPMG in Munich, Nehm & Coll. in Düsseldorf and Baker & Mc Kenzie in Buenos Aires. She wrote her doctoral thesis under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Hans-Michael Wolffgang, Director of the Department of Customs and Excise at the Westphalian-Wilhelminian University of Münster. During the course of her research, she made several study trips to Buenos Aires and Montevideo and spent a tenure at the Secretariat of Mercosur. Since October 2007, she has been employed as a lawyer at the AWB Tax Consultancy GmbH in Münster. She specializes in general customs law, rules of origin and the law governing preferential treatment.

Andreas Beckmann

After graduating with a degree in public accounting (Diplom-Finanzwirt), Andreas Beckmann was employed at the Main Customs Office in Münster, where he worked in a number of departments. In 2001 he joined HLB Dr. Schumacher & Partner GmbH in Münster where he advised clients in relation to customs and foreign trade. In addition, successfully graduated with a Degree in Business Management at the University for Technical Sciences.

Andreas Beckmann specializes in all questions pertaining to customs and the law governing preferential treatment: in particular, he advises companies on how to ensure that their internal processes satisfy customs law requirements. In addition, he has been involved in a number of projects dealing with preferential treatment thereby gaining a great deal of experience in this extremely complex area. Besides his consultancy activities, Mr. Beckmann also lectures at the AWA Foreign Trade Academy GmbH and several chambers of trade and industry. A recognized customs expert, he has been involved in the development of the Authorized Economic Operator security concept in several Member States since 2005. He has also contributed to several publications including the practice guide “Export- und Zollmanagement” edited by Prof. Dr. Peter Witte.

Christopher Dallimore

Dr. Christopher Dallimore is employed as a consultant at the TTA Europe GmbH. He specializes in the legal aspects of supply chain security measures as well as customs-related problems under European and international law. In addition, he is responsible for the marketing and administration of the WCO E-Learning programme for German-speaking countries. Dr. Dallimore acts as sub-editor of the World Customs Journal and produces reports on the various conferences organized by the TTA Europe GmbH including the annual World Customs Forum. He is also a senior researcher at the Department of Customs and Excise at Münster University, Germany and a regular contributor to the AW-Prax.

Dr. Dallimore holds an LLB Joint Honours Degree in Law and German from the University of Wales, Cardiff UK, a Magister Legum in European law from the University of Trier, Germany and a doctorate from Münster University. His doctoral thesis dealt with the question of whether the Container Security Initiative was compliant with WTO law. From 2005 – 2008 he was the Course Co-ordinator of the Master of Customs Administration (MCA) at Münster University.

Annette Kohl

Annette Kohl studied international business administration and foreign trade at the University of Applied Sciences at Worms and the Universidad de Alicante. Her studies focussed on customs and foreign trade law. Ms. Kohl completed her diploma project in co-operation with the Mainz Chamber of Industry and Commerce on a topic related to foreign trade law.

Following her studies, Ms. Kohl was employed at Ernst & Young GmbH specializing in customs and VAT. During the course of her employment she gained experience in carrying out compliance reviews, optimizing import duties through structuring aspects of the supply chain relating to customs and VAT as well as the clearance of international goods in relation to VAT requirements. She also supported companies in their application for AEO certification.

Ms. Kohl also successfully attended the courses “customs practice“ and “export controls“ as well as other seminars at the AWA AUSSENWIRTSCHAFTS-AKADAMIE GmbH as part of her professional training.

At the AWB Tax Consultancy in Münster, Ms. Kohl provides support for companies applying for AEO certification. She is the contact partner for companies which use the TTA Validator in the AEO application and monitoring processes. She also advises companies in matters relating to VAT law.

Maria Richardson

Maria Richardson is an associate advisor to the Trusted Trade Alliance and an Associate Attorney in the Chicago-based international trade law firm of Page•Fura, P.C. Ms. Richardson has a background in international public law and international commercial arbitration. As a counsel trained in civil and common law systems admitted to practice in both Illinois and throughout Russia, Ms. Richardson brings a unique knowledge of Russian legal tradition and business practice to the Trusted Trade Alliance.

While in Russia, Ms. Richardson served as a clerk in the Supreme Arbitration (Commercial) Court of the Russian Federation, where she was a senior consultant at the Department of International Law. In that capacity, she worked on a variety of commercial, contractual and international trade disputes between Russian and foreign companies; handled petitions for the recognition and enforcement of the foreign state courts' decisions and international arbitral awards; and consulted various governmental agencies on the issues of international public and private law. Upon moving to the United States, Ms. Richardson was the President of the International Moot Court Honor Society and an Executive Submissions Editor for the Journal of International & Comparative Law
Fluent in English and her native Russian, and conversant in German, Ms. Richardson obtained her Juris Doctor at IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law (Certificate in International and Comparative Law) and her Law Degree, with honors from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University). She is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois.

Simon Vischer

After graduating in law at the Westphalia-Wilhelmian University of Münster Mr. Vischer qualified as a solicitor, completing his legal training at the Superior Regional Court in Hamm. During his legal training, he worked in the civil and criminal divisions of the Regional court in Münster and gained practical experience of administrative law in the offices of a municipal authority. He also worked at the AWA Foreign Trade Academy where he participated in seminars and completed a distance-learning course in customs law. Since May 2008 he has been employed as a lawyer at the AWB Tax Consultancy GmbH in Münster. He advises companies in foreign trade law and excise tax law. He is spezialized in issues concerning export control law, especially in carrying out compliance reviews, optimizing and implementing internal compliance programms and in supporting companies in preliminary proceedings and investigations.