Armando Beteta Counsel and Foreign Legal Consultant Roll & Harris, LLP
Armando is a high impact global trade lawyer (licensed in Mexico) with 25+ years of international trade and customs experience, advising multinational corporations with business interests in Mexico and Latin America. His experience includes deep knowledge in executing customs risk assessments; proactive identification of customs benefits through strategic duty planning via Free Trade Agreements and Special Customs regimes; track record in minimizing/eliminating customs contingencies by timely advising on the critical risk and success factors for customs processes; and regional experience on origin, classification, and valuation topics.
More specifically, Armando is known for his extensive knowledge with customs guidelines for the establishment of IMMEX (Maquila) operations and VAT Certification in Mexico; addressing origin audits related to Free Trade Agreements (“FTAs”) (i.e., USMCA, CAFTA, Mercosur), as well as origin customs processes and due diligence reviews; providing strategic regional duty planning through FTAs and special customs regimes; and for obtaining successful rulings from customs administrations in the US, Mexico and other countries in Latin America.
Armando is fluent in English and Spanish. He has written several articles in the customs and international trade area; and is also a frequent lecturer at various international trade conferences.
Prior to joining Roll & Harris LLP, Armando was a Managing Director in a Big Four firm, leading the customs and international trade practice in their Latin American Business Center. Armando is also Mexico’s former representative at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Center, a tri-national office that was in charge of providing exporters, importers and producers from North America with technical information regarding customs procedures under NAFTA. He was appointed to the NAFTA Center by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico (Tax Administration Service) in March 1995. During his 10-year career in the public sector, he served as the Chief of Staff for the Federal Fiscal Attorney of Mexico, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs on Indirect Taxes. He has also served as Legal Advisor to the Technical Secretariat of the Economic Cabinet in the Presidency of Mexico. After leaving the public sector, he worked as a Foreign Legal Advisor for a major US law firm.
Education The University of British Columbia, LLM, International Trade Law Escuela Libre de Derecho, JD