39 years of experience as a customs and trade lawyer
A fter 27 years of experience as a customs lawyer with the U.S. Government and at major law firms Jan Forest founded J Forest Consulting in 2007 to provide services for businesses and governments doing business in the developing world. She currently assists clients, including foreign governments, with issues involving the import and export of goods.
Drafting customs legislation through contracts with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been a major area of work. This involves ensuring compliance with the standards for customs procedures set forth in the Kyoto Convention of the World Customs Organization (WCO) as well as ensuring compliance with the requirements of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and with regional trade agreements involving the member countries of CARICOM and AFRITAC.
Most recently, she has focused on work with customs officers and companies in Africa concerning the application of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
This work has included conducting numerous USAID workshops for customs officers in several West African countries and working individually with companies in Africa interested in taking advantage of the duty-free treatment available under AGOA.
