Damon V. Pike

Damon founded the Customs and International Trade Services (CITS) group within the firm’s International Tax practice in 2019. With 35 years of experience helping multinational companies navigate the complex rules governing the cross-border movement of goods and services, he now serves as the Technical Practice Leader for the firm’s CITS team to support their mission of providing end-to-end global consulting services for all aspects of import/export planning and compliance. 

Over his lengthy career, Damon has assisted clients with all aspects of customs and international trade issues. He is especially renowned for his insights in harmonizing transfer pricing policies and customs valuation requirements as part of designing in-house customs and trade compliance programs. Damon’s other areas of specialty include country of origin determinations, free trade agreements qualification, and customs controversy matters (audits, Prior Disclosures, Protests, etc.)

In addition, Damon advises clients on export compliance and exports controls, often in the context of government contracts under the Trade Agreements Act. He has worked with many companies in filing Voluntary Self Disclosures with, e.g., the Bureau of Industry & Security (Commerce Dept.), the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (State Dept.), and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Treasury Dept.).

Prior to running his own firm from 2006-2018, Damon spent 13 years with a Big Four firm as the National Director of the firm’s customs consulting practice. He has experience in the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government, beginning his career as a law clerk to the Hon. R. Kenton Musgrave at the U.S. Court of International Trade. Damon was also an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the Atlanta-based law firm of Kilpatrick & Cody (now Kilpatrick Townsend). 

Damon is a former Federal Judge-designate of the United States (having been nominated to the US Court of International Trade in 2005). He is an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law where he teaches “Customs Law” based on the book he co-authored -- the only U.S. law school casebook ever published in this field. He has written countless articles over his career and is an accomplished public speaker on the topic of international trade policy and customs planning. Damon was the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary of the Denver World Trade Center in 2023 and the first World Customs Organization summit on transfer pricing and customs valuation in 2007.