Maria E. Celis

As the daughter of two physicians, an Obstetrician and a Neurologist, Ms. Celis’ first major at Columbia University was Pre-Medicine.  However, she migrated to a Political Science major, after finding her niche in international law and diplomacy courses.  She never looked back after being admitted into the Accelerated Entry Program at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and was fortunate to find so many valuable internships at the European Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and then finally at the Court  of International Trade with Honorable Donald C. Pogue.

With close to twenty years experience, Ms. Celis is of counsel in the New York office of Neville Peterson LLP and enjoys working with Fortune 500, medium size, and smaller clients, practicing in the areas of international trade, Customs, export law, and other federal regulatory matters. She relishes resolving all types of issues, whether it deals with the Food and Drug Administration’s Good Manufacturing Practices, shipping regulations on lithium batteries, or filing a Customs prior disclosure on the valuation of a client’s merchandise. She has represented clients before the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Ms. Celis has been asked to speak before numerous groups regarding trade and compliance, including:  Cargo Logistics America in San Diego, California; the Mediterranean Anglo-American Business Network (MAABN) in Aix-en Provence and Marseille, France; the International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA); the Midwest Global Trade Association (MGTA), in Minneapolis, MN; the Knowledge Group (webinars); and the Xinji Chamber of Commerce in Hebei, China, on such issues as FDA Compliance, Exporting and Business Strategies During a Recession, INCOTERMS, Free Trade Agreements, Essentials in Commercial Contracts, and Payment Terms in International Commercial Contracts; and NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.

In her rare spare time, she enjoys reading, scrapbooking, and building Lego kits with her kids.  She is an avid yoga practitioner.

• J.D., Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, 1999
• B.A., Columbia College at Columbia University, 1995

• New York
• District of Columbia
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Federal Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• United States Court of International Trade
• United District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

• Court of International Trade Bar Association
• Midwest Global Trade Association
• Mediterranean Anglo American Business Network
• National Filipino-American Lawyers Association
• Filipino-American Lawyers of New York
• Philippine American Chamber of Commerce