Partner at DS Avocats, Jean-Marie SALVA’s practice is focused on international commercial law and indirect taxation (customs/indirect taxes/VAT). He also coordinates, within the Parisian office, the International Section and the team dedicated to Customs Law and International Trade Policy.

With over 17 years of experience in Paris’ bar and 13 years in Brussels’ Bar, Jean-Marie SALVA deals with various technical fields both as counsel and as litigator: international trade regulations, assistance for the implementation of sanctions and export control compliance programs, best customs clearance practices and most economically favorable cross border trade operations, follow up on dumping and countervailing regulations and all trade defense instruments.

Jean-Marie SALVA assists it clients in all formalities related to crossing of a border and to access to the European market or others.

He has expertise in tariff classification, origin under general and preferential tariff regimes, customs valuation, including transfer pricing strategies, valuation adjustment elements and biding tariff and origin information.

He provides his clients with assistance to comply with different regulations in force as well as benefit from preferential measures granted by various free trade agreements (FTAs) as tariff and non tariff barriers to trade, technical, sanitary, phytosanitary and environmental rules. His expertise covers also FTAs in which EU is not party to but that can be useful to trade in foreign markets.
Jean-Marie SALVA has extensive experience in representations and defence of antidumping, countervailing or safeguards allegations.
His expertise spans a broad range of commodity products, including steel in all shapes and sizes, non-ferrous trade such as in aluminum, energy industry goods such as OCTG and solar panels, the food wear and the construction industry, including goods such as curtain/window wall, rebar and similar commodities.

Jean-Marie SALVA provides recognized expertise in export control on products and services that are military in nature, dual-use (commercial with military applications), products subjects to the CETES convention and in economic sanctions (internal audits and risk assessments to assist clients in evaluating compliance risks related to the origin and destination of goods, relationships with third-party companies or clients, and the terms and conditions of export agreements.

Jean-Marie SALVA was alumni of the French National Customs School (34th Session- 1981), HEC Executive MEA (ex-CPA, 1992), US International visitors program (1995).

Former French customs member, Jean-Marie SALVA joined the French Federation of International Trade Companies specialized in Mechanics and Electronics first as Legal Counsel in 1988, then as Executive Manager.

He is member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) as Chair of the French Customs committee and Vice Chair of the ICC Customs committee. He is registered as ICC arbitrator / panellist within the WCO pre shipment inspection dispute settlement body.
He founded and chaired a French professional customs association (Collin de Sussy) and founded and vice-chaired the French International Federation of Authorized Economic Operators (IFAEO).

Serena DANG Ngoc Huong has the legal practical experience specializing in business laws, cross-border investments, M&A, and has extensive experience in restructuring and turnaround. She advises major cross-border transactions as well as corporate restructuring deals, both from finance structures and legal perspectives. She also advises international investors operating across a wide spectrum of industries notably the development and management of property especially hotels and resorts, manufacturing, trading, FMCG, traditional and digital media and television.

Awarded with Scientific Study Prize for the Vietnamese legal framework of E Commerce in 2002, Serena was granted the scholarship of Master 2 of Lyon 3. Her extensive knowledge in E-Commerce enhances the efficacy of her problem solving and reasoning for the projects in the context of the Digital Economy era. Serena has delivered the added values of her intensive business mind-set to the legal advice as, for several years, she worked for the well-known corporations and funds in the role of Legal Director handling legal affairs, RD, marketing and sales matters; Vice President handling legal, finance, operation and corporate governance; and Board Member leading the M&A projects and seating in the steering committees to make the capital funding decisions.

Acting in the role of a lawyer and a negotiator, she has advised, both from legal and finance aspects, and led the successful partnership of several international hospitality brands in Vietnam. Recently Serena has had extensive studies on FTAs to which the Vietnamese Government is a member and she is the off-counsel of the clients to deal with the customs related issues especially customs valuation and origin rules. Amongst her most notable works, Serena was launching the Product Claim Forum Unilever Vietnam in Y2013; successfully restructured the TV channels in HCMC and a notable property project in District 1 of HCMC for M&A in Y2014 and Y2015. In Y2016, she successfully restructured and closed the M&A deal of business transfer for the well-known listed French corporations at both levels of Asian region and Vietnam. From 2017 up to date, she has advised from legal and finance aspects and led the negotiation to the successful destination for the deals of franchise and newly built properties of the international hospitality brands. In the field of customs matters, she has been the advisers and the policy negotiators for the companies to deal with the customs related issues especially customs valuation and origin rules.