How the U.S. Supreme Court’s Tariff Ruling May Impact Importers

Importers to the United States need to immediately evaluate potential refund claims now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the legal justification for tariffs implemented by the Trump Administration to be unconstitutional, note Pedro Corona de la Fuente and Jorge Obén-Cuadros. The deadline to file protests is typically 180 days from the date of liquidation, and each passing day may permanently foreclose recovery of duties paid. It is advisable to consult with outside legal counsel while promptly reviewing the liquidation status of your entries and determine whether they remain within the statutory period to preserve your rights.

Pedro and Jorge provide details in a recent article and break the issue down in more detail in a webinar recording.

California Activates Mandatory Venture Capital Demographic Reporting Program: April 1 Deadline Approaching

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has opened its online portal for mandatory venture capital company registration and demographic reporting under the state’s Fair Investment Practices by Venture Capital Companies Act, notes Jennifer Trowbridge. Venture firms with a nexus to California must register and submit their first annual report covering 2025 investments by April 1, 2026, even if they are headquartered outside the state. Because submitted reports will be publicly available and noncompliance may trigger enforcement action, affected firms should begin preparing now.

FinCEN’s New Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule: What Real Estate and Private Investment Market Participants Should Know

As of March 1, many cash purchases of U.S. residential real estate by LLCs and trusts now trigger a new federal reporting requirement, notes Juan Arau. FinCEN’s Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule expands Bank Secrecy Act obligations into non financed residential transactions, requiring disclosure of entity and beneficial ownership information. Title companies, escrow agents, attorneys, private investors, developers, and family offices should review their processes now. Learn who must report and what must be disclosed.

Procopio’s Corporate and Tax Team Gains New Leadership with International Tax Partner Pedro Corona de la Fuente

Congrats to Pedro Corona de la Fuente on assuming the leadership of Procopio's Corporate and Tax team! Based in our Washington, D.C., office, Pedro now runs one of our five internal teams of attorneys and legal staff. The Corporate and Tax team includes attorneys engaged in supporting businesses in all manner of corporate transactions from founding to public listing to exit with related tax implications, as well as tax attorneys serving corporate clients, high-net-worth individuals and family offices with domestic and international tax requirements.

Pedro is a trusted advisor to global families and multinational companies on a range of investments and operations across borders. His practice bridges international tax, estate planning, and corporate structuring with a deep understanding of the global business and policy environment. He guides high-net-worth families with members of multiple nationalities, family offices, and multinational enterprises in structuring their cross-border investments, optimizing tax efficiency, and preserving multigenerational wealth. He is recognized by Best Lawyers® for Tax Law. Pedro continues to lead our International Tax practice group.

San Diego Entrepreneurs Thriving in LaunchPad Incubator Hosted by Procopio

Kudos to the online security and life sciences startups participating in Procopio's 2026 LaunchPad incubator class! Founders of cybersecurity innovator Eclipse 13 Labs and cell therapy pioneer Prismatic Bio are incubating in Procopio’s Del Mar Heights office, located in the heart of San Diego’s high-technology community. They are the latest of many startups from a wide array of industries—including software and Internet-based technology, high-tech hardware, life sciences and med tech, health care, clean tech and renewable energy, and telecom—that have participated in the program since 2012. This year's class includes:

Eclipse 13 Labs, led by Founder and CEO Alexander Burwell, is a cybersecurity innovator is building next-generation cryptographic and advanced computing technologies from the ground up.

Prismatic Bio, led by CEO Mazen Karaman, CTO Matthias Merten, PhD, and Head of Engineering Hong Peng, is a life sciences innovator is solving major bottlenecks in cell therapy by introducing a scalable platform addressing the oncology and autoimmune market.

2026 Procopio International Litigation & Arbitration Retreat  | San Diego, CA

Procopio attorneys will speak alongside numerous legal experts at PILAR, an annual forum where litigators from the United States and Mexico come together to analyze the legal challenges impacting both jurisdictions. Major policy shifts in the U.S. and Mexico will be among the topics discussed. 

2026 Procopio International Tax Institute | San Diego, CA

Held again in collaboration with the Graduate Tax Program of Georgetown University and International Fiscal Association, this premier educational and networking event is again dedicated to the latest developments in U.S. and Mexican international tax law. This year's PITI comes as tax policies are evolving with the U.S. and Mexican presidential administrations.

French Client and DNA Data Storage Leader Biomemory Acquires U.S. Industry Pioneer in Strategic Growth

Kudos to Paris-based client and DNA data storage pioneer Biomemory on its asset acquisition of Boston-based industry pioneer Catalog Technologies. The deal creates a unique combination of technology, expertise, hardware and intellectual property under one roof. As part of the transaction, Biomemory has also opened a flagship office in Boston.

Guiding the transaction for Biomemory was M&A Partner Bill Eigner and Life Sciences co-leader and Partner Xiaofan "Frank" Yang, PhD. They were assisted by restructuring attorney Maria Pum; international tax attorney Enrique Hernandez Pulido; corporate attorneys John Miles and Kaitlyn Jensen; licensing attorneys Helen Goldstein and Aaron Wolmark; employment law attorney Gina Miller; and intellectual property attorneys Neil Salyards and Genevieve Halpenny.

Biomemory VP Olivier Lauvray noted Procopio in less than three months guided it through acquiring all the targeted assets; setting up a U.S. entity; securing a lease with all the required insurance policies; establishing payroll and benefits; and hiring five employees. “All of this would not have been possible without the efficient support of the Procopio team. This is the beginning of the U.S. journey for Biomemory, and we hope the beginning of a long partnership with Procopio.

Please welcome the latest member of our litigation practice, Danielle Ocampo Hull, CIPP/US, CIPM! She counsels clients on privacy and AI compliance with international, federal and state regulations such as CCPA, CPRA, E.U. and U.K. GDPR, CAN-SPAM, COPPA, CalECPA, CDA, and FERPA, as well as industry-specific regulations including HIPAA and FCRA. Danielle regularly leads incident response matters for businesses nationwide. Moreover, Danielle defends clients against a range of data-related matters, including data breach class actions and CIPA and VPPA litigation, and advises clients on litigation risks. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) with the .International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), and is a frequent speaker and author on privacy topics.

We’re excited to welcome back to Procopio Karli Joseph, Esq.! The latest addition to our award-winning commercial real estate practice, Karli has assisted in the closing of dozens of complex commercial real estate transactions, including performing title review, reviewing and revising purchase and sale agreements, and drafting internal corporate documents to structure the deal. Karli has drafted dozens of commercial lease agreements as well. A member of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians, she previously represented tribal entities as part of our Native American Law practice, having started as a legal intern before becoming an Associate. It’s good to have you back, Karli!

We’re celebrating our 80th anniversary,” Procopio Managing Partner Dennis Doucette told Brad Graves of the San Diego Business Journal in a recent interview with Employment and Governance Team Leader Marie Burke Kenny. Dennis said he and his colleagues anticipate the firm going strong for “the next 80 years. We believe that we provide good value to our clients, and I think we’ll continue to do that.” Dennis added “we give back in all our communities,” echoing firm founder Alec Cory, who started the San Diego Legal Aid Society. “Like Dennis said, we want to be here 80 years from now and continue our legacy of giving back to the community,” Marie said. “At the center of everything that we’re trying to do is we really want to make this not just a premier California firm for the middle market, but a law firm where everyone loves to work here.” Dennis explained the focus on Procopio becoming the top California middle-market firm, citing a recently crafted strategic plan. “We’d like to expand to Los Angeles and San Francisco,” he said, coming after internal restructuring and changes to the partnership agreement that he feels “have made the firm stronger.” “I’m passionate about the law firm,” Dennis said. “I’m passionate about our direction.” Read the article to learn more, including what Dennis and Marie see is the impact of artificial intelligence in the legal profession and the changes happening in their legal practices, for Dennis corporate law and Marie employment law.

Puerto Rico is racing to protect its competitiveness as the Global Minimum Tax moves forward, a topic addressed by Procopio International Tax Partner Jorge M. Obén-Cuadros in a recent news article. The journalist quoted government officials and tax leaders discussing how the OECD’s 15% minimum tax could affect multinational companies operating on the island. While U.S.-based companies are largely covered under the new federal agreement, a small group of non-U.S. multinationals with major operations in Puerto Rico could face added pressure. Jorge, based in Procopio's Washington, D.C., office, explained an important point: Puerto Rico’s tax incentives are not about creating artificial advantages. They help offset real structural challenges such as higher logistics costs, insularity, and vulnerability to natural disasters. Without those incentives, competing with mainland jurisdictions becomes extremely difficult.

Following her recognition as a top global trademark attorney in the WTR 1000 list, our very own Brooke Oliver was profiled in the San Francisco Bay Times by Kate Brown, the president of San Francisco Dykes on Bikes. Brooke twice argued their trademark case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ended with a successful reversal of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policy that had led to numerous trademark application rejections. Here's what Dr. Brown had to say about Brooke: "Congratulations to Brooke Oliver on this monumental career achievement and on this extraordinary recognition by her peers throughout the industry. Her work has left an indelible mark, not only on Dykes on Bikes, but also on an incredible list of organizations that fight for social justice and LGBTQ+ equality."

Our award-winning M&A attorneys are hard at work for their many clients, as evidenced this week with our announcement of helping a Paris-based life sciences innovator acquire a Boston-based industry pioneer. The document below highlights a handful of our publicly announced deals in 2025 with a short summary of what makes our M&A attorneys, led by Partners Paul Johnson and Jason Femrite, stand out from the crowd. Feel free to download it and learn more on our website.

What a great few days at the 2026 CCSA Conference! Our Charter School team was proud to attend, present, and exhibit alongside so many dedicated school leaders and partners from across California. From informative panels to meaningful conversations at our booth, the energy throughout the conference was strong and focused on what matters most: supporting students and strengthening schools. Our attorneys shared timely insights on the issues charter schools are navigating right now, and we loved reconnecting with longtime clients while also building new relationships. These in-person conversations are where real progress starts. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello, attended our sessions, and shared your perspectives. See you next year!

As part of our mission to support the legal communities in which we serve, we're excited to host at our downtown San Diego office a ten-week legal secretary training program sponsored by the San Diego Legal Secretaries Association! The certificate program is designed for beginning and intermediate legal secretaries, paralegals, legal assistants, and anyone with aspirations in the legal profession.

How did you mark this year’s International Women’s Day? Here at Procopio, we're celebrating the women who strengthen our firm and the clients and communities we serve. Across practices and leadership roles, their insight, skill, and determination shape positive outcomes and raise the standard of our work. These inspiring women in the law reflect others in the U.S. and around the world, many of whom are champions of justice and the rule of law.

Let's Work Together.