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International Practice

Our International Practice blends business acumen with the cross-cultural understanding and legal experience that is essential to do business in today’s transnational world.  Our team members include senior-level in-house counsel and advisers with many years of legal and management experience on behalf of international corporations, living and working in Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia, not only in English, but often in the local languages, too. With our global operations experience in Fortune 100 companies, we understand current, international business issues that affect your growth and know where you are in the life cycle of your business and the extent to which geography and political realities on the ground impact your operations.

Our team includes former senior-level in-house counsel and advisers to top management at a broad array of companies such as Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, BP, Schlumberger, Draper & Kramer, and MGM.  We have also been outside counsel to other Fortune 500 and smaller companies, some privately owned, both in the US and abroad, and we have worked closely with international management of companies based in the US and in other countries.  We have served as counsel to government competition law enforcement agencies in Africa and North America.

Our clients appreciate that we are seasoned veterans of the corporate and NGO worlds, able to provide common-sense advice in a cost-effective manner.   We guide clients toward making practical decisions based on business factors and have worked closely with corporate staff at all levels at companies of every size – large, mid-market, and small.  Our understanding of foreign legal systems and our cross-cultural experience give us a competitive edge and enable us to provide world-class service at a lower cost to our clients.

We advise companies at all stages of international involvement and activities, from newly formed to longstanding.   As more and more business involves transnational legal issues and agreements that transcend national borders, our experienced attorneys are able to add substantial value to business strategy and decisions.  We pride ourselves on our ability to work as part of a strategic team in analyzing and resolving complex transnational issues, while assuring compliance with critical legal issues of compliance. We are deeply knowledgeable about Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance and in the rapidly globalizing privacy and data protection areas epitomized by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  We have been involved with antitrust (competition) law in international settings for more than forty years.

We have provided counsel on a wide variety of corporate needs, including: international NGO and corporate structuring and operations, international risk analysis, intellectual property protection, competition law concerns, licensing, franchising, purchases, sales, financing and related transactions involving business interests, negotiating and drafting key commercial contracts, establishing, reviewing and implementing compliance programs, antitrust counseling, supervising corporate investigations, and serving as government-appointed compliance monitors. We have extensive experience providing corporate secretary and corporate governance services, and advice on cyber law and cybersecurity.

Many international transactions involve a variety of legal practice areas such as intellectual propertylitigation (including arbitration and mediation), complianceantitrust, and employment.  We have a passionate commitment to our culture of collaboration with our colleagues to ensure that we bring together the right resources to meet our clients’ legal needs – as well as their business objectives.  The International Practice also provides in-depth legal assistance at many levels to US and international non-governmental organizations, governments and private investors. 

Representative Engagements by Lawyers in the Firm

  • Retained by World Bank to conduct in-depth legal and institutional analysis of legal and constitutional provisions in 45 sub-Saharan countries.

  • Provided legal advice and assistance to major US air carrier setting up its operations in France.

  • Assisted US technology company in establishing a series of international joint ventures relative to environmental clean-up matters throughout Central Europe and Russia.

  • Represented major international US oil company with corporate matters and agreements in French Africa (Mali, Madagascar, Chad, Congo, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Benin, Togo).

  • Represented several US life insurance companies in acquisitions of European and Korean life insurance companies, and served as in-house counsel to major international insurance group.

  • Represented New England seafood company in litigating in France and the US in a series of disputes with US and French banks and French suppliers of fish.

  • Acted as international counsel representing global non-profit NGO re-structuring its operations world-wide, including Switzerland, Belgium, UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, and Hong Kong.  

  • Represented London-based international NGO in drafting and negotiation of numerous international contracts with global entities, including agreements with World Health Organization and other multilateral organizations.

  • Represented global non-profit NGO in compliance with charity oversight regulatory compliance in Europe and Asia.

  • Represented US company in Europe with obtaining and documenting financing from Belgian venture capital group to assist with getting CE certification from European Union for the manufacturing of innovative medical device to be marketed in US and globally.

  • Assisted US company offering business training programs in the US for business school attendees in Latin America with drafting of key contractual agreements.

  • Represented a major consumer packaged goods company in more than 50 major acquisitions and divestitures internationally and domestically with a combined value in excess of $15 billion.

  • Assisted several start-up companies with initial financing, supply contracts, key employee agreements, distribution agreements, and legal compliance.

  • Served as outside general counsel of small cap hedge fund ($11.5M), advised General Partner on various securities and partnership issues, and drafted the firm’s offering documents including their partnership agreement, private placement memorandum, and subscription agreement.

  • Served as outside general counsel to a multi-national production company in connection with corporate structuring and international intellectual property protection.

  • Provided counsel on high risk matters which potentially could affect a company's brand or reputation, including allegations of fraud, misuse of company funds and/or property, dishonesty, embezzlement, theft, sexual harassment, and hostile work environment.           

  • Provided corporate governance and corporate secretary services for major real estate and financial services corporation.

  • Represented political consulting company in connection with corporate structure, employment and volunteer agreements.

  • Developed a comprehensive records management program for a national insurance company. Combined diverse record systems inherited from multiple acquisitions, developed electronic and print document management tools and employee training programs.

  • Represented major conglomerate in connection with international licensing of its intellectual property and distribution of products.

  • Developed protocols for product recalls, to ensure that if a market withdrawal or recall were necessary, proper notification of customers, consumers and government agencies is accomplished, along with effective product retrieval.

  • Conducted compliance risk assessments and policy reviews for major hospitality company, global consulting firm, major US manufacturers, and US subsidiary of global company.

  • Advised a chemical company on a restrictive distribution agreement based on customer and patent concerns.

  • Assisted in revision of global compliance program for major U.S. manufacturing firm.

  • Advised domestic and international clients in manufacturing, financial services, consumer products, and insurance industries on legal exposure with regard to social media activities.