Corporate Services

Quarles & Brady LLP offers a full range of international corporate, transactional and immigration law services to its clients. Our international attorneys together have more than 50 years of international experience, including forming, merging, purchasing and selling a variety of international entities in high tech, manufacturing, logistics/distribution, financial services and other industries. We have also assisted clients in connection with international tax and cash repatriation issues, corporate governance matters, international audits and governmental investigations, international fraud and employment issues, antitrust issues and a host of other complex multi-jurisdictional matters. Our team understands the intricacies and nuances of working efficiently with in-house legal staff and foreign counsel to ensure that delicate matters are handled carefully and that important issues do not fall through the cracks, which can both be particular risks when dealing with numerous counsel around the world.

Experience

Our Corporate Services Group represents a broad range of U.S. and foreign corporations with operations, subsidiaries and joint ventures around the world. For the most part, 80 percent of business conducted anywhere is the same: business goals, negotiation skills and contracting issues are at the core of most transactions. However, it is the remaining 20 percent that can mean the difference between success and failure.

We provide legal services to clients with an extensive range of international business needs, including those involving the following:

• Antitrust and trade regulation
  
• Banking and commercial lending
  
• Export controls
  
• Immigration and naturalization
  
• Intellectual property
  
• Joint ventures
  
• Labor and employment
  
• Mergers and acquisitions
  
• Real estate
  
• Securities regulation and registration
  
• Taxation

Combining our first-hand knowledge of a client’s business and philosophy with local expertise, when needed, allows for efficient and cost-effective service.

International Affiliations

Due to our significant international corporate and transactional experience, we routinely implement many international transactions entirely through in-house expertise. However, we also maintain an extensive network of contacts around the globe. Some examples include:

China. Our China Law Group advises American companies who are doing, or plan to do, business in China. We are ready to counsel clients on important issues such as the protection of confidential information, intellectual property protection and the many considerations in structuring a transaction with Chinese companies, including structure, payment terms, intellectual property licensing, governing law, and venue and enforceability. Most importantly, our attorneys maintain the types of working relationships with Chinese lawyers and law firms as well as accounting firms and business consultants that are important to establishing operations in China. We also work with privately owned (i.e., nongovernmental) consultants in the United States, along with consultants in Beijing and Shanghai who specialize in China business development and outsourcing.

International Trademark Association. Many of our intellectual property attorneys are active participants in the International Trademark Association (“INTA”), an organization whose member law firms and companies protect trademarks and other IP around the world. INTA’s annual meeting, the most significant global meeting for IP leaders, offers us a chance to meet personally each spring with our foreign colleagues for discussion of current matters and for networking.

Domestic and International Legal Networks. We understand that variations in state laws and courts make knowledge of local and regional policies and practices essential. To address local counsel needs, we are active members of the United States Law Firm Group (“USLFG^®”), a national network of 19 established U.S. law firms. The Chair of our International Practice Group also is an active member of the USLFG’s International Committee. We also are members of the State Capital Group, a nonprofit corporation with 50 independent U.S. law firms located in or near their respective state capitals. The State Capital Group also has more than 80 international member firms, which have practices in capital cities and major commercial centers around the world.

Canada. We partner with a number of internationally recognized Canadian firms to help our clients manage their business issues. Some of the firms with whom we have relationships include Smart and Biggar, Miller Thomson LLP, Gowling Lafleur Henderson and Borden Ladner Gervais.

For more information on our International Business legal services, please contact Joseph Puchner at (414) 277-5533 /  or your Quarles & Brady attorney.