International Services
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's International Services Practice handles a variety of cross-border matters for clients in the U.S. and around the world. From corporate finance to intellectual property and from litigation to tax, we advise our clients on a wide range of issues that arise in international commerce.
We evaluate cross-border opportunities, locate joint-venture partners, navigate complex foreign regulations, handle intellectual property matters, resolve disputes between international parties, protect intellectual property, and negotiate transactions and agreements across national boundaries. We help companies in foreign countries become public companies in the U.S., provide access to the U.S. public capital markets and obtain listings on major stock exchanges. We assist both U.S.-based and foreign companies in handling issues with international implications, such as compliance with the requirements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Bank Secrecy and PATRIOT Acts, and matters involving the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security.
In working with companies, governments and regulatory entities outside of the U.S., we are sensitive to diverse cultural and language needs. With more than 450 attorneys and government relations professionals, we have access to dozens of bilingual individuals who provide support related to international matters. Many of our attorneys and professionals have attended universities overseas, and some of our attorneys have practiced law while living abroad in Germany, Israel and Brazil. Additionally, many of our employees are fluent in multiple languages, including: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Czech, Danish, Farsi, Hindi, Polish, Portuguese and Russian.
We have provided international services for clients who are based primarily in the following countries.
| Argentina |
Iceland |
Peru |
| Austria |
India |
Poland |
| Brazil |
Iraq |
Russia |
| Canada |
Ireland |
Scotland |
| China |
Israel |
South Africa |
| Czech Republic |
Japan |
Spain |
| Denmark |
Jordan |
Sweden |
| England |
Korea |
Switzerland |
| Finland |
Kuwait |
The Netherlands |
| France |
Liberia |
Turkey |
| Germany |
Mexico |
United Arab Emirates |
| Guatemala |
Norway |
|
Members of our International Services Practice are actively involved in international bar and trade associations and international business organizations, including: Transatlantic Business Council, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, International Bar Association, Latin American Arbitration Group, International Chamber of Commerce, Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission, International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Brazilian Bar Association, American Council on Germany, Atlantik-Brücke, Deutscher Verein, British American Business Council, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, American Immigration Lawyers Association, NEXCO, American Scandinavian Society, Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce and Swedish American Chamber of Commerce.
We serve our international clients in a timely and cost-conscious manner. Our firmwide, team approach provides clients with experienced counsel from core Buchanan practices — corporate finance, tax, litigation, intellectual property, government relations, immigration and banking. Our strength in areas such as labor, employee benefits, ERISA, FDA/biotechnology, antitrust, real estate, energy and environmental law are also valuable advantages for our international clients.
By maintaining relationships and a deep familiarity of quality firms worldwide, we often collaborate with local counsel, ensuring adherence to the cultural and legal differences in the global marketplace.
Corporate
Buchanan's Corporate Group structures, negotiates and completes transactions essential to meeting the operational and strategic objectives of its business clients. The firm's services span the range of public and private capital formation, mergers and acquisitions, change of control, corporate governance and regulatory issues.
Our client base typically includes companies engaged in light manufacturing and heavy industry, service and white-collar industries, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, telecommunications, high technology ventures, the consumer products field and insurance.
We represent companies around the world that are seeking to acquire or divest assets in a foreign country. We also help companies in negotiations with the Department of Commerce regarding exports and applications of export regulations as well as reviewing export compliance programs. Additionally, we have reviewed the impact of anti-boycott regulations on sales by foreign and U.S. companies with multi-country manufacturing sites.
Tax
International taxation is a core strength of the firm. One of the group's members is co-editor of the Tax Management International Journal and is the deputy technical editor of and a contributing author to the Tax Management Transfer Pricing Portfolio Series. He is a frequent author and speaker in the United States and Europe on domestic and international tax issues.
Our international tax attorneys have experience in structuring U.S. operations of foreign businesses and individuals to minimize worldwide tax consequences, including planning to minimize the effects of the FIRPTA, branch profits tax, and earnings stripping provisions of U.S. law. We also have experience in structuring foreign operations of U.S. businesses and individuals, including planning to minimize the effects of the controlled foreign corporation and passive foreign investment company rules and to maximize the benefits of the foreign tax credit and domestic production activity income rules. In addition, we regularly structure multinational business groups and transactions within those groups to minimize worldwide taxes on cash and transactional flows by making use of international tax treaty networks and functional and supply chain locations, consistent with our clients' business models and objectives.
Our lawyers are actively engaged in intercompany pricing issues, including the establishment of and documentation for defensible intercompany price structures, the defense of intercompany prices in the face of IRS challenges, counseling clients with respect to advance pricing agreements, and providing assistance in competent authority proceedings to resolve intercompany pricing disputes under applicable tax treaties.
We have advised foreign governments on ways of structuring their tax systems to encourage investment and development and on U.S. tax changes that could affect the economic policies of those governments. Our attorneys have experience with U.S. tax matters affecting individuals with foreign residences, activities or property. We have provided income tax planning advice both to U.S. residents who perform services abroad and to foreign country residents who perform services in the United States. Our professionals also have experience in estate planning and United States estate administration for U.S. residents with foreign holdings and foreign residents with property in the United States.
Our attorneys provide guidance to multinational corporations as to the proper structuring of retirement and pension plans to maximize worldwide tax benefits to participants who accrue benefits while working in the United States but retire abroad or who accrue benefits while working abroad but retire in the United States.
Intellectual Property
Filing more than 400 applications in foreign countries each year, Buchanan's experience in preparing and prosecuting foreign patent, trademark and copyright applications is extensive. Buchanan has longstanding relationships with a worldwide network of foreign associates, including top intellectual property law. Through our foreign relationships, we can search, register and protect marks in virtually every country in the world. Buchanan’s experience in anticipating difficulties and counseling clients on the careful selection and adoption of marks avoids future problems.
Buchanan intellectual property attorneys often participate in a variety of lecture series throughout the world. They frequently take part in international events as panel members, speakers and committee members. Members of the firm have also worked with foreign publishing companies to draft and distribute international patent law books. Additionally, the firm works with patent professionals around the world to provide in house training. The objective of the training program is to improve the trainee's understanding and knowledge of U.S. intellectual property practices which he or she may then use upon return to his native country.
Litigation
Buchanan litigators serve their clients in regional, national and international venues, with a proven track record of success and a dedication to client service.
We have participated in many complex high-profile cases in state and federal courts as well as before administrative agencies. We have substantial experience in the defense of class action law suits, including multidistrict litigations. In addition to our significant appellate practice, we regularly utilize arbitration and mediation as alternative strategies to litigation.
Our trial lawyers are known in the courts, bar associations and honorary societies. Some of our attorneys are members of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International College of Trial Lawyers. Many are also recognized by clients and peers in national publications including
Chambers' "Leaders in Their Field,"
Best Lawyers in America,
Super Lawyers®, "Top Up and Comers," "Rising Stars" and "Legal Eagles."
Government Relations
Our government relations professionals have successfully represented several companies involved in cross-border operations. They offer clients access to key decision makers in Congress, the White House and executive agencies with jurisdiction over defense and homeland security, and the many other government agencies and officials relevant to these areas.
Immigration
Due to increased security concerns, greater enforcement of existing immigration regulations and the emergence of new, more restrictive and complex legislation, individuals and businesses are facing varied and often unexpected legal consequences associated with entering the United States, selecting and maintaining appropriate temporary status, pursuing permanent residence status and establishing U.S. citizenship.
Our Immigration attorneys represent institutional clients and multinational corporations operating in multiple countries and diverse industries, with a focus on pharmaceuticals, health care, academia, research and emerging technologies. Common areas where immigration issues arise include audits of employer compliance with immigration regulations; employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visa petitions; preparation and filing of labor certification applications/PERM; and review of immigration compliance following a corporate restructuring.
Buchanan's Immigration attorneys also assist individuals and families in resolving employment, investment, residency and other immigration issues. These include preservation of U.S. permanent residence status and citizenship eligibility while on international assignments as well as assistance with recurring U.S. citizenship. The group also can assist with the incorporation and establishment of U.S. subsidiaries and affiliate companies, as well as the development of immigration policies and reimbursement agreements for corporate clients.
Banking and Financial Services
Our International Services Practice handles cross-border workouts, direct and indirect offshore financings, securitizations (at both originator and issuer levels), complex financial litigation, letters of credit, trade finance (including Export-Import Bank insured or guaranteed credits), multibank financing, complex leasing facilities, bank mergers and acquisitions, and bank compliance counseling in the areas of non-banking activities and corporate banking regulatory matters.
Our clients are international and superregional banks and their affiliates acting as agents in syndicated credits or as issuers or originators in structured finance transactions, publicly held and private companies involved in the international marketplace, as well as large corporate clients engaged in borrowing, issuing significant debt, negotiating swap transactions, or needing opinions of their counsel. We have gained special experience in the international health care, offshore telecom, and global retail industries.