Leonard, Street and Deinard provides a full range of international business counsel and representation, spanning transactional, commercial, regulatory and litigation matters.

International Transactional Experience

We advise clients on international mergers and acquisitions as well as divestitures. Our work in this area includes acting as international project counsel, conducting due diligence, drafting and negotiating asset and share purchase and sale agreements, supervising local counsel, assessing international trade regulatory aspects of the transaction, and assisting with legal issues connected with the investment ownership structure and capital flows. We also assist businesses with establishing joint venture operations overseas and negotiating and drafting shareholder agreements and similar arrangements relating to their jointly-owned overseas investments.

Our international transactional experience extends to international real estate development. We have assisted U.S. companies with the development, acquisition and financing of international real estate projects.

International Financial Transactions

We have significant experience on complex international financial transactions. We have represented numerous multinational corporations that have entered into secured and unsecured credit agreements that touch many jurisdictions across the world. Our capabilities also include cross-border leveraged leases and international securities transactions. We regularly advise on Regulation S securities offerings. In addition, we have extensive experience helping clients change their international corporate organizational structures to eliminate redundant and tax inefficient domestic and foreign subsidiaries.

International Commercial and Corporate Experience

We provide legal advice to our clients on a multitude of international commercial matters, including international distribution and sales agency agreements, and international purchase and/or sales contracts pertaining to the purchase and/or sale of services, technology, equipment and other products. We also routinely advise clients on strategic approaches to setting up international operations. As part of our international activities, we assist our clients with due diligence on foreign intellectual property assets and provide strategic advice with respect to global programs for the protection and enforcement of key intellectual property rights. We also frequently advise clients on legal issues with respect to cross-border intellectual property licensing matters and draft and negotiate international licensing agreements.

Import/Export Regulatory Experience

We advise clients on myriad import/export regulatory matters. Our representation covers customs, export control, anti-bribery matters under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, sanctions-related matters regulated by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and other international trade-related regulatory matters, as well as unfair trade remedy actions, including unfair trade actions under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.  We have appeared or participated in regulatory activities before the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of State, the Office of the United States Trade Representative and other federal agencies involved with the regulation of imports and exports. Our attorneys have also appeared before the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in various international trade-related actions. When highly specialized expertise is needed on an international trade matter, we tap an extensive network of experienced consultants.

International Litigation Experience

We have advised clients on international arbitration and other international dispute resolution proceedings connected with their international business operations. Our lawyers have also supervised and managed litigation efforts designed to enforce international arbitral awards and foreign judgments. Several of our attorneys have served as arbitrators in international arbitration proceedings.

U.S.-based Representation of Foreign Businesses and Individuals

We routinely provide general legal representation of foreign businesses and individuals doing or contemplating doing business in the United States. This representation encompasses a variety of practice areas, depending on the client’s needs.

Language Capabilities

To assist with our international work, we have attorneys who are fluent or highly proficient in a variety of languages, including German, Japanese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Italian and Vietnamese.

From devising ownership structures, commercial transactions and import/export solutions to advising on acquisitions and sanctions-related issues, our International Law attorneys, working individually and in teams, have represented clients in a variety of complex matters.

• Acted as international counsel in acquisition of Brazilian company.
• Advised U.S. company on international ownership structure for possible Latin American investment vehicle.
• Advised U.S. company on its acquisition of a privately held London-based storage management company.
• Advised a U.S. company on its acquisition of a business in Honduras.
• Acted as project counsel to consortium comprising U.S., Japanese, U.K. and Mexican companies seeking to bid on and invest in infrastructure-related projects in Mexico.
• Advised U.S. company in connection with RFP process for hardware, software and services in Australia.
• Worked with local counsel in multiple jurisdictions (China, France and the U.K.) to devise template for international sales agency agreement.
• Acted as international counsel for client seeking to establish operations in Brazil.
• Advised client on creation of international trade compliance program, including customs, export control and sanctions-related matters.
• Advised clients on matters relating to the antibribery provisions under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
• Assisted client with assessment of potential applicability of the defense trade controls under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to its exports, including implications of requesting commodity jurisdiction ruling and/or voluntary disclosure.
• Provided advice pertaining to reporting and other regulatory requirements with respect to inbound and outbound foreign investment, including notification requirements connected with the Exon Florio Amendment.
• Advised client on customs matters pertaining to importations under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
• Advised client on matters related to pre-initiation stage of unfair trade practice investigation before the U.S. International Trade Commission.
• Assisted with assessment of U.S. export control and sanctions regulations affecting certain U.S. and Canadian agricultural exports to Cuba.
• Advised client on funding and teaming opportunities available from multilateral lending institutions and development assistance agencies for renewable energy equipment to be utilized in developing countries.