International

The International Practice Group is comprised of attorneys who serve clients worldwide with a broad knowledge of individual country customs and practices in a number of different legal and business areas of interest.  Ward and Smith, P.A. has the resources to give our clients the competitive edge.

Our attorneys handle contracts and licensing agreements involving multinational parties and negotiations in support thereof; government permits and licenses; disputes involving foreign entities; mergers and acquisitions involving foreign interests; agreements for international sales or purchases of goods or services; contract negotiations; shipping disputes; importing and exporting; compliance with laws including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; embargoes; international joint ventures; international intellectual property matters and procurement; and international franchise, dealer, distributor, marketing representative, and sales representative agreements. We are knowledgeable of the practices of various customs agencies and of the behavioral codes for doing business around the world.

The International Practice Group represents individuals and all types and sizes of associations, businesses, institutions, and proprietorships – anyone whose business has an international component.  We work with U.S. and foreign companies and their subsidiaries to handle international business transactions originating from the United States or from other countries.

The attorneys of the International Practice Group are both global travelers and community supporters.  We go wherever we need to go to serve clients around the world.  We take time to become familiar with the cultural and linguistic elements of the countries where clients live, or from which they derive their cultural heritage, so that we can provide better services.  Our attorneys also actively associate with attorneys in other countries to provide the representation our clients need.

The International Practice Group draws on the substantial international knowledge and experience of other practice groups in the Firm – particularly Business, Government Relations, and Intellectual Property – and our attorneys assist other practice groups on national and international matters, such as government relations.

Our attorneys have been involved in legal matters throughout the world, including all of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and also Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China (including Hong Kong), Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Venezuela.  Representative clients include domestic subsidiaries of foreign companies and clients in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, maritime, and electronics industries.

Attorneys in the International Practice Group bring to their work a range of complementary experience including the following: legal advisor to a number of major companies; Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army; chief executive officer of a privately held company and a large franchising company; member of commissions and boards of the state government, the University of North Carolina system, and private business; and extensive experience in representing various clients in Washington, D.C. aided by our attorneys' years of high-level positions in our federal government and the appointment by a former President of the United States to foreign posts. Our attorneys are active in international trade associations and are members of professional organizations such as the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Licensing Executives Society.