The next best thing to local counsel in foreign jurisdictions

Your clients are becoming multinational in increasing numbers. Whether it’s their first foray into globalization or a continued expansion, their legal needs are growing, and they are decidedly more complex.

From building a new manufacturing plant to opening a call center, the pressure for you to globalize with them is mounting. As your existing clients navigate these challenges, they expect you to provide counsel as you have always done on matters in the U.S.

To your existing clients, your advice isn’t optional. You are their law firm. Therefore, you have the answers. Likewise, you can’t afford to lose hard-earned relationships with existing clients. Most of all, if you intend to develop new business, it’s not wise to turn away prospective clients based on a lack of confidence in handling a foreign matter.

Even the best lawyers need advice sometimes

Your firm is full of specialized attorneys. You have your go-to attorneys for even the most niche areas –Hannah in real estate law, for instance. You trust Hannah to know the ins and outs of current real estate law in the United States, but even Hannah would look to a lawyer local to Germany for advice on a German real estate matter.

Only a native attorney can provide the context and the idiosyncrasies – the spirit of the law in addition to the letter of the law. No matter how well Hannah can do that for you here, you need to find her German counterpart to ensure you and your clients are relying on the most accurate, up-to-date information combined with the insight only a local attorney can offer.

Who do you trust when your client’s case – and your reputation – is on the line?

Adding another layer of complexity, simply finding an attorney in said country isn’t enough. What do you know about them? Would you trust just any attorney in Germany with your client’s case and your reputation? When all of this is on the line, you need resources you can trust.

As the number of international matters that crosses your desk increases, this scenario and your need for go-to international counsel rises as well. While you may have contacts in Canada or China, can you say the same about Luxembourg or Switzerland, two countries ranked in the top 10 in “open for business”?

Depend on those you already trust

Having professional legal relationships, with resources you can trust, in every country your clients are interested in, just isn’t feasible. But what if your already-established trusted partners like Thomson Reuters provided you with both the depth and breadth of legal expertise you needed wherever you needed it?

Fortunately, Practical Law offers just that. With over 600 attorney editors located throughout the world – constantly and carefully monitoring updates to laws in their jurisdiction – your firm can have the expertise with information you can rely on.

Your firm can’t possibly have boots on the ground everywhere your clients want to be. But you can still confidently counsel your clients with a little help from Practical Law.