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6 things lawyers need for international matters
A lawyer working on a task that involves foreign laws faces several challenges. From simple language and cultural barriers to the difficulty of comparing two or more sets of laws that may not correspond, lawyers need tools that help them make sense of the clutter.
Let’s look at 6 key needs in international work reported by actual lawyers and how Practical Law Global can help.
1. Global work isn’t separate
For a growing number of attorneys, working across international boundaries is part of their day-to-day. For them, U.S.-focused tools and resources aren’t enough.
How Practical Law Global helps: A new interface makes it easy to access both local resources as well as global resources. There’s no need to toggle between products.
2. Looking for pitfalls in foreign jurisdictions
A single lawyer can never be an expert on every jurisdiction. In their international work, they’re often looking for a quick comparison to reveal critical differences in laws that could present problems.
How Practical Law Global helps: Country Q&A allows you to compare answers to key questions across multiple jurisdictions.
3. Need a definitive answer on whether there are any relevant laws
Due to the complexity and evolution of law around the world, lawyers working on international matters need to feel confident they’ve got the best resources on foreign laws and have left no stones unturned.
How Practical Law Global helps: Practical Law’s resources will help identify applicable laws and reference relevant laws where pertinent in a resource.
4. Comparisons for strategic purposes
Many lawyers want to use comparative information to formulate a strategy for their matter. For instance, are there advantages to filing a certain agreement in one jurisdiction vs. another?
How Practical Law Global helps: Country Q&A allows you to compare answers to key questions across multiple jurisdictions
5. Getting up to speed and working with confidence in a foreign jurisdiction
Successfully accomplishing a task in a foreign jurisdiction usually requires familiarity with the laws and structures in that jurisdiction, as well as retaining local counsel. While most lawyers will never become experts in a foreign jurisdiction, they do need to get up to speed on the basics so they can be confident the work is being done correctly.
How Practical Law Global helps: The “Doing Business In” section provides an overview of the legal system and of key legal areas, such as foreign investment restrictions, currency regulations, business vehicles, employment relationships, competition law, product liability, taxation, data protection, and intellectual property rights.
6. Saving time and money when working with local counsel
Being familiar with the systems and laws of a foreign jurisdiction helps save time and money on entry level conversations with local counsel and throughout the course of the matter. The more information a lawyer can uncover up front, the better equipped to engage with local counsel and gauge estimates for certain actions. For instance, is the average length of arbitration shorter in the U.K., Brazil, or India?
How Practical Law Global helps: Practical Law’s resources can provide you with an easy-to-understand overview of the laws of a foreign jurisdiction, helping you to identify what you can handle and what you may have to source out to local counsel.
Conclusion
With these and so many more complexities in global legal work, it is imperative that lawyers like you have the best tools available. Success in today’s global legal environment requires the right information – with the right context – in the most useful format to help you craft winning strategies and make sound decisions.
Practical Law
Learn actionable insights on international law written and curated by more than 600 attorney editors around the world.