Global Business Group

From our base in the Southeastern United States, Womble Carlyle represents both U.S. and international clients transacting business outside of their home jurisdictions. Our clients have been working globally for years, and they rely on Womble Carlyle to assist them in all facets of their international corporate and commercial transactions. We are adept at dealing in other business and legal cultures, to give counsel on and assist in managing the complexities inherent in cross-border transactions. Our experience covers North and South America (including Latin America and the Caribbean), Europe and Asia.

In transactions involving the purchase, sale or combination of businesses, we assist our clients just as we would in the U.S. by organizing and assessing due diligence, conducting negotiations and documenting the transactions. We assist with the engagement of local counsel to advise on matters of local law and with coordinating all counsel assisting the client, particularly in multi-jurisdictional transactions. Typical engagements include assisting clients in establishing or expanding a manufacturing, marketing or distribution presence in another country, acquiring an existing business in another country, and structuring a strategic alliance or other joint venture with a local foreign partner. We apply an understanding of diverse cultural backgrounds, language skills and cross-border experience to effect transactions in the U.S. business style, interpreting for our clients applicable foreign law and creating deal structures consistent with U.S. business and legal practice.

On the commercial side, our business lawyers regularly advise our U.S. and international clients in structuring and documenting commercial transactions with trading parties around the world (including work on supply arrangements, sales contracts and distribution and representative agreements) and in the licensing and protection of intellectual rights throughout the world. This also includes counseling on ongoing issues under U.S. law in dealing with the subsidiaries and affiliates of clients located in other parts of the world, including establishing new branches and foreign subsidiaries. With our years of global sourcing experience, we have also developed unique experience in advising clients about global supply chains, leading to the formation of our Supply Chain Management team in which we bring a unified thematic approach to the myriad of legal needs of clients in managing this important part of their global businesses.

Our lawyers regularly assist with the international tax planning needs of U.S. clients with foreign business operations and investments and for international clients with businesses and investments in the U.S. We counsel on the U.S. tax consequences of transactions and assist with structuring to achieve the most favorable U.S. tax results for clients who seek to lawfully minimize their tax exposure from transactions.