International Commercial Litigation

Commercial
International
Trading businesses need to import and export goods and services in accordance with international trade law. As a business operating in today’s increasingly regulated markets, you need to manage your commercial risk while achieving your business objectives. Challenges include trading under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules or free trade agreements. The import and export of services may increasingly be governed by the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) or bespoke future arrangements. Your success is built upon the effectiveness of your relationships with both customers and suppliers.

Sector-specific contractual arrangements are key to this. Not only do you need the right legal answer, you need it in the context of the market in which you operate. Our international commercial lawyers help public and private sector clients achieve their commercial aims. We draw on trade expertise across a range of legal disciplines to help clients make the most of global opportunities in their sector.

We are an independent UK law firm that operates in a collaboration with across multiple countries and jurisdictions. Through our trusted network of independent law firms, our international trade team provides a seamless legal service across the globe. This flexibility allows our international trade lawyers to collaborate with the right legal provider for our clients in each jurisdiction.

We organise our teams around sectors and industries relevant to you, including financial services, manufacturing, consumer products, energy, hotels and leisure, supply and logistics, real estate and construction, technology, telecoms. Our international trade and commercial lawyers can help in any stages of your business whether an advice or in any event dispute or settling the claim out of the court through personal service or arbitration. We accept instructions from all over the world provided the governing law in the dispute, jurisdictional clause is England & Wales.
Whether you require advice on commercial contracts, supply services, e-commerce, IT or telecoms agreements, data protection, design and manufacturing, consumer sales, software licensing, outsourcing or sales, agency, distribution and franchise agreements, our specialists can guide you towards the best business outcome for you.

Areas of Practice

Our international commercial lawyer team can assist with all business issues connected to cross-border trade. Our international trade expertise includes the following:

• Breach of Contract claims and disputes
• International dispute resolution including international arbitration and choice of jurisdiction/courts.
• Trade contracts including protections regarding tariff changes, restrictions on export/import.
• Implications of national trade agreements including future UK/third party free trade agreement and WTO most-favoured nation status.
• Regulatory requirements for imports/exports including consumer law, product liability, obtaining approvals and engagement with regulators.
• Supply chain and country of origin implications for registration, labeling and taxation.
• Cross-border M&A involving inward investment or overseas acquisition.