6 things lawyers need for international matters

1. Global work isn’t separate

For a growing number of lawyers, working across international boundaries is part of their day-to-day. For them, US or UK 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 UK, 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.