Our Practice
A subgroup of Snell & Wilmer’s International Practice, our Asia Practice was formed to better serve clients doing business or with interests throughout Asia. This group is comprised of a group of attorneys practicing in Snell & Wilmer's eight offices, located throughout the western United States. Our exceptional legal capabilities, combined with language skills and sensitivity to cultural diversity allows us to serve the legal needs of United States and foreign businesses in Asia, as well as Asian-based businesses conducting business in the United States.
Our Attorneys
Having such a diverse international client base, our attorneys are familiar with the special issues raised by the business and legal environment of most Asian countries. Our attorneys regularly travel to Japan, Korea and other countries in the region for extended periods of time to provide extensive legal advice on international legal matters and serve as reliable resources on American business requirements for companies interested in expanding their United States businesses, and distributions. This experience has also provided our attorneys with the opportunity to further establish and build extensive relationships in the public and private sector, and with local counsel throughout the region.
Many of the attorneys in our Asia Practice are fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Malay, Tamil, Hindhi and Malayalam languages. In addition, our attorneys are actively involved in various international organizations, including the City of Phoenix Pacific Rim Advisory Council, Asian American Bar Association, the National Asian-Pacific American Bar Association, Korean-American Bar Association, Inter-Pacific Bar Association, Pacific Council on International Policy and International Association of Korean Lawyers.
Our Clients
Attorneys with the Asia Practice regularly serve a variety of clients including emerging companies establishing supply, distribution and franchising channels in the region, international intellectual property licensing agreements for large and small companies, patent and trademark infringement for international manufacturers, large media companies with international operations, foreign creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, international joint venture alliance agreements, tax planning for foreign corporations, antitrust and antitrust compliance issues, corporate restructuring, as well as estate planning and trust administration. Our clients are both local and international businesses that represent a broad cross-section of industries.
Lex Mundi
Snell & Wilmer is also a member of Lex Mundi, the leading association of the world’s top 160 independent law firms. In addition to Snell & Wilmer’s membership with Lex Mundi, individuals from Snell & Wilmer’s International Group hold several leadership positions within that organization. Through our involvement with this recognized worldwide resource, our clients can have the confidence that they will receive quality representation from an elite selection of law firms with local market knowledge. This extensive network, together with Snell & Wilmer's offices in the United States, enables us to stay on the forefront of our profession and to provide a full range of quality legal services to our clients in more than 76 countries worldwide.
Our Experience
The Asia Practice has been involved in numerous significant transactions over the years for which we have served as lead counsel.
- Counsel to major Korean media and entertainment company with expansion into U.S. markets
- Representation of Korean biotechnology company with establishment of operations in the U.S. and compliance with U.S. laws regulating health services and biotechnology
- Draft of master franchise agreements, development agreements and disclosure documents for franchise development rights in Asia
- Obtained Nevada gaming licenses and other state and tribal regulatory approvals for international companies and individuals, particularly from the Japan
- Representation and strategic defense development for a Japanese automobile manufacturer in a product liability lawsuit in Canada.
- Representation of companies in financing transactions with collateral in Singapore
- Joint venture or strategic alliance agreements in India, China and Japan
- Product sourcing and distribution agreements in Japan and Korea
- Tax planning for U.S. and foreign corporate clients in international transactions
- International estate planning and administration for U.S. citizens and U.S. resident foreign citizens
- Representation of foreign creditors in U.S. bankruptcy proceedings
- Litigation support, including selection and management of foreign counsel, international discovery, foreign ADR, and litigation in civil code jurisdictions
- Antitrust compliance for foreign companies operating in the U.S.
- Visa applications, and all manner of immigration law compliance, including immigration audits on behalf of U.S. employers
- Representation of U.S. companies in overseas construction contracts
- Representation of U.S. energy companies in connection with issues relating to nuclear material disposal
- Prosecution of U.S. patent applications on behalf of foreign patent owners, and foreign patent applications on behalf of U.S. patent owners
- Representation of a major Japanese daily newspaper in its North American operations
- Representation of Japanese subsidiaries in connection with U.S. operations, including maquiladoras
- Representation of Japanese corporations in restructuring and going public in the U.S.
- Intellectual property licensing agreements with parties in Japan, Korea, Australia and China
- Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act compliance: cross-border service of process, discovery and execution issues against foreign governmental entities
- International private placement life insurance policies
