COMMERCIAL

When running a business, one becomes involved in purchasing from suppliers and selling to customers. To achieve your intended objectives and to prevent legal proceedings ensuing, it is best to govern all transactions with contracts and to conduct the transaction within the legal boundaries.  

Import and Export

Many of our international trade clients have benefited from our expertise in this area. We advise on transactional and non-transactional matters arising from sellers, financiers, shippers, intermediate agents, distributors and buyers. We provide legal solutions to suit individual company’s needs.


Commercial Agreements

We have drafted numerous commercial agreements ranging from partnership to agency and franchise agreements, from loan to money transfer agreements. We are able to provide a tailor-made service to meet each of our clients’ commercial objectives protecting our clients’ interests of liabilities, payment provisions, warranties, and intellectual property entitlements. Intellectual property rights

We advise on intellectual property aspects such as trademark registration, patent applications, copyright, websites and e-commerce.


Commercial Crime / Regulatory compliance

With ever increasing and more complex legislation in the areas of fraud, corporate/business activity, health & safety, trading standards, food and hygiene, environmental law, directors duties/obligations and business regulation generally, we can offer prompt and effective advice which is essential in order to avoid expensive and damaging litigation.

Examples:

• Advising a US based joint venture company on purchasing petroleum from Russia and then importing and exporting the commodity into the EU.

• Drafting of an exclusive distribution agreement with a Chinese manufacturer for a UK importer of pet goods.

• Acting for a UK based company importing platinum that had been seized by UK Border Agency and acted for them in proceedings at Magistrates’ court.

• Advising Costa Equipment, a Brazil based company who bought heavy weight cranes from a UK manufacturer on a dispute about the ownership of these cranes. Work involved both shipping issues as well as validity of contracts.

• Acting for claimant, Great Wealth Asia (a Hong Kong based telecom company), against 7 defendants in a dispute arising from purchasing of a quantity of mobile phones.

• Advising a UK based importer of flower pots from China in a £2m dispute with its Holland based customer.

• Advising an English company on a web of contracts relating to a supply chain of solar panels and other energy equipment with manufacturing from a factory in China, collaborating with a Hong Kong company, appointing an agent in Czech Republic for selling to customers across Eastern Europe, including Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia.

• Advising an agent in defending a claim by a Lithuanian manufacturer for supplying military doors to Equatorial Guinea government.

• Advising Microstrain, a company based in Ireland in a competition issue arising from the design and manufacture of civil engineering products with a UK company.

• Advising Novell Enterprise Limited, an English recycling company concerning the ownership of products which were at the time being shipped to Vietnam.

• Acting for an English company in ascertaining the ownership of recycling plastic discs during the transportation of these discs to China.

• Advising an importer of jewellery from US for products being confiscated by US Coast Guards.

• Advising on a range of products, including fresh fruits, medicine, frozen foods, chemicals, endangered species importing to England, inclduing application of the appropriate import licence.

• Advising on a range of distribution agreements.

• Advising a range of agreements, including commercial agreements and employment contracts under Chinese law as well as Brazilian law.