Harris & Moure provides corporate advice and counsel to corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and boards of directors, with particular expertise in:

• United States business formation and capitalization (subchapter S and subchapter C corporations, limited liability companies, joint ventures, and partnerships);
• corporate governance and business operations;
• commercial contracts and corporate transactions;
• mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations and divestitures;
• corporate finance;
• employment contracts, licensing agreements;
• Cross border entity formation;
• Entity formation (representative office, wholly owned foreign entity (WFOE) in China, Japan, Korea, and Russia, and various offshore countries.
• inbound and outbound international business transactions.

Recent and ongoing matters handled by us include corporate counsel for one of Alaska's largest development corporations, counsel for a leading international seafood harvesting and processing company, acquisition of international business assets for US business entity, international trademarking and licensing of information technology, formation of multi- national business operations, and corporate counsel for numerous early-stage and revenue producing technology companies. Like the rest of our practice, nearly all of our corporate work has an international component.

With our many years of legal practice come close relationships with accountants, bankers, and mortgage specialists comfortable with international transactions. We can also help put you in touch with sources of financing for your business and assist with the purchase or lease of property for your business.

We also assist our clients with their various contracts after the set-up of their business is complete and we help them resolve disputes. Every business owner wants to be promptly paid for their services. We are experienced in collection work and can help you collect the money you are owed. Our international transactional experience falls into three major categories: (1) out- bound transactions involving representation of American, Asian, and European individuals and companies in activities such as mergers and acquisitions, establishment of manufacturing facilities and licensing agreements worldwide; (2) in-bound transactions involving foreign individuals and companies investing or doing business in the U.S.; and (3) representation of domestic and international companies in joint ventures, strategic alliances, and project financings.

Harris & Moure's international practice group comprises lawyers fluent in many languages and licensed in multiple countries. We pride ourselves on providing practical legal advice across the complex business and legal cultures in which our clients operate. But above all else, we pride ourselves on doing our utmost to make your business an international success.

International Contract Work
We particularly pride ourselves on the practical solutions we bring to our international contract work. We have been doing international law long enough to know that what is good in theory or good in the United States may be of no help at all if the party with whom you are contracting in Vietnam or China (or anywhere else) will not sign. We therefore always consider the best international legal solutions in the context of what can actually be implanted. Our international litigation experience has made us particularly sensitive to the importance of drafting contracts that will both minimize the likelihood of problems occurring while, at the same time, making it as easy as possible for our clients to succeed should litigation prove necessary. Please click here for further information regarding our China, our Russia and our Spanish/German corporate practices.

International Entity Formation (Representative Offices, Branch Offices, Wholly Foreign Owned Entities –WFOE)
We are well known for our work in helping American and European companies determine how best to structure their overseas operations in China, Russia, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, usually as either a wholly owned foreign entity (WFOE) or as a representative office. We then assist in securing all necessary registrations. Please click here for further information regarding our China, our Russia and our Spanish/German corporate practices.

UNITED STATES ENTITY Formation (Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships)
We have extensive experience assisting foreign companies with their United States entity formation and operational needs. We can help you from the very beginning in forming the appropriate legal entity and in determining the state of formation. From there, we can help you secure proper federal, state and local registrations and draft contracts for leases, employment and purchases and sales. Our clients will attest that our having lawyers on staff who are fluent in multiple languages has proven to be a great asset in helping foreign companies understand our American corporate legal system. We have helped countless people from all over the world fulfill their dreams of owning their own U.S. business. We do this by first working with our clients to determine the appropriate organizational entity for their business. We will explain to you the differences between corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and various other organizational entities and work with you in choosing the right entity for your business. Once we have chosen the right structure, we will draft all necessary formation documents, including Articles of Incorporation, Initial Minutes, Bylaws, Member Agreements, Buy Sell Agreements, Joint Venture and Partnership Agreements. We can assist you in forming your company in any state, including Delaware, Nevada, and Florida.

The structure you choose for your U.S. business will be the prime determinant of how it is taxed and who may be found liable for its actions. A number of factors go into choosing the right business entity, including the number and the relationship of the potential owners, the type of business and its expected profitability and liability risk, the nationality of its potential owners, and where and how it plans to operate.

U.S. businesses typically consist of five main types: C corporations, S corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and sole proprietorships. In most, but certainly not all, cases, the limited liability company makes the most sense. For a brief summary of the advantages and disadvantages of a corporation, limited liability company (LLC) and partnership in the United States, please click here.

Because we do so much work for foreign companies (mostly from Germany, Russia, Korea, China, Poland, Spain and Vietnam) that do business in the United States, we have written an article on the issues foreign companies face in establishing a corporation, representative office, or limited liability company (LLC)in the United States. Please click here for that article.