International Law

International lawyers

We understand that you operate in a global economy. Whether you are a UK business exporting or importing your products and services, an overseas business investing in the UK or an individual with interests abroad, we can offer you the legal support you need to succeed.

We are a leading sector law firm with experience of advising overseas clients. We have national recognition for our sector-focused approach, including our core areas: education, technology, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, and healthcare.

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How can we help?

Based across four offices in London, Watford, Bristol and Birmingham, our international lawyers can provide you specialist legal advice on:

• Brexit
  
  Brexit is causing confusion and uncertainty for business and individuals both in the UK and around the world.
  
  With specialists in procurement law, state aid, intellectual property, IT, commercial contracts, data protection, corporate, immigration, private wealth, real estate, construction and litigation, our Brexit team can help you assess your Brexit related risks and the steps to take to improve your position.
  
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• Coronavirus
  
  To find out more about the legal implications of the coronavirus in the UK on both individuals and businesses and how we can help you, please visit our Coronavirus Hub.
  
  
• Competition Law
  
  We have a wealth of experience advising bidders, procuring authorities, universities and others on the application of procurement and state aid legislation. We advise on the terms of UK and European grant funding arrangements, and navigate through the state aid aspects of those arrangements.
  
  We work closely with an international network of expert advisers across Europe through our memberships of the Association of European Lawyers and Eurojuris. This means that you have access to genuine experts, with whom we have an established track record of working as a seamless integrated team.
  
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• Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions
  
  With 20% of our corporate M&A deals having a cross-border element, we have the expertise, contacts and experience to support your international growth aspirations.
  
  We have acted on a significant number of deals involving countries throughout Europe but also Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, India and the United States. We also act for a number of foreign-based multi-national corporates on UK acquisition programmes.
  
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• Data Protection
  
  Our experienced team of data protection solicitors provide expert advice to help you protect your organisation. This includes:
  
  - CCTV 
  - data protection policies and procedures 
  - data protection breaches and complaints
  - data sharing
  - GDPR and cookies compliance
  - information security
  - international data transfers 
  - privacy notices 
  - responding to data breaches and subject access requests
  - right to be forgotten
  - workforce monitoring 
  
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• Dispute Resolution
  
  We understand how disruptive commercial disputes can be and regularly help businesses around the world achieve the most successful outcome. 
  
  Whilst litigation through the courts is a costly option for resolving disputes, we also offer alternative methods of dispute resolution, including negotiation, adjudication, expert determination, mediation and arbitration. These can often can be quicker and cheaper than traditional litigation.
  
  Our Partner Nigel Puddicombe is one of only 200 Chartered Arbitrators currently in practice throughout the world.
  
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• Establishing and Structuring UK Businesses
  
  As the fifth largest economy in the world, the UK is an important investment location for overseas investors. In spite of Brexit, the UK remains an important gateway for doing business in Europe.
  
  We have a long track record of advising overseas clients buying businesses and other commercial assets in the UK, across a wide range of sectors. We also have geographical reach across the UK through our offices, which gives us important local knowledge to help your decision making.
  
  A key part of our role is helping you understand any legal and cultural differences in UK acquisitions and disposals, compared with your home market. In addition, many contracts between parties from different legal jurisdictions are negotiated under English law. We often advise on these, working with your advisers in other countries to help complete the deal.
  
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• Immigration
  
  Our experienced Immigration team acts for many corporate clients, business people and high net worth individuals, and can advise you in all areas of immigration law.
  
  For businesses: 
  - support for businesses establishing themselves in the UK, such as the Representative of an Overseas Business category
  - assisting employers with their Tier 2 sponsorship duties
  - sponsorship compliance audits and training
  - assisting with applications for initial entry clearance and to extend leave under Tiers 2 and 5
  - advice on compliance with the business visitor rules
  
  For individuals: 
  - Tier 1 (Investors)
  - Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) and Global Talent
  - Innovator and Start-Up applications
  - UK Ancestry
  - spouse/civil partner applications
  - dependent relatives
  - British citizenship applications
  
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• Information Law
  
  Data breaches are being reported daily, and data protection compliance is becoming more and more complex. In this context, our Information Law team will help you ensure that you have robust information and data procedures in place, and that your processes are fully compliant.
  
  In addition to compliance and complex subject access requests, we can provide specialist support when things have gone wrong, from initial crisis management through to resolving claims by those affected.
  
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• Intellectual Property
  
  Intellectual property comprises the assets of a business that you cannot touch or feel. All businesses have intellectual property rights and some live and die by the intellectual property that they own, use and license.
  
  We have the experience to help you protect, use, license and enforce your intellectual property rights in the UK and internationally. We can also advise you if you are threatened with an intellectual property dispute.
  
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• International Franchising
  
  At VWV, we have advised on numerous international franchising projects in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, Pakistan, Europe and others globally. Each project is unique. For example, each depends on the priorities of different UK schools, different regulatory regimes in different countries, different financial structures and different project structures.
  
  We also have a network of lawyers overseas who can advise on local regulatory issues, and we have a dual qualified Solicitor/Registered Trade Mark Attorney who can help protect school names and crests in jurisdictions throughout the world.
  
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• Private Wealth
  
  Our private client solicitors provide a full range of legal services, including:
   
  - acquisition of residential and commercial property
  - cross-border estate planning for UK domiciled clients who have assets located in other jurisdictions
  - cross-border disputes involving Wills and estates
  - divorces for high net worth individuals with assets abroad
  - estate administration on death where the deceased has held assets overseas, including getting grants of probate in other jurisdictions
  - inheritance and capital gains tax 
  - Lasting Powers of Attorney
  - matters of domicile and how to sever interest with the UK in a tax efficient manner
  - non-UK domiciled nationals who want to purchase property or other assets in the UK
  - pre-nuptial agreements for those with offshore assets
  - tax planning
  - trust management
  - Wills
  
  We work closely with other wealth professionals located offshore, with a view to acquiring, managing or disposing of assets. These might be fund managers, professional trust companies, tax advisers or lawyers in other jurisdictions. So you can be sure that all of your legal needs will be taken care of and coordinated on your behalf.
  
  Get in touch or download of free 'Managing Your International Assets' guide 
  
  
• Real Estate and Construction
  
  Our specialist team can help you with:
  
  - investment residential purchases and sales
  We have particular expertise in new build multiple off plan purchases and high value prime Central London units.
  
  - leasehold enfranchisement and advisory services
  We have a team of specialists who have expertise in securing lease extensions for high end properties.
  
  - disputes over rent arrears and service charge issues and disputes with freeholders
  
  - investment purchases and sales of various commercial properties including retail shops/units, offices, industrial estates, hotels/leisure facilities
  
  - development planning and construction
  We have expertise in transactions involving site acquisition, planning, development of the site and the eventual sale or letting of the scheme.
  
  - financing and refinancing of all property investments
  
  - management of your property portfolio, including dealing with lettings, assignments, breaches and investment protection
  
  - property tax, to ensure a tax efficient structure to the property investment, with wider wealth management tax advice to suit individual circumstances
  
  - setting up and dealing with off-shore structures where properties are held on trust
  
  - assisting foreign-based litigants in proceedings conducted in the High Court of Justice in London
  
  - conducting commercial arbitrations for foreign parties in London or abroad, dependent upon the seat of the arbitration reference
  
  - drafting and preparing international contracts by the use of the FIDIC or NEC3 standard forms
  
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• Tax
  
  The UK has always been an attractive country to acquire assets and to live in. We help individuals, families and businesses understand the tax implications of acquiring UK property and business assets. 
  
  There has been a lot of UK tax reform in recent years, both in personal taxation (now much less benign for non-domiciled and non-resident individuals) and corporate tax (corporation tax rates are now low by comparison with other European jurisdictions). We will guide you through the new regime and other changes on the horizon.
  
  We will also work closely with your other advisers around the world to help you structure your personal and business affairs in the most efficient way, and will guide you through the new regime and other changes on the horizon.
  
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• Trade Marks and Branding
  
  Trade mark rights are territorial and can only be enforced in the territory in which they are registered. This includes unregistered trade mark rights, which are built up through use. You may have used your business name in the UK for over 50 years, but your unregistered trade mark rights would be useless against a third party using an identical name in China.
  
  Our expertise in this area means that we are ideally placed to advise you on the legal nuances in different territories, and the pitfalls to avoid.
  
  We act for many international brand owners such as World Sailing, Beyond The Bean Limited, and Malvern College.
  
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• UK Inbound Investors
  
  If you are an overseas company or private investor looking to build your presence in the UK, we can assist you with:
  
  - immigration and employment issues
  - setting up a UK trading entity
  - engaging with relevant UK regulatory bodies
  - understanding local regulation in your sector (for instance healthcare, education and pharma)
  - preparing commercial contracts to manage business risk.
  
  It is also important for individuals who acquire UK assets, especially property, to protect their interests and we can assist with:
  
  - acquisition of residential and commercial property
  - Wills
  - Powers of Attorney
  - tax planning
  
  Get in touch
  
  
• UK Outbound Investors and English Law Contracts
  
  If you are looking to export your products and services to the world, our international lawyers can help you appoint agents, distributors and representatives, making sure that you are protected.
  
  Many companies around the world choose English law to govern their contracts and the English courts to enforce them. 40% of contracts in corporate arbitrations around the world adopt English law. We are very experienced in drafting these arrangements and assisting with enforcement.
  
  Get in touch
  
  

Our networks of international law firms

As a result of our long history and solid reputation, we have a strong network of international lawyers and advisers.

We are founding members of the Association of European Lawyers and are long-standing members of Eurojuris. These close connections help us understand the differences between local law systems and business cultures in the countries in which you operate.

We work with other professional networks to help your business grow. This includes the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, government organisations like the Department for International Trade, along with local government inward investment initiatives.

Speaking your language

Across our network of offices, we have lawyers who speak Bengali, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

For legal advice from experienced international lawyers, please contact Richard Phillips on 01923 919325.