Birketts has an established specialist international practice, offering a full range of transactional, contentious and advisory services to clients based outside the UK.
We also support international businesses and private clients who have business and personal interests in the UK.
Many members of our international group previously trained and worked in the international practices of major City and UK leading law firms.
With an established network of trusted correspondent law firms and a proven track record of leading on complex cross-border matters, our clients trust us to guide them through the intricate legalities of the international business world.
Offering a full range of transactional, advisory, and contentious services, and using our network of law firms located in the world’s major financial and commercial centres, we offer access to a wealth of international legal expertise.
We support clients through international mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance, employment and immigration requirements, and dispute resolution for those raising or defending disputes in English law. The team is also particularly experienced in complex, high value multi-jurisdictional and cross-border shipping, marine and international trade disputes for UK and international clients in all major international jurisdictions.
For individuals and their representatives, we offer UK and international services covering tax, trust and succession matters, providing guidance on UK tax and English law issues and how they interact with other legal systems.
We are one of a very few full service UK law firms with an in-house notary public service and we regularly provide notarial services to business and individuals engaged in international business. We work with international clients including other lawyers, accountants and professional trustees.
We are a member of IAG Global, an international network of independent law firms, accountants, tax advisers and other professional services firms; we are also a founding member of ILLN, the International Labour Law Network.
Members of the team are proficient in French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Turkish, Polish, Lithuanian and Mandarin.
Outside the UK, the group works across a number of jurisdictions, and in particular:
- Asia
- North America
- Europe and the Middle East
- India
- Africa
- Offshore jurisdictions
Services
Service Areas
International transactions
The team has a strong track record in advising on international transactions in the UK and overseas, including on:
- International sale contracts
- Charterparties
- Contracts of affreightment
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Joint ventures and strategic collaborations
- Foreign and strategic investments and divestitures
- Intellectual property protection and licensing
- International trade and compliance
- Raising debt and equity finance
- Project management
Corporate & commercial services
In addition to our transactional services, we offer a comprehensive suite of corporate and commercial services to international clients entering the UK market, including:
- Technology and intellectual property (trademarks and portfolio maintenance
- Employment
- Immigration
- Data protection
- International supply chain and commercial relationships (distribution and agency)
- EU and UK competition law issues
- Company secretarial services
- Notarial services for private and corporate clients
Litigation and dispute resolution
Our Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team comprises more than 35 lawyers and advises UK and International clients on complex, multi-jurisdictional and cross-border disputes, including:
- Marine insurance
- Bills of lading and cargo claims
- Passenger, crew and stevedore claims
- Ship arrest
- Corporate disputes
- Shareholder and partnership disputes
- Fraud
- Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements
- Arbitral institutions and procedures
Private client advisory
Our International Private Client Team advises individuals both in the UK and abroad on tax, trust and succession matters which require co-ordination across jurisdictions. We provide guidance on UK tax and English law legal issues, and how they interact with other legal systems. We work with international clients including other lawyers, accountants and professional trustees, and also provide advice on cross border divorce, children matters, pre and post nups.
We advise on:
- Cross border divorce
- Children matters
- Pre and post nups
- Wills and estate planning
- Tax, trusts and succession
- Cross border probate
- Offshore trusts
- Notarial services
- Immigration