Verbal Agreements: Do They Hold Up?

Sometimes there is lacking clarity about the liability when an individual as a part of a company enters into a verbal agreement - especially when it is not vocally specified who is bearing responsibility. The last thing you want or need is to be in a contract that binds you to something but you thought you were agreeing to something else.

Read More
Looking For The Perfect Market For Your Business? Read This First.

We have discussed the social and cultural Factors before, but make sure you know what the literacy rate is and the average educational level in the country? If you are selling to or your product is designed for the middle class, make sure there actually is a middle class that would support your product?

Read More
Selling A Business? Read This First.

Could there be disputes? Absolutely. There often are between buyers and sellers, which is why it's important you have a lawyer ready for litigation even after the ink has dried. Working capital is the biggest issue of dispute, with some cases going to trial and lasting for years with discrepancies in the millions and billions. Working capital is the biggest cause for dispute, but litigation post-sale can happen for any number of reasons including warranties & purchase price payments.

Read More
Business Etiquette & Your Bottom Line

Culture is very important in business and has an impact on the strategic direction of business. Culture influences management, decisions and all business functions from accounting to production. Don’t just think in terms of the national culture but also in business think of meetings, negotiation, formalities, social media use, internships and work placements hierarchy.

Read More
Outsourcing: Is It A Good Idea For Your Business?

So outsourcing is not just international, not just for the largest corporations and not just for saving money why then do some companies skip outsourcing?

A lot of companies don't outsource simply because they don't even realize the option is there. Without a creative mind on your team - it can sometimes be difficult to discover any way that outsourcing could be helpful. Ever heard of Influencer Marketing?

Read More
Trade Agreements: Why Are They Important?

When imports enter a country they normally have a tariff or a tax. So for example: when you are purchasing an item from France it’s more expensive because of a duty that the importer had to pay for it to come in. When a Trade Agreement is negotiated there is an elimination of that tax then the import comes in freely and the item may be less expensive than one you could purchase in the United States. If too many of those items are coming in then there may be concerns that there needs to be protection of that industry.

Read More
International Negotiations: Cultural Nuance

When I think of how to begin the negotiation of a contract in a different culture, I first want to make sure that I know something about the culture. Generally, how 85% of the people act, think, and behave. "What is important to them? " I ask myself. Inevitably, I read about the culture, the history, talk to people who have done business in the culture and most definitely go to visit the place when possible.

Read More
NAFTA: Could It Be Lost?

In order to decrease fears of US litigation, or any long drawn out litigation, for that matter, NAFTA has "dispute resolution panels." These panels look at whether or not the NAFTA countries participant is being treated fairly. Under President Trump, the US has claimed that "US court's sovereignty is eroded." He would do away with the panel altogether. Canada and Mexico want to keep them of course.

Read More
Cuban Sanctions: What You Need To Know

The Sanctions, under President Obama, the first U.S. President to visit since the embargo, authorized specific licenses for travel conditions and other transactions directly related to attendance or professional meetings in Cuba. This did not change the sanctions, but simply softened them. With a change of policy came diplomatic travel which included increase in tourist industries; with U.S. businesses going in and Cuban entrepreneurs opening up their homes for restaurants and cars for joyrides.

Read More
Case Value: Money For Your Pain

Not only do we want to know what your damages are, but we also what to know what evidence you have that we will use to prove your case.

In a discrimination case we want to know if you were injured, either mentally, psychologically, emotionally, or physically. We look for proof: did you go see a doctor and was there a bill. Was there retaliation? Did you lose your job or work overtime? What are your current wages, what should they have been, and do you have the taxes and pay stubs to prove it?

Read More