Global Services
Antitrust and EU Competition
Banking
DLA Piper represents some of the largest financial institutions and financial services companies in the world. Our size and reach mean that our multi-disciplinary teams are able to support these clients in both their day-to-day needs and strategic objectives, locally and globally. We take a cross-sector approach that goes beyond our successful Finance practice to leverage the contacts and skills of lawyers across DLA Piper's many disciplines and regions - lawyers who are experienced at working with financial institutions. In this way, we deliver sector knowledge and insight in tandem with a full range of commercial legal services - many of which, such as regulatory, intellectual property, technology, litigation and employment, are critical to the success of businesses within the banking and finance sector. View our services by region:
Commercial Contracts
We provide commercial contract support for in-house legal teams and also handle major projects and business-critical contracts for companies across sectors. The team has dedicated commercial lawyers who at any one time will be working on deals ranging from straightforward agreements to complex multi-party projects spanning multiple jurisdictions. We work with clients to structure and document relationships with suppliers, customers or strategic partners including any concession, right or license won to exploit a market or material asset. We draft the range of documents necessary to create and preserve these relationships, protect our clients' rights and enhance the value of their businesses. Our advice covers all kinds of commercial agreements including purchase and supply, partnering, agency and distribution, franchise, logistics and warehousing, facilities management, management arrangements, commercial outsourcing, joint ventures, partnerships and strategic alliances. We believe in the strategic alliance as a business medium, we understand its importance to our clients' businesses and have significant experience implementing strategic alliances by way of joint ventures. View our services by region:
Construction
The cost and complexity of construction contracting has increased dramatically. Whether you are struggling with an ailing project, seizing a fresh opportunity to build in a new market or working with innovative designs, your success depends on getting strategic advice that supports your plans and mitigates risk. Wherever you are, and whatever your project, DLA Piper's Engineering and Construction lawyers can help. We offer dedicated, experienced lawyers who provide the commercial and legal solutions that deliver value to any project from the very beginning – but who are also there should disputes arise. We represent all the participants in the engineering and construction process – owners, contractors, design professionals, lenders and other supporting businesses. Our reach extends to every type of construction project and delivery method and into all regions of the world. We understand the local sites, cultures and environments where your projects are placed, while bringing the global resources and wider business perspective of our international platform. View our services by region:
Corporate
With an upsurge in global corporate transactions, companies must continually position themselves to access markets and technology, improve margins and reduce their exposure to risk. With more than 600 lawyers worldwide, our Corporate group advises many of the world’s leading and emerging companies, as well as financial institutions and buyout and investment funds, on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, public and private equity and debt offerings, venture capital and private equity investments, and other transactional matters. We also advise on securities compliance, corporate governance, IT, tax, and executive compensation. We have significant experience in the technology, life sciences and consumer industries. Our clients benefit from our ability to flag potential pitfalls in each country, to advise on cultural differences and nuances, to offer vital auxiliary advice in such areas as employment and competition law, and to manage even the most demanding due diligence exercise. Our lawyers have substantial experience in project managing complex multi-jurisdictional corporate activity worldwide. View our services by region:
Employment, Pensions and Benefits
Our lawyers also assist with senior employee international mobility and compensation and benefits issues. We work alongside clients in the development and maintenance of their benefits and pension arrangements, offering guidance on the replication of applicable arrangements in multiple jurisdictions as appropriate. Please see our Benefits and Reward page for further information. We keep clients informed on proposed legislation and regulations affecting all aspects of the employment relationship, and support clients with seminars, conferences, specialist newsletters and our online support products. View our services by region:
Energy and Water
DLA Piper has worked extensively with energy industry clients – understanding their needs, knowing the challenges they face and recognizing their tremendous potential. DLA Piper's experience in the energy sector combines our knowledge of the nuances and intricacies of local energy markets and regulations with our broad global capabilities. Our practice delivers first-rate legal services for utilities, oil and gas exploration and production, pipelines, refineries, petrochemical facilities, renewable energy companies and project-related development and finance. We take a proactive, commercial approach by assembling teams from various practice areas to provide a full range of business legal services, including:
Finance
We understand that our clients face ever greater challenges and opportunities as the global economy evolves. Our goal is to offer you the best possible representation to help you achieve the best outcomes for your business. We research economic trends and new legislation to develop solutions that give you the advantage as you pursue your business objectives. We see ourselves as your partner, leveraging our practice capabilities and our collective experience to offer you high-quality, insightful and timely advice that responds directly to your needs wherever you do business. We advise on all aspects of financing across a broad range of sectors. Our lawyers offer market leading insight into specialist areas of finance. We have dedicated teams working in each major jurisdiction. Our extensive network allows our clients to tap into the deep resources of our global organisation, taking advantage of our lawyers’ understanding of the particular legal risks and business opportunities that prevail in all major world markets. We have extensive experience acting for a full range of clients, including banks and arrangers, lenders, lead managers, venture capitalists, corporations, issuers, real estate trusts, funds, project developers, monoline insurers, trading houses, utilities, vendors, government entities, major airlines, shipowners, lessors, train operating companies and manufacturers, on an extensive range of cross-border and national deals. View our services by region:
Global Practices
Global Sectors
Health Care
The health care industry around the world is intricate and evolving. Health care laws and regulations affect all companies at some level. The health care industry is among the most highly regulated in the world, and all employers must comply with the medical privacy protections and health care benefits afforded their employees. Multinational companies must navigate sometimes quite divergent payment and reimbursement regimes and the pharmaceutical and medical device approval rules of multiple national governments as well as regional and international requirements. Health care providers are subject to the licensing and oversight rules of every jurisdiction in which they do business. DLA Piper’s Health Care lawyers represent health care clients all around the world. We live and work where our clients live and work. Our lawyers work together across our offices throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the United States combining global strategy with local implementation. We counsel the health care industry in these areas:
Hospitality and Leisure
With more than 100 lawyers throughout our offices, DLA Piper's global Hospitality and Leisure sector advises owners, managers, franchisors, developers and lenders with respect to hotels and other hospitality and leisure businesses around the world. We offer the extraordinary breadth and depth of our core practice groups, including Corporate, Real Estate, Finance, Franchise and Distribution, Human Resources, Litigation and Regulatory, IP and IT, to serve the needs of our clients in the sector. Our industry focus and experience enable us to provide first-class service to our clients in connection with their local and international investments and operations. The Global Hospitality and Leisure sector covers the following businesses:
Insurance and Reinsurance
We have one of the world's preeminent, multi-disciplinary teams that represents major insurance, reinsurance and financial services companies globally. Our size and reach enable us to support clients in both their strategic objectives and their daily needs, locally and worldwide. The relationships we build with clients and our unwavering focus on materially impacting their business drive everything we do. We deliver the industry knowledge and insights of lawyers across DLA Piper’s many disciplines in tandem with a full range of high-value services our clients require – among them corporate, finance, capital markets, tax, dispute resolution, international arbitration, insurance and reinsurance coverage, regulation, restructuring, government relations, real estate and employment. By bringing together such diverse experience, a deep understanding of the sector and a substantial presence in the world’s key and emerging financial and business centers, we can address our clients’ most complex issues and deliver innovative solutions that are critical to their success everywhere they do business. View our services by region:
Intellectual Property
DLA Piper's Intellectual Property and Technology practice is one of the largest groups of IP lawyers in the world. Nearly 400 lawyers develop asset management and protection strategies designed to help clients manage risk, continue growth, and protect market share around the globe. We understand the commercial issues and pressures which arise from IP disputes or related negotiations, and provide innovative and strategic solutions to deal with them. We provide the strongest cross-jurisdictional support managed either locally, centrally or through a series of regional 'hub and spoke' arrangements. The success of our IP and Technology practice attracts considerable attention. We are ranked as a leading IP team by both Legal 500 and Chambers directories across Europe and Asia-Pacific, and in the US we have been named by the National Law Journal in its prestigious Defense Hot List. These accolades reflect our clients’ confidence in DLA Piper’s leading-edge advice when creating, protecting, managing and extending their IP rights wherever they do business. When disputes arise, your commercial objectives are our main concern. Whether you turn to litigation, engage in arbitration or mediation, or employ some other innovative solution to the problem, our IP and Technology group will represent and support you at every stage. Notably, our highly acclaimed patent litigation team has won 20 out of 23 trials since 2002. Using cross-disciplinary global teams to help clients with various technologies, our IP experience includes IP litigation as well as representation in areas such as applications, prosecution, and filings for patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We also advise companies on how best to leverage IP assets into revenue streams through licensing agreements, royalty structures and other dispositions. We undertake IP due diligence and IP audits and have formulated OEM/software licensing and outsourcing agreements for some of the largest companies in the world. The ability to advise on all aspects of technology law expands the efficiencies and breadth of service for our clients - we offer advice on all related IP matters such as advertising and promotion law, data security, digital media content, e-commerce/Internet transactions, and privacy protection. We also help develop compliance programs in response to new corporate policies or national and local government regulations, including IP, privacy, or quality control audits. Wherever you are, and whatever your industry, you need people you can trust to meet your IP business objectives. With DLA Piper, you get the deep IP knowledge more commonly associated with boutique IP firms, along with the global resources and wider commercial perspective of our international practice. Increasingly, these are both essential for staying ahead in this dynamic area. View our services by region:
International Arbitration
International Trade
Globalization has fuelled a rapid increase in cross-border trade and investment. To compete in today's challenging economic climate, companies must navigate an evolving set of international, national and local trade rules and polices. DLA Piper's International Trade practice draws on an in-depth knowledge of both the law and the political landscape across multiple jurisdictions to provide effective global strategies for those engaged in international trade and investment.
On our team are more than 40 international trade lawyers and specialists in the United States, Europe, China, Russia and elsewhere throughout the world. We have an outstanding record of successfully advising companies, trade associations and governments on the full range of trade issues, including:
DLA Piper's global capability includes experienced trade lawyers and distinguished former government officials who advise on the issues at the nexus of law and politics. We offer you a powerful combination of legal knowledge and government affairs strength. View our services by region:
Life Sciences
DLA Piper is acknowledged as one of the world's leading law firms, representing companies and investors in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device fields. Our life sciences team operates across multiple practice groups and offices in an open, flexible manner. The team brings industry know-how, international deal experience and a thorough knowledge of local law to benefit life sciences clients in the leading global markets for research, commercialization and finance. As a truly global law firm, we serve all our clients' needs from early stage venture-backed companies to the largest global providers of life-saving drugs, diagnostics and medical devices. Life sciences clients look to their lawyers to understand their business and technology, anticipate legal problems and understand current regulations and laws as they relate specifically to their segment of the industry. Lawyers must be able to provide timely, proactive, creative and practical advice and solutions in a cost-efficient manner. DLA Piper’s experience and commitment to the life sciences industry make us a value-adding strategic partner for our clients. Our firmwide life sciences practice is part of our Global Life Sciences sector, which takes a business unit approach to providing legal services to our clients. We are home to more than 200 lawyers and patent agents working together in the key life sciences markets around the world. In addition to our broad US coverage, we have a far-reaching presence in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and strong ties to the principal business, finance and technology hubs worldwide, allowing us to effectively counsel and represent life companies and financiers in the global marketplace. Our services including the following areas:
Litigation and Arbitration
Every day companies must manage the myriad risks inherent in doing business internationally or locally. When disputes arise, many of the world’s leading companies turn to our global team of experienced litigators to represent their interests. With over 1,400 dispute resolution lawyers globally, including many lawyers recognised as leaders in their fields by the leading independent directories, we understand the legal, business and procedural developments in jurisdictions throughout the world. Whatever problems our clients face, wherever they occur, we are well-placed to assist. Our lawyers collaborate with clients and counterparts to identify and execute the most advantageous business-oriented solutions, either by pursuing or defending litigation or arbitration proceedings or through alternative methods, such as mediation. We represent clients in complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes in numerous areas, including: antitrust, banking and financial services, class action, construction, corporate and securities, defence, employment, energy, fraud and asset recovery, government investigations, insolvency, insurance and reinsurance, intellectual property, international arbitration, international trade and transport (including aviation and marine), IT, marine, media, product liability, professional liability, real estate, regulation, tax, telecommunications and white collar. We also design and implement sophisticated dispute resolution programmes for Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 clients. We maintain state-of-the-art technology that streamlines our case and costs management and enhances efficiencies across our operations, and provides a communications platform for sharing information and documents with our clients. View our services by region:
Product Liability
At DLA Piper, we handle complex multiparty, multi-jurisdictional cases in a wide variety of industries, including mass tort and class action litigation, and individual claims. Our international reach enables us to advise on laws and regulations as they relate to products wherever companies do business, and to coordinate our services in all the jurisdictions involved. We thoroughly understand our clients’ industries and businesses so we can recommend a course of action based on each client’s circumstances.
Our clients are industry leaders in such areas as aerospace, aircraft, aircraft carrier and submarine manufacturing, construction and mining equipment, personal watercraft, building products, elevators, escalators and industrial tools. We handle claims in many different industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automobiles, trucks, heavy equipment, chemicals, paint, children’s products, food and tobacco. We also help manage the claims and liabilities of all members of the supply chain, including suppliers, manufacturers, secondary manufacturers, distributors, retailers and end users.
We offer full service support in product liability compliance and defense through one of the world's largest litigation and arbitration practices, including advice on:
Projects and Infrastructure
We represent commercial banks and investment banks, private equity funds, insurance companies, multilateral financing companies, export credit agencies, joint ventures, institutional investors, contractors, developers, sponsors, trustees, sovereigns and government agencies in a wide variety of matters. Our lawyers have significant experience structuring transactions to address the complex and sometimes conflicting economic and/or political goals of transaction and business venture participants. We have participated in the development, financing, acquisition and operation of complex infrastructure projects on nearly every continent. Our lawyers have helped to deliver ground-breaking private finance agreements and have first-hand experience with the structures and solutions that meet the needs of international financial institutions, government sponsored privatization programs, and global clients. We served as legal adviser to the winning sponsor of the "Public Private Partnerships Best UK Deal 2006." Across Europe we have completed more than 160 PPP projects, advising on every legal aspect, including procurement regime, tax structuring, contractual documentation, construction, and financing. View our services by region:
Real Estate
Regulatory and Government Affairs
At the federal and state level in the US, and in the individual countries of Europe as well as the EU, our people understand the legislative and regulatory process. To the strengths of our team we add our alliance with The Cohen Group, the international business consulting firm. View our services by region:
Restructuring
For decades our lawyers have worked within a dedicated restructuring practice. We have a unified team of over 250 restructuring lawyers working across borders to deliver solutions at local and international levels. Our breadth of restructuring experience coupled with the depth of being the largest global law firm provides clients with the right lawyers in the right jurisdictions for any matter. Our work ranges from re-organisation and reconstruction, distressed corporate finance, debt restructuring, and refinancing to formal insolvency procedures such as administration, receivership, voluntary arrangements, liquidation, and bankruptcy. We have considerable experience advising financial institutions, businesses and other key stakeholders on rescue and recovery procedures. We advise on all aspects of restructuring and insolvency, whether in anticipation of them or in dealing with their consequences, in industries ranging from retail, health care, and financial services to food and office products. We are passionate about what we do and our clients see this in the quality of work our lawyers provide. We deliver real value to our clients, each with their own perspective and issues. View our services by region:
Sports, Media and Entertainment
One legal practice has emerged as the first choice among all parties involved in the sports, media and entertainment sectors who demand the very best representation and expect superior client service – DLA Piper. We understand the way the sport, media and entertainment industries work. We are trusted key advisors, with the experience and reach to advise in any major jurisdiction. Our clients benefit from our deep industry knowledge and experience, and from our creative, solution-oriented and responsive approach. We have a market-leading international team of lawyers throughout Europe, the US, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and South America. We offer the benefits of a global business law firm, with a network of experience extending across the world. We are at the forefront of advising the sports, media and entertainment industries on finance, borrowing, investment and corporate issues, production and rights acquisition, exploiting media rights, staging and exploiting live sports and other events, intellectual property protection and enforcement, regulatory and administrative issues, anti-trust and competition law, stadium and arena development and on the resolution of disputes. We advise leagues, clubs, franchise owners, broadcasters, advertisers, international and national governing bodies, rights holders, agencies and promoters, studios, distributors, event promoters, sponsors, investors, banks and other leading corporations and individuals. Our services encompass these areas: Sports
Tax
Global markets give rise to many complicated tax issues that require both expert knowledge of national legislation, including tax treaties, and an international perspective. Through our global offices, we provide advice on local and national tax as well as a commercially integrated approach to cross border structures and tax efficiency. We offer the full range of tax services that address the challenges of international commerce and business operations. Our team is skilled in the areas critical to multi-national companies, including arranging operations to reduce effective global tax rates, transfer pricing, tax disputes and post-acquisition integration. Our lawyers also assist with the taxation issues relating to senior employee international mobility and compensation and benefits issues, and advise on global equity compensation arrangements. Please see our Benefits and Reward services page for further information. View our services by region:
Technology
Technological innovation has changed the way we live and how we do business. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, DLA Piper has served the technology sector since its inception. Today, we are amongst the world’s largest and most geographically diverse legal practices with clients ranging from Global 100 and Fortune 500 enterprises to start-up companies developing tomorrow’s industry-leading technologies. As a result of our decades-long service to technology clients, we have developed industry knowledge and a global network that enable us to provide insights that empower entrepreneurs to build great ideas into great companies and help organizations of all sizes finance and grow their businesses as well as protect, market and distribute their products around the world. View our services by region:
Technology and Media
DLA Piper's technology and sourcing practice concentrates on complex transactions and multiparty, high value, project work, frequently spanning multiple jurisdictions. We focus on the development, protection, exploitation and use of technology-related assets through various stages of a company's growth, as well as the sourcing of strategic assets and services for use in a company's operations. Our teams have deep industry sector experience that allow us to provide valuable practical advice and innovative solutions over and above our first-rate base of technical know-how. In addition we also provide specialist advice to the telecommunications sector, including commercial, transactional and regulatory aspects. Our media practice counts many of the world's largest high profile entertainment and new media companies, sports bodies and major financial institutions as clients. In an increasingly convergent world where content inter-twines with technology, we are able to merge the circles by providing sound commercial advice and dispute resolution services based on extensive experience in the sector. We provide legal advice covering many areas including, telecommunications, patents, trademark, copyright, intellectual property, film financing, M&A, anti-counterfeiting, e-business, sports litigation, and privacy. View our services by region:
Transportation
Businesses in the Transportation industries are sophisticated, international companies with global interests and ambitious growth plans. Many are cash rich after several highly profitable years and the sector is highly dynamic. DLA Piper offers complete legal representation through its worldwide offices. We regularly advise clients in the Transportation sector on multi-jurisdictional transactions involving multiple DLA Piper offices. Our teams cut across legal disciplines and many of the transactions they handle range from US$100 million to nearly US$1 billion. Through our dedicated Transportation sector teams, we provide legal services to support clients in many different industries on matters that involve the construction and operation of all kinds of ships and offshore oil and gas units, including LNG carriers, mobile drilling units and Floating Production, Storage and Offloading units (FPSOs). Our sectoral approach also takes in the vital areas of transportation by sea, road, rail and air, as well as international trade issues. Many of our clients are active in the leisure sector, especially the fast-growing cruise industry; port development and operation; and the vibrant logistics industry. DLA Piper's legal services include sophisticated, cutting-edge finance products such as tax leasing and Islamic Finance. We advise on the full range of our clients' needs, including M&A, capital markets, tax, regulatory, competition, environmental, insurance and reinsurance and corporate and dispute resolution (including international arbitration). Our highly regarded Global Government Relations practice also enables us to help clients manage their reputations and links with government bodies. View our services by region:
White Collar, Corporate Crime and Investigations
Even before the current economic crisis, businesses throughout the world had been operating in an increasingly global and aggressive enforcement environment, which will only grow more intense as major financial scandals emerge. Overseas bribery and corruption, market abuse, competition/antitrust and fraud enforcement is increasing, prosecutors and regulators are more aggressively seeking criminal sanctions and government support is growing for funding the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes. Cooperation between enforcement agencies around the world is greater than ever before and those corporations seeking to increase their global footprint need to understand the risks associated with cross-border investigations and prosecutions. DLA Piper’s global White Collar, Corporate Crime and Investigations practice is a team of partners and associates who specialise in criminal, regulatory and compliance problems affecting major corporations, their officers and employees. We represent corporations, business entities and individuals at every stage of the business risk cycle – from legislative monitoring and lobbying; to developing proactive compliance programs and conducting internal audits and investigations; to providing advice during criminal or regulatory investigations; to defending clients in court when necessary. Our work in this area includes:
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