Overview
Connected Counsel
Michael Best advises international companies investing, operating, and growing in the United States, as well as U.S. companies pursuing opportunities abroad. Our lawyers directly handle the U.S. legal aspects of international business. When a matter requires counsel in another country, we coordinate with trusted firms through our Lex Mundi membership, giving clients a single point of contact.
We understand that companies operating across borders must navigate differing legal systems, business practices, regulatory expectations, and cultural norms. Our attorneys work closely with company leadership and in-house legal teams to translate legal requirements into practical guidance that fits the organization's broader global business strategy.
Our international services bring together experience across the issues that shape cross-border operations, transactions, investments, and growth, including:
- International expansion and cross-border business strategy
- U.S. market entry, entity formation, and corporate governance
- Cross-border investments, mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures
- Financing, capital markets, and access to U.S. investment
- Commercial contracts, supply chains, and business relationships
- International trade, export controls, and regulatory compliance
- Labor, employment, workforce mobility, and business immigration
- Intellectual property protection and technology transactions
- Data privacy, cybersecurity, and information governance
- Real estate, site selection, economic development incentives, project development, and manufacturing operations
- Environmental, health, and safety compliance
- U.S. and international tax considerations
- U.S. litigation, investigations, and dispute resolution
- Government relations, policy, and regulatory strategy, and government contracting
Whether a client is entering the U.S. market, expanding an established U.S. business, managing day-to-day operations, or pursuing a cross-border transaction, Michael Best assembles the right team to address immediate legal needs, manage risk, and support long-term growth.
Our Approach
Michael Best provides practical, business-focused counsel for organizations managing the opportunities and risks of international business. We begin by understanding each client’s objectives, markets, and operating model, then coordinate guidance across the legal disciplines and jurisdictions involved.
Our lawyers support clients throughout the international business lifecycle, from evaluating new markets and structuring investments to managing day-to-day operations, transactions, workforce issues, regulatory change, and disputes. For matters outside our direct jurisdictions, we work with trusted local counsel to provide coordinated service and a clear point of contact.
Experience
Our lawyers advise U.S. and international businesses across industries and at every stage of growth. The firm’s international work includes cross-border transactions, market entry, commercial operations, intellectual property, workforce matters, trade, tax, regulatory compliance, and disputes. With 19 offices and lawyers licensed in a broad range of jurisdictions, Michael Best combines multidisciplinary capabilities with relationships that help clients address legal needs around the world. When a matter requires counsel outside the United States, we work with trusted local firms and remain the client's coordinating point of contact.
As a member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms, Michael Best is connected to legal insight in more than 125 countries. This global network strengthens our ability to support clients with cross-border needs through coordinated, locally informed counsel, complementing our U.S. capabilities and dedicated Japan Group.
Related Services
Japan Group: U.S. Legal Support for Japanese Companies
Michael Best’s Japan Group reflects the firm’s jurisdiction-focused international capabilities. The multidisciplinary team provides Japanese companies with coordinated, practical counsel for entering, operating, and expanding in the United States, with a strong understanding of U.S. and Japanese legal systems and business practices. The team advises on market entry, operations, transactions, workforce and immigration matters, real estate, privacy, contracts, tax, intellectual property, startup investments, trade and export controls, and regulatory developments. By anticipating risk and connecting clear legal guidance to business objectives, the Japan Group helps clients make informed decisions and pursue sustainable U.S. growth.
