Law Firms That Handle International Law: An Overview
International law involves the legal relationship established between nations. It can involve a wide range of issues, including visas, immigration, flight paths, trade, banking, the law of the sea, and cooperation in criminal investigations, just to name a few. As the world becomes increasingly globalized, business and commerce often require that lawyers for major corporations either have their own capacity for dealing with international law cases or have a working relationship with a law firm that specializes in international law and related services.
In addition to handling cases, some of the services an international law firm can provide include general counsel on international law, counsel on specific laws of different countries, procedures for gathering evidence (illegal in some countries, so knowledge of what can legally be done is essential), and the effective and legal arrangement for process servers.
It is not easy to bring an out-of-country defendant into court, nor is it easy to notify such a defendant about the case filed. Hence it is an intelligent move to retain experienced international process servers, who are knowledgeable about foreign civil procedures.
The Hague convention and the Inter-American convention are the primary ways under which international process services can operate. It is under the discretion of the individual countries to adapt one of these conventions, both, or none. Other than these recognized conventions, there are countries like the U.S. that allow private process servers. But this can require a court-appointed attorney to fulfill the legal proceedings.
It can make a difference if an attorney is appreciative of the conventions appropriate for the countries involved and their legal cultures. The attorney must also establish if the matter is governed by treaty and statute, or requires a custom-designed solution.
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