I t’s more than a trend. Many of the nation’s largest law firms are building successful international practices. Ask Arnall Golden Gregory (AGG) Managing Partner Glenn Hendrix and he’ll tell you that the world is abound with legal opportunities.
 
In fact, his firm has one of the nation’s largest German practice groups, serving as general counsel to German-based companies and assisting with cross-border transactional deals. AGG attorneys were instrumental in bringing Korean automaker Kia to Georgia, a deal that will create more than 4,000 U.S. jobs and $1.5 billion in capital investment. The firm’s intellectual property group alone has assisted clients in more than 100 countries.   

Hendrix is an international law standout, having worked with the U.S. State Department as the sole private sector advisor in a delegation to The Hague. He also will chair the 20,000-member International Section of the American Bar Association in 2009.

Business to Business: In these trying economic times, what’s your take on the international marketplace?

Glenn Hendrix: The bright side to the declining dollar is that American assets, products and services are a  bargain. For companies that have previously hesitated to go global, now is a good time to take the plunge.

BTB: Why are more foreign companies turning to U.S. attorneys for help? Is it all about the declining dollar?

Hendrix: The declining dollar plays a role, but it goes beyond that. The rule of law is one of the U.S.’ most successful exports, and American- style lawyering – while sometimes rightly maligned both here and abroad – sets the international standard. You’ll find a cluster of American lawyers actively practicing law in every major commercial center in the world.

BTB:  What defines a successful international legal practice?

Hendrix:  The term, “international lawyer,” means different things to different people. My own practice involves the resolution of cross-border commercial disputes. Over the course of the past few decades, the near- universal ratification of a 1958 U.N. treaty providing for the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards has spurred the evolution of a global community of lawyers who practice in the field of international arbitration.

To be effective in that area, a lawyer must be fully conversant not only in his or her own national system, but also the norms and culture of the international arbitration community. For some of my colleagues at the firm who are engaged in transactional work, being an international lawyer requires an appreciation of the many pitfalls unique to a cross-border deal. The common denominator is the ability to bridge legal regimes and business cultures.  

BTB:  You will chair the International Section of the American Bar Association in 2009. What are your goals for the organization?

Hendrix: The ABA’s International Section serves as a gateway between the U.S. legal profession and the rest of the world. On one hand, we help foreign lawyers and legal organizations navigate the greater ABA, and U.S. lawyers navigate the world outside the United States, on the other. We’ll be growing our relationships with foreign bar associations; increasing our membership base of 20,000 lawyers, including foreign attorneys; expanding our technical legal assistance program; and continuing to offer education programs and networking opportunities.

BTB:  Is doing business abroad today for everybody?

Hendrix: It’s certainly possible to prosper doing business exclusively in the United States. Of course, a company risks foregoing potentially lucrative opportunities. Regardless, no company can afford to ignore the global marketplace. Even if a company has no desire to compete abroad, it has to be mindful of potential foreign competitors seeking to do business
here.