Kelley Drye's European office is located in Brussels, and handles numerous matters arising under the laws of the European Union. The Brussels office regularly represents clients in matters involving or requiring E.U. competition legal clearance in connection with acquisitions and business ventures in Europe, telecommunications matters and project finance transactions. We also assist high-tech companies in the development of their business in Europe and counsels such companies on all aspects of the establishment and structuring of their European operations, as well as the protection of their intellectual property rights and the licensing of their products. The Brussels office is headed by a Belgian- and American-trained attorney who is qualified to assist clients before the European courts and institutions, as well as those of the individual E.U. member states.

Many of the Firm's attorneys throughout the U.S. offices have extensive practices and experience in European matters. For example, a significant focus of the Firm's corporate practice consists of representing non-U.S. based clients in transactions relating to U.S. matters, particularly in mergers and acquisitions. Our attorneys regularly advise European companies in acquisitions of new businesses in the United States and their dispositions of U.S.-based assets. Likewise, we represent both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based clients in cross-border strategic alliance matters. We also represent non-U.S. clients in complex transactions which require sophisticated structural, documentation and negotiating services, but which do not necessarily have any U.S.-based nexus. Our attorneys are able to staff transactions with attorneys who are fluent in more than a dozen languages, and take particular pride in their ability to work closely as part of the transaction team established by our non-U.S. clients.

Kelley Drye also has extensive experience in financing transactions related to acquisitions, LBO transactions or in traditional term loans, credit facilities and mezzanine financings. One of the best known aspects of our practice has been our role as outside counsel for offices, subsidiaries and affiliates of foreign banking institutions operating within the United States. As a result, our attorneys are experienced in issues unique to these entities, such as navigating differences between head office regulation and law and U.S. requirements, as well as between head office and branch office policies. We are also familiar with the myriad of requirements that foreign banks must adhere to when conducting business in the United States, such as labor and employment issues, reserve requirements, interstate banking and branching rules and restrictions on non-banking activities.

The Firm also has experience involving project and limited recourse financing and other asset-based financing techniques, such as leveraged leases, BOO/BOT and securitization structures. We have performed these matters on behalf of sponsors, lenders, lessors, rating agencies, equity investors, financial advisors and foreign sovereigns. In addition, Kelley Drye's experience with international projects encompasses project agreements and financing documents; intergovernmental protocols and agreements; FERC and state proceedings; FCC and state proceedings; international telecom and regulatory issues; fuel programs; permitting and environmental; real estate; tax; litigation and arbitration; and restructuring/insolvency.

In international transactions, we ensure that the applicable foreign law provides the expected rights and benefits to the client consistent with its objectives in the transaction. We have worked extensively with European counsel to create entirely new applications of existing local law to achieve this goal.

Back to: International

For further information about Kelley Drye's International - Europe Practice Group, please contact:

André Van Landuyt
(32)(2) 646-1110
avanlanduyt@kelleydrye.com

Peter Wolfram
(212) 808-7854
pwolfram@kelleydrye.com