Blumsack & Canzano provides domestic and international litigation agents for domestic and global cross-border enterprises. It focuses on providing professional services to customers according to the complex procedures managed by various arbitration rules.

Our lawyer team handles complex domestic litigation in the United States and cross-border legal services around the world on behalf of our customers, conducts efficient negotiations on legal issues and business affairs, provides comprehensive consultation, planning and solutions for customers' foreign-related legal issues, and skillfully provides high-quality services to customers in Chinese, English and other languages.

International commercial litigation is related to disputes between companies and individuals residing in different countries. We actively represent clients outside the United States in disputes involving U.S. companies and individuals, as well as U.S. entities and individuals in disputes involving foreign companies doing business in the United States. The most common international commercial disputes include contracts, intellectual property rights, and commercial infringements, such as interference with contracts and defamation. In addition, in international commercial litigation, each party wants to be heard in the domestic courts because of fears that the domestic courts may favor local people. Multinational companies need to provide legal advice from an international perspective.

Blumsack & Canzano has extensive experience and has successfully resolved many important issues in international litigation, such as court jurisdiction, procedural issues, the acceptance of foreign evidence, and the enforcement of judgments. Whether you need help in mediation, arbitration, or litigation, we can provide you with the legal services you need. We are committed to protecting the interests of our customers in the United States and abroad. Our team of lawyers will help each of our clients find solutions to complex legal challenges based on their experience.

U.S. companies operating internationally and foreign companies coming to the United States face unfamiliar laws, rules, regulations, business practices and languages. What’s routine for a domestic business can be a significant obstacle for a company operating outside its home market. Blumsack & Canzano can help through our International Business Practice.

Companies operating across borders need legal advice from an international perspective. Our attorneys provide companies operating internationally with counsel based on experience, creative problem solving, and cultural awareness. We have a strong grasp of the unique legal challenges of doing business internationally, and how to protect the interests of our clients both in the United States and abroad.

Our broad network includes contacts with national and international lawyers and other professionals to best serve our clients’ unique needs. Our attorneys work closely with a number of bi-national and local chambers of industry and commerce allowing us to stay on top of the pulse of what is happening within the international and local business community.

Many types of industries are expanding their reach beyond the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S., and into Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and across the world. Some of the most common industries in Massachusetts that are represented in international business transactions include:

• Software,

• Biotech, 

• Pharmaceuticals,

• Industrial machinery, 

• Electrical machinery,

• Hospitality, 

• Healthcare, 

• Finance, 

• Commercial fishing,

• Food processing, and

• Information technology.  

International business legal assistance can involve business litigation or international business transactions. This can involve a one-time contract negotiation, large mergers & acquisitions, or foreign governmental investigation. Areas of international business law services include international: 

• Business and contract litigation

• Corporate litigation

• Real estate litigation

• Franchise litigation

• Business arbitration and mediation

• Commercial collections

For businesses expanding operations in other countries, including business investment, negotiating contracts with overseas vendors or clients, and navigating foreign business requirements, an experienced business litigator can help companies avoid future disputes or litigation.

For businesses with existing operations overseas, enforcing foreign judgments, litigating breaches of contract, or enforcing arbitration awards, an experienced business litigator will fight to get money damages, enforce performance, and protect your company's reputation. 

Like domestic contracts, parties can breach an agreement through nonpayment, supplying nonconforming goods, failing to provide goods or services in a timely manner, or by breaching a warranty. Remedies in a breach of contract claim with an international company may include: 

• Money damages, 

• Liquidated damages,

• Modifying or reforming the contract, 

• Rescission, or 

• Specific performance.

Ideally, an international contract will be negotiated with an experienced attorney who understands the most common breach of contract issues and will work to implement protections into the contract to avoid future litigation. However, disputes can always arise and your business can benefit from the experience of a business litigator who will protect your company and work towards a quick and satisfactory conclusion.

Another common term of business contracts provides for a mandatory arbitration or mediation. If arbitration or mediation is not provided for in business contracts, then litigation is the next option, which may be more expensive for both parties. However, for some business deals, litigation may be necessary. Talk to your international business lawyer about arbitration clauses, whether they should be enforced, and how to reduce unnecessary litigation costs. 

We has advised clients on China-related matters for more than 50 years. Our Internaional Practice Team is composed of American and Chinese lawyers. We advise multinational corporations and financial institutions, trade associations, private investors and other clients in their China-related activities, including advising on transactional, regulatory, government relations and dispute resolution matters. We also advise China-based clients on their activities throughout the world.

The attorneys in our International Practice Team have been working with international clients and U.S. based companies for many years. Our work with international clients includes structuring legal entities for start-up operations as well as routinely advising companies with established operations in the United States, as we do for any other domestic clients. As a growing global law firm, armed with a multitude of competencies in various practice areas, Blumsack & Canzano has the international reach needed to serve clients in the increasingly borderless global economy.

Related issues may involve other legal proceedings. To discuss the circumstances of a matter, please contact Blumsack & Canzano.

Coordinating related legal issues

Identify the contracting entity and the authority of the person signing before evaluating a business commitment. Corporate governance and contract planning should be supported by checks of registration and authorization records. For a new venture, the IRS guidance on starting a business also helps organize tax preparation and recordkeeping without confusing the responsibilities of owners and the entity.

Read payment terms, notice provisions and dispute-resolution clauses in the context of the transaction. Contract review identifies the commitments the parties made; a breach-of-contract dispute also requires matching those commitments to performance records. If a court case is contemplated, review the applicable civil procedures before allowing one isolated clause to drive the entire strategy.

The contract price does not capture every financial consequence of a transaction. Income, payment and reporting questions should be considered alongside the transaction structure and allocation of responsibilities. The IRS business-startup resources help identify records requiring further review, while the appropriate treatment depends on the entity, transaction and relevant tax year.

When parties, assets or payments are located in different countries, identify where each relevant event occurred. Cross-border documentation and enforcement may need to be coordinated with foreign-income and tax-residency questions. The IRS international taxpayer resources provide a starting point for the U.S. tax issues, without establishing what another country’s law requires.

Personnel issues can affect both business operations and individual rights. Pay, working-time and separation records should be considered alongside the employer’s policies and management arrangements. For federal wage questions, consult the Department of Labor’s FLSA guidance and separately review state requirements. A job title or the label chosen by the parties is not a substitute for examining the facts.

Separate ownership and financing from the right to occupy a property. Real estate transaction documents may need to be reviewed together with leases, rent histories and repair records. The Massachusetts landlord and tenant resources are relevant to residential issues, while commercial arrangements require their own analysis of the governing contract and law.

In a cross-border business arrangement, corporate decisions and personal immigration eligibility require separate review. Corporate structure and employment documents may support the factual record, but do not replace an employment-based eligibility assessment. Use the USCIS employment-based guidance to check whether the category fits the position, experience and business records.

When payment becomes difficult, distinguish secured obligations, unsecured debt and disputed amounts. Debt-relief and bankruptcy options need to be assessed alongside pending claims and judgments. The federal courts’ Bankruptcy Basics explains the procedural framework, but does not by itself determine whether a particular debt can be discharged or an asset retained.

Long-term planning for an owner should address access to records and authority after death or incapacity. Estate administration and asset authority need to be coordinated with ownership and governance documents. The Massachusetts wills and estates resources help frame the review, while beneficiary designations, jointly held property and business interests should each be examined separately.

Start by separating the outcome you want from the facts you can document. For contract or damages litigation, organize agreements, payments and communications chronologically. Checking the parties and underlying records can reveal gaps before positions harden. The applicable Massachusetts civil procedure rules should then guide procedural planning; the volume of documents alone does not establish the strength of a claim.