International Joint Ventures: A Guide for U.S. Lawyers

In increasingly globalizing markets, more and more lawyers are faced with the challenge of the new era of partnerships in a competitive global business world. Working on joint venture structures set up in many jurisdictions represents an interesting challenge for the legal profession. This publication is therefore designed to serve as a guide for lawyers engaged in these types of transactions who need to have a high level overview of the most relevant legal issues they may encounter in another jurisdiction. 

International Joint Ventures is a survey-based publication intended to assist American business lawyers in advising clients in international transactions and preparing deals between U.S. companies and overseas co-venturers. Expert practitioners from firms across the globe have crafted a flexible but relatively uniform method of how to think about issues particular to international joint ventures. The result is a reference work that is intended to serve as a starting point from which to map out effective agreements.

A questionnaire was used by each of the contributing firms in 40 jurisdictions across the globe. For purposes of the questionnaire, assume that the joint venture will be between a U.S. entity and an entity in your jurisdiction and that the investment by the U.S. entity may result in the holding of a majority interest or a minority interest. The ABA Model Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) will form the basis for the joint venture. The local entity will be contributing assets relating to the relevant line of business and will continue with its other activities.