COMPANIES & INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
Lawyers for businesses expanding and growing internationally
Start with the business, not the licence.
Setting up a company abroad is one step. Making it work properly with the parent company, the managers, the employees, the contracts and the tax is the real project.
Expats Law Firm supports SMEs, entrepreneurs and groups from the choice of location through to the day-to-day running, restructuring or closure of their entities.
STRUCTURE
What role should the new company really play?
Before incorporation, we examine:
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business activity;
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customer base;
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invoicing country;
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shareholding;
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managers;
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staff;
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assets;
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financing;
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future relationships with the other companies;
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planned growth.
These elements help decide between a subsidiary, an operating company, a holding company, a branch or another structure suited to the project.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah: free zone, mainland, subsidiary or holding company
Our practice covers:
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choice of jurisdiction and licence;
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free zone or mainland;
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personal or corporate ownership;
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subsidiaries of foreign groups;
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holding companies;
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permitted activities;
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articles of association and corporate documents;
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governance;
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shareholders and UBOs;
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managers and authorised signatories;
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licence amendments;
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share transfers;
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restructuring;
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liquidations.
The company must be suited to the actual business, not simply a way of obtaining a licence.
FRANCE • CANADA • QUEBEC
International expansion does not stop at the UAE
The firm also supports corporate projects in France and Canada. Our practice may involve:
incorporation and reorganisation;
subsidiaries of foreign groups;
governance;
relationships between partners or shareholders;
shareholders' agreements;
agreements;
restructuring;
sales.
In Canada, federal or provincial choices and setting up in Quebec must be built into the group's organisation.
GOVERNANCE & SHAREHOLDING
Capital shows who owns. Governance determines who decides.
Our work covers, in particular:
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articles of association;
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partners' or shareholders' agreements;
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powers of attorney;
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corporate resolutions;
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entry of investors;
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exit of partners;
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share transfers;
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capital reorganisation.
For an international group, this governance must reflect the operational reality of each entity.
PARENT COMPANY & SUBSIDIARIES
Setting up a subsidiary immediately creates new flows
Services. Staff. Intellectual property. Distribution. Financing. Management. Shared costs.
These relationships must be legally documented and remain consistent with the group's tax treatment.
International contracts & intragroup agreements
CORPORATE LIFE
After incorporation, the company's real life begins
Activities, shareholders, directors and needs evolve. The firm assists with the necessary corporate transactions:
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changes of directors or shareholders;
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new activities;
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amendments to the articles of association;
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renewals;
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legal documentation;
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coordination of tax and accounting obligations;
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restructuring;
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preparation for a sale;
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liquidation.
An SME's first international set-up
The company, tax, director, contracts and first hire often have to be built at the same time.
An established group
The analysis focuses more on how functions are split between several entities, governance, flows, transfer pricing and restructurings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
