If
you are thinking of moving to another country you may well need help
understanding what visas are available and how you get them. If you
want to claim nationality of another country you will also need to
understand the rules and procedures involved. Speak to one of our team
of UK based international lawyers to see whether we can help you.
Debt Collecting
If
someone in another country owes you money and won't pay you will,
unfortunately, usually have to go to court. Bringing a court case in
another country can be complicated but need not be excessively so.
Speak to one of our team of UK based international lawyers to see
whether we can help you claim the money to which you are entitled.
Work Permits
If
you want to work overseas – whether as an employee or running your own
business – you will often need a work permit or other official
authorisation to do so. Obtaining work permits in the fastest possible
way involves not only a knowledge of the law in the country in question
but also good local contacts who can guide you as to the attitudes and
preferences of the local officials in question. Let our team of UK
based lawyers qualified in many jurisdictions around the world, use our
25 years of experience to help you get it right!
Contract Checking Service
Some
of our clients do not wish to take advantage of our full property
transfer service but prefer us only to check their contracts and advise
them about any problems that we find. This can be quite a lot cheaper
than (but nearly as secure as) our dealing with the whole transaction.
Other clients ask us to carry out a preliminary review of their
contracts right at the outset of the transaction and before they
instruct us to proceed with our full property transfer service. Either
way we are happy to fit in with your wishes.
'One to One' Preliminary Meetings
Increasingly
clients recognise the value of discussing their affairs at the earliest
possible opportunity. For example, if they are buying a property abroad
they will talk to us about the key issues such as who should be the
legal owner of the property (not always obvious), which type of
mortgage would be best, how to deal with any inheritance complications
produced by the local law and how to minimise their tax bills in their
own country and the country where the property is located BEFORE they
go to look at any properties. Early advice will almost always save
quite a lot of money!
Criminal Cases
If
you or a member of your family gets into trouble whilst abroad you need
expert assistance from somebody accustomed to dealing with the law of
the country in question but who is also familiar with the law in your
own country so that they can explain to you in terms that you will
understand the procedures, penalties and options available in relation
to the charges that you face. In association with our correspondent
lawyers around the world we can provide this service. We also operate a
24 hour emergency service.
Matrimonial Cases
Family
problems are always difficult and stressful. They are even more so if
you live in one country and your husband/wife lives in another or where
the case is being dealt with by the courts in another country using a
legal system with which you are not familiar and a language that you do
not speak. In association with our correspondent lawyers around the
world we can provide this service. We also operate a 24 hour emergency
service.
Family Disputes
Sadly,
it is not uncommon for families to fall out. Perhaps children fall out
with stepmother on the death of their father. Children also fall out
with parents and parents fall out with each other, often in relation to
their children. To deal with these problems you need expert assistance
from somebody accustomed to dealing with the law of the country in
question but who is also familiar with the law in your own country so
that they can explain to you in terms that you will understand the
procedures and options available in relation to the problems that you
face. In association with our correspondent lawyers around the world we
can provide this service. We also operate a 24 hour emergency service.
'Maintenance' and Financial Provision
The
rules setting out how much financial support you must pay/are entitled
to receive vary greatly from country to country. Getting this right has
huge financial implications for the parties concerned. You need expert
assistance from somebody accustomed to dealing with the law of the
country in question but who is also familiar with the law in your own
country so that they can explain to you in terms that you will
understand the procedures and options available in relation to the
problems that you face. In association with our correspondent lawyers
around the world we can provide this service. We also operate a 24 hour
emergency service.
'Access' (Visitation) and 'Custody' (Residence) of Children
Will
you be entitled to see your children? Is the local court likely to
permit the children to live with you? Attitudes vary dramatically from
country to country. The position of a foreigner can be especially
complicated, particularly if they are in dispute with a local person.
You need expert assistance from somebody accustomed to dealing with the
law of the country in question but who is also familiar with the law in
your own country so that they can explain to you in terms that you will
understand the procedures and options available in relation to the
problems that you face. In association with our correspondent lawyers
around the world we can provide this service. We also operate a 24 hour
emergency service.
Child Abduction (Child Snatch)
This
most distressing of situations needs a rapid response from someone who
understands the law and procedures in the country where you are living,
the country from which the child was taken and the country where the
other party resides. In association with our correspondent lawyers
around the world we can provide this service. We also operate a 24 hour
emergency service.
Timeshare Purchase Problems
Have
you agreed to buy a Timeshare only to find that you have been deceived?
Do you want someone to check out your timeshare purchase contract and
to advise you about whether it is safe to proceed? Dealing with
timeshare purchases and problems is something we have been doing for
over 20 years. We pride ourselves on giving clear, practical and low
cost advice.
Holiday Club/Property Bond Purchase Problems
Have
you agreed to buy a membership of a Holiday Club or a Property Bond
only to find that you have been deceived? Do you want someone to check
out your timeshare purchase contract and to advise you about whether it
is safe to proceed? Dealing with timeshare purchases and problems is
something we have been doing for over 20 years. We pride ourselves on
giving clear, practical and low cost advice.
Assistance to Timeshare Owners' Groups and Committees
Many
timeshare constitutions provide for an owners’ group or committee
dealing with the management of the timeshare resort or, at least,
giving advice to the professional management company running the
resort. Those committees will need legal advice from lawyers familiar
with the law relating to timeshare. They will need to know the law in
the country where the property is located, in the country where the
buyers live and the international or European law governing timeshare
operations. We have been advising timeshare committees for over 20
years. See whether we can help you.
Setting Up Timeshare Resorts
If
you are thinking of setting up a timeshare resort, find out the ways
that we can help you. This might include locating suitable land,
dealing with the planning and building consents, dealing with the club
constitution, drafting and/or dealing with the timeshare sales
documentation and giving you the invaluable general advice that comes
from nearly 25 years specialising in international transactions.
Powers of Attorney
If
you have dealings with another country – whether these involve buying a
house, dealing with a court case or running a business – you are likely
to need to appoint somebody locally to take steps on your behalf. This
will require a Power of Attorney. The Power needs to be drafted
carefully to ensure that it give the person appointed – the Attorney –
all of the powers needed but no more. It will usually need to be in the
format and style used in that country and in the language of that
country. It will also have to be authenticated for use in the country
in question. We produce hundreds of such Powers every year.
Process Serving
If
you want to bring a court case against someone who lives abroad there
are special rules to be followed when it comes to the serving of the
court papers. Through our network of correspondent offices throughout
the world we can deal with this task in many countries.
Court Cases
Nobody
likes being involved in a court case. It is always stressful, time
consuming and expensive. A court case in another country is even worse.
Dealing with such a case requires a knowledge of the law in the country
in question and the ability to explain it to you in terms that you will
understand. Let out team of UK based international lawyers guide you
through the maze. We will try to find the shortest and most cost
effective way of dealing with the problem. Where possible we will try
to reach a settlement that will avoid you having to go to court .
Enforcement of Judgments
If
you have obtained a court judgement in one country and wish to enforce
it in another – e.g. you wish to seize assets from the person who lost
the case – it is often possible to do so via the courts of the other
country. The process varies hugely from place to place. Let out team of
UK based international lawyers guide you through the maze.
Property Investment Clubs
Many
of our clients wish to invest in international property but do not wish
– or do not have the funds – to build up their own portfolio of
properties around the world. Owning a diversified portfolio of property
is often the safest and most profitable way of investing in real
estate. Instead of them owning, say, one apartment in, say, Turkey
worth £50,000 they can join together with family, friends or total
strangers to buy through a Property Investment Club. The (say) 15
members would each invest (say) £50,000 so they would have a fund of
£750,000 to invest in (say) 10 properties around the world. These very
simple and tax efficient structures can be a great way of investing in
property abroad. We can advise, set up the clubs and help you find the
best investments. We even sometimes act as dating agencies for people
who do not have friends or family who want to join them.
Property Investment Funds
Property
Investment Funds (Real Estate Investment Trusts – REITS, Property Unit
Trusts – PUTS etc.) can be a sensible way for people who do not wish to
invest huge amounts of money in overseas real estate to dip their toes
into this market. We can assist in the setting up of these funds, by
helping the funds find a and buy property and in many other ways. We
can also help individuals who wish to invest in such funds do the due
diligence needed to check out what is being offered to them. Note that
we are not Independent Financial Advisors and we will not advise about
whether you would be better investing in fund A or fund B.
Property Investment Advice
Unusually
for a law firm, we have for many years been giving advice to clients
about which countries, places and types of property might best suit
their personal investment requirements. There is no ‘one size fits all’
when it comes to making this choice. What is right for you will depend
upon your age, financial situation, timescale, personal preferences,
attitude to risk, etc. There is now a huge range of property around the
world marketed to investors in the UK and we can apply our unrivalled
experience of international property to help you pick your best
options. This service is greatly appreciated by our clients.
Owning Property via your SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension)
Yes!
SIPPs can own property abroad. They can own commercial property
(hotels, bars, offices, land etc.) and – subject to certain
restrictions – they can own residential property via indirect means
(e.g. via a company or property fund rather than directly by the SIPP),
where they own no more than 10% of the property and where it is not for
their personal use. Ownership through the SIPP can be incredibly tax
efficient. If you and your financial advisors decide that this is for
you we can help you by introducing you to a suitable SIPP provider, by
finding and/or buying the property in question and by dealing with all
of the ongoing paperwork that will be required.
Disputes with Developers
Unfortunately
not all property developers are honest and some honest developers get
into difficulties which mean that the development cannot be completed.
This can leave people who have bought property in the developments
(especially if they did not use an independent lawyer to protect their
position) with losses of thousands of pounds. We can help by trying to
recover those losses, through the courts or in other ways. We can do
this for individuals or for whole groups of people who have been
affected.
Very
often you can find yourself in a position where you have perfectly good
legal rights but where the cost of protecting those rights is just too
high for one person to pay. In these cases we can sometimes set up or
act for a group of people who have all been affected by the same
problem. For example, a group of people who have bought property in the
same development and where the developer has failed to deliver the
properties or honour his contract. Or for a group of people who are in
dispute with an unscrupulous timeshare operator. This can reduce the
cost per person from thousands of pounds to a few hundred and make
taking action economically viable.
International Tax Advice
If
you live or work in another country or if you have holiday home in
another country, you will need to understand the tax system in that
country. You will need to file tax returns and you will want to
minimise your tax obligations both during your lifetime and on your
death. If you are an investor what matters is the amount you receive
after tax and so you too will need good tax advice to limit your
obligation to pay. Giving that advice requires an understanding of the
tax law in the country in question AND in your own country. There is no
point in saving tax in (say) France only to find that the steps you
have taken greatly increase your obligations in (say) the UK.
International tax advice is an integral part of many of the cases we
deal with on a day to day basis.
For further information please contact us:
The International Law Partnership LLP
Solicitors & International Lawyers
The Vaults
193-197 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7BD
© The International Law Partnership