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German, Austrian and Swiss Companies and individuals regularly
take our advice and seek our assistance in all of the general
practice areas of Irish law. Much of our German work has been
referred to us because of our reputation for competence. Duncan
Grehan and a number of his staff speak and correspond in the
German language on a daily basis. He is the Special Advisor
(Vertrauensanwalt) to the German Embassy and to the Embassy
of Switzerland in Ireland. He enjoys a special relationship
with the Austrian Embassy in Ireland and is Legal Advisor
to its Commercial Department. From 1990 - 2002 he was a Councillor
of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce. A random
selection of the areas in which we are working in the German
language include:
1. Agency and Distribution
We act for manufacturers and suppliers and assist in the
preparing of agreements with their local representatives for
the placing of business and the distribution of goods. We
are frequently asked to assist in problems with those relationships
and their termination and dissolution. We advise on the terms
and conditions of business and their application.
We frequently assist manufacturers and suppliers on any deterioration
of their local relationships including the appointment and
termination of agents, distributors, retention of title claims
and recovery of payment for goods supplied and delivered.
We regularly represent manufacturers of defective products.
Manufacturers are often joined in Irish court proceedings
arising from simple personal injury claims through the Third
Party procedure.
We advise German companies and investors contemplating the
setting up of branch manufacturing operations in Ireland.
The 12.5% Corporation Tax regime has encouraged much of this
work. The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) give generous
State grant aid to fund set up costs such as the purchase
of buildings and equipment and the training of employees.
Many of our German clients approach us to help them buy or
sell their homes in Ireland, whether they are holiday cottages
or castles. The legal documentation and procedure to transfer
ownership is complex and both sides to the transaction, seller
and buyer, must each have separate legal representation.
We provide a steady volume of companies to our German-speaking
clients whether they are off-shore or resident here. New companies
are available within ten days of instructions and "shelf"
companies can be arranged on demand.
Many of our company clients are owned ultimately by mother
companies in Germany and eslewhere and turn to us from time
to time in relation to both the hiring and firing issues of
employment law.
8. Commercial Law
We have assisted our German clients in their acquisition
plans and funding requirements. Share purchase agreements,
loan documentation and security work are all parts of the
services which we provide in the German language or in English,
as necessary.
As a matter of course we are also in contact with liquidators
and administrators of German and Irish companies. We represent
the creditor interests of suppliers to Ireland from abroad
and we are familiar with all issues arising.
We receive instructions on a daily basis from suppliers who
have not been paid by their customers in Ireland. We also
assist in the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgements
pursuant to the old Brussels Convention, now EU Recognition
44/2001and theLugano Convention.
We have been active in these areas for our German clients
for many years due to our close connections with many law
firms throughout Germany and the state institutions in Ireland
such as the German, Swiss and Austrian embassies and the German-Irish
Chamber of Industry and Commerce of which Mr Grehan is a Board
member.
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