Germany, Austria, & Switzerland

Home to one of the largest German speaking legal teams in the U.S., AGG has more than a dozen fluent attorneys, paralegals, and other professionals in both written and spoken German. Together, we help German, Austrian, and Swiss businesses find success in the American marketplace.

Overview

Arnall Golden Gregory advises German, Austrian, and Swiss-owned companies in all aspects of running operations in the United States. The team includes attorneys holding dual-citizenship in both the United States and Germany. Additionally, two AGG attorneys are licensed to practice law in both Germany and the U.S. Our German-speaking clients rely on our team to handle critical legal matters, negotiating, and preparing documents in both German and English.

We are counselors and advisors to mid-sized and large companies in the automotive, solar and wind energy, design, and manufacturing, information technology, life sciences, roadway and tunneling, as well as accounting industries across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Our team uses honed bilingual skills to support clients as outside counsel for daily operational legal needs and we also provide services in corporate, employment, immigration, litigation, white collar criminal defense, intellectual property, real estate, and tax law matters.

Our attorneys are committed to helping German, Austrian, and Swiss businesses be successful in the American marketplace. With more than four decades of experience advancing economic development matters for these international companies, we take active roles in German-American business initiatives. We are founding members of the German-American Cultural Foundation of Atlanta, leading the way in fundraising for German education and business ventures. We also serve as General Counsel to the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeastern United States, handling the organization’s corporate, employment, immigration, leasing and FCPA legal matters. Additionally, our attorneys also sit on the Board of Directors for the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeastern United States, as well as the German School of Atlanta, along with being Vertrauensanwälte to the Austrian Trade Commission, and the German Consulate General in Atlanta. The firm is an active member of the Employment Law Alliance and Legalink.

Our involvement and interest in international law is broad, exemplified through one of our partner’s visible role as a long-time Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law teaching immigration law. AGG’s international and domestic reputation in the legal industry is outstanding and our practice is recognized for excellence by Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, and Best Lawyers. Notably, AGG represents Germany’s largest accounting firm as well as some of the region’s most prominent automobile brands.

Experience

  • Lead appellate counsel in successful Eleventh Circuit argument of new and high-profile issue under international discovery statute (28 U.S. C. § 1782). Taking up an undecided question of international litigation with wide-ranging implications for foreign litigants with global and cross-border disputes, Mr. Flake led the analysis, briefing, and oral argument before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In the trial court, he and his team successfully fought to obtain for use in the Austrian courts a massive production of financial documents from a Georgia-based affiliate of an Austrian company. When AGG’s client wanted to use those same documents in U.S. litigation, the U.S. subsidiaries argued such use was prohibited, a position AGG confirmed through its win on appeal.
  • Lead counsel for global Eurasian technology company in obtaining award in international arbitration under UNCITRAL (UN Commission on International Trade Law) rules for international arbitration. Following multi-day hearings in Helsinki, Finland, the arbitral tribunal granted AGG’s client all of the substantive relief it requested, ordering the opponent to pay amounts owed AGG’s client under contract, full interests on those amounts, and substantially all of the costs of the arbitration and AGG’s legal fees. In its lengthy award, the Tribunal relied upon testimony adduced through Mr. Flake’s pointed cross-examination of witnesses for the opposing party, a large multinational supplier of telecom equipment and services, as well as his post-hearing briefing.
  • Represented NIIT in connection with global immigration requirements, including visa and work permit processing; managing the immigration consequences of mergers, acquisitions and compliance.
  • Successfully represented United States subsidiary of German international construction company in dispute with sub-contractor involving construction of Volkswagen automobile manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. Secured advantageous settlement for client.
  • Represented the independent consultant for UBS AG in a DOJ Non-Prosecution Agreement and SEC Cease and Desist Order to ensure that UBS executed on undertakings to discontinue providing prohibited services to US taxpayers as stipulated in the relevant agreements.
  • Represented Austria’s leading provider of aluminum for the manufacturing industry in action on account against South Carolina company regarding non-payment of invoices for shipments of aluminum products. Secured settlement for client.
  • Obtained an injunction in Cyprus preserving status quo in connection with a shareholders dispute over the ownership of electric power assets in Ukraine involving court proceedings in Ukraine, Switzerland, U.K. and arbitration under the rules of the London Court of International Arbitration.
  • Secured favorable settlement for minority shareholders of a major Ukrainian ferroalloy plant in an action under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO).
  • Advising publicly traded (NASDAQ and German Stock Exchange) multinational software company in U.S. legal matters.
  • Represented German photovoltaic modules manufacturer for setup of U.S. subsidiaries and operation of sales facilities in the U.S.
  • Lead acquisition of multi-million dollar Brazilian and U.S. trade show portfolios by Germany-based trade show company.
  • Secured dismissal of the proceedings in an arbitration claim brought by a Russian coal producer against a U.S. coal trader in the International Chamber of Commerce arbitration in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Advising U.S.-based investor in the marketing and sale of $20 million real estate portfolio located in Germany.
  • Representing a Germany-based manufacturer in a dispute with a former employee.  Assisted in obtaining an order sending several of the claims to arbitration while also obtaining a stay of the related litigation.
  • Represented a real estate fund formation of multiple “blind pool” funds and in the acquisition and disposition of portfolio assets comprising of acquisitions.
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