News & Knowledge

On November 1, 2022, the Europe Committee of The Florida Bar ILS, chaired by Susanne Leone, hosted a delegation from Paris, France consisting of the president of the Paris Bar, Julie Couturier, the co-secretary of the International Commission of the Paris Bar, Thierry Aballea, the Advisor to the President and Head of the Department of International Relations, Christian Burgerolle, and the Paris Bar Council member Alexis Werl in Miami. 

We are excited to announce that Leone Zhgun, P.A. has opened an office location in Almaty, Kazakhstan (Asia). The new office location in Central Asia will allow us to better serve our clients conveniently in their region – the place where the planning for international expansion begins. Our staff in Almaty is fluent in English and Russian and our legal services correspond with our firm’s services in the U.S. We advise high net worth individuals with their legal wealth planning, including immigration matters, and assist companies with their international expansion into the U.S. We are looking forward to welcoming you at the Nurly Tau Business Center, at Al-Farabi Avenue, 19, Building 3B, 5th Floor, Office 4, Almaty A15Y0x4 (050059), Kazakhstan.

On October 29, 2022 the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US (“GACC”) celebrated its Annual Gala in Atlanta, USA. Susanne Leone attended the exclusive evening with over 350 guests consisting of German and American business leaders, professionals and executives from various industries.

The Annual Gala is a red-carpet, black-tie celebration and fundraiser and one of GACC South’s largest events of the year. For the 26th time, the event brings together the German and American community to reignite the dialogue between the U.S. and Germany across all sectors. The Gala offers entertainment and prime networking opportunities for a good cause.

Susanne Leone represented Leone Zhgun, P.A. at the 7th German-American Business Forum on June 8, 2022 in Bielefeld, Germany.

Susanne Leone has been appointed on March 31, 2022 to serve as the Chair of the Europe committee for the Florida Bar International Law Section.

Susanne Leone has been recognized for her achievements in the legal field with an award of excellence as 2021 lawyer of distinction in the category “corporate and transactional law.”

Susanne Leone co-authored an article titled “EU–UK trade: not working in practice?” on June 18, 2021, in the UK publication New Law Journal. The article discusses the impact of Brexit on businesses from a German perspective. The exit of the UK as the third-largest EU member state is an enormous loss for the EU. The bureaucracy surges and German businesses change their supply chains. The small and medium UK businesses are the hardest hit. For more information on this topic, you can find the full article at the following link.

Susanne Leone published her article “U.S. Compliance for German SMEs in 2021” in an online corporate compliance journal (the Compliance Elliance Journal) that was created as a collaboration between the University of Miami and the University of Leipzig, Germany. The article focuses on U.S. compliance advice for German small and medium enterprises operating in the U.S. The article discusses the requirements of the U.S. market for companies in 2021, the compliance regime in the U.S., and the future of CMS for global operating SME’s. It further explains new U.S. legislation such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and current U.S. COVID regulations that German companies should be aware of. The article, which was co-authored with Stephan Ebner, can be found at the following link.

We are happy to announce, that due to the increasing demand from our Eastern European clients, we finally opened this month our new office in Moscow, Russia. Our new office location will allow us to better serve our clients conveniently in their home country – the place where the planning for international expansion begins. Our staff in Moscow is fluent in English and Russian and our legal services correspond with our firm’s services in the U.S. We advise high net worth individuals with their legal wealth planning, including immigration matters, and assist companies with their international expansion into the U.S. We are excited and are looking forward to welcoming you soon at our new location.

Despite the continuing pandemic, effective the week of July 20, certain business travelers, investors, treaty traders, academics, and students may qualify for national interest exceptions under Presidential Proclamations (PPs) 9993 (Schengen Area). Qualified business and student travelers who are applying for or have valid visas or ESTA authorization may travel to the United States even as PPs 9993 and 9996 remain in effect following the procedures below.

We observe frequently that businesses “test” the U.S. market first without forming a legal entity in the U.S. What is wrong with that approach? One of the main concerns in the United States is the risk of liability exposure for the foreign company. This exposure to litigation in the U.S. is a high risk factor and can cause excessive monetary damage to the business. Therefore, forming the appropriate legal entity and creating a legal structure from the beginning is of paramount importance. The choice of entity (e.g. Corporation or LLC) must be analyzed prior and individually for each client according to their needs. Besides the legal aspect, customers in the U.S. prefer to contract with a U.S. company and issue payments in U.S. currency.

After years of active involvement with the Florida Bar International Law Section Susanne Leone was appointed at this year’s annual meeting on June 19, 2020, to the Florida Bar ILS Executive Council.

In light of the pandemic, we want to assist our clients with their legal needs. We at Leone Zhgun are committed to keeping you well-informed of breaking legal news related to the coronavirus and we’ll continue to provide our legal services. 

Corporations are asking themselves to what extent the crisis will affect their business and the economy as a whole. Businesses and individuals face unknown struggles in uncertain times. Below you will find some useful information to navigate through this difficult time.

The German legal and business community of South Florida gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables in December at its annual holiday gala. The Consul General of Germany Andreas Siegel and numerous other well-known Germans of the legal and business community attended the gala. The event was a great opportunity for a mutual exchange of information and to get inspired by new visions and strategies of German business owners and executives for 2020.

The article focuses and educates on US laws and regulations a German Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) must comply with when operating a business in the USA.  Besides that the article explains German SME’s how to approach US authorities and overcome cultural differences. The United States of America is one of the most important economic markets for the middle class and an appearance in the US market is for any international company of substantial importance. Also, M&A deals in the United States are currently very interesting for German companies. This is a result of favorable tax laws in the United States and also a result of the current disruption in Europe caused by BREXIT. It is important that German companies obey all relevant laws in the US. In this context, the question often arises as to whether and to what extent SME’s should follow and implement US compliance guidelines. Another topic is the implementation of digital compliance. Finally, the consequences of government investigations against SMEs in the United States due to the lack of financial resources are regularly more serious than for a large enterprise. Society and the judiciary expect that German companies that operate in the US observe all US laws. German companies cannot hope of any favorable treatment by US authorities due to lack of knowledge. But all measures a SME decides to implement should be in relation to each company’s actual risks, its size and its industry. 

You can read the full article here: https://rsw.beck.de/zeitschriften/ccz

In the interview Susanne Leone explains what a German company needs to know when establishing or expanding its business into the United States. The information is based on the experience while working with various German companies expanding their business in the US. It seems obvious but it is important to begin with incorporating the business when starting entering the US market. Choosing the appropriate legal entity is a substantial subject that needs to be discussed prior with your attorney. Tax saving options considering the entire corporate structure including the German parent company should be evaluated and discussed. Additionally, once the business is established the US company needs to comply with US laws, corporate compliance regulations, and tax filing requirements on federal, state and local level. Another important factor is obtaining the appropriate and sufficient insurances for your company. Generally speaking, at a minimum a company that is doing business in the United States should have a general liability insurance and a product liability insurance. If you would like to have more information on that topic please contact us.

Susanne Leone represented the firm at a luncheon held in honor of the Consul General of India, Dr. Swati Vijay Kulkarni and Mr. K.V. Kumar, CEO and Chairman of the Indian American International Chamber of Commerce, Washington D.C. The event was attended by numerous participants, was a great networking opportunity and served as a forum to discuss future business opportunities between India and Florida. Attendance at the program was yet another effort by the firm to strengthen and expand its network into the Indian legal and business communities and build relationships.

Artem Zhgun is attending the AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law, which is the largest immigration law event of the year in Florida. Over 3,000 attendees from around the world are attending to learn the latest strategies and immigration law updates to best serve our clients.

The event organized by the German American Chambers of Commerce in cooperation with the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce and Industry targeted German companies that are seeking to establish business relationships within the U.S., and focused on consulting, discussions, as well as workshops addressing practical questions about doing business in the USA.

                          

The business forum provided an exclusive platform to network and exchange ideas with some of the highest-ranking representatives of German companies in the U.S, U.S. lawyers and CPA’s.

                          

The event had an impressive turnout and was attended by individuals of a variety of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, as well as financial services.

Artem Zhgun und Susanne Leone besuchten das Florida Sun Forum 2019 in Estero. Die Veranstaltung wurde in Südflorida und im Florida Sun Magazin vielfach beworben und war ein großer Erfolg. Das Forum richtete sich an ein deutsch- und deutschsprachiges Publikum und die Referenten bildeten die Teilnehmer in den Bereichen Recht, Immobilien und Ferienwohnungen aus. Susanne Leone stellte zum Thema „EB-5-Investorenvisumprogramm“ die Möglichkeiten vor, die das Programm Anlegern bietet, in die USA einzureisen und eine Green Card mit einer Investition von 500.000 USD zu erhalten. Dieses Programm ermöglicht es einem Investor, seinem Ehepartner und seinen Kindern unter 21 Jahren, in den Vereinigten Staaten zu arbeiten und zu leben. Wenn Sie Fragen haben oder Interesse an dem EB-5-Programm für Investorenvisa haben, wenden Sie sich bitte an uns.