Lawyer Monthly Magazine - March 2020 Edition

1 2 3 Royce Lane, also known for his tenacity and often referred to as “The Bulldog Lawyer”, started his journey into the legal sphere in 1983. After growing up in New Zealand, he worked in a family business with his father for four years before joining the NZ Police Force, Highway Patrol in Sept 1973, where he served for 15 years. During this time, he was a working student attending Auckland University and was thereafter assigned to police prosecutions. After venturing to Asia, he worked at various law firms and was situated in the Philippines for five years. On 26th February 1996, he was shot in the head at close blank range by a gunman that was hired by a disgruntled losing opponent in a Court case that Royce acted in. After 10 days hospitalisation and recovery after the bullet was removed, Royce was surprised to learn that the local Police Chief reported nothing had been done at all, and that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was not aware of this highly published case. Suspecting corruption and derelict officials, he launched his own investigation. Ten months later, he found the gunman and took him into the NBI who was charged for frustrated murder, along with the other masterminds involved. In 1999, he was Chief General Counsel for a multinational firm based in Hong Kong, which was operating in 52 countries, with six legal staff reporting to him. In 2006, he retired on a garden pension for two years, and in 2009, he attained World Pro Status with a Tour Card in his much-loved game of Cue Sports, attaining two world titles, undefeated to date. In 2013, he returned to the legal sector as General Counsel for large companies. In 2018 Royce founded Pro Law International, today with offices in London, Hong Kong and The Caribbean, with Legal Officers on board from Europe to Asia. His firm focuses on General Counsel work, working with large companies in China, related to Alibaba. In addition, his firm has two products, one called LARCO and the other called DualPass. Royce’s Journey into Law How to expand your business internationally 1 https://prifinance.com/en/cryptocurrency-license/uk/ 2 https://lawstrust.com/en/licence/finance/crypto-license/gb Infographic Information Source: https://jelvix.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/global-expansion-infographic-966x4002.jpg PRO LAW INTERNATIONAL Int'l Help Desk: EO@prolawinternational.com 15 MAR 2020 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM The general method and process, in brief, behind taking your business across borders is as follows: Evaluate if you are ready to expand. Research the jurisdiction, from ensuring the marketplace is right for what you are trying to sell, to the country’s culture and business principles. Find the right partners and team that you can trust. Ensure your partners and team based in your new place of business are knowledgeable of suppliers, the local marketplace, the language and regulations. They should be looking out for your best interests whilst maintaining business contacts. Ensure your team have a contingency plan in case, for example, your shipping company does not follow through. Learn about international compliance and regulation issues. Learning the tax codes, different business regulations and packaging standards in other countries can take time. Often, paperwork and compliance for setting up a new company can take months. Banks also may be hesitant to deal with an international company so you may have to set up a separate foreign business entity and bank account to make handling transactions. Consider hiring a lawyer with experience in international business and the country you’re expanding to avoid potential legal snags. Front Cover Feature Royce Lane