Area firm finds growth opportunities in Mideast

By Mike Scott Legal News The world may be getting smaller every day, but Lipson, Neilson, Cole, Seltzer & Garin attorneys Steven Cole and Stuart Logan are convinced that face-to-face marketing efforts still matter. They also now understand that there are certain times overseas when they may not want to take photos. Cole and Logan joined a contingent of county officials and business owners and executives from Automation Alley in late October as part of a trade mission to Israel. From there the two partners independently met with companies in Jordan in an effort to increase the firm's international exposure and business opportunities. "Before we went over there we looked inwards at our own capabilities and experiences to see what we could provide (foreign) clients," Cole said. "We took some specific steps to help us prepare for the trip." Those steps included meeting with the U.S. Department of Commerce and working in conjunction with officials who help match American service providers with Israeli businesses at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Cole said. The Lipson Neilson attorneys also utilized their collective base of network contacts to get introductions with other law firms and accounting companies in the two countries. Cole, Logan and other attorneys in the firm's Bloomfield Hills office collectively have significant experience in international legal work. The firm wants to increase its business in working with high-tech and energy clients both in the U.S. and overseas. Israel is one of the most prominent countries for emerging high-tech and energy businesses globally. "That is where we want to be as a group - as a player in those two industries," Logan said. "We developed a new section emphasizing our international practice. We're finding that each year we anticipate international work becoming a larger part of our business." In addition to high-tech and energy work, Lipson Neilson attorneys feel there is an opportunity to get more business in such legal specialties as strategic partnerships, cross-border investments, joint ventures, and intellectual property involving overseas transactions. "Fortunately we had some client connections we were able to leverage," Logan said. "We discussed the supportive environment in Michigan for high-tech businesses, alternative energy, and the film industry." Hailing from Michigan also helped Cole and Logan land some meetings because of the interest in the state overseas. They explained to Israeli and Jordanian business leaders that Michigan is a prime area in which to invest because of the high number of skilled employees and a lower operating cost of entry compared with other markets such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Lipson Neilson, like many other area law firms, also has increased its international reach because existing clients have opened operations overseas, according to Cole. "That's really how our firm has grown, in that we have followed our clients," Cole said. "That has now taken us overseas. If there's one thing I have found is that your business will likely unfold in a way where client needs take you in a direction that sets the path for your firm." Already Lipson Neilson has worked on a syndication of multi-national business operations. Cole and Logan have also worked with a foreign client interested in expanding an international franchise. Regardless of the work that the firm is doing overseas, Cole and Logan believe that face-to-face meetings in Israel, Jordan, and other parts of Asia and the world will be necessary in the coming months and years. "It's still an important way to do business because you become more ingrained in the memory of your business contacts when you meet someone in person," Logan said. Cole commented that "business professionals still appreciate it, and it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate a willingness to roll up our sleeves." Cole gave an example of meeting a Jordanian business executive who jokingly praised the taste of the Jordanian coffee he was serving, when compared with the American version of espresso. The two parties had a laugh over it and that informal topic of conversation is something that network contacts halfway around the world will remember. There is something else that both Cole and Logan will remember from their trip to Israel and Jordan. And for a few minutes, the two lawyers weren't sure if there would be a happy ending. When Cole and Logan were waiting to enter Jordan from the Israeli border, Cole took out his camera and began snapping some photos of the scenery. Within seconds they were detained by Israeli guards on the border. Taking such photos is apparently restricted despite the absence of posted warnings, but ultimately the two were released shortly thereafter. But it was not without a scare. "We can laugh about it now but if there is one other thing we learned it is that you have to learn about the customs of a foreign country as much as you can before going to visit," Cole said. Logan agreed. "At the same time the way in which people do business around the world is similar. Business professionals speak the same language pretty much anywhere around the world." Just don't expect Cole to bring his camera during his next visit overseas. Published: Fri, Dec 25, 2009

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