Outside General Counsel

Ongoing US counsel, with senior attention to your business.

Chang Law Group serves as outside general counsel to Chinese and Taiwanese companies operating in the United States, and to US companies that source from Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers. Based in Boston, with US litigation and transaction experience dating to 2006, the firm works with your team by WeChat and email in Chinese or English, delivers advice and documents in English, and handles disputes directly or selects and manages local counsel when the venue requires it.

JUMP TO: Who This Is For | Working Together | Contact | Related Articles

Overview

Who This Is For

This program is built for four kinds of companies.

The parent company with a US subsidiary and no US lawyer. Contracts are signed, employees are hired, and customs entries are filed, and none of it is reviewed by US counsel until a problem arises.

The exporter whose US customers are the business. You ship into the US on DDP or FOB terms, your receivables are with US buyers, and your exposure is under US law whether or not you have a US entity.

The legal or finance team in Taipei, Shanghai, or Shenzhen that needs US hands. You have counsel at home. What you need is US counsel that acts promptly, answers your questions in Chinese by WeChat and email, and is direct about cost.

The US company that sources from Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers. Supply agreements, quality disputes, tooling, and payment terms, handled by counsel with experience on both sides of the relationship.

If your matter is a single transaction or a single case, contact the firm and we will point you to the right page.

What Is Included

Scope, included hours, and reporting are set in the engagement agreement for each tier.

Contracts, employment, and corporate housekeeping. See Business and Corporate.

Customs, export controls, CFIUS, and cross-border agreements. See International Business.

Demand letters, collections, and early dispute intervention. See Litigation and Disputes.

Anything outside scope is quoted in writing before work begins.

When a Dispute Happens

Litigation is handled within the engagement rather than referred out. Terms are agreed before filing. The firm handles the case in Massachusetts state and federal courts; for other venues it selects and manages local counsel, holds the budget, and remains your single point of contact.

Recent results include a $1.88 million judgment in a US-Taiwan cross-border real estate dispute, a $183,248 judgment in a shareholder dispute, and a complete defense verdict in a federal copyright case.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter depends on its own facts.

What It Costs

A fixed monthly fee, quoted in writing after the initial consultation. The fee is fixed for the initial term, and anything outside scope is quoted before work begins. Three tiers:

Core. For an exporter or US company with no US subsidiary: contract review, receivables strategy, and customs questions.

Standard. For a US subsidiary under 50 people: everything in Core, plus employment counsel, corporate housekeeping, and customs notice responses.

Full. For a US subsidiary over 50 people, or a group with several US entities: everything in Standard, with more included hours and litigation on terms set in the engagement agreement.

The fixed monthly fee applies to the outside general counsel program only. Single matters, including litigation for clients who are not on retainer, are quoted on hourly or phase-budget terms.

Engagement is by written agreement. Conflicts are checked before the first consultation.

Experience

How the Firm Works With Your Team in Asia

Language. WeChat and email in Chinese or English. Legal advice and drafts in English. Calls in English, with Mandarin as needed.
Responsiveness. Messages from your team in Asia are answered promptly, with a direct line for urgent matters.

Channels. WeChat, LINE, email, and phone. The firm uses the channel your team already uses.

Continuity. A designated attorney who knows your file and your business.

Reporting. Written reporting to management in Chinese and English is available and is set at the outset.

Contact the Firm If

No US lawyer has reviewed your subsidiary's contracts or employment documents.
Your parent company wants a written picture of the subsidiary's US legal exposure.
A supplier in China or Taiwan is holding your tooling, or a shipment failed inspection.
A US buyer owes you money and has stopped responding.
CBP sent a CF-28, CF-29, or penalty notice.
Your current arrangement does not give you predictable legal costs.

The Attorney

Jeff C. Chang, Founding Attorney, has practiced in Massachusetts state and federal courts since 2006 and is admitted to the US Court of International Trade. He founded companies before and while practicing law. He has assisted with removing an international company from the US Commerce Department Entity List, negotiated multi-million-dollar supply agreements between US manufacturers and Chinese and Taiwanese suppliers, and structured US market entry for Taiwanese companies. He works in English and conversational Mandarin. JD, Case Western Reserve University School of Law; BA, Michigan State University, James Madison College.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need a US entity to use this program? No. Exporters and US companies without a US subsidiary use the Core tier for contract review, receivables strategy, and customs questions. If you later form a US subsidiary, the retainer expands with it.

Can you work with our existing US customs broker or accountant? Yes, and the firm does not replace them. The broker files entries; the accountant prepares returns. The firm advises on the legal exposure, responds to government notices, and coordinates so that nobody's work conflicts with anyone else's.

What happens if we need a lawyer in another state? Massachusetts and federal matters are handled directly. For matters that require local counsel elsewhere, the firm selects and manages that counsel, holds the budget, and remains your single point of contact.

Where is the firm's attorney admitted? Massachusetts state courts, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the US Court of International Trade. For other venues, the firm engages and manages local counsel.

How much does outside general counsel cost? A fixed monthly fee, set by tier and quoted in writing after the initial consultation. The fee is fixed for the initial term. Anything outside scope is quoted before work begins.

How do we start? Request a consultation. The firm reviews your US footprint, your current legal exposure, and how your company makes decisions, runs a conflicts check, and sends a written proposal with a tier recommendation and a fixed monthly fee.

Contact