Our History

Since opening our doors in 1893, we have assisted our clients in setting up, growing and expanding in the U.S. market through many decades of ups, downs, and market gyrations. We helped airlines in their startup and international aspirations in the 1930s, 50s and 60s, were instrumental in assisting a French / Belgian engineering joint venture in outfitting the Atlanta subway systems in the 1970s, established hundreds of subsidiaries of German companies in the 1980s and 90s and are counsel to numerous businesses of all sizes from Europe and Asia in this millennium. When bringing your commercial vision to life, we see the “big picture” on a global scale. Our perspective is your advantage.

Our Capabilities

Clients seek our advice when initially considering an investment in North America. Others are expanding their current presence or starting large-scale manufacturing. We are prepared to power your growth from the ground up – and for the long haul.

Our services encompass the full life cycle of a project, from formation through organic growth to expansion by corporate acquisitions. We help small startup operations with their first steps, aspiring companies in fulfillment of their strategies and consolidation of large operations with multiple manufacturing facilities in the U.S. With greenfield investments in mind, we assist in site selection and negotiate economic incentives from local and state governments to lower your cash investment required. We help you in managing real estate, construction, environmental and labor issues, drawing on the knowledge and experience of practice groups across the firm. Our M&A professionals are constantly engaged in cross-border acquisitions, and we work hand in hand with our clients from negotiating the initial Letter of Intent, conducting due diligence and completing the transaction with our team of attorneys familiar in industrial specialty areas. We serve as your general counsel, advising on everything from corporate matters to employment, immigration, compliance and intellectual property concerns.

Our Approach

A successful international investment requires the oversight of legal counsel who can offer clear, transparent advice backed by experience. Smith Gambrell & Russell has spent decades helping clients from abroad to grow their presence in the U.S. We speak your language. We understand your culture. We know the world.

We see your business in a global context. With deep roots in Europe and Asia and longstanding practices in South America and Oceania, internationality is our tenet. Our clients range from Indian start-ups, or family-owned German “Mittelstand” companies to multinational Japanese and Korean corporations in diverse industries such as automotive, infrastructure, waste management, renewable energy, food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and technology. Similarly, we counsel significant individual investors and family offices from around the world in their private investment endeavors.

Our Credentials

We speak your language and know your home territory. For us, successfully leading a multinational transaction, fluency is about more than just interpreting spoken words. The subtleties of cultural customs, regulatory regimes, legal requirements, and business environments can be instrumental. We ensure that nothing gets lost in translation when you are navigating unfamiliar territory and we identify unknown benefits or hazards to you. Our commitment to building long-lasting partnerships will make you feel at home throughout your transition into U.S. markets – and well into the future.

Global Solutions – Local Collaborations

Our work crosses continents, industries, and legal disciplines. So do our resources. Wherever your legal needs and business interests take you, we are there with our local contacts or collaborating with specialty counsel and consultants to provide you with real-time advice on issues of law and commerce.