Atlanta-Based Law Firm Partners with People’s Republic of China to Promote Product Quality and Safety
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP is co-hosting the 2008 China Summit for International Trade Standards, Environmental Protection, Packaging, Safety, Quality Inspection, Quarantine, Certification, Technical Barrier and Related Product Liability Issues Involved in Export Trade beginning today in Beijing, China. Along with the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Morris, Manning & Martin is hosting the event to help Chinese businesses understand and work within the American legal system to export products to the United States and manage compliance with U.S. standards of product safety.
“Following recent headline-grabbing recalls and rejections of Chinese goods, we proposed this Summit to help Chinese businesses seeking to do business in the United States better understand our laws,” said Jeffrey L. Schulte, a senior partner in the firm’s corporate practice. “Through this unique forum, we hope to bridge cultural gaps between American and Chinese business practices, as we believe there is much to be gained from trade between the two nations.”
Topics are expected to include:
- Earning a reputation for quality
- Understanding American consumer protection
- Using contracts to manage and allocate risk
- Risk transfer through insurance
- Legal defense strategies
Morris, Manning & Martin is the only American law firm participating in the first-of-its- kind Summit and is uniquely qualified to do so, given the strength of the firm’s China practice, which is headed by the firm’s international practice leader, Tim Tingkang Xia, who was born in China and will speak at the Summit. Morris, Manning & Martin has seven Mandarin-speaking professionals and recently won a landmark patent infringement case for China-based General Protecht Group.
Presenters from the firm expected to speak at the Summit include Tim Tingkang Xia, Jeffrey L. Schulte, Robert Alpert and Seslee S. Mattson, whose expertise encompasses intellectual property, corporate practice and product liability, respectively. Also in attendance will be firm co-founders John G. (“Sonny”) Morris and Joseph R. Manning.
The Summit’s guest list includes several Chinese Ministers and Deputy Ministers, as well as a Supreme Court Justice. Speaking as part of the U.S. delegation will be Judge John Walker, the recently retired Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, who also serves as the China Liaison for the International Relations Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. The Honorable Kenneth C. Stewart and Gretchen Corbin of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, another co-sponsor of the Summit, will also speak at the event.
Among the over 400 Chinese companies committed to attend are three of the nation’s largest vehicle manufacturers: Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group) and the Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation.
The Summit will run January 18-20 in Beijing, China. It is expected to be the first in a series of annual events.
About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, (www.mmmlaw.com) enjoys national prominence for its corporate finance, securities, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, technology, intellectual property, real estate and real estate capital markets, environmental, insurance and healthcare practices. The firm has offices in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Princeton.
###
Media Contact for Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP:
Nicole Harris, Porter Novelli, (404) 995-4532, nicole.harris@porternovelli.com
Terri Thornton, Thornton Communications, (404) 932-4347 territhornton@mindspring.com