Dan Harris

Dan Harris is a founding member of Harris Sliwoski, an international law firm where he mostly represents companies doing business in emerging market countries. Most of his time is spent helping American and European companies navigate foreign countries by working with the international lawyers at his firm in setting up companies overseas (WFOEs, Subsidiaries, Rep Offices and Joint Ventures), drafting international contracts, protecting IP, and overseeing M&A transactions.

In addition, Dan writes and speaks extensively on international law, with a focus on protecting foreign businesses in their overseas operations. He is also a prolific and widely-followed blogger, writing as the co-author of the award-winning China Law Blog.

International Cease and Desist Letter

Cease and Desist Letters to Protect Your IP: Just the Facts and Law

My law firm often gets calls from companies alleging “a company is selling their product under their trade name on Amazon” and asking us to send a cease and desist letter “right away” to get that company to stop violating their IP. Our typical response is to say it is seldom a good idea to

Five China Supply Chain Risks

Five Potential Shocks to your Chinese Supply Chain in 2023

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert to explain what is involved in moving manufacturing from China to Mexico. I chose Andrew for this because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My law firm frequently consulted with Andrew when we first started

Mexico is the new China for manufacturing

Mexican Supply Chain Management: You’re Not in China Anymore

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert to explain what it takes to move manufacturing from China to Mexico, in large part by comparing the two countries. I chose Andrew for this near-Herculean task because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My

China versus Mexico for manufacturing

Three Mistakes We Made in China and Three Things We’ll Get Right in Mexico

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert to explain what is involved in moving manufacturing from China to Mexico, in large part by comparing the two countries. I chose Andrew for this near-Herculean task because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside.

Chinese factory negotiating

China’s Business and Negotiating Culture: Good Luck with That

A client yesterday emailed me an article he had saved since 2007 and in his email he remarked how “when it comes to dealing dealing with Chinese businesspeople nothing ever changes.” I am not so sure nothing changes, but I am sure that what this article describes about dealing with China has not changed much,

The risks of dual language China contracts

Dual Language China Contracts: Don’t Get Fooled!

Make sure you know what your contract says in the language in which a court will be interpreting it. Oh, and having a contract with more than one "official" language almost never makes sense.

China COVID Predictions

Will China’s COVID Re-Opening be Good or Bad for Business?

In What Does a Re-Opened China (Without Quarantine) Mean for Foreign Business? Renaud Anjoran of Sofeast Group looks at what China’s “COVID re-opening” will mean for foreign businesses. Let me begin by saying that I count Renaud among the group of people I consider most qualified to answer a question like this. I say this

China lawyers fraud

China Internal Company Frauds

Most of what we write about frauds involving China are about frauds perpetrated by Chinese companies against foreign companies. But as a reader recently emailed me, frauds perpetrated within foreign companies in China “are at least as common and every bit as damaging.” I agree, and today’s post highlights six of the most common internal

China contract jurisdiction

Choosing the Jurisdiction for Your China Contract Disputes

I love when blog posts come pre-written. In cleaning out old emails today I found one from one of my law firm’s international dispute resolution lawyers to a Canadian client’s in-house lawyer who had proposed writing a contract that would give the client the choice of suing its Chinese counter-party in either Canada or China.