Business Lawyers Around the Clock — Around the World SM
 |
Eliot R. Clauss |
Summary of Practice
Mr. Clauss is a business lawyer, trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor with twenty years of experience in the U.S.-China legal and business world. He has counseled and represented American companies doing business in China and Chinese companies doing business in the United States. He has extensive experience in the establishment and operation of business entities in China and in the negotiation and drafting of business agreements between U.S. and Chinese companies. These include joint-venture agreements, manufacturing agreements, licensing agreements, other transactional agreements and related documentation. He counsels and represents clients in such diverse industries as aviation, banking, biotechnology, environmental technology, apparel manufacturing, insurance, pharmaceuticals and shipping. He is a recognized expert in providing guidance and legal solutions to international corporations, emerging enterprises and high-net-worth individuals who are involved in cross-border transactions and investments.
Mr. Clauss also represents clients in U.S. and international litigation, arbitration and mediation, including arbitration before the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre and before the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.
As President of the US-China Chamber of Commerce from 1995 to 1998, Mr. Clauss led corporate and commercial trade missions to China and engaged in extensive discussions and negotiations with Chinese government representatives and Chinese businesses concerning a wide variety of legal and commercial policies and practices.
Professional and Educational Background
Mr. Clauss is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and New York Law School. Following graduation from law school Mr. Clauss served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York on the Organized Crime Strike Force. He then spent approximately five years as a corporate and securities attorney with Manhattan law firms Davis & Cox and Jacobs, Persinger & Parker. Afterward, he joined Peltz & Walker as a trial lawyer, where he focused on commercial litigation including insurance disputes, professional liability and products liability cases and other complex cases involving civil racketeering and intellectual property. Building on his litigation experience and his U.S.-China transactional experience, he later established his own firm emphasizing U.S.-China trade and investment. In joining Russin Vecchi, Berg & Bernstein LLP, he has added increased depth, breadth and scope to his practice. Mr. Clauss is also a Consultant to Yao Liang Law Offices, a firm of more than 30 Chinese lawyers with offices in Shanghai and Beijing. Mr. Clauss divides his time between China and the United States but is available full-time to clients and colleagues by cell phone and e-mail.
Professional Affiliations
| Bar Admissions: | New York, Connecticut United States District Courts in New York and Connecticut United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit United States Court of International Trade. |
| Bar Associations and Professional Associations: | New York City Bar Association Member and Former Vice-Chairman of its Asian Affairs Committee United States-China Chamber of Commerce Former President China Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.A. Former Senior Advisor American Chamber of Commerce-Shanghai Member |
