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Dan Harris

Item: Dan Harris
Rating: 10
Author: Aaron A. Pelley

Founding Partner Harris Sliwoski LLP/China Law Blog

37 years of experience
International Law, Intellectual Property
Alaska, Illinois, Washington

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Biography

I am an international lawyer dedicated to assisting companies with legal challenges in international law and business. I founded Harris Sliwoski, a law firm that operates with teams in Barcelona, Denver, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, and Sydney. My primary role involves representing businesses in emerging markets, a responsibility that has required me to develop and maintain a vast network through relentless communication and frequent travel.

My professional experiences are diverse, ranging from securing the release of two helicopters detained in Papua New Guinea to establishing a legal framework for transporting slag from Canada to Poland. I have managed numerous litigation and arbitration cases in Korea, assisted in clearing terrorism charges in Japan, and enforced debt collection through the seizure of fish products in China.

I have received several accolades for my work, including being named one of only three Washington State Amazing Lawyers in International Law. I hold an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the highest possible rating, a perfect 10.0 rating from AVVO.com, and I am recognized as a SuperLawyer.

As a frequent writer and speaker on business affairs in Asia, I travel extensively between the United States and Asia. I am the lead writer for the award-winning China Law Blog (www.chinalawblog.com). Publications such as Forbes Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and The Economist have featured interviews with me concerning my international law practice. I hold licenses to practice law in Washington, Illinois, and Alaska.

My focus areas include establishing companies overseas through various structures like WFOEs, Representative Offices, or Joint Ventures, drafting contracts such as NDAs and licensing agreements, protecting intellectual property rights, and overseeing mergers and acquisitions. Above all, I consider myself a problem solver for Western companies operating on an international scale.

Practice Areas

International Law: Human Rights, Imports & Exports

Intellectual Property

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

Alaska
Since 2002

Illinois

Washington
Since 1987

Languages

English: Spoken, Written
French: Spoken, Written
Spanish: Spoken, Written

Professional Experience

Founding Member: Harris Sliwoski LLP; 2000 - Current; Co-founder of Harris Sliwoski LLP, an international law firm with a robust global presence. With offices strategically located across the United States in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Denver, and Phoenix, and internationally in key cities including Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Mexico City, and Sydney, the firm is uniquely positioned to serve clients on a global scale. Our mission is to provide specialized legal assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in international business, with a specific focus on facilitating successful trade and legal operations in or with pivotal markets such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, Germany, and Spain.

Associate/Partner: LeSourd & Patten; 1989 - 2000; Handled domestic and international corporate and litigation matters for clients ranging in size from small family owned businesses to companies like Unocal, GATX, and Canadian Forest Products.

Associate: Kirkland & Ellis; 1984 - 1988; Litigation associate working on big case domestic and international litigation and arbitration matters.

Education

Indiana University Maurer School of Law: Honors: Magna Cum Laude Order of the Coif Managing Editor Multiple Am Jur Awards for Highest Class Grade; Activities: Law Journal

Grinnell College: B.A. | French, Political Science; Honors: Grinnell Scholar

Awards

Top 100 Blawg: American Bar Association; 2009; Chosen for the third straight year (since its inception)by the editors and readers of the American Bar Association Journal as one of the top 100 law blogs.

Highest Ranking -- 10.0: Avvo; 2009; Received a 10.0 ranking from Avvo.com, based on a combination of my experience, reputation, and professional conduct.

A/V (highest) Rating By Lawyer Peers: Martindale-Hubbell; 2009; Received A/V (highest) rating for tenth consecutive year, by my lawyer peers.

Best Regional Blog: American Bar Association; 2008; Chosen as a Top 100 blog by the editors of the American Bar Association Journal and then handily voted as the Best Blog within the category of "Regional Blogs."