Pre-recorded from INTA's 2016 Annual Meeting. 

It is often said that the world is a global village, and in the world of trademarks this is now truer than ever. This session highlights the benefits to corporations, service providers and law firms of having expats, with their unique skills and experiences, on their team. It will also address the feasibility of transferring licenses to practice in other countries and ways to continue your career without a local license. Expats who have successfully transferred their careers cross border will share their experiences. Challenges and pitfalls to such a professional move are all part of the journey and will also be discussed.

The panel consists of a lawyer from the US who started his own firm in Brazil, an Australian lawyer who immigrated to the US and worked initially in law firms and now is with an international legal service provider, a lawyer from South Africa who is now in-house counsel in Europe and a New Zealand lawyer who is now partner in an international law firm, with her office located in Dubai.

Discussion points will include:

• What are the unique skills that expats bring to corporations, firms and service providers?
• Transferring and applying “local” trademark knowledge to a career in a different country.
• Must one obtain a local law license to work in the trademark field in a country other than where they initially qualified?
• Ethical considerations in being subject to two separate and possibly conflicting ethical guidelines.