Export Legal Assistance Network, Small Business Administration
What is the Export Legal Assistance Network?
With a presence in 70 U.S. cities and with the participation of more than 250 attorneys, the Export Legal Assistance Network (ELAN) program is a nationwide group of attorneys in private practice that volunteer to provide an initial legal consultation free of charge to companies just beginning to export. Under ELAN, knowledgeable lawyers help new to export companies learn the legal aspects of international trade. Issues relating to export licensing, domestic and foreign taxation, tariffs, and intellectual property rights are just some of the topics covered.
What are the services that and ELAN lawyer will provide?
In your first meeting, the volunteer ELAN lawyer will help you identify the key legal issues facing your company in exporting. The volunteer will explain basic contractual requirements, taxes and regulations and give you introductory information on other necessary resources, such as banks, freight forwarders, insurance companies, and state and federal programs to expand exports. Your consultation will last long enough to identify the legal issues facing your product or service.
This free consultation is meant to provide a reasonably detailed overview of the legal issues involved in exporting. You are then free to handle the next steps yourself, or to hire an attorney to complete them for you.
How can I contact an ELAN lawyer located near me?
You can locate an ELAN lawyer nearest you by calling the Trade Information Center at 1-800-USA-TRAD(E). For more information on ELAN services, you can also access the ELAN.
To contact ELAN, call Judd Kessler, ELAN national coorÂdinator, at (202) 778-3080, fax (202) 778-3063, or e-mail jkessler@porterwright.com.
For a full list of ELAN coordinators across the United States, visit www.fita.org/elan.
For the address and phone number of the SBA office nearest you, visit www.sba gov/oit, or call 800-U-ASK-SBA.