Global presence
One contact to work with, whichever market you enter
You work with one contact person: we assign the right adviser to your matter and coordinate the work with the local experts in every other country involved, so you do not have to find an adviser in each country and hold the project together yourself. Our own offices are in Budapest and Shanghai, with members, offices and local experts in 98 countries; if you are abroad, you can also start with a local member office in your own country and language.
Own offices in Budapest and Shanghai, and coverage in 98 countries
Before we accept a matter in another market, we settle which member or partner firm will do the local work and on what terms. The offer sets out the scope and the decision points, so there is nothing to discover after you have signed.
Own offices in Budapest and Shanghai; members, partner firms and local experts in 98 countries.
How coverage works
Every matter outside Hungary and China runs the same way: a member or partner firm in that market does the licensed local work, and we keep scope, timing, decisions and communication together on our side. You deal with us, not with one firm per country.
Quality and one contract
We work only with firms we know and have used before. You sign one engagement with us; we are responsible for the whole file, including the parts a local firm carries out. If a market comes up that we have not worked in before, we say so and confirm the local firm before we accept the matter, not after.
What clients usually ask for in a new market
- Setting up a company or branch
- Tax and social-security registration
- Employment contracts and local labour-law compliance
- Commercial contracts drafted for local enforcement
- Resolving a dispute or an unpaid claim
Some of this is already packaged: Hungary in a Box for Hungary, India in a Box for India, and company set-up in almost any network country elsewhere. Each has a written scope and a fee agreed before work starts.
Questions about how this works
How do you choose the local firm in a new market?
We work with member and partner firms we already know. Before we accept the matter we confirm which firm will do the local work and on what terms, and we tell you before you sign.
Who do we contract with?
With Cathay Partners. We are responsible for the whole engagement, including the parts a local firm carries out; you do not need a separate contract with the local firm.
How much will it cost?
Tell us about the matter and what you want to achieve. We review it and send a written offer, either a fixed fee or hourly rates with an agreed cap, so the cost is predictable before work starts. If the scope stays the same, so does the fee.
Is what we tell you kept confidential?
Yes. We share what you tell us only with the people who need it to answer you or to do the work, at our end and, where relevant, at the local firm's. See our privacy notice for how we handle personal data.
What if my market is not one of the highlighted countries?
The highlighted countries are examples. Our network reaches 98 countries; tell us the market and we will confirm the local firm and the route before we accept the matter.
Tell us the market and we will tell you how we would cover it
Tell us the market and what you want to do there. We will give you an honest answer on how we would cover it, through Budapest, Shanghai or a local office in our network, and what a first step would look like.