INTERNATIONAL TRADE : Newport Law Firm Gets License to Open Office in Vietnam

Graham & James, a large California law firm that specializes in international law, was awarded a special license from the U.S. Treasury Department to open an office in Vietnam, a move that the firm believes will boost business at its Newport Beach office.

“We see enormous long-term potential for Vietnamese economic growth, in which many of our clients will be participating,” said Richard K. Zepfel, a Graham & James partner in charge of the Newport Beach office. “The large Vietnamese population in Orange County makes it likely that Orange County will have a key role in developing business opportunities in Vietnam.”

Graham & James will join up with law firms in Hong Kong and Australia to establish an office in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Graham & James has joint offices with those firms in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan.

The Vietnamese operation was made possible by a decision in the waning days of the Bush Administration last December.

U.S. companies now can negotiate and sign contracts to do business in Vietnam in anticipation of the lifting of the longstanding trade embargo against the former enemy. Graham & James will try to help U.S. companies preparing to do business in Vietnam.