Webb Spradley is an Of Counsel attorney in the International Practice Group of the Dallas office. Since joining the firm in August 2009, he has represented U.S. and multinational companies in acquisitions in Mexico, negotiated and drafted cross-border commercial contracts, advised clients on letters of credit and trade law, helped firms set up foreign subsidiaries, advised on FCPA compliance and corporate governance, and coordinated with foreign counsel on labor and employment matters.

Before joining the firm, Webb served for ten years as International Counsel at Trinity Industries, a publicly traded manufacturing firm based in Dallas. Prior to that he held in-house positions with International Hospital Corporation, a developer of for-profit hospitals in Latin America, and Vari-Lite, Inc., a worldwide provider of computerized stage lighting. He was also a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State, serving in Cuba, Antigua and Japan.

Webb's practice focuses on international transactions, including foreign acquisitions and joint ventures, cross-border contracts, commercial agreements and letters of credit, foreign government regulation, and overseas distributorships and licensing arrangements. He is primarily involved with Mexico and other parts of Latin America, but also handles matters related to India, China, Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

Selected Transactions

• Represented a Dallas-based industrial packaging firm and its Swedish parent company in the stock acquisition of a Mexican firm; involvement included extensive due diligence, partition of assets, transfer of employees, labor unions, and public filings.
• Assisted a privately held Texas company in perfecting liens on stock and assets in Mexico to secure loans; upon default, guided it in exercising on the collateral and acquiring ownership of the Mexican entity involved without recourse to litigation.
• Structured a contract manufacturing (maquila) regime for a Dallas-based manufacturing company with numerous plants in Mexico to take advantage of U.S. and Mexican tax incentives.
• Assisted U.S. parties in amicable dissolution and liquidation of manufacturing joint ventures in Brazil and Argentina, pressing judicial challenge to government decrees ordering mandatory currency conversions and repatriation of funds.
• Represented company conducting tender offers and debt-to-equity conversions in Romania, purchase of a Slovakian company, dissolution of Brazilian and U.K. subsidiaries, and a minority shareholder buy-out in the Czech Republic.
• Advised company in the sale of aluminum coal cars and related technology transfer to Chinese state railcar manufacturer, coordinating the preparation of purchase contract, technology transfer agreement and letters of credit.
• Represented U.S. start-up in negotiating share subscription agreements and related investment documents with institutional investors, including the Mexican federal development bank and International Finance Corporation.
• Advised U.S. parent company and Mexican, Czech and Slovak subsidiaries in implementing and monitoring compliance with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and U.S. export controls.
• Represented a U.S. manufacturer of couplers for railway wagons in the licensing and technology transfer of process know-how to five manufacturers in India.

Professional and Civic Leadership

• Dallas Bar Association: Chairman, International Law Section, 2004; Board of Directors, 1999-present
• Center for American and International Law: Advisory Board, 2006-present
• Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations: Board of Directors, 2005-2009; Chairman, Membership Committee, 2003-2005
• Trinity River Mission: Chairman, 2008-2009; Board of Directors, 2004-2009; Volunteer tutor, 2000-2007 and 2009-present
• North Texas Council for International Visitors: 1999-present; Board of Directors, 2000-2006
• Society of International Business Fellows: 1991-2004; Texas Chair, 1994

Selected Representative Experience