In August 2024, Guozun Law Firm’s Iceland Office was officially established in Reykjavik, the capital of the Republic of Iceland. This office is a key layout node of Guozun’s global legal service network in the Nordic region. Relying on the policy benefits of the China-Iceland Free Trade Agreement, based on Iceland’s local legal and business environment, and connected with the European Economic Area rule system, it provides full-chain, localized, and professional legal service support for two-way cross-border economic and trade cooperation between China and Iceland, enterprise compliant operations, and private commercial exchanges.
I. Basic Overview of the Office
Establishing entity: Guozun Law Firm
Establishment time: August 2024
Office address: Core business area of Reykjavik, Republic of Iceland
Official contact information: 4006661890
Core team qualifications: The core practicing lawyers all hold officially recognized Icelandic legal practice licenses and have qualification to appear before the Supreme Court of Iceland. Their average years of practice exceed 10 years. They have long cultivated the local Icelandic legal market, are proficient in the Icelandic legal system, regulatory policies, industry practices, and the common rules of the European Economic Area, and are also deeply familiar with the Chinese legal environment and the cross-border business needs of Chinese-funded enterprises. They can provide seamless legal services in Chinese, Icelandic, and English.
Core service positioning: Focusing on two-way cross-border legal needs between China and Iceland, while taking into account Icelandic local full-scenario compliance services and cross-jurisdiction coordinated services, it can coordinate with Guozun’s China headquarters and global branches to complete complex legal service projects across regions and multiple legal systems, realizing a full-process service closed loop of “China demand - Iceland implementation - global coordination.”
II. Core Scope of Legal Services
Guozun Iceland Office covers all fields of civil and commercial matters, administration, and special compliance. Centered on Iceland’s market characteristics and the core scenarios of China-Iceland cross-border cooperation, it has established clear business sectors. The specific service contents are as follows:
(I) Full-Cycle Legal Services for Two-Way Cross-Border Investment Between China and Iceland
Full-process legal services for Chinese-funded entities’ greenfield investment, equity and asset mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and cooperation, and project development in Iceland, covering all stages including pre-investment policy assessment, transaction structure design, legal due diligence, drafting and negotiation of transaction documents, and foreign investment filing and approval.
Guidance on the application of preferential investment policies under the China-Iceland Free Trade Agreement, compliance with tariffs and rules of origin, and special services for cross-border fund arrangements and foreign exchange compliance.
Full-process support for post-investment operational compliance management, design of investment project exit plans, and implementation.
Full-process legal support for Icelandic enterprises, institutions, and individuals investing in China, market expansion, and industrial cooperation, together with supporting China market compliance and implementation services.
Supporting legal services related to cross-border investment and financing, such as tax planning, transaction risk prevention and control, and cross-border guarantees.
(II) Full-Process Legal Services for Icelandic Local Commercial Entities
Full-process agency services for the establishment, alteration, deregistration, liquidation, and bankruptcy reorganization of Icelandic local companies, branches, and representative offices.
Retained legal counsel services for enterprises, covering all-scenario services such as optimization of corporate governance structure, construction of internal control systems, daily legal consultation, and compliance training.
Drafting, review, revision, and negotiation support for various legal documents such as commercial contracts, articles of association, shareholder agreements, and cooperation agreements.
Equity structure design, formulation of equity incentive plans, and supporting commercial services for enterprise investment and financing.
Non-litigation resolution services for various commercial disputes such as shareholder rights disputes, partnership disputes, and commercial contract disputes.
(III) Cross-Border Dispute Resolution and Crisis Response Legal Services
Full-process representation in civil, commercial, and administrative litigation before Icelandic courts at all levels, as well as related judicial procedure coordination and support services under the European Economic Area.
Full-process representation in international commercial arbitration and mediation, covering case handling and award enforcement services of major global arbitration institutions.
Special agency services for the cross-border recognition and enforcement of court judgments and arbitral awards under bilateral judicial assistance between China and Iceland.
Full-process legal services for cross-border commercial debt collection, disposal of non-performing assets, and enforcement of security rights.
Support for enterprise responses to administrative regulatory investigations, administrative penalty hearings and reconsideration, emergency handling of sudden incidents, and legal crisis public relations.
(IV) Specialized Customized Legal Services for Iceland’s Core Pillar Industries
In light of Iceland’s local industrial characteristics and the core tracks of China-Iceland cooperation, specialized legal services are provided in subdivided fields, mainly covering:
Fisheries and marine economy: Full-process services for fishing permit applications, aquaculture compliance, full-chain compliance for cross-border seafood trade, marine resource development, vessel operation and management, marine environmental compliance, and fishery-related dispute handling.
Renewable energy and green low-carbon fields: Full-cycle legal support for geothermal, hydropower, and other clean energy development and utilization, cross-border cooperation in green energy technology, low-carbon project investment and financing, carbon trading and carbon compliance, and environmental regulatory compliance.
Energy-intensive industry and high-end manufacturing: Legal services related to investment in aluminum industry and related deep processing industries, industrial project development, compliance in energy-intensive industries, cross-border trade in industrial products, and supply chain compliance.
Tourism and hotel service industry: Full-process services for hotel and cultural tourism project investment and development, cross-border cooperation in tourism formats, hotel operational compliance, establishment and management of travel agencies, and compliance in cross-border tourism services.
Technology innovation and digital economy: Legal services for cross-border investment and financing of technology enterprises, technology licensing and transfer, compliance in cross-border data services, supporting legal services for incubation of innovation projects, and compliance guidance related to digital economy regulation.
(V) Full-Dimensional Compliance and Risk Management Legal Services
Construction of enterprise full-cycle compliance systems, compliance audits, compliance risk investigation, and prevention and control system construction.
Special compliance services relating to anti-corruption, anti-commercial bribery, anti-monopoly, and anti-unfair competition.
Adaptation services for the EU General Data Protection Regulation and Icelandic local data protection laws, covering compliance in cross-border data transfer, construction of personal information protection systems, data security audits, and emergency handling of data security incidents.
Special services for EU and Icelandic export control, economic sanctions compliance, and cross-border trade compliance.
Special guidance and risk handling services for Icelandic local industry regulatory compliance, environmental compliance, and workplace safety compliance.
(VI) Cross-Border Intellectual Property Protection and Full-Process Services
Registration applications, record filings, rights maintenance, and renewal services for all types of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and designs.
Global intellectual property layout planning and construction of cross-border brand protection systems.
Full-process agency services for intellectual property infringement investigations, administrative complaints, and rights protection litigation.
Risk prevention and full-process services in technology import and export, research and development cooperation, and intellectual property licensing and transfer.
Special services for intellectual property compliance on e-commerce platforms and cross-border brand rights protection.
(VII) Cross-Border Personnel Mobility and Family Wealth Legal Services
Full-process agency and compliance guidance for Icelandic business visas, work permits, residence permits, investment immigration, and family reunification immigration applications.
Design and implementation services for compliance systems relating to enterprise cross-border personnel assignments and management of foreign employees.
Legal services relating to cross-border marriage, foreign-related inheritance, family property planning, and the formulation of marital property agreements.
Cross-border family wealth management for high-net-worth clients, establishment and operation of family trusts, and legal risk prevention and control for cross-border asset allocation.
Cross-border family dispute mediation and litigation agency services, as well as supporting services related to CRS and FATCA cross-border tax compliance.
(VIII) Special Legal Services for Real Estate and Infrastructure Projects
Full-process legal services for the acquisition, disposal, leasing, and mortgaging of Icelandic commercial real estate, residential real estate, industrial real estate, and cultural tourism real estate, together with supporting title due diligence and transaction risk prevention services.
Compliance in engineering project bidding and tendering, drafting and negotiation of engineering contracts, engineering claims and counterclaims, and dispute resolution in construction projects.
Full-cycle legal services for EPC and PPP models in infrastructure projects, energy projects, and municipal works.
Full-process support for acquisition of land use rights, compliance in real estate development, and regulatory compliance in project construction.
III. Core Professional Service Advantages
Deep Icelandic local practice capability: The team possesses complete Icelandic local practice qualifications and has long cultivated Iceland’s legal and commercial market. It has first-hand practical experience in Icelandic judicial practice, regulatory policies, industry rules, and industrial characteristics, and can realize localized implementation of various legal services while accurately avoiding local compliance risks.
Precise adaptation capability across the dual legal fields of China and Iceland: The core team has dual professional capability in Chinese law, Icelandic law, and European Economic Area rules. It deeply understands the core demands and risk pain points of Chinese-funded enterprises going abroad, and can also precisely match the development needs of Icelandic enterprises entering China, achieving precise cross-legal-system and cross-regional demand connection and service implementation.
Full-industry customized service capability: Around Iceland’s core pillar industries, it has created exclusive subdivided legal service systems and can provide customized and scenario-based legal service solutions for different industries such as fisheries, clean energy, high-end manufacturing, and cultural tourism, rather than standardized general services.
Integrated coordination capability of the global network: Relying on Guozun’s globally integrated legal service system, it can coordinate with the China headquarters and hundreds of global branches, realizing multi-jurisdiction and cross-country legal service coordination and meeting clients’ full-cycle and diversified legal needs in their global layout.
IV. Significance of the Establishment and Future Development Direction
The establishment of Guozun Iceland Office is an important milestone in Guozun Law Firm’s global layout in improving its service network in the Nordic region. It fills Guozun’s service gap in the North Atlantic and Arctic Nordic economic circle and further opens a direct channel for two-way cross-border legal services between China and Iceland.
At present, bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and Iceland continues to deepen, and cooperation in green energy, marine economy, innovation, and cross-border trade continues to expand. The demand for legal services in two-way investment and private exchanges continues to grow. In the future, Guozun Iceland Office will continue to take root in the local Icelandic market, continuously refine its professional capabilities in subdivided fields, optimize its localized service system, and continue to provide professional, efficient, and compliant full-dimensional legal services for all kinds of market entities in China and Iceland, fully safeguarding the high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and industrial coordination between China and Iceland.