- Dennis Unkovic
-
Dennis Unkovic 
Born 28 March 1948 Occupation Attorney
AuthorNationality United States Dennis Unkovic (born March 28, 1948) is an international attorney, business advisor, and author. He is a partner with Pittsburgh-based Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP.
For three decades, Unkovic has advised companies and individuals from throughout the United States as well as Europe, Asia and the Americas on complex business transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and international dispute resolution. He frequently speaks to business organizations, government officials, trade associations and academic institutions on a broad variety of international topics.
Unkovic is an accomplished writer who has written six books, contributed to five other books and authored more than 150 articles. Several of his books and articles have been published in Japanese, Chinese, Serbo-Croatian and other languages. His most recent book, The Art of Investing in America: Secrets to Success (Beijing Metallurgical Press 2009), was written to provide foreign investors with insights into how best to acquire United States assets.
Contents
Career
Unkovic is a partner at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP, a law firm composed of 55 attorneys that handles a wide variety of business transactions, significant corporate litigation, and technology and intellectual property matters.
In his practice, Unkovic primarily works in three areas. First, he handles mergers, divestitures, joint ventures, strategic alliances, acquisitions and technology licensing relationships with domestic and international companies. Second, he advises in the areas of technological innovation, intellectual property and technology transfer. Finally, Unkovic works closely with companies, financial institutions, not-for-profit entities and trade associations in managing their operations both in the United States and abroad. His work has taken him to more than 45 countries during his career with particular emphasis on the Pacific Rim.
Unkovic has written six books and more than 150 articles that have been published both nationally and internationally. Several of his published works have been translated into the Japanese and Chinese languages. He is often called upon to speak with government, business and academic officials on international relationships and other high profile issues.
A respected attorney, Unkovic was named to all editions of The Best Lawyers in America since 2001. He is affiliated with numerous courts, professional organizations, and domestic and international arbitration tribunals.
Background and Education
Unkovic earned his B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia before receiving his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Prior to joining Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP, Unkovic served as Legislative Director to former United States Senate Minority Leader Hugh D. Scott in Washington D.C. At the same time, he served as Assistant Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights.
Themes in His Writing
Drawing upon 30 years of experience, Unkovic often writes about global economic trends and the ins and outs of international business transactions, many of which center on the Asia region, particularly China, India and Japan. He points out in Successful Strategies for Doing Business in Asia, “Those who are patiently waiting for Asia to become more settled or more predictable before venturing there to see business or investment opportunities should not wait too long. Those who delay will find themselves missing out on the greatest economic expansion in history.”[1]
His most recent book, The Art of Investing in America: Secrets to Success which speaks primary to Chinese investors and provides insightsinto how to acquire American assets in today’s trying economic conditions, Unkovic argues, “While the effects of this downturn will be felt for years, America remains the largest single integrated economy in the world.”[2] In an article for International Law News, he takes the same approach for investors looking for opportunities in India. “India presents diverse and rewarding opportunities for foreign direct investment,” he explains. “Before entering this booming market, it is important to understand the country’s procedures, laws and regulations in order to operate successfully.”[3] He proceeds to outline the basic government statutes, business procedures and taxes, duties and levies investors can expect to encounter. Discussing the difficult subject of recovery from the worldwide recession in the ACC Docket he states, “China and India each have the potential to be a dynamic powerhouse that will mold future growth prospects for the world economy.”[4]
A recurring theme in Unkovic’s writing is how there is an increasing clash between multinational corporations and governments around the world. In an article published by IndustryWeek in December 2010, he observed, “Thus, economic forecasting has fragmented into nationalist thinking at the same time that business planning unifies around the global strategies of a few big players. These two trends work against each other like clashing tectonic plates. The result may appear to be random – threats of tariff wars, armed skirmishes to control single-resource countries, ethnic minorities which control resources asserting their independence – but they are not. On one level or another, many of the economic and political eruptions we will see over the next two decades will result from the interaction of these ‘economic tectonics.’"[5]
Unkovic has also looked at the prospects for renewable energy resources in his writings. In 2011 he edited the book On the Horizon – Renewable Energy in Asia: A Practical Guide, which examines the prospects for renewable energy in twelve countries in Asia. Unkovic states in the book’s introduction, “…the current global energy mix, which is primarily carbon-based, is untenable in the long run. China, India and other nations need to find alternate ways to fulfill their energy demands. The only real answer – and our best chance to bring balance back to the environment – is to turn toward alternative sources of energy, which can at least in part replace existing coal and oil sources.”[6]
Unkovic's typical writing style is clear and informative. Often dealing with complex subject matter, his work is generally explanatory and offers both opinion and practical suggestions on the topics being discussed. In The Art of Investing in America, fifteen topics are covered in separate chapters that are individually formatted to address potential questions an investor should ask. The style of the text is intended to be a guide for readers when planning American investments.
Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America - (Woodward/White: All editions 2001 through 2011)
- Golden Quill Award (May 2010)
Works
Books
- The Art of Investing in America: Secrets to Success - 2009 Metallurgical Industry Press (Beijing, China)
- Deal With It…A Duquesne Club Retrospective on the Work of Tim Menees - 2008 Duquesne Club
- Beyond The Japanese Style Management: The Last Survival Strategies in the 20th Century - 1995 Diamond, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan)
- Revisioning Japan: Inside the American Mind - 1990 Diamond, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan)
- The Trade Secrets Handbook: Strategies and Techniques for Safeguarding Corporate Information - 1985 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- International Opportunities and the Export Trading Company Act of 1982 - 1984 Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
Contributions
- Editor, On the Horizon - Renewable Energy in Asia: A Practical Guide, 2011, Meritas, Inc.
- Editor,Successful Strategies for Doing Business in Asia - 2007, Meritas, Inc.: revised and updated second edition published 2010.
- Contributing author,Licensing Best Practices: Strategic, Territorial, and Technology Issue - 2006, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Contributing author,The LESI Guide to Licensing Best Practices - – 2002, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Featured Publications
- Forbes, Japan
- Shukan Diamond (Japanese weekly business news magazine)
- Malaysia Current Law Journal
- The Nikkei Weekly
- This Is Yomiuri
- Nihon Keizai Shimbun
- Licensing Best Practices: The LESI Guide to Strategic Issues and Contemporary Realities
- Corporate Legal Times
- Dispute Resolution Journal
- IP Litigator
- International Law News
- ACC Docket
- The Legal Intelligencer (Intellectual Property Section)
- Executive Counsel
- Legal Environment for Foreign Direct Investment in the United States
- Strategies (The Journal of Legal Marketing)
- Understanding Japan: Business, Culture, Technology
- Dynamic Business
- U.S. Business Litigation
- Forbes, Japan
- Commerce in Germany
- Finance & Treasury
- International Trade Committee Newsletter
- Transnational Joint Ventures
- International and Comparative Law Newsletter
- Direct Investments/U.S.A.
- Trends Magazine
- BNA’s Corporate Counsel Weekly
- Association Management(publication of the American Society of Association Executives)
- IPBA Journal
- Corporate Counsel’s International Advisor ,printed in International Quarterly
- TEQ (journal published by the Technology Council)
- Trustee (magazine of American Hospital Association)
- Portfolio – International Economic Perspectives
- Policy Perspectives on National Industrial Development
- Boardroom Reports
- The Practical Lawyer
- Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Corporation, Banking and Business Law Newsletter
- The University of Pittsburgh School of Law Journal of Law & Commerce
- The Dickinson Lawyer
- Dickinson Law Review
- William & Mary Law Review
- Michigan Yearbook of International Legal Studies
- IndustryWeek
- Financial Executives International
External links
Law Firm
Publishing House
Literary Publications
Educational institutions
Video Clips
- Doing Business in Beijing, Interview on CNBC
- Interview with Chinese Central Television (CCTV2)
- Interview with Scott Cohn on CNBC
- How the Olympics Changed China's Image, Interview on KDKA
- Impact of Devastating Earthquake on Chinese Government and Population, Interview on KDKA
- Safety of Products Made in China, Interview on KDKA
References
- ^ Unkovic, Dennis, ed. Successful Strategies for Doing Business in Asia. Second Edition, Meritas, Inc. 2010.
- ^ Unkovic, Dennis. The Art of Investing in America: Secrets to Success, Beijing Metallurgical Press, 2009.
- ^ Unkovic, Dennis. International Law News, Successful Strategies for Doing Business in India. Vol. 38 No.2 Spring 2009
- ^ Unkovic, Dennis. ACC Docket, Is India or China the Savior to the World’s Economy Needs? June 2009.
- ^ Unkovic, Dennis. IndustryWeek, "Tectonic Economics," December 8, 2010
- ^ Unkovic, Dennis. ed. On the Horizon - Renewable Energy in Asia: A Practical Guide, Meritas, Inc., 2011.
Categories:- 1948 births
- Living people
- American lawyers
- American writers
- University of Pittsburgh alumni
- University of Virginia alumni
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