Cleveland partner Steve Petras, head of Baker Hostetler's International Industry Team, was invited by the International Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA) and the International Trade Assistance Center to be a featured speaker at their "Going Global Today" program, held May 12, 2009, in Cleveland, which drew over 100 attendees.
Petras, who is a past chair of the International Law Section of CMBA, led a panel discussion on "Legal Issues in Establishing Foreign Business Operations," which covered structuring from a corporate and tax perspective, due diligence, regulatory and antitrust compliance, and international employment issues.
Washington, D.C., partner Tom McDonald, who heads the firm's Government Policy Practice Group and was U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 1997-2001, was invited to be the guest luncheon speaker at the event, discussing "Trade Policy Under the Obama Administration." The luncheon was sponsored by the Northeast Ohio International Business Network, of which Petras is a founding Board Member.