International business law · Chicago

Counsel that crosses borders.

Where Excellence Matters!

TEIL Firms, LLC Counsel on six continents 41.87 N · 87.90 W · Hillside, Illinois

TEIL Firms guides companies through contracts, intellectual property, and trade compliance in markets on six continents. Behind every matter is a team of attorneys and professionals across five countries, working in four languages.

  • Five countries Attorneys and professionals
  • 5.0 Google rating
  • Over 30 years Of collective practice
  • Court of International Trade Counsel admitted to practice
  • MBE · WBE · DBE Certified, woman owned
Statement of practice

TEIL Firms is an international business law practice outside Chicago. Since 2009 the firm has helped companies protect what they make, paper what they agree to, and clear what they ship.

Three desks, one practice.

Practice areas
Brass seal stamp beside an embossed certificate on a dark desk DESK 01 · WORLDWIDE
DESK 01

Intellectual Property

Trademarks and patents that travel with your goods: registration, licensing, enforcement, and a protection strategy for every market you sell in.

  • Trademark registration and enforcement
  • Patent strategy and licensing
  • Global filing programs
Fountain pen resting on a bound contract in warm lamplight DESK 02 · THE PAPER
DESK 02

Corporate Contracts

Distribution agreements, supplier terms, and joint ventures, drafted and negotiated so every clause holds up when the deal crosses a border.

  • Distribution and supply agreements
  • Joint ventures and entity structuring
  • International sales terms
Container terminal at dusk with gantry cranes against a navy sky DESK 03 · PORT OF ENTRY
DESK 03

Trade Compliance

Customs classification, tariffs, and export controls: the rules of entry for goods moving in and out of the United States, handled before they become problems.

  • Customs classification and tariffs
  • Export controls
  • Trade agreement counsel

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them

Albert Einstein
  • Canada
  • Mexico
  • Germany
  • Jamaica
  • Jordan
  • Kenya
  • Ghana
  • Zambia
  • Malaysia
  • Australia
Open world atlas beside a brass armillary sphere in lamplight
The international desk
The team

Five countries, one practice.

TEIL Firms is The Evans International Law Firms, LLC, a woman owned practice certified as an MBE, WBE and DBE company. Its team includes attorneys and professionals across five countries, and its attorneys bring over 30 collective years of practice.

Matters handled across six continents, in the languages the deal is done in:

  • English
  • Español
  • Français
  • العربية

Reach

Countries with team presenceFIVE
Country markets on the international deskFOURTEEN
Continents with matters handledSIX

Practice

Collective experience among the attorneysOVER 30 YEARS
U.S. Court of International TradeCOUNSEL ADMITTED
Manufacturing, technology, food, transportationINDUSTRIES
The record
  1. 2009The Evans International Law Firms opens outside Chicago
  2. GERMANYA manufacturing client advised from startup through five million dollars in growth
  3. AFRICASeven memorandums of understanding reviewed for partnerships crossing into African markets
  4. THE BLOGMore than one hundred entries to date, every one signed TEIL Firms, LLC
  5. THROUGH 2028Counsel holds a U.S. Department of Commerce seat on the Illinois District Export Council
From the trade desk

The rules keep moving. The firm writes as they do.

No. 01

Tariffs and classification

When duty rates move, the right customs classification is real money for an importer.

No. 02

Export controls

Technology, software, and dual use goods need clearance before they ever leave the country.

No. 03

Small parcel imports

De minimis rules for direct to consumer shipments keep changing, and the costs land fast.

These are running themes on the firm’s blog. Read the latest at teilfirms.com.

Questions

Before you call.

Where is TEIL Firms located, and where can it handle matters?

The office is at High Point Towers in Hillside, Illinois, just west of Chicago. Its attorneys are admitted in Illinois, New Jersey, and before the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the firm has handled matters for clients trading on six continents.

What does a first conversation look like?

It starts with a free 15 minute intake by phone. If the matter fits the practice, the next step is a scheduled consultation. Bring whatever paper you have: contracts, registrations, or shipment documents.

What kinds of businesses does the firm represent?

Small and midsize companies that import, export, or sell internationally, with depth in manufacturing, technology, food, and transportation. If your goods or deals cross a border, the practice fits.

Can the firm work in languages other than English?

Yes. Across the team the firm works in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic, which matters when contracts, counterparties, and regulators do not all speak the same language.

What is the U.S. Court of International Trade?

It is the federal court that hears customs and international trade disputes, sitting in New York. Admission to practice before it means the firm can take a trade matter from the agency level into court without handing it off.

The next step

Put counsel on your itinerary.

Book a consultation online, or start with a free 15 minute intake call. Either way, you talk to counsel, not a gatekeeper.

Free 15 minute intake by phone