Stephen E. Handel, Attorney at Law
Stephen E. Handel, Attorney at Law
Serving as an international attorney, counselor and negotiator since 1972, Handel offers clients goal-oriented legal solutions to the myriad of contracting issues encountered in global markets, such as those related to contracts for sale and purchase of goods, services and software, sales representation and distribution agreements, know-how licensing, transnational joint venture agreements, manufacturing agreements, compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations, and threshold advice on compliance with U.S.A. export trade regulations, among other matters. He is often involved in structuring, drafting and assisting in negotiation of relevant contracts.
Contact: Stephen E. Handel
Phone: 01.713.256.4562
6322 Haskell St., Unit B, Houston, Texas 77007-2092, U.S.A.
Stephen E. Handel is an international business attorney and counselor. By understanding his clients’ businesses and relevant product and geographic markets, he is able to provide more than just legal advice. Handel offers goal-oriented legal solutions to business issues. Often serving as “general counsel” for his clients, Handel devotes his career to helping businesses do business within the U.S. and abroad. He has served as a key member of a management team for a major multinational energy goods supply and service company (Dresser Industries, Inc.) and as a Director of a law firm. He maintains his practice in Houston, Texas and holds the top level "AV" rating from the Martindale-Hubbell National Directory of Attorneys. Handel has provided counsel to businesses with interests in and trading activities with Asia (The People's Republic of China, India, The Republic of China on Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore,Malaysia, and Brunei); Mexico; Canada; South America; Europe; Serbia; Turkey; Russia; the C. I. S.; and the Middle East.
Handel has widespread experience in the representation of businesses engaged in the supply of upstream and downstream energy-related goods and services including specially manufactured capital equipment, such as turbines, compressors, high temperature/critical service valves, blowers, and pumps; drilling equipment and services; power generation projects, energy-related software development and licensing; engineering; construction; and other businesses trading and operating in global markets. He brings his working knowledge and extensive relationships to bear on the myriad of transactions encountered in the international marketplace by both U.S. and overseas-based clients. Having lived and worked extensively abroad, Handel's experience includes structuring, drafting and negotiating contracts for the sale and purchase of goods and related repair and services; Anti-corruption compliance (including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.K Bribery Act; transnational equity and contractual joint ventures; consortiums; software licenses; consulting arrangements; manufacturing agreements; engineering and construction contracts; sales representation, and distributorship agreements; licensing of technology and know-how; asset acquisitions and divestitures; due diligence reviews, consignment agreements; barter and counter-trade agreements; export credit and political risk insurance matters; letters of credit and bank and parent company guarantees; bid and performance surety bonds; employment matters; export trade regulations and practices; and U.S. Antiboycott regulatory compliance; and related issues.
Handel holds a J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas (1972); an M.A. in Government from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (1969); and a B.A. with major in Political Science from Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri (1965). He is certified as an international commercial arbitrator by the International Centers for Arbitration, Houston.
Handel is the Chairman and founder of InterServe, Inc., a multi-disciplinary alliance of law, accounting, tax, trade finance, political risk and other professional firms whose members Open Doors to Global Commerce by furnishing comprehensive international trade and investment services, both out-bound and in-bound, to business clients.
Handel is the author of Entering International Markets: An Experiential Guide, Summer, 1992, CURRENTS International Trade Law Journal; A Comparative Analysis of International Commercial Arbitration Forums, 1994 Proceedings of Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPiDR) Annual Conference; and he has lectured on international trade issues. He has served on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (The Center for American and International Law); has served as a Council Cabinet member of the Houston World Affairs Council, the Board of Directors of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF (Texas); and is a Chair emeritus of the Houston Bar Association's Monterrey, Mexico Lawyers Exchange Committee; is a member of the Asia Society Texas Center. Handel’s professional memberships include the International Bar Association and its Asia Pacific and Sale of Goods Forums, the State Bar of Texas, and he is a Fellow of the Texas and Houston Bar Foundations [Captain, U.S. Army, 1967- 1971: awarded Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces in the Republic of Vietnam].
