Arlo Kipfer

Arlo is based in Bogotá, where he advises clients on Latin America and China business issues. In addition, Arlo has advised clients on the establishment of several independent and joint venture international schools and he is a frequent speaker at international school conferences.

China's rules on mass layoffs are complicated, localized, and unclear.

China’s Mass Layoff Laws in These Tough Times

China’s Mass Layoff Laws As China’s economy continues to worsen, and as so many foreign companies seek to “lighten their China footprint” or to leave China entirely, my law firm’s China employment lawyers are being hit with a big uptick in questions regarding China employee layoffs. China’s mass layoff laws are strict and protective of

China employment law

A Proactive Approach for Preventing China Employment Problems

Chinese Employment Law Complexities Employers in China, (especially foreign employers) face myriad, complicated and hyper technical local employment laws. This often means that one small employer mistake can lead to big and expensive problems. As much as we wish all our employment law clients would first come to us requesting we audit their employment program

China employment laws

A China Employment Best Practices Guide

Introduction Navigating China’s employment laws is a bit like untangling a complicated puzzle. One wrong move? You could face hefty fines, damaging lawsuits, or even criminal charges. But don’t worry! We’ve poured our extensive experience into this guide to help you navigate with greater confidence. If you want to better understand China’s employment scene, this

China confidentiality agreements trade secret agreements

International Employment Agreements That Ensure Success for Your Overseas Subsidiary

If you have a foreign subsidiary, you need to protect your intellectual property (IP) and company policies with tailored employment agreements. Otherwise, you risk losing valuable assets, facing legal disputes, and damaging your reputation. In this post, we’ll show you how to create an effective overseas subsidiary employment agreement package that covers all the essential

China employment lawyers

China Employee Severance Payments

In late 2017, an old and yet important set of China Employment laws —the Measures for Severance Payment due to Violation or Termination of Employment Contracts — issued by the then-Ministry of Labor back in 1995 was abolished by the PRC Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Since our China employment lawyers keep getting

China employee termination

China Employee Terminations in These Tough Times

Even in the best of times, employee terminations in China are fraught with risk. A mishandled China employee termination (or even just the discussions surrounding the termination) can quickly cause problems. China's declining economy has weakened its job market and made both employees and the government more likely to fight back against any little termination mistake.

red lights

China Implements “Measures for the Security Assessment of Outbound Data Transfers”

Back in 2020 I wrote a series of three blog posts titled “China Cybersecurity: No Place to Hide”. And two years before that, we started writing about China’s Personal Information Security Specification. On July 7, 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued the Measures for the Security Assessment of Outbound Data Transfers (Security Assessment

China Manufacturing Agreements

Manufacturing in China: Minimizing Your Risks by Doing Things Right

This very long post aims to provide an overview of the challenges of manufacturing in China, as well as strategies for minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities. It outlines the administrative and regulatory requirements, process and production challenges, and specific cultural and market-specific risks.

China company chop/seal

The Chinese Company Chop Goes Digital

A China company chop is an official seal or stamp that legally binds the company to what it has agreed to in the document on which its company chop has been stamped. Under Chinese law, a company chop is strong legal evidence of the agreement of the company whose chop is on the document. The company chop (a.k.a company seal or company stamp) essentially replaces a signature on contracts and other important documents. The company chop binds the entire company, usually no matter who (if anyone) actually puts their signature on the document.