John M. Kriz

John M. Kriz, a former Partner of Windels Marx, counsels clients on corporate commercial and financial transactions, with a focus on international and cross-border transactions.

Mr. Kriz has advised numerous European and Canadian companies in connection with diverse regulatory matters, joint ventures, acquisitions and the establishment of branches or subsidiary companies in the United States, and he has represented domestic clients in planning business ventures in foreign countries. He also has experience representing fashion designers and textile companies in commercial and licensing agreements. In addition, Mr. Kriz has advised foreign individuals in connection with the legal and business aspects of managing investment property, ranging from real estate to U.S. musical copyrights, in the United States, as well as on U.S. tax and legal issues associated with establishing residence in the United States.

From 1992 to 1999, Mr. Kriz lectured annually in the Masters Program of the College of Advocats of Barcelona on the subject "Legal and Tax Considerations for a Spanish Enterprise Doing Business in the United States."

Mr. Kriz is a trustee of the Herbert J. Seligmann Charitable Trust, for which he serves on the Speaker Selection Committee for Public Policy Lectures of the Harvard Club of New York Foundation, on the topic of Governance. He is also a director of several manufacturing companies, including Unit Drop Forge Co. Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and General Die & Engineering Inc. (Grand Rapids, Michigan). He is a former director of The American Friends of Covent Garden and The Royal Ballet Inc., a New York not-for-profit foundation which serves as a liaison between the United States and England in the fields of ballet, opera, and music.

Mr. Kriz is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He has served on the following committees of that organization: Banking Law, International Law, Administrative Law and the Special Committee on Central and Eastern European Affairs. He is also a member of the New York State, American and International Bar Associations. He is a member of the Section on Business Law and the Banking Law Committee of the International Bar Association. He is a member of the French American Chamber of Commerce in New York City. Mr. Kriz was a member of the School Board of the South Orangetown, New York, Central School District from 1977 through 1982.

Mr. Kriz was born in Geneva, Switzerland; he is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of Spanish.