At a San Francisco conference, Mike Sebring of Carlin, Charrin & Rosen, a U.S. Leading Edge Alliance firm, approached a U.K. counterpart, Michael Davis of H.W. Fisher, during a break. Sebring's client was having difficulties in the United Kingdom and Europe with its Sarbanes-Oxley 404 work.

The client found using temporary workers had been unsuccessful, Sebring said. Time was of the essence to ensure the client met the filing date.

By the time the men departed San Francisco, arrangements had been made to make staff in the United Kingdom as well as staff from Leading Edge Alliance firms in France and Italy available to assist Sebring's clients.

Within a week, representatives of H.W. Fisher, armed with hundreds of documents used by CCR for the client's U.S. SOX 404 assignment, had met with the client in the United Kingdom and set a timetable for the work. Within a few days, both the Italian and French firms, which also obtained the information from the U.S. case, talked to the client as well.

"Nobody wants the problem of internal wrangling between firms that are not working together and trying to score points," say both H.W. Fisher and CCR representatives.

Companies operating in a global world often face challenges of doing business in another country. Yet, many do not realize that their current network of local advisors could lead them to an international network of advisors, one where trust and understanding already have been established.

Frans Tijssen of Bol Accountants, a Leading Edge Alliance firm in the Netherlands, says he only sees growth in the need for businesses to find advisors outside the United States.

"It was already very common in, for example, Europe to trade in different countries, and there are a lot of (business) contacts between the United States, Europe as well as the Far East," he says. "Our expectations are that there will be a stark increase in (the need for) contacts in the upcoming years."

He says referrals from U.S. firms typically begin with legal and tax advice concerning forming a subsidiary in the country. "Later on, it will be auditing and consulting with that company," Tijssen explains. "Sometimes we get involved in a merger or takeover of a Dutch-based and -owned company by a U.S. company."

Tijssen says that Sarbanes-Oxley also has meant new business from U.S. clients for Bol in addition to the issues involved with ex-pats, employees who work in one country but live in another.

The Leading Edge Alliance allows its members, both in and outside the United States, to share all kinds of business and market information with each other. Members also meet three to five times a year at various meetings and conferences, enabling them to know whom to call when they need specific information about regulations as well as legal and fiscal matters.

One client asked its U.S. LEA firm about the need to pay value-added tax on goods they were supplying to the United Kingdom. The U.S. firm was able to turn to the U.K.'s H.W. Fisher, which pointed out that not only was value-added tax a concern for the client but advised that the client's U.K. activities also would be subject to profits tax. The advice to the client was that the best course of action was to form a U.K. corporate subsidiary.

H.W. Fisher's Davis says the global network of LEA associates also can support its business clients by enabling them to work with other quality partners in new areas of expertise.

"Our clients are becoming more international," he says, "whether globalizing their business or using overseas suppliers, agencies or manufacturing facilities." e