| Dennis Unkovic | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 March 1948 |
| Occupation | Attorney Author |
| Nationality | United States |
Dennis Unkovic (born March 28, 1948) is an international attorney, business advisor, and author. He is a partner with Pittsburgh-based Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP.
For three decades, Unkovic has advised companies and individuals from throughout the United States as well as Europe, Asia and the Americas on complex business transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and international dispute resolution. He frequently speaks to business organizations, government officials, trade associations and academic institutions on a broad variety of international topics.
Unkovic is an accomplished writer who has written six books, contributed to five other books and authored more than 150 articles. Several of his books and articles have been published in Japanese, Chinese, Serbo-Croatian and other languages. His most recent book, The Art of Investing in America: Secrets to Success (Beijing Metallurgical Press 2009), was written to provide foreign investors with insights into how best to acquire United States assets.
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Unkovic is a partner at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP, a law firm composed of 55 attorneys that handles a wide variety of business transactions, significant corporate litigation, and technology and intellectual property matters.
In his practice, Unkovic primarily works in three areas. First, he handles mergers, divestitures, joint ventures, strategic alliances, acquisitions and technology licensing relationships with domestic and international companies. Second, he advises in the areas of technological innovation, intellectual property and technology transfer. Finally, Unkovic works closely with companies, financial institutions, not-for-profit entities and trade associations in managing their operations both in the United States and abroad. His work has taken him to more than 45 countries during his career with particular emphasis on the Pacific Rim.
Unkovic has written six books and more than 150 articles that have been published both nationally and internationally. Several of his published works have been translated into the Japanese and Chinese languages. He is often called upon to speak with government, business and academic officials on international relationships and other high profile issues.
A respected attorney, Unkovic was named to all editions of The Best Lawyers in America since 2001. He is affiliated with numerous courts, professional organizations, and domestic and international arbitration tribunals.
Unkovic earned his B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia before receiving his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Prior to joining Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP, Unkovic served as Legislative Director to former United States Senate Minority Leader Hugh D. Scott in Washington D.C. At the same time, he served as Assistant Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights.
Drawing upon 30 years of experience, Unkovic often writes about global economic trends and the ins and outs of international business transactions, many of which center on the Asia region, particularly China, India and Japan. He points out in Successful Strategies for Doing Business in Asia, “Those who are patiently waiting for Asia to become more settled or more predictable before venturing there to see business or investment opportunities should not wait too long. Those who delay will find themselves missing out on the greatest economic expansion in history.”[1]
His most recent book, The Art of Investing in America: Secrets to Success which speaks primary to Chinese investors and provides insightsinto how to acquire American assets in today’s trying economic conditions, Unkovic argues, “While the effects of this downturn will be felt for years, America remains the largest single integrated economy in the world.”[2] In an article for International Law News, he takes the same approach for investors looking for opportunities in India. “India presents diverse and rewarding opportunities for foreign direct investment,” he explains. “Before entering this booming market, it is important to understand the country’s procedures, laws and regulations in order to operate successfully.”[3] He proceeds to outline the basic government statutes, business procedures and taxes, duties and levies investors can expect to encounter. Discussing the difficult subject of recovery from the worldwide recession in the ACC Docket he states, “China and India each have the potential to be a dynamic powerhouse that will mold future growth prospects for the world economy.”[4]
A recurring theme in Unkovic’s writing is how there is an increasing clash between multinational corporations and governments around the world. In an article published by IndustryWeek in December 2010, he observed, “Thus, economic forecasting has fragmented into nationalist thinking at the same time that business planning unifies around the global strategies of a few big players. These two trends work against each other like clashing tectonic plates. The result may appear to be random – threats of tariff wars, armed skirmishes to control single-resource countries, ethnic minorities which control resources asserting their independence – but they are not. On one level or another, many of the economic and political eruptions we will see over the next two decades will result from the interaction of these ‘economic tectonics.’"[5]
Unkovic has also looked at the prospects for renewable energy resources in his writings. In 2011 he edited the book On the Horizon – Renewable Energy in Asia: A Practical Guide, which examines the prospects for renewable energy in twelve countries in Asia. Unkovic states in the book’s introduction, “…the current global energy mix, which is primarily carbon-based, is untenable in the long run. China, India and other nations need to find alternate ways to fulfill their energy demands. The only real answer – and our best chance to bring balance back to the environment – is to turn toward alternative sources of energy, which can at least in part replace existing coal and oil sources.”[6]
Unkovic's typical writing style is clear and informative. Often dealing with complex subject matter, his work is generally explanatory and offers both opinion and practical suggestions on the topics being discussed. In The Art of Investing in America, fifteen topics are covered in separate chapters that are individually formatted to address potential questions an investor should ask. The style of the text is intended to be a guide for readers when planning American investments.