Jim Chester

Current

• Shareholder & Chair, Intellectual Property Practice and International Business & Trade Practice at Cowles & Thompson, P.C.
• Director at Dallas Housing Crisis Center
• Founder/Chairman at DFW-STCL Alumni Network

• Founder/President at DARN Lawyers Network
• Adjunct Professor of Law at Baylor University School of Law

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Past

• Managing Attorney at Chester/Associates, PLLC
• Professor - Business Law at College of Business - University of Dallas
• Managing Attorney at Chester/Caldwell, LLC

• Senior Associate at Braumiller & Rodriguez, LLP

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Education

• Southern Methodist University
• University of Houston Law Center
• South Texas College of Law

• Texas A&M University-Commerce

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Recommended

20 people have recommended Jim

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Law Practice

Jim Chester’s Summary

Over a decade of experience advising start-ups, SME's and Fortune 500 companies regarding international business & trade laws, trademark, copyright, trade secret and other intellectual property protection & enforcement, and business formations and contracts.

Experience in both IP and international trade is unique in legal profession - there are few other attorneys with such dual expertise in the entire United States. As such, there are few, if any, attorneys who can spot and address the key areas where IP and international trade overlap.

Jim Chester’s Specialties:

Domestic and International Business Transactions; Trademark, Copyright, Trade Secret and other Intellectual Property Protection, Licensing & Enforcement; Administrative & Regulatory Law; Corporate and Business Law (including start-ups, formation and business agreements, etc.). Customs/Import & Export Law & Foreign-Trade Zones; Trade Agreements (e.g., NAFTA, WTO, etc.); Trade Regulation (A/D, CVD §201, §301, etc.), as well as ITAR, FCPA, USPTO, Copyright Office, WIPO, and other representation.

Jim Chester’s Experience

• Shareholder & Chair, Intellectual Property Practice and International Business & Trade Practice

  Cowles & Thompson, P.C.

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Law Practice industry)

  July 2008 — Present (1 year 6 months)

  Counsel for Fortune 500 clients, non-profits, start-ups, and privately-held small and mid-sized companies regarding international business transactions, regulatory compliance,intellectual property & licensing, joint ventures & mergers, and other corporate transactional issues. Key activities in IP include protecting, registering, licensing & enforcing trademarks, trade secrets, trade dress & copyrights. Key activities in international business & trade include advising regarding Customs/import laws, export controls and sanctions, FCPA, international contracts and financing international trade. Key business law activities include formation, conversion and merger of companies (corporations, LLCs, partnerships, etc.), as well as contracts and commercial transactions.

• Director

  Dallas Housing Crisis Center

  (Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  April 2008 — Present (1 year 9 months)

• Founder/Chairman

  DFW-STCL Alumni Network

  (Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  January 2008 — Present (2 years )

• Founder/President

  DARN Lawyers Network

  (Law Practice industry)

  January 2004 — Present (6 years )

  Organized and operate non-profit referral and resource-sharing attorney network for small firms and solos in the DFW area.

• Adjunct Professor of Law

  Baylor University School of Law

  (Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Higher Education industry)

  May 2001 — Present (8 years 8 months)

  Teach International Trade Law course and International Business Transactions to law school students. Topics include: Customs/Import, Export, Anti-Dumping/CVD and Safeguards, Trade Agreements, WTO/NAFTA, Trade Sanctions, Antiboycott, FCPA, IncoTerms, International Intellectual Property, Foreign-Trade Zones, Foreign Direct Investment, Licensing, CISG, international contracts and more.

• Managing Attorney

  Chester/Associates, PLLC

  (Law Practice industry)

  June 2003 — July 2008 (5 years 2 months)

  Innovative legal practice focused on serving the corporate and transaction, international business & trade, and trademark/copyright needs of emerging companies.

• Professor - Business Law

  College of Business - University of Dallas

  (Educational Institution; 51-200 employees; Higher Education industry)

  June 2003 — November 2007 (4 years 6 months)

  Instructing undergraduate business students on the legal environment in which businesses operate. Topics include common law vs. civil code, business entities, agency, contracts, tax, intellectual property, and more.

• Managing Attorney

  Chester/Caldwell, LLC

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Law Practice industry)

  March 2003 — June 2005 (2 years 4 months)

  Based in Dallas, Chester/Caldwell is a premiere boutique firm focused on technology companies and other businesses driven by innovation. We assist clients on business legal matters worldwide.

• Senior Associate

  Braumiller & Rodriguez, LLP

  (Law Practice industry)

  March 1998 — March 2003 (5 years 1 month)

Jim Chester’s Education

• Southern Methodist University

  Business & International Tax Law 2001 — 2003

  Selected coursework only; Did not pursue degree.

• University of Houston Law Center

  LL.M. , International Economic Law , August 1998 — August 2000

  Thesis: "State and Local Tax Implications of Foreign-Trade Zones in Texas"

• South Texas College of Law

  J.D. , Law , 1994 — 1997

  Activities and Societies:

  Varsity Mock Trial; Law Review; Top 25%

• Texas A&M University-Commerce

  B.S. (magna cum laude) , Economics & Political Science (double major) , 1990 — 1994

  Honors Thesis: " Potential Impact of NAFTA on Jobs in Texas"

  Activities and Societies:

  Sigma Chi Fraternity; University Honors Program; Phi Theta Kappa

Additional Information

Jim Chester’s Interests:

College, NFL & fantasy football, pipes & cigars, port, world affairs & politics, and technology.

Jim Chester’s Groups:

ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
Customs & International Trade Bar Assoc.; World Affairs Council; District of Columbia Bar Assoc.; Texas Bar Assoc.; Dallas Bar Assoc.; Dallas Economists Club
PRO BONO/COMMUNITY SERVICE
Board of Directors, Lawyers and Accountants of North Texas for the Arts (1999-2003); Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (1998-2003); Cub Scout Leader, Pack 43, White Buffalo District (2003-2004); President, Lakewood Neighborhood Association (2004-2005). 3rd Degree Knight, Knights of Columbus, Council 11937; Sigma Chi Alumni Association (Dallas); Board member, Dallas Housing Crisis Center

•    DFW Entrepreneur Network
•    Sigma Chi Fraternity
•    International Export N Import
•    The University of Houston Alumni Association
•    Private Equity and Venture Capital Group
•    Global Sigma Chi Executive Group
•    American Intellectual Property Law Association
•    International Business
•    Linking Dallas
•    Texas A&M University-Commerce
•    Global Intellectual Property & Business Lawyers
•    South Texas College of Law Alumni Group
•    Customs Specialists
•    Startup Specialists
•    Texas Lawyers
•    International Trade and WTO Law
•    International Trademark Association (INTA)
•    Customs Law Group
•    Export Controls Group
•    Sigma Chi Network
•    Catholic Professionals
•    Intellectual Property Professionals
•    South Texas College of Law
•    Linked Dallas
•    University of Houston Law Center Group
•    Leadership for Lawyers
•    TeXchange DFW Entrepreneur Networking
•    Global Market Development Professionals
•    Texas Small Business Professionals
•    Dallas Area Baylor Law Network
•    MTBC Connections
•    State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Section
•    FCPA - Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - Anti-Corruption Compliance Group
•    Texas A&M University-Commerce Alumni
•    DFW-STCL Alumni Network
•    International Law Discovery & Disclosure
•    DFW Area International Trade Compliance Professionals
•    Dallas Texas Lawyers and Attorneys
•    Lawyers & Legal Professionals using JD Supra
•    Dallas -Fort Worth Contacts
•    DARN Lawyers
•    Catholic Business Network of Dallas Forth Worth
•    SalesProfile
•    The Sigma Chi Bar Association
•    DFW Sigs - Sigma Chi Alumni Group
•    CTK Dallas Mens Group

Jim Chester’s Honors:

Rising Star, Texas Super Lawyers (multiple years); Alumni Ambassador, Texas A&M University; Pro Bono College of the Texas Bar; College of the State Bar of Texas; Licensed US Customs Broker

RECENT SPEECHES
- "Customs Law 101," DBA.
- "The Overlap between IP and International Trade Law," DBA.
- “Export Controls,” NAFTZ Conf. (Puerto Rico).
- “Doing Business with the U.S.” U.S. Trade Mission (Taiwan).
- “NAFTA: Exports to Mexico,” Int'l Apparel Mart. (Dallas).

PUBLISHED WORKS
- Textbook: INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW: A U.S. PERSPECTIVE 2nd Ed. (Baylor Univ. 2008).
- "Overlapping Issues between IP and International Trade Law, "NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL. (2005)
- "Creating Profits through Savings with FTZs", TEXAS LAWYER (2005)
- "Calcu-Quick FTZ Benefit Estimator Worksheet" (2003).
- Founder/Editor, CHESTER'S World of Innovation & Trade Law (2003-Present).
- CUSTOMS BROKER EXAM REVIEW MANUAL (2002).

Jim Chester’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch