Eliot R. Clauss
Tel. Direct: 917-517-0338
E-Mail: erc@claussassociates.com
Summary of Practice
Eliot Clauss is both a litigator and a business lawyer, with a special focus on US-China matters.
As a litigator, Eliot has been involved in the insurance defense business for more than twenty years handling a wide variety of claims including products liability, medical malpractice, general liability, advertising injury, trademark and patent infringement and maritime claims, as well as insurance coverage disputes. He has resolved many cases through direct settlement discussions and mediation, and has tried many cases to verdict in the state and federal courts of New York and Connecticut. He has also represented clients before the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre in Beijing and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.
Eliot has represented the insureds of The Travelers, AIG, Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company, the Berkley Companies and Winterthur Insurance Company, among others. He has lectured on professional liability and risk management issues for professional organizations and insurance companies in the United States and in China.
As a business lawyer Eliot has represented both emerging and well established public and private companies in such fields as aviation, hotels and hospitality, pharmaceuticals, fashion, textile and industrial manufacturing, shipping and transportation. Most of Eliot’s work involves helping companies develop and structure business entities and transactions, in both the United States and China. Eliot served as President of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce from 1995 through 1998, and as Vice Chairman of the Asian Affairs Committee of the New York City Bar Association. He has been a commentator for CNN and the BBC. Mr. Clauss spends two-thirds of his time in New York and approximately one-third of his time in China, meeting with clients and government officials on a wide variety of matters.
Professional and Educational Background
Eliot is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and New York Law School. After graduation from law school he served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York on the Organized Crime Strike Force. He then spent approximately five years as a corporate and securities attorney with Manhattan law firms Davis & Cox and Jacobs, Persinger & Parker. Afterward, he joined Peltz & Walker as a trial lawyer, where he focused on commercial litigation including insurance disputes, professional liability and products liability cases and other complex cases involving civil racketeering and intellectual property. While at Peltz & Walker, in 1992 Eliot was invited to consult with Chinese banks in Beijing about US litigation matters arising in the wake of the Tiananmen Square incident. Eliot established his own practice in 1998 to focus on litigation, intellectual property and US-China cross-border matters. Eliot is a regular traveler and part-time resident of China, while advising both US and Chinese clients.
Professional Affiliations
Bar Admissions:
- New York State
- State of Connecticut
- U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
- U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of International Trade.
Bar Associations and Professional Associations:
- New York City Bar Association
Member and Former Vice-Chairman of its Asian Affairs Committee - United States-China Chamber of Commerce
Former President - China Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.A.
Former Senior Adviser - American Chamber of Commerce-Shanghai
Member