International law firm Jones Day has recently expanded its Asia Pacific energy practice amid a wave of significant hires. The hires include Simon Brown, former Ashurst partner, who is now joining the firm’s Brisbane office, and Paul Greening, previously associated with Akin Gump, who is moving to Jones Day’s Singapore office. The addition of these…
Nishimura & Asahi, the largest law firm in Japan by headcount, has significantly changed its ownership structure, granting foreign-qualified lawyers the legal ability to serve as equity partners with management rights. The firm inaugurated its foreign law joint enterprise structure on September 4 and is now operating as Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo). Fascinatingly,…
Renowned law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has strengthened its Hong Kong team with the addition of a new partner, Ivan Chang. Chang, formally a partner at Addleshaw Goddard’s Hong Kong office, which is currently defunct, brings with him a wealth of experience in dispute resolution. More about the new incorporation can be found here….
Herbert Smith Freehills has augmented its Asia private capital team, bringing Peiwen Chen on board from White & Case in Singapore. Chen was previously a local partner at White & Case and will join Herbert Smith Freehills as a partner. Simultaneously, the firm has arranged for the relocations of its Sydney-based M&A partner, Malika Chandrasegaran,…
US District Court Judge Ronnie Greer recently issued a temporary restraining order to prevent Ryan K. Desmond, District Attorney General of Blount County, Tennessee, from interfering with the Blount County Pride Festival under the state’s Adult Entertainment Act (AEA). This legislation bans public performances by male or female impersonators that cater to prurient interests. Desmond…
Georgia’s governing party, Georgian Dream, has commenced impeachment procedures against President Salome Zourabichvili, citing supposed constitutional violations as justification, as reported by Interpress News. These actions come following Zourabichvili’s decision to disregard warnings from the ruling party by seeking a meeting with the European Council president in Brussels to gain support for Georgia’s assimilation into…
In a pivotal case echoing other redistricting battles across the United States, Florida Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh declared Florida’s most recent congressional map unconstitutional on grounds that it hampered Black voters’ ability to elect representatives of their choice. The judgement took place in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, in and for…
The annual African Legal Awards ceremony is a prominent event in the global legal calendar, recognising the outstanding work conducted by legal professionals across Africa. This year, the awards highlighted both established firms and rising stars, with Webber Wentzel garnering the most accolades. Webber Wentzel, a South African law firm, proved to be the biggest…
As the summer season closes, regulatory lawyers worldwide are dealing with a shifting landscape of trade, technology, data, and climate rules. For those who might have taken a leisurely August break, priority one now is to get acquainted with these changes. Whether you are a seasoned observer of Italy’s Ferragosto, or lean more towards being…
Tunisian authorities have placed Abdel Karim Harouni under house arrest. Harouni is the head of the Ennahda party’s advisory council and is a prominent figure within the opposition. The announcement regarding his house arrest came on Saturday, as revealed in a statement by the National Salvation Front, the primary coalition of opposition in Tunisia. Described…
Hong Kong District Court judge Ernest Lin Kam-hung sentenced ex-Cantopop boy band member, Tommy Yuen, to 26 months of imprisonment on charges of sedition and money laundering, as detailed in the court’s judgment released on Thursday. The judge determined that Yuen had voiced seditious statements on social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, throughout 2021. These…
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that 42 bodies were retrieved from the frontlines of the tense conflict in Somaliland. They also disclosed that over 300 detainees have been visited in the region on Thursday to support humanitarian purposes and provide information to their families about their whereabouts. The Red Cross accompanied…
Ihor Kolomoisky, a prominent Ukraine tycoon, has been arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering related to his oil and gas holdings. The arrest is part of an on-going anti-corruption crackdown spearheaded by Ukraine’s main security agency, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Local news reports from Ukraine indicate that the Shevchenkivskyi District Court…
A court in Gomel, a southeastern city in Belarus, sentenced journalist Larysa Schchyrakova to 3.5 years in prison and a fine of 3,700 rubles (US$1465) on charges of violating Article 369 and parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code. These charges relate to the public insult of a government official in…
The recent decision by the Russian Ministry of Justice has sparked an international debate, as it has designated Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist, as a ‘foreign agent’. The ministry justified this classification by stating that Muratov “used foreign platforms to disseminate opinions aimed at forming a negative attitude towards the foreign and domestic…
On Friday, multiple members of the far-right nationalist group called Proud Boys received their sentence for their roles in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Ethan Nordean, the former leader of the group, was handed an 18-year prison sentence, whereas Dominic Pezzola, another member, was given a ten-year prison term. Interestingly, Nordean’s sentence coincides with…
Chongqing, duly recognized as China’s largest city with a staggering 32.12 million residents, has recently taken administrative steps towards fortifying national security. This move was realized through the introduction of a localized Anti-Espionage Regulation on Friday. Given its population size, which is even larger than both Shanghai’s and Beijing’s, Chongqing’s move could potentially influence other…