Hong Kong Police is offering financial rewards amounting to $127,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of eight elusive pro-democracy activists. The activists, accused of violating Hong Kong’s national security law, have purportedly fled to the West. The charges against them include suspected foreign collusion, inciting secession, and subversion. Among the…
In continuing trends of global law firm expansions, Baker & McKenzie and Baker Botts are building their presence in the Middle East. Law.com reports that Legal Advisors Abdulaziz Alajlan & Partners, associated with Baker & McKenzie, have hired a Riyadh-based regulatory partner, Sahal Khalawi. Khalawi’s field of expertise includes strategic corporate and government advisory, in…
London-based governmental body Transport for London (TfL) and wealth management conglomerate Lombard International have chosen to extend their current legal panel contracts. TfL, the entity governing the majority of London’s transport network, has reportedly decided to extend its panel for two more years. This decision comes with the panel framework last reviewed in 2019 and…
In a recent discussion with Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer senior international policy advisor and former Ambassador to Brazil, Thomas A. Shannon Jr., the growing concern among US corporations about the national security implications concerning China potentially opening a spying base in Cuba became evident. Shannon shared that companies are just starting to look into…
Weil, Gotshal & Manges and DLA Piper have assisted Japan’s global advertising and marketing firm, Dentsu Group, in finalising its purchase of UK-based global content production group, Tag Worldwide Holdings Ltd. (Tag) from global private equity firm, Advent International. Though the specifics of the transaction remain undisclosed, it is valued at approximately $678 million according…
International law firm Bird & Bird continues its expansion endeavours in Australia with its latest partner hire in Sydney. This marks the third lateral partner hire in the country within the span of just one month. More details here. The new addition to the team is Chris Clarke, a former member of Australian firm Watson…
Richard Youle, the international-private equity co-head at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, has been promoted to lead the firm’s London office. He took over the position effective July 1, replacing Pranav Trivedi, who spent a significant decade as the London head. In addition to his London role, Youle will maintain his substantial international responsibilities…
Law firm Taylor Wessing has decided against providing a salary-based 5% profit share to non-partners for this year, following a period of subdued revenue growth. This benefit has been extended to all employees —excluding partners— for the past two fiscal years. According to an interview with the UK managing partner for Law.com International, such bonuses…
Eversheds Sutherland has recently bolstered its leveraged finance team with the appointment of a new partner. Ben Davis has joined the team after making the move from U.S.-based law firm Proskauer Rose’s London office. Davis has previously worked in Proskauer’s corporate and multi-tranche finance groups for the past seven years. His previous experience also includes…
Gilbert + Tobin, an independent corporate law firm, has emerged as a leading player on the Australian legal landscape. The firm was born out of a partnership between Danny Gilbert and Tony Tobin in 1988. Over the past three and half decades, it has rapidly risen through the ranks to sit alongside longtime, well-established law…
Tokyo’s Yamazaki Marunouchi Law Office has lodged a claim against Credit Suisse Securities Japan Ltd in the Tokyo District Court. Acting on behalf of an undisclosed Japanese company and its founder, the law firm is seeking close to $49 million in damages over bonds linked to a now insolvent Greensill Capital-run fund, according to details…
In a recent development, Luxembourg has passed significant legislation that permits English- and Welsh-qualified lawyers to register with the Luxembourg bar and practise U.K. and public international law. As reported by Law.com, this move marks the culmination of productive dialogues between the Law Society of England and Wales and representatives in Luxembourg. This adjustment to…
Goodwin Procter has continued its expansion into London’s private equity market, making a notable lateral hire from rival firm McDermott Will & Emery. Arvin Abraham, who joins Goodwin Procter, held important positions within McDermott. He spent nearly three years as a partner there, serving as the co-chair of the fintech and blockchain practice, and being…
A decade has elapsed since Brazil incorporated a significant anti-corruption law, leading to multiple investigations, criminal charges, and a considerable amount of work for both local and international law firms. This law has been integral in tailing corruption within Latin America’s largest economy, trapping politicians and executives across the Americas, additionally providing ample work to…
In a move that attests to the growing significance of the Middle East as a pivotal business region, international law firms Baker McKenzie and Baker Botts have continued their measured expansion in these markets. The precise details of the expansion move have not been disclosed due to paywall restrictions. However, it is evident that these…
As observed over the years, the statistical trends in commercial arbitration practice, a primary method for settling private disputes, have consistently reflected significant geopolitical occurrences. The latest stats brought forth by the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) in its 2022 annual report uphold this phenomenon. Despite it seemingly being “business as usual” for the…
The international legal market’s dynamism continues to impress, as seen in the recent activities of two law firms—Davis Polk and Simpson Thacher. Each played significant roles in guiding Vesta, a Mexican industrial property company, to its initial public offering (IPO). This move to raise capital in the U.S. market is a robust indicator of the…
U.K.-based law firm Taylor Wessing and its Spanish counterpart ECIJA have experienced a stronger than anticipated level of client referral activity and wins in the first four months of their strategic partnership. This assessment came from Taylor Wessing’s managing partner, Shane Gleghorn, who expressed that the pace of success was unexpected in an interview with…
Beijing-based Jingsh Law Firm is moving forward with the establishment of an office in Paris. Once completed, this will be the organization’s 15th international office. The expansion into Paris follows the firm’s successful venture of opening an office in London approximately two years ago. The Paris branch will be Jingsh Law Firm’s third office in…
India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, which recently came to force, has been met with mixed responses from international business circles. Notably, the DPDP Act eases burdens related to cross-border data transfers which is a relief for many international entities. The act provides for the localization of personal data in India, following a wave…
A recent report reveals alarming levels of sexual assault of women and girls in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, following a signed peace agreement to end conflict. The investigating bodies, Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa, studied over 300 random medical records from Tigray health centers dedicated…
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has ruled that Palestinians cannot proceed with a lawsuit against Israeli military officers for their alleged involvement in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip in 2014. The lawsuit is directed toward Benny Gantz, former military veteran and subsequent politician, and Amir Eshel, former Chief of Air Staff, who are…
On August 24th, 2023, privacy regulators from across the globe united to raise concerns about the growing use of data scraping technologies. A group of twelve international data protection and privacy regulators issued a joint statement articulating their “global expectations of social media platforms and other sites to safeguard against unlawful data scraping.” Their exhortations…
Earlier this month, the Commissioner of Data Protection of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a financial free-zone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), rendered a landmark decision with substantial implications for the global privacy landscape. This significant judgement recognizes the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as an equivalent to the DIFC’s own Data Protection…
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently held a Drone Symposium, co-hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). A key focus of the conference was the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in drone technology. FAA Deputy Regional Administrator, Deb Sanning, led the discussion on the impact of autonomy…