Scholar Linda Spedding, a professional colleague of many Interlawyers and an expert in the field of business risk management and due diligence tapped the Interlaw network for its expertise in a recent publication she edited for Lexis Nexis, Due Diligence and Corporate Governance.  Included in the book and her acknowledgements are William L. Pence of Akerman Senterfitt (Florida) who contributed to the chapter on Environmental Due Diligence and Risk Management

Interlaw Chair and Hunt & Hunt Partner Jim Harrowell contributed to the chapter dedicated to International Dimensions: Corporate Governance in Australia. Shuichi Namba and Koichi Nakatani from Momo-o, Matsuo & Namba (Tokyo) contributed to the chapter on Japan.

And more news from Interlawyers worldwide:

Argentina

            Brons & Salas (Buenos Aries and Montevideo, Uruguay):

Significant Developments:

• Managing Partner, Mr. Alfredo L. Rovira, was elected one of the four top lawyers of the city of Buenos Aires.
• Brons & Salas was again elected among the Top Ten Law Firms of Argentina.
• Brons & Salas hosted a series of working breakfasts bringing together companies and main players involved in the political and economic scenario. Guest lecturers have included, among others, Martín Redrado, Secretary of International Economic Relationships of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and current Governor of the Argentine Central Bank and Mr. Alberto Levy, a prestigious specialist in analysis and development of business, cluster and city competitiveness. This time, under the theme "A development project out of Neuquén into Argentina" the Governor of the Neuquén Province, Mr. Jorge Sobisch, has lectured on the various benefits offered by Neuquén at the time of investing not only in oil and gas but also in other areas of the Argentine economy.

Mr. Jorge Sobisch, Governor of the Neuquén Province, speaker at Brons & Salas working breakfast.

 Australia

            Hunt & Hunt (Australia and Shanghai):

Significant Developments and Interlaw Collaboration:

• New CEO – Michael Elphick
• Former managing partner completed first full year as Chair of Interlaw
• Andrew Hudson launched Special Business Team devoted to Customs, Trade, and Transport
• Hunt & Hunt to host the 2005 Asia Pacific Meeting in Sydney

Austria

            Eiselsberg Natlacen Walderdorff Cancola (E/N/W/C) (Vienna, Budapest, Hungary; Prague, Czech Republic):

• Raimund Cancola was appointed to the Interlaw Board of Directors

Belgium

            Janson Baugniet (Brussels)

• Hosted the European IP/IT Special Business Team meeting November 2004

Brazil

            Tess Advogados (São Paulo)

Significant Developments and Interlaw Collaboration:

• Merged with Campinho, Magalhães, Martins e Cardoso Advogados Associados. The resulting firm is now called Tess, Campinho Advogados.
• Eduardo Carvalho Tess Filho, senior partner of Tess Campinho Advogados, was appointed as Chair of International Law Committee of São Paulo Bar Association (OAB-SP) for 2004/05/06.

Canada

            Mendelsohn (Montreal)

Awards and Recognitions:

• Éloïse Gratton’s book entitled “Internet a Wireless Privacy: A Legal Guide to Global Business Practice”, was cited in a decision recently rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada.
• The Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce tabled a lengthy review of bankruptcy and insolvency legislation in Canada, addressing both consumer and commercial insolvencies.  One particular area of interest to ICSC members involves executory contracts, such as leases. Max Mendelsohn, Chair of Mendelsohn and head of its Restructuring Department, testified on the issues of disclaiming contracts and of transferring contracts.  Furthermore, Mr. Mendelsohn was:
• Named a Fellow of The Insolvency Institute of Canada in 2003
• Rated in the first ranking category in Insolvency and Restructuring (Canada) in the Chambers Global Directory - The World's Leading Lawyers – 2004.
• Highly recommended Insolvency and Restructuring practitioner (Canada) in The 2003/2004 Edition of Global Counsel 3000.
• Was nominated as one of the world's leading practitioners in Insolvency and Restructuring (Canada) in The International Who's Who of Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers – 2004.
• Listed as a leading lawyer in Insolvency and Restructuring in The Lexpert/American Lawyer Media Guide to the Top 500 Lawyers in Canada and in The Canadian Lexpert Legal Directory – 2004.

Collaboration with other Interlawyers:

• With the help of Interlaw member firms, the firm acted for a Canadian acquirer of a vertically integrated manufacturing and distribution business with operations in the United States, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
• Koula Hatzikiriakos has signed a contract with Butterworths to publish a book based upon her Masters Thesis “Secured Transactions in Intellectual Property: Software as Collateral”.  Collaborating with Koula on Ontario matters will be Jeff Goldenthal, a partner in the Banking Group at Aird & Berlis LLP (Toronto).  
•  Luis Capin, of Capin, Calderon, Ramirez y Gutierrez (Mexico City) visited Mendelsohn to make a presentation on Distribution contracts under Mexican Law. This event is hosted by Mendelsohn in collaboration with the Latin American Committee of the Canadian Bar Association.

 

Aird & Berlis LLP (Toronto)

Significant Developments and Interlaw Collaboration

• Bill VanderBurgh was appointed to the Interlaw Board of Directors at the annual meeting in Guangzhou, China
• The Honorable Barbara J. McDougall, P.C., O.C., CFA, LL.D., has joined the firm as Advisor. In this role, she counsels clients on international business matters, corporate governance and government relations. Mrs. McDougall was a Member of Parliament for nine years, and held several Cabinet posts, including Finance (Minister of State), Privatization, Employment and Immigration and External Affairs.
• Aird & Berlis has expanded its Technology Practice Group by welcoming new lawyers Don Johnston, Eric Messier, and Denis Chamberland. The firm has also hired Mark Stirling, the only non-lawyer in the group, as a consultant. They join Don West, Peter Czegledy, David Takenaka, Paige Backman and Lisa Moreau to form a technology law powerhouse.

Awards and Recognitions:

• Aird & Berlis LLP lawyer, Bernie McGarva, has been appointed by the Law Society of Upper Canada to sit on the Specialist Certification Committee for Construction Law.
• Jack Bernstein - selected as a leader in his field by The International Who’s Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers – 2005 (4th edition) – and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers.
• Jack Bernstein and Barbara Worndl - recommended as leading Canadian tax Lawyers by Chambers Global for the directory, The World’s Leading Lawyers (2004-05). The firm was also ranked as one of leading tax firms in the Canada Tax section.
• Jane Pepino and Louise Summerhill - selected as one of the 550 women who will appear in the Women in the Lead directory.

Owen Bird (Vancouver)

Awards and Recognitions:

• Chris Weafer practises in the area of regulatory law, with a particular focus on the broadcast and telecommunications industries and the 2004 recipient of the Friend of the Industry Award of the B.C. Association of Broadcasters.

Chile

Cariola Diez Pérez-Cotapos & Cia. Ltda. (Santiago)

Awards and Recognitions:

Cristián Herrera (1969, admitted to practice in 1994, LL.M. of. UC Berkeley) will be incorporated as partner of the firm as of January 1, 2005. He has been included in several ranking of outstanding lawyer like “Latin Lawyer Magazine” and more recently “Chambers 2004”.

Oscar Ferrari, (1970, admitted to practice in 1994, LL.B Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, 1992) will become a tax partner.  Mr. Ferrari is the co-author of the Chilean Chapter of the publication "Getting the Deal Through, Mergers & Acquisitions in 30 Jurisdictions Worldwide 2000", Law Business Research Ltd., UK, 2000 and a tax professor at the School of Law of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. He is listed as one of the twenty top Chilean lawyers under forty years and as one of the leading tax lawyers in Latin America by the Latin Lawyer Magazine.

Central America

F.A. Arias & Munoz (San Jose, Costa Rica; San Salvador, El Salvador; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Managua, Nicaragua )

Significant Developments and Interlaw Collaboration:

• Hospitality Industry Presentation to the Interlaw NARE Group, Interlaw Americas Conference, Miami, Florida;
• Participation and presentation at Interlaw Marketing Partners and Professionals Meeting, Dallas, Texas

Awards & Recognitions:

• The following partners were recognized as leading lawyers in the Corporate/Commercial field by Chambers Global:
•   F. Armando Arias  (El Salvador)
•  Zygmunt Brett   (El Salvador)
•  Vicente Lines   (Costa Rica )
•  Dennis Matamoros  (Honduras )
•  Bertha Arguello de Rizo (Nicaragua )
• Expert Guides (Euromoney’s listing) recognized as leading lawyers in Banking Law and Project Finance:
• - Lillian Zelaya Panting, Banking Law in El Salvador
• - José Antonio Muñoz,   Project Finance in Costa Rica
• José Antonio Muñoz, partner (Costa Rica) has been designated as member of the  "Nominating Committee” for two years, at  the Law Practice Management Section of  the American Bar Association.

Finland         

            Waselius & Wist (Helsinki) 

Awards & Recognitions:

• IFLR1000 and The European Legal 500 lists Waselius & Wist as a recommended firm in Capital Markets, Banking and Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions.
• Global Counsel lists Waselius & Wist as one of the world’s leading firms in Banking and Finance.

Collaboration with other Interlawyers:

• During the past year, Waselius & Wist has co-operated with Interlaw members in, inter alia, the following projects: Sutkiene, Pilkauskas & Partners (Vilnius) and Loze & Partners (Riga) in a financing and acquisition deal and with Hamilton & Co (Sweden) in a capital acquisition. 
• Waselius & Wist has also co-operated with both Sutkiene, Pilkauskas & Partners and Loze & Partners in a merger control matter and with

      Boekel de Nerée (Amsterdam) in a licensing agreement matter.

 

Germany

       Lang & Rahmann(Düsseldorf)

• To further develop the practice area of representing French- speaking
  companies and entrepreneurs in Germany, Ms. Fabienne Kutscher-Puis, qualified in France and in Germany as attorney, joined the Firm.

Korea

            Lee & Co. (Seoul)

Significant Developments and Interlaw Collaboration:

• Developing an in-house expertise for Chinese practice in recognition of increased Chinese business
• Participated in ACC-Chicago

Mexico

Capin, Calderon, Ramirez y Gutierrez (Mexico City)

• Brian Garcia, Frank Cordero and Luis Pérez from Akerman Senterfitt (Miami) visited to strategize the possibility of offering joint services to Mexican investors that may acquire assets in Florida or change their residence.

The Netherlands

            Boekel De Nerée (Amsterdam)

Significant developments and Awards and Recognitions     

The Partnership of Lawyers and the Partnership of Civil Law Notaries practicing under the name of Boekel De Nerée have been converted on 28 May 2004 to a limited liability company bearing the name Boekel De Nerée N.V.

European Legal 500 – 2004’ and ‘Chambers and Partners Global 2004’ recognized the firm for excellence in  Corporate & Commercial, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate, Employment Law, Transport & Insurance and other areas of practice.

Nigeria

Ajumogobia & Okeke (Lagos)

Awards and Recognitions            

• Leading lawyer, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies sessions on banking M&A reforms, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, August 2004.
• Chair, Nigerian SEC and Association of Issuing Houses National Workshop Session on Lawyers’ Role in Schemes of Arrangement, as part of banking M&A reforms, Lagos, September 2004.
• Several awards for participation in professional development initiatives.

Significant Developments and Interlaw Collaboration:

• Participated in China Corporate Counsel in Guangzhou

Peru

Rodrigo, Elías & Medrano Abogados (Lima)

• Seven new attorneys have been named to the firm, many with advanced international degrees from prestigious law schools ranging from Harvard, University of Chicago and others.  Most have experience with top tier multinational firms.

Puerto Rico

          Goldman, Antonetti & Córdova, P.S.C. (San Juan)

Significant Developments/ Awards and Recognitions:

• During 2005 the Firm will be celebrating its 95 years
• The Puerto Rico Bar Association named Mr. Carlos Rodríguez Vidal, as the most distinguished member of the Association.

Russia

Pepeliaev, Goltsblat & Partners (Moscow and St. Petersburg)

• Tom Stansmore, Head of St. Petersburg Office, was appointed Head of International IP Practice. Tom supervises international activities of the practice, and in particular, represents the firm in the Interlaw IP/IT Special Business Team. He joined the fellow Interlawyers at the European IP/IT Special Business Team Meeting which took place this November in Brussels.  Ms. Stansmore also participated at Association of Corporate Counsel in Chicago.

South Africa

Brink Cohen le Roux Inc. (Johannesburg)

Awards & Recognitions

• Willem le Roux has been identified as a Highly Recommended Labor and Employee Benefits practitioner in South Africa by the 2003/2004 edition of Global Counsel 3000.
• Johan Brink and Alison de Villiers recently advised the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in connection with its ZAR1 billion bond issue, which bond issue is listed on the Bond Exchange of South Africa and represents the first major municipal bond issue in South Africa since 1994.
• Paul Coetser has been appointed Chairman of the Law Society of South Africa's Competition Law Committee

Sweden

Advokatfirman Wåhlin (Gothenburg)

• Bo Myhrman has been appointed Honorary Consul of Romania

Hamilton & Co. Advokatbyrå (Stockholm, Falun, Karlstad, Malmö, Växjö, Sweden)

 

• Hamilton has been nominated as one of the top three law firms in Sweden for entrepreneurial companies according to a poll conducted by the Swedish Alliance of Entrepreneurs.

Collaboration with Other Interlawyers:

• On two occasions Hamilton held joint seminars with SJ Berwin. The first seminar was held in London and concerned recent developments in Swedish and UK tax law. Jens Baastrup participated from our firm. In December we had the pleasure of inviting SJ Berwin’s Jonathan Blake and Carl Nisser to Stockholm for a private equity seminar

           

Switzerland

Henrici, Wicki & Guggisberg (Zurich)

Significant Developments:

• International legal assistance in criminal, administrative and civil matters is still an important activity of our firm. We successfully appealed to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court against the blocking of bank accounts in connection with the Yukos affair.

Turkey

               Yamaner & Yamaner (Istanbul)

• Mr. Yamaner has been awarded a plaquette by the Istanbul Bar Association on the occasion of completion of his 30th year in the legal profession.
• Mrs. Yamaner has been awarded a plaquette by the Istanbul Bar Association on the occasion of completion of her 27th year in the legal profession.

Collaboration with Other Interlawyers:

• A joint proposal to Russian company together with Pepeliaev, Goltsblat & Partners.
• A joint proposal to a petroleum related industry client with SJ Berwin.

United Kingdom

England:

SJ Berwin (London)

Awards & Recognitions

• Corporate M&A partner Rob Day won “Legal Adviser of the Year”
• Lead of Private Equity, Jonathan Blake, was admitted to the “Hall of Fame” at the BVCA/Real Deals Private Equity Awards in April 2004.
• Awarded The Real Estate Team of Year, The Lawyers Awards 2004.
• Named World’s Leading Firm for Private Funds Expertise in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2003/04
• In the first half of 2004 SJ Berwin advised on more European buyouts that completed than any other law firm (according to merger market's database).  We advised on 17 completed buyouts across Europe in the first half of the year.

The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip visited SJ Berwin and chatted with Media Partner Charlotte McMillan, Interlaw Board Member Stephen Maffey and Senior Partner David Harrel

 

Scotland:

Morton Fraser (Edinburgh and Glasgow)

Significant Developments:

• John Urquhart, partner in the Banking & Finance Team, is heading up the new Interlaw Glasgow office of Morton Fraser.
• Jonathan Seddon, head of Morton Fraser’s Construction team,

Hazel Bett, a member of the Property+ team (Residential real estate]and Joy Barnard, Commercial Litigation & Insolvency specialist, were all promoted to partners.

Awards & Recognitions:

• In 2004 we celebrated our 175 anniversary.  The Prince’s Trust, Scotland was chosen as our charity to fund raise for throughout the year.  To date we have raised over £26,000 for this impressive charity.
• The Family Law team won the Family Law Firm of the Year award at the Law Awards of Scotland 2004.
• The Employment team won the Family Law Firm of the Year award at the Law Awards of Scotland 2004.
• Morton Fraser was awarded a silver award for Mediation Firm of the Year at the Law Awards of Scotland 2004.

United States

California: Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro, LLP (California)

Collaboration with other Interlawyers

• Worked closely with Swedish counsel, Hamilton & Co., to recover amounts arising from U.S. person. Swedish counsel provided expertise as their side of the Atlantic, as we provided expertise on ours. Case involved Internet hacking and participants in a fraud involving numerous jurisdictions.
• Bill Capps hosted a Corporate Counsel Roundtable session in which six foreign lawyers in the Interlaw network participated via teleconference. The topic was "How to Choose Foreign Counsel: Tricks and Traps."
• Cathy Holmes organized and led a meeting of the Women Lawyers of Interlaw on October 2, 2004 in Los Angeles. Women from 16 cities in North and Latin Americas attended. JMBM partners Pat Brody and Marta Fernandez participated, and JMBM Business Development Specialist, Carol James, spoke to the group about generating referrals.

Georgia: Rogers & Hardin (Atlanta)

Interlaw Collaboration:

• Successfully co-represented with Akerman Senterfitt (Florida) a corporate matter
• Rogers & Hardin arranged an introduction of the Costa Rican Firm, F.A. Arias & Munoz, (Central America)to the General Counsel of Delta Airlines in an effort to obtain Costa Rican business.
• The Firm is working with our Irish member firm, Binchys (Dublin) as one of our clients is developing a joint venture with an Irish firm to sell and lease in-room safes to the hospitality industry.
• Five other files were opened this year through Interlaw referrals.

Massachusetts:Goulston & Storrs (Boston)

Awards & Recognitions

• Recognized by Boston Business Journal as one of top 50 Places to work in Massachusetts for the second year in a row.
• Ranked first among all Boston law firms and fourth nationally for appeal and job satisfaction among mid-level associates in American Lawyer survey.
• National recognition by Chambers & Partners USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers, in real estate, litigation, environmental, bankruptcy, and banking & finance.

Texas:  Thompson & Knight LLP (Algeria and Texas)

Firm Update:

• In 2004, the firm hired 19 new associates, three of whom are performing judicial clerkships in their first year of practice.  The firm also launched an in-house trial academy to provide meaning court training opportunities for young associates. 

Awards and Recognitions:

• This year, 95 Thompson & Knight attorneys were named “Texas Super Lawyers” by Texas Monthly magazine.
• T&K received the 2003 “Firm of the Year for Extraordinary Pro Bono Service” Award from the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program;
• The 2003 “On Your Side” Award from Nationwide Life Insurance Co. for assistance in closing $600 million in Nationwide loans – more than any other law firm.
• Selected as one of the Dallas Business Journal’s top 10 Best Places to Work in the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex in 2004.
• Thompson & Knight was selected as one of the top five corporate law firms in Dallas and was highlighted in the July/August 2004 issue of Corporate Board Member magazine. Firms were selected by directors of publicly-traded companies.
• The firm was honored with a 2003 NameProtect “Trademark Insider” Award at the annual International Trademark Association (INTA) meeting held in Atlanta.  The award honored Thompson & Knight for filing more U.S. trademark applications in 2003 than any other Dallas law firm.

Interlaw Collaboration:

• Thompson & Knight collaborated with Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman LLP (NYC) and SJ Berwin (London) to bid on US and UK financing work for a Brazilian entity.

Washington State; Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC (Seattle, Washington)

Significant Developments

• J. Tayloe Washburn,was recently elected to a second term as managing partner
• The firm is proud to celebrate its 100-year anniversary.

Washington D.C.; Galland, Kharasch, Greenberg, Fellman & Swirsky, P.C. (Washington D.C. & Baltimore, Maryland)

Awards & Recognition

• David Street was elected President of the Maritime Administrative Bar Association for the 2004-2005 year.
• Over the past 2 years, Ed Greenberg has worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in developing workable security regulations concerning the movement of ocean cargo into the United States.  In doing so, Ed was appointed by the U.S. Treasury Department to work on the Ocean Commerce Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Customs Operations.

Collaboration with Other Interlawyers

• Rich Bar has assisted the Interlaw Board of Directors with membership and the Secretariat with counsel for the new website roll-out.

Wisconsin:Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Wisconsin)

• Recently in Geneva, Switzerland, the General Assembly of the UIA (Union Internationale des Avocats, or International Association of Lawyers) elected Delos N. Lutton President-Elect of the UIA.  This means he will automatically assume the Presidency at the end of next year's congress, to be held in Fez, Morocco in September 2005.  He will continue as President until the end of the 2006 Congress, to be held in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The UIA is the world's oldest international association of lawyers, bar associations and law societies, founded in 1927 with headquarters in Paris.  He is the third American to be elected President in its 78 year history.
• Richard W. Graber, shareholder in the firm's Business Law Department and Co-Chair of the firm's Government Relations Department was named Chief Executive Officer of the firm on July 1, 2004.  Graber is the Chairman of the Republican Party of the State of Wisconsin.  He also serves as Vice Chairman and directory of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.
• Anne M. Hlavacka, corporate and international shareholder, was named a "Woman of Influence" by the Milwaukee Business Journal this summer and presented with an award in the "Mentor" category for dedicating much of her career to promote and counsel minority-, women- and disadvantaged-owned businesses.