Belgium
Janson-Baugniet (Brussels) Flip Petillion, co-chair of the Interlaw European IP/IT Special Business Team has edited the group’s Inaugural issue of the European IP/IT Newsletter.

Canada
Aird & Berlis (Toronto)
Donald B. Johnston will address the Ninth Annual Canadian IT Law Association Conference in Montreal on October 27-28 on the subject of the use of information technology in the health care sector.

Larry Crozier presented “The New U.S. Law for International Bankruptcy Co-Operation – What it May Mean for Canadian Cases,” at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals.

Jay Lefton spoke on "The Do's and Don'ts of Global Biotech Fundraising" at the BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization) Annual International Convention, held in Philadelphia.
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Central America
F. A. Arias & Muñoz, (Central America) was a finalist in the recent Chambers & Partners Global Awards 2005 event in London, among the firms nominated as “Law firm of the Year 2005” from Central America, Mexico and Panama.
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Finland
Waselius & Wist (Helsinki) represented Aviation Capital Group Corporation in the financing of the acquisition of Boullioun Aviation Services Inc. Deal value: USD $2,500,000,000.

Legal 500 lists Waselius & Wist as a “recommended firm” and by PLC Which Lawyer? 2005, as a leader in Banking and Finance and in Banking M&A and as a recommended firm in M&A, Capital Markets and in Equity Capital Markets.
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United Kingdom
SJ Berwin – (London) was shortlisted for several awards this quarter including The Lawyer Awards’ 2005 IP/IT Team of the Year for the successful outcome for Ranbaxy against Abbott Laboratories in a patent case for the drug clarithromycin which started in October 2004; the Law Firm of the Year on the back of a highly successful and profitable year and senior corporate assistant Tandeep Minhas was shortlisted for The Young Solicitor’s Group Pro Bono Solicitor of the Year for her work at the Debt Counselling clinic at Toynbee Hall Community Centre, East London.

SJ Berwin ranked number one in client satisfaction survey in the 'international firms' category in a recent survey carried out by Legal Week.
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U.S.A.

Colorado
U.K. Publisher Chambers USA has ranked Sherman & Howard (Denver) among the top law firms in Colorado for employment, environment, real estate and corporate M&A Law. According to Chambers, “This fantastic group continues to command a high level of respect in employment law circles. The large and expanding team now numbers around 30 lawyers exclusively serving employers.”
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Florida
Akerman Senterfitt (Florida) has been ranked in the top 200 law firms by the American Lawyer and #2 of the Top 20 corporate law firms by Corporate Board Magazine. The Daily Business Review ranked the firm #2 of the top 15 and Akerman was cited by MultiCultural Law, as a Top 100 Law Firm for Diversity. The National Law Journal, Top 250 Firm- Ranked Akerman # 115.

Thirty Akerman Senterfitt attorneys have been designated as leaders in their respective practice areas, according to the 2005-2006 edition of “Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.” Overall, Akerman received top tier rankings in 15 categories and was ranked no. 1 nationally for shipping law and no. 1 in Florida for antitrust, corporate/M&A, and insurance law.
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Illinois
Chambers and Partners ranks Neal Gerber Eisenberg LLP (Chicago) among the top law firms in Illinois in the 2005 directory Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. NGE received a high ranking as a leading firm in Illinois for the following Chambers-designated practice areas: Banking & Finance, Employment (Defendant) and Real Estate. Five firm attorneys were ranked among the leading individual attorneys within their respective practice area, including a #1 ranking for Labor & Employment Practice Group partner Howard L. Bernstein. Other firm attorneys receiving a high ranking include Harvey M. Adelstein, Peter H. Barrow, Gerald A. Golden and Diana J.P. McKenzie.

Neal Gerber Eisenberg played host to several Interlaw members at a welcome reception held in their Chicago offices on August 4. The reception was held in conjunction with the American Bar Association's 2005 Annual Meeting in Chicago. Managing Partner Jerry Biederman, other firm partners, and members of the marketing department warmly welcomed the following guests: Rick Silberstein of Gomez-Acebo & Pombo Abogados, S.L., (Barcelona); Jay Lefton of Aird & Berlis, (Toronto); Jean Paul Chabaneix of Rodrigo, Elías & Medrano Abogados (Lima); and Mr. & Mrs. Jose Luis Gutierrez-Azpe of Capin, Calderon, Ramirez y Gutierrez-Azpe (Mexico City).
Neal Gerber Eisenberg recently launched a new website, which can be viewed at www.ngelaw.com.
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Washington State
Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC (Seattle) received the 2005 BEST Award for its environmentally sustainable business practices.

FP&S was also recognized by Corporate Board Member magazine in its annual ranking of Seattle’s best law firms. Rising one spot to fourth this year, the ranking is significant given the firm is one-third the size of the top three. The recognition comes, in part, for Foster Pepper’s work with Costco Wholesale, Jeld-Wen Inc. and Paul Allen Cos.
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Wisconsin
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Milwaukee) shareholder Delos N. Lutton has been named President of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), the world's oldest international association of lawyers, bar associations and law societies. Mr. Lutton will assume the one- year term at the annual meeting in Fez, Morocco. He is only the third American elected present in the association's 78-year history.

"This is a great honor for me and for Reinhart" said Lutton, "but more importantly, it represents a valuable opportunity for our clients who are doing business abroad or dealing with foreign nationals. In addition to the international legal counsel we can provide to them directly, we can put our clients in touch with the right lawyer, anywhere in the world."

The UIA was founded in 1927 with headquarters in Paris, France. It brings together bar associations and individual members from over 100 countries worldwide. The UIA holds global and regional legal conferences annually on a variety of subjects of interest to the legal profession. It also intervenes on behalf of lawyers in human rights cases and serves as a voice for lawyers worldwide when consulted by such international organizations as the World Trade Organization.
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