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LAW MEETINGS

Toronto AGM a Resounding Success

The 2005 Annual General Meeting of Lawyers Associated Worldwide™ was held October 20-22 at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. The meeting produced the largest attendance to date, with 97 delegates from 66 member firms, and 3 observers.

Following are some highlights of the meeting:

• Four LAW members with practices in China served on a panel to discuss a “Fact Pattern” about a joint venture in China. Panelists included: Chunhua Li, McCandlish Holton China; Tom McCandlish, McCandlish Holton China; Hao Wang, RayYin & Partners PRC Lawyers; and Yi Zhou, RayYin & Partners PRC Lawyers.
• There was a major focus on business opportunities and referral exchanges. Tom McCandlish talked about the goals of LAW practice groups, explained why they are important and introduced the existing groups. The lawyers broke into various practice groups for discussion.
• Elections were held for Regional Representatives to the LAW Executive Committee. Serving from the Americas Region will be Seymour Mansfield and Bob Wilson; the Asia Pacific Region will be served by Kamthorn Ounhirunskul and Jason Lim; and the European Regional representatives will be Marc Grüninger and Björn Feijen.
• Three observers made presentations about their firms: Corral & Rosales, from Quito, Ecuador; Broad and Cassel, from West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; and Kovacs Reti Szegheo, from Budapest, Hungary.
• Sally Schmidt reviewed the LAW strategic plan and provided a “grade” for LAW on each of its objectives for 2005. The grades ranged from a low of 3 (out of 10) for referral tracking to a high of 10 for recruiting.
• John Tauer, from the Larson Allen accounting firm, provided a financial review of LAW’s finances for 2004.

Next year’s meeting is scheduled for Beijing, China. Plan now to join us 25-29 October in 2006!

FEATURED MEMBER

David Soffer Law Offices

David Soffer Law Offices, located in Tel-Aviv, Israel, was established in 1971 and offers comprehensive legal counseling to individuals and firms. Capitalizing on more than 30 years of experience in the legal field, the firm offers expertise in real estate issues, banking, corporate law, civil law and business law and also performs litigation in these areas of practice, with particular expertise in banking, real estate and business law. The firm represents many clients from Israel and from other parts of the world.

The firm has expanded to five lawyers and 12 support personnel who fulfill paralegal activities and administrative responsibilities for the firm. According to David, recent projects include:

• Representation of a major bank in Israel in litigation and real estate receivership
• A commercial project in the Tel-Aviv area and two large residential projects in the city of Netania
• A business project in Bulgaria and a real estate project in England that involve health clubs and sport fields
• Representation of groups of investors that are active now in Europe and the US and are interested in investing in other parts of world

David Soffer is deputy president of the Bar Association and chairman of the Public Administration and Government Institutions Committee of the Bar Association, Tel-Aviv District. The committee handles the contacts and negotiates with real estate government tax departments, Israel land authority, the land registration office and other government entities. He was also the chairman of the Real Estate Surveyors Council of Israel and is president of a government fund of about $70 million US. Rina Soffer, also a partner, has been an active lawyer since 1976 and handles the banking department in the firm.

According to David, the firm is looking for good real estate projects for its clients for investment, and is excited about continuing to work with members of LAW.

RECRUITING

Two New Firms Added at Toronto AGM

There was a unanimous acclimation to accept as members two observers at the Toronto AGM who had fulfilled the requirements of membership. The new members are:

Beit–On, Shem-Tov, Tel Aviv, Israel

The Beit-On, Shem-Tov firm has 20 lawyers, and practices in M&A, capital markets, due diligence for public companies, construction, banking (worldwide), financing, litigation, bankruptcy and other areas. Clients include some of the leading corporations and institutions in the Israeli economy.

For further information, contact:
Beit-On, Shem-Tov
"Platinum" Tower, 21 HaArbaa St.
Tel Aviv, 64739, Israel
Phone: +972 3 6841111/6841100
Fax: +972 3 6841112/6841123
www.bost.co.il
Primary Contact: Joseph Shem-Tov
Email: yossi@bost.co.il
Other Contact: Ishai Beit-On
Email: office@bost.co.il

Fontaine & Cía Abogados, Santiago, Chile

Founded in 1987, Fontaine & Cía has four partners and a total of 18 lawyers. The firm practices in the areas of litigation, real estate and corporate matters.

For further information, contact:
Fontaine & Cía
Avenida El Bosque Norte Nº0177, piso 16
Las Condes
Santiago de Chile
Phone: +56 2 431 09 00
Fax: +56 2 378 91 51
www.fontaineycia.cl
Primary Contact: Francisco J. Fontaine
Email: ffontaine@fontaineycia.cl
Other Contact: Hernán Fontaine T.
Email: hfontaine@fontaineycia.cl

LAW Adds Member in Florida

We are pleased to announce a new LAW member in West Palm Beach, Florida. Broad and Cassel, which was represented by Patricia Lebow at the Toronto AGM, has joined LAW. Broad and Cassel has 175 lawyers in 8 offices throughout the state of Florida. The firm has already inquired about making a referral to our Brazilian member.

For further information, contact:
Broad and Cassel
One North Clematis Street
Suite 500
West Palm Beach, FL 33401, USA
Phone: 1 561 832 3300
Fax: 1 561 650 1125
www.broadandcassel.com
Primary Contact: Patricia Lebow
Email: plebow@broadandcassel.com
Other Contact: Jeff Deutch
Email: jdeutch@broadandcassel.com

CHAIRMAN'S CORNER

Thoughts on AGMs, Past and Future

The 17th Annual General Meeting of Lawyers Associated Worldwide has already started to recede into distant memory. (Perhaps that’s what happens to those of us who are in the “over 50” crowd.) Highlights of the meeting are found elsewhere in this newsletter, but I’d like to take a moment to thank some special people who helped to make this year’s meeting the most successful ever.

First (in many ways) are the attorneys and staff at Aylesworth LLP, our Toronto member firm that played host to the meeting. Nearly ever partner and associate made an appearance somewhere along the way, setting a stellar example for all host firms of events to follow. Special kudos to Michael Miller for his leadership of the Aylesworth AGM Team, and to Linda Ryan, the Manager of Finance and Administration at Aylesworth, whose planning and execution paid huge dividends for her firm. (Linda, you can cut and paste this section of my column and present it to your employer on the occasion of your next salary review.)

Also in line for top billing is Hallie Mann of Schmidt Marketing, Inc., whose tireless efforts planning, communicating with our members, and working with Aylesworth and the hotel and restaurant vendors provided a truly memorable event for all of us. Hallie has often been referred to as the “glue” that holds this organization together, and she clearly demonstrated the accuracy of this description once again in Toronto.

Special thanks to all who participated as speakers in this year’s AGM programs, providing informative and entertaining educational substance to the meetings. I learned (after the fact) that for the first time CLE (continuing legal education) credits were even available for some of our sessions.

Another group deserving our special thanks is comprised of the group leaders from our Practice Groups and our Work Generation Task Force. As a result of the interest demonstrated by the delegates in Toronto, we have moved the ball forward, combined these efforts under one “Business Opportunities Group” umbrella, and plan a significant increase in our energies and efforts in this area. (See comments below.)

The Toronto AGM also marked the debut of LAW’s new public relations team from Exponential. Three members of the Exponential organization were on hand to meet and interview nearly all of our delegates, learn more about their practices and media contacts in their home jurisdictions, and begin a 15-month assignment to raise the visibility of LAW and its member firms around the world. You will be hearing more on our PR efforts in future communications and newsletters.

After a brief hiatus, planning has already begun for LAW’s 18th Annual General Meeting, which will be held 25-29 October 2006 in Beijing, China, and will be hosted by RayYin & Partners PRC Lawyers. (Mark the dates in your calendars now!) As you mark the dates, you will note that we have expanded the AGM by 1 day. The extra day will provide more time for business generation discussions, and delegates will not feel as rushed moving from one activity to the next. Since at least 2 of our 3 regions must travel long distances to each AGM, regardless of where it is held, the Executive Committee concluded that extending the meeting by a day would be the best way for our members to get the most value out of our meetings. The Opening Reception for the Beijing AGM will take place on Wednesday night, 25 October 2006, This will be the first AGM with our new 4-day format, which we believe will produce a more relaxed and an even more enjoyable AGM experience for all of our members.

Finally, this is our last LAW eNewsletter of 2005, and I would like to close with my personal wishes to all of our members for a happy and prosperous, and a much more peaceful, New Year.

Best regards,

Christopher C. McCracken, Chairman
Ulmer & Berne LLP
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Please note: Ulmer & Berne's Cleveland office has moved. Chris’ new contact information is:
Christopher C. McCracken, Esq.
Ulmer & Berne LLP
Skylight Office Tower
1660 West 2nd Street - Suite 1100
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1448
Direct Phone: (216) 583-7050
Direct Fax: (216) 583-7051
Firm's Main Phone: (216) 583-7000
Firm's Main Fax: (216) 583-7001

MEMBER NEWS

Indian Member Speaks at International Meting

Sandeep Parekh, a partner with P. H. Parekh & Co., our LAW member in New Delhi, recently spoke at the AIJA Annual Finance conference in Toronto on the 28th of October. The AIJA is the International Young Lawyers' Association. His subject was “What are business trusts and other spvs using as financing structures?"

Cox Smith Opens Dallas Office

Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated, our LAW member in San Antonio, Texas, has announced the opening of a Dallas, Texas office. The office can be reached at:
1201 Elm Street, Suite 4242
Dallas, Texas 75270
Main Number: (214) 698-7800
Fax Number: (214) 698-7899
Contact: M. David Bryant, Jr.
Direct Line: (214) 698-7801
E-Mail: dbryant@coxsmith.com

Four Jacoby Donner Lawyers Named “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2005®”

Philadelphia LAW member Jacoby Donner is pleased to announce that four of its construction lawyers were named “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2005®” by Law and Politics. The recognized attorneys, Henry J. Donner, B. Christopher Lee, Stanley B. Edelstein and Margaret M. Underwood, are all shareholders of the firm. To select the “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2005®”, Law and Politics asked 36,000 lawyers across the state to nominate “the best lawyers they had personally observed in action.” Only 5% of the state’s lawyers received this designation.

Ulmer & Berne Breaks into NLJ 250

Ulmer & Berne LLP, LAW’s Ohio member, announced that it has been ranked the 237th largest law firm in the US by The National Law Journal. Eligibility is based on a firm’s total number of attorneys. Ulmer & Berne’s managing partner, Kip Reader, stated, “I am very pleased that Ulmer & Berne’s growth is being recognized nationally as one of the largest firms in the country. This growth can be attributed to the superior service provided by our attorneys and staff to our clients on a daily basis.” To accommodate Ulmer & Berne’s expansion, the firm has moved its Cleveland office to a larger and newly renovated space in the city. [See the firm’s new address at the end of the Chairman’s Column.]

Howard Kennedy Sings the Blues at Ronnie Scott’s

Howard Kennedy, our LAW member in London, acted for a private company owned by Sally Greene on the purchase of Ronnie Scott’s, London’s world famous jazz club. The club, first opened in 1959, has been host to many jazz legends including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Count Basie, Buddy Rich and musicians Van Morrison and Elvis Costello. Corporate partner Alan Banes commented, “We are extremely proud to have been actively and heavily involved in the acquisition of such an iconic jazz venue.” The Howard Kennedy team was comprised of corporate partner Alan Banes and licensing solicitor Guy Bishop.