Please feel free to forward the newsletter to your colleagues and clients.

LAW SUCCESS STORY

LAW Members Rally to Serve International Client

Members of LAW, acting on behalf of Sato Corporation, a global leader in barcode printing and labeling, recently completed a successful multi-million dollar acquisition of the barcode system (BCS) business owned by Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (NYSE; CKP).

Under the agreement negotiated by Howard M. Cohen of the law firm of Cohen, Grossman & Rosenson, LLC (our LAW member in Chicago, Illinois), Sato acquired Checkpoint’s BCS business around the world as well as hand-held labeling solutions in the United States.

Sato is publicly listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan. It has worldwide offices in the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and China. For more information about Sato, go to www.Satoworldwide.com.

The transaction closed simultaneously on January 27, 2006 in the United States, Germany, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. More than 14 LAW member firms worked on this transaction, including firms in Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the U.K., the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, New Zealand, and Australia as well as the United States.

The business opportunity was initially presented to LAW by Kamthorn Ounhirunskul from Kamthorn, Surachet & Somsak, the LAW member firm in Thailand, whose firm had previously represented Sato in another matter.

MEMBER NEWS

Budapest and San Francisco Firms Newest Members of LAW

We are delighted to announce two new members of LAW:

Kovács Réti Szegheo Attorneys-at-Law

Founded in 1992, the Kovács firm has five partners and 22 total lawyers and staff. The firm has a general practice with substantial expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, real estate and employment law. For further information, contact:

Kovács Réti Szegheo Attorneys-at-Law
Zugligeti út 41
1121 Budapest
Hungary
Phone: +36 1 275 2785
Fax: +36 1 275 2784
Web Site: www.ars.hu
Primary Contact: Dr. Attila Kovács
Email: kovacs.attila@ars.hu

Shartsis Friese LLP

With more than 50 lawyers and 111 total lawyers and staff, Shartsis Friese has a broad practice in litigation and business law. Founded in 1975, the firm is also well known for its expertise representing investment funds and advisors. For more information, contact:

Shartsis Friese LLP
One Maritime Plaza
18th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: +415 421-6500
Fax: +415 421-2922
Web Site: www.sflaw.com
Primary Contact: Arthur Shartsis
Email: ashartsis@sflaw.com

We look forward to working with the representatives of these firms in the future. Welcome to LAW!

New York Firm Adds Chinese Expertise

Todtman, Nachamie, Spizz & Johns, P.C., our LAW member in New York, is pleased to announce that Ling Guo has joined the firm. Ling is a corporate attorney who worked with a top law firm in Beijing and was in charge of the Chinese Practice Group at a firm in Singapore. Ling is a columnist for The World Journal newspaper and a guest speaker on China Radio Network, and was a columnist for the Singapore Lianhe Newspaper. She is also a speaker at seminars on commercial and investment law for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Guo graduated from New York University School of Law with an LL.M in Corporate Law in 2002 and China University of Politics & Law, Beijing, China, with an LL.B in Economic Law in July 1995. She is fluent in English and Chinese.

Beit-On, Shem-Tov Announces Taxation Department

LAW member Beit-On, Shem-Tov Law Office, in Tex-Aviv, Israel, is pleased to announce the opening of a new taxation department. Services will include consultation on various tax activities, representation before tax authorities, tax litigation, and representation before the board of appeals. The taxation department will be lead by Saleh Abu Elassal, a lawyer and CPA, who is well known and highly respected in the business community. For further information, contact office@bost.co.il.

Howard Kennedy Walks the Avenue of the Stars

Brian Eagles, partner and head of the media and entertainment department for our London LAW member Howard Kennedy, accepted a star on the Avenue of Stars on behalf of the late Sir Ralph Richardson for his contribution to British film and theatre. One hundred celebrities are immortalized with a silver star on the Avenue of the Stars, a spectacular walkway set in St Paul’s, The Actors’ Church in Covent Garden. The Avenue is regarded as Britain’s equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Brian Eagles was the Richardson’s solicitor for 25 years and is one of the founder trustees of The Ralph and Meriel Richardson Foundation.

Jacoby Donner Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Jacoby Donner, our LAW member firm in Philadelphia, is pleased to announce its 75th anniversary. The firm wishes to acknowledge the clients and friends who have enabled the firm to achieve this significant milestone.

Happy Anniversary!

LAW MEETINGS

New Orleans Welcomes LAW Americas Regional Meeting

Rodger Wheaton and his colleagues in the Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin & Hubbard law firm are looking forward to welcoming everyone to New Orleans for the 2006 Americas Regional Meeting on April 20-22. The Royal Sonesta Hotel, a Grand Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter, will be the site of the meeting and is within steps of world-famous restaurants, antique shops, jazz clubs and premier tourist attractions. The meeting is timed to coincide with the French Quarter Festival, Louisiana's largest free music festival. For further information, contact Hallie Mann of Schmidt Marketing (halliemann@schmidt-marketing.com).

Ireland Will Be Site of European Regional Meeting

On May 11-13, 2006, Sharon Scally and the other members of the Amorys law firm, our LAW member in Dublin, will host the European Regional Meeting of LAW. The meeting will be held at the Westbury, one of the most luxurious five-star hotels in Dublin. The meeting includes Friday dinner in Dublin Castle, the heart of historic Dublin. Post-meeting trips include golf, exploration of Glendalough, and dinner and Johnnie Fox’s Pub. For further information, contact Hallie Mann of Schmidt Marketing (halliemann@schmidt-marketing.com).

Great Lakes Sub-regional Meeting Held in Minneapolis

Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, P.A., our LAW member firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hosted the Lawyers Associated Worldwide Great Lakes Sub-regional Meeting on March 10-11, 2006. The meeting, attended by many of the U.S. and Canadian LAW members, was a great success. The following lawyers from Great Lakes Region firms were present at the event: Howard Cohen, Chicago; Greg Wysocki, Detroit; Chris McCracken, Cleveland; Roger Gripp, Winnipeg; John Moscati, Buffalo, NY; Harry Andrew, Toronto; Doug Hendler, Toronto; and Seymour Mansfield, Minneapolis.

The purpose of the Great Lakes Sub-regional Meeting was to discuss building better relations with Sweden, and to acknowledge and market those firms that have business interests in the Scandinavian and Baltic Region market. This was an effort that the members (tongue in cheek) dubbed Project “Fargo,” after the Minnesota Cohen Brothers movie of the same name. To help facilitate the meeting, LAW Executive Committee member and prominent Swedish lawyer Björn-Anders Feijen, of Solon Attorneys in Stockholm, Sweden, attended the meeting.

Each representative made a presentation on his firm, describing practice expertise and unique practice niches. Mark Sellner and Robert Buetow, international tax experts from Larson Allen Weishair & Co. (LAW’s accounting firm), facilitated an open forum on “Hot Topics in Cross-border Business and Deals in Great Lakes Jurisdictions.” Following the forum, the meeting agenda included “Case Studies in U.S.-Canadian Cross-border Transactions,” “Special Nuances of Crafting and Enforcing Non-competes and Other Restrictive Covenants in Great Lakes Cross-border Situations” and “The Great Lakes–Scandinavian Connection: How to Generate Legal Work on Both Sides of the Pond (a/k/a Project Fargo).” Each member firm played a vocal part in discussing “Hot Topics in Law Firm Management” and exchanging examples of firm policy and management. The meeting also generated discussion of a joint sponsorship and presence at the 10th Annual Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Swedish/American Entrepreneurial Days conference taking place in August 2006 in Lidköping. For further information, contact Seymour Mansfield (smansfield@mansfieldtanick.com).

Taking Advantage of Business Opportunity Groups (BOG's)

One of the most important initiatives of Lawyers Associated Worldwide is what we call “Business Opportunity Groups” (or BOG’s). The purpose of the BOG’s is to provide a forum for lawyers in our member firms to share ideas, information and issues with other lawyers engaged in the same practice. The forums are for all the lawyers and professional staff at each firm, not just for the LAW primary contacts. Through the BOG’s, we have combined some of the previous work generation and practice groups.

Currently six BOG’s exist:

• Financial Services/Mergers & Acquisition/Cross Border
• Media & Entertainment
• Health Care/Life Sciences
• International Dispute Resolution/Complex Litigation
• Construction/Environmental/Real Estate Developmen
• Practice Management

How can you participate in a BOG?

1. Sign up. To sign up, go to the LAW Web site (www.lawyersworldwide.com). Enter the Members Only site with the password - lawmem03. Once you are logged in to the Members Only site, on the right-hand side you will see “BOG’s.” Just click there to sign up for as many electronic groups as you would like.
2. After signing up, you will receive a welcome e-mail explaining how the forum works. Then you will be able to send and receive information in the particular group(s) for which you are registered.

If you have any questions about Business Opportunity Groups, contact Ryan Kovich at Schmidt Marketing (ryankovich@schmidt-marketing.com).

Member Responsiveness

One of the questions on our recent LAW member survey was, “How satisfied are you with the level of responsiveness shown to you and your clients by other LAW member firms?” On a scale where 1 is “very satisfied” and 10 is “very dissatisfied,” the aggregate response was a very good 3.30.

However, we also know there are times when a member may be disappointed with the response received from another member firm. If this happens, you should feel free to contact Sally Schmidt at Schmidt Marketing (sallyschmidt@schmidt-marketing.com); she will help you try to contact the member or determine the best course of action.

NEWS FROM THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

New International Arbitration Center Opens in Singapore

Jason Lim, of our LAW member firm Michael Khoo & Partners in Singapore, forwarded an article announcing the new International Centre for Dispute Resolution—Singapore. The Centre, a collaboration of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the American Arbitration Association and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, will provide comprehensive rules for the conduct of arbitration and mediation, training and the appointment of arbitrators, and case administration services. The new dispute resolution center raises Singapore’s standing in international commercial arbitration. For further information, contact jasonlim@mkp.sg.

Reflections on India

Ross Koffel, from LAW member firm Koffels Pty Ltd Solicitors & Barristers in Sydney, Australia, sent the following e-mail for distribution to LAW members:

“When I returned home from the Asia Pacific Regional Meeting which was held in New Delhi, India, I was interested to read an article in relation to the production of a new motor vehicle in India. I thought the story, a small abstract of which I set out below (which has been paraphrased by me), illustrates just how things are changing in India and what effect economies such as India may have on the rest of the world.

“Have you heard about the ‘one-lakh’ car? It is a brazen plan by an Indian car maker, Tata Motors, to put a small vehicle on the market for what Indians call one lakh - that is 100,000 Indian rupees, or about US$2,200 or €1,960 at the current exchange rate.

“Tata promises the one-lakh car will carry 4-5 passengers and will meet international safety standards. It will be on the streets within two years. The journalist who wrote the article said that some of his middle-class Indian friends who have only recently been able to consider buying a car are delighted. But the prospect of a car retailing for the price of a plasma T.V. must terrify car company executives and trade union leaders across the world.

“The one-lakh car is a powerful symbol of global economic change. On one hand, it is allowing millions of people to get things that were previously out of their reach. On the other, workers in rich countries are being made to feel increasingly uncomfortable by the process. If emerging economies like India can churn out cars for US$2,200 or €1,960, how cheaply can they produce other goods and services? What does that mean for workers in other countries, both blue and white collar?

“The one-lakh car is said to be a reminder that politicians have their work cut out balancing global economic forces with voters’ attitudes who are concerned about their jobs.”

For more information, contact rosskoffel@koffels.com.au.

CHAIRMAN'S CORNER

Expanding LAW in India

The front page headline of The Times of India on Friday, March 3, 2006, was supposed to read, “International Legal Association Meets with Chief Justice – India Aligns with LAW.” Unfortunately, we were aced out again by political events, and the actual headline, running above a large color photograph of United States President George W. Bush with his arm around Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, read, “It’s a Deal. A Very Big Deal.” It was simply another one of life’s little coincidences, but while Lawyers Associated Worldwide was holding its 2006 Asia Pacific Regional Meeting in New Delhi, right down the street (literally), the leaders of India and the U.S. were forging a new, 21st century relationship between their countries.

India, like China, is a country where LAW needs to develop an increased presence in order to better serve the needs of our clients in the new global economy. The seat of political power is in Delhi, where our meeting took place. LAW is well served by our host firm in Delhi, P. H .Parekh & Co., which I am now convinced is one of the most highly-regarded law firms in India in judicial and political circles. We did, in fact, have a private meeting with the Chief Justice of India. It followed a lively presentation to the members of the Supreme Court Bar Association of India, who were very interested to learn about our international legal association and the “business” of practicing law in the foreign jurisdictions that we call home.

You may not be aware that India is still a “closed society” when it comes to the practice of law. Foreign law firms are not yet permitted to open offices in India, although that is expected to change soon thanks to the mandates of WTO membership. When the change occurs, you can be sure that the large, international law firms will be falling all over themselves to open offices in this country, which is home to over 1 billion people and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Indian lawyers and their firms are currently subject to some of the most restrictive rules of any democracy in the world limiting marketing, advertising and solicitation by members of the legal profession. Loosening (or not loosening) these rules were among the main topics of conversation with members of the Indian bar, and our LAW representatives were grilled about our views on the topic.

At the LAW regional meeting we heard from the general counsel of one of India’s largest public companies about his desire to expand the network of law firms that he uses to represent his company throughout the world on its construction and engineering projects. This seasoned practitioner (and businessman) was quite vocal about his desire to find qualified lawyers in other countries who have the expertise to assist his company, but who do not charge the stratospheric rates of “Magic Circle” and other large international law firms. Our members were, of course, happy to oblige, and a number of business cards were exchanged.

India is an interesting study of contrasts. It is a land where the most modern, long-haul jumbo jets fly only a few feet above the tin roofs of shanties that thousands of squatters call home as they land at the international airports. It is a land where business owners in Mercedes sedans share the roads with camels and elephants pulling carts, and where sacred cattle roam, eat and sleep everywhere, including in the middle of busy intersections. It is a land poised for economic progress, with a government and a judicial system that are both determined to bring economic growth, prosperity and environmental protections to more and more citizens.

As India’s economy continues to open up to foreign investment, more and more of our clients will be “Doing Business in India,” in much the same way as they have begun “Doing Business in China.” LAW needs to be firmly established in India when that day arrives. That is why, following our meeting in Delhi, we went on to Bangalore (India’s tech center) and Mumbai (India’s commercial center) to interview and conduct due diligence on potential new LAW member firms in those cities. Our efforts to make personal contacts on behalf of LAW were well received, and with a bit of luck we may be able to add another one or two highly qualified Indian law firms as members of our growing organization before the end of the year.

It is an exciting time to be involved in Lawyers Associated Worldwide.

Sincerely,

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

FEATURED MEMBER

SOLON Advokatbyrå Gives and Receives through LAW

SOLON Advokatbyrå, our LAW member in Stockholm, Sweden, provides a great example of how the LAW network can benefit a firm, and how firm representatives can give back to LAW. Björn Feijen, senior partner in the firm, serves on the Executive Committee of LAW. During 2005, Björn and his colleague, Ola Betjemann, successfully represented clients of several LAW member firms, among them Ulmer & Berne; Morris, Manning & Martin; Herrmann Rechtsanwälte; and, Moltke-Leth. The matters involved a range of issues, including mergers and acquisitions, financial issues and establishing businesses.

SOLON also arranged the Scandinavian & Baltic sub-regional meeting of LAW, which was held in Stockholm on September 16, 2005, and participated in the Eastern Europe Business Forum in October together with LAW member firms from Kiev and Tallinn. In January, Björn visited our member firm in Beijing and in March he participated in the Great Lakes Sub-Regional meeting in Minneapolis.

On April 1, 2006, SOLON Advokatbyrå will open another branch office in the Uppsala region, headed by Björn Feijen. Björn is also happy to report that LAW will be represented by someone from the Great Lakes region as well as members from Sweden, Norway and Denmark at the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial days in Lidköping, Sweden on August 21-23, 2006. For more information, contact bjorn@solon.se.