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

NEWS FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As LAW moves into its 19th year, we look forward to continued growth in numbers as well as further development and marketing of the network. As one of our core values is to strengthen relationships between members, we hope that you will join us at these meetings in 2007:

2007 Regional Meeting Dates:

1. Europe, Africa & Middle East – Cape Town, South Africa (19-21 April 2007) - Hosted by Marais Muller Yekiso Inc.
2. Americas – Vancouver, B.C., Canada (10-12 May 2007) - Hosted by Stewart & Winch
3. Asia Pacific – Cairns, Australia (17-19 May 2007) - Hosted by Qld Law Firm (formerly Baker & Johnson)

2007 Annual General Meeting:

Luzern/Zurich, Switzerland (31 October – 3 November, 2007, excursion will be planned for November 4th also) - Hosted by Grüninger Hunziker Roth Rechtsanwälte

If you have not responded to the short survey regarding your firm’s attendance at the 2007 meetings, please let Hallie know how many delegates and accompanying person your firm plans to send to the regional meetings and the AGM.

New committees have been formed:

1. Sponsorship Committee – This committee will be chaired by Seymour Mansfield of Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, PA, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Seymour will be assisted by Kamthorn Ounhirunskul (Bangkok), Michael Miller (Toronto), Bjorn Feijen (Stockholm), Marc Grüninger (Zurich) and Martin Davies (London).
   
2. Web Committee – This committee will be chaired by Bill Savarino of Cohen Mohr LLP, Washington, DC, USA. The web site will be evaluated for improvements and bids will be solicited for this work. A committee will be formed to assist Bill.
   
3. Regional Meeting Planning Teams are being formed. The Americas Regional Meeting Planning Team will be comprised of Charlie Winch (Vancouver), Kathy Deutsch (Florida), Art Shartsis (San Francisco), Francisco Fontaine (Santiago), Donna McElroy (San Antonio), and Paul Sharek (Edmonton). The Europe, Africa and Middle East Regional Planning Team will be comprised of Albert Van Zyl (Cape Town), Niels Rime (Oslo), Bjorn Feijen (Stockholm), Bogdan Drenski (Sofia), Sharon Scally (Dublin), Marc Grüninger (Zurich), Jörg Heyer (Cologne) and Tony Idigbe (Lagos). A team is also being formed for the Asia Pacific Regional. Thanks to everyone that responded to the Post-AGM survey. The comments will be very helpful as we plan the 2007 meetings.
   
4. Recruiting director – Ward Bondurant of Morris, Manning & Martin, L.L.P. in Atlanta, Georgia, USA has agreed to lead LAW’s recruiting efforts. Please send any recruiting leads to Ward or to Hallie. Thanks again to Jim McPherson of Aylesworth, LLP who ably led the recruiting in the past. We wish Jim the best in his retirement from Aylesworth but look forward to seeing him at future LAW meetings.

Please welcome Barbara Brown. She will be assisting Hallie on LAW matters on a consulting basis. Barbara was formerly the Regional Marketing Manager at the global law firm, Faegre & Benson (479 attorneys) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are excited to have Barbara working with us. She can be reached at barbarabrown@lawyersworldwide.com or 612-920-0056.

Reminder: There is a new password to access the Member part of the LAW web site. If you need the new password, send an email to Hallie.

Please continue to send information about your firm to Hallie for this newsletter.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE

• Discrimination Policy - The Executive Committee has adopted a policy for:
  1. Equal Opportunity Employer
  2. Anti-Discrimination
  3. Sexual Harassment

Go to the Members Site to view the policy. The policy is required by our insurance carriers.

• Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation – The Articles of Incorporation that have been amended to incorporate the changes approved at the 2006 AGM in Beijing have been placed on the member site.
  
• The Executive Committee has set the following schedule for its 2007 Meetings: January 16; February 20; March 20; April 17; May 15; June 19; July 17; August 21; September 18; October 31; November 20 and December 18. If you have concerns that you would like addressed by the Executive Committee, please send an email to Chris McCracken cmccracken@ulmer.com or Hallie Mann at halliemann@lawyersworldwide.com.

LAW 2006 AGM IN BEIJING

The 18th Annual General Meeting of Lawyers Associated Worldwide was held in Beijing, China on October 25 – 28, 2006. Our thanks goes to everyone at the host firm of RayYin & Partners, PRC Lawyers who organized an excellent event which was attended by 92 delegates and 45 accompanying persons from 75 member firms in 43 countries. There were also 5 observer firms at the meeting.

Presentation speakers on Doing Business in China included Chris Thomas, EU Project Director, Banking, EU-China Financial Services Co-operation Project on “Evolution of Business in China from State-Owned Enterprises to a Market Economy” as well Mark Cohen, IPR Attaché for the US Embassy in Beijing on “Protecting the Intellectual Property Rights of Companies Doing Business in the PRC”. LAW’s China members participated in a panel discussion of Development of Business Law Practices in China.

Many of the members participated in a tour of the Great Wall after the meeting was concluded.

NEW YEAR’S REFLECTIONS

Welcome 2007! With the start of each New Year, we reflect on the highlights of the past 12 months and the things that we can do differently (and better) in the coming year. The value of your membership in Lawyers Associated Worldwide, and how it can be enhanced, is a topic worthy of consideration in this New Year’s reflections.

LAW has a great story to tell. We will soon have 90 member firms in nearly 50 countries around the world. We are regularly attracting the attention of excellent law firms that would like us to consider them for membership. One of the things that makes LAW attractive is our organizational model, which differentiates LAW from most other international legal associations.

As we begin our 19th year of existence, you should take a fresh look at what LAW has become, and how it can enhance your practice and provide real value to your firm.

1. An Economical Alternative. LAW’s dues structure makes it the “best buy” of any international legal association. Our joining fees and annual dues are among the lowest, with many groups charging multiple times the amount of our assessments. Cost is certainly not everything, but it is important, and the benefits that firms can obtain by making good use of our assets can result in LAW providing an excellent “return on investment.” We maintain our low-cost model by not spending money on glossy brochures or expensive print advertising. We rely on our website as our face to the world, and we do most of our communicating electronically. We have a “lean and mean” staff, comprised of an Executive Director and an Assistant (see related article), with supplemental clerical assistance from time-to-time as needed. Most of our competitors have much larger staffs that require much higher dues to support. The LAW model, instead, emphasizes active volunteer participation. Our Executive Committee, representing all of our Regions, is a hard-working, dedicated and uncompensated group. It is the driving force behind many of our organizational initiatives.
   
2. Personal Interaction. LAW is not simply a directory. We require members to attend our meetings, providing them with the opportunity to learn first-hand about the cultures in which global businesses operate, and allowing them to become knowledgeable about the capabilities that all of our members have to offer. Personal interaction at these meetings leads to the development of common bonds with lawyers who may one day be called upon to assist you and your clients.
   
3. Emphasis on Service. LAW has a set of Service Standards that we expect all of our members to abide by. With client expectations and competition rising every year, LAW’s members need to meet and exceed expectations. Your active participation in LAW provides you with immediate access to a global network of like-minded professionals, many of whom you know on a first name basis, who can provide you with prompt, seamless business and litigation expertise in most major commercial centers around the world. Having these capabilities is a value-added proposition for your firm. We expect a level of responsiveness from our members that equals or exceeds their responsiveness to their very best clients. Every time that this level of responsiveness is achieved, the value of LAW is increased for all of us.
   
4. Accountability. We care about member accountability. If even one of our partners or our clients experiences service problems with any of our members, the result can be long-lasting damage to the value of all of our memberships. Our members need to understand this and to act accordingly. In today’s competitive world, you seldom get second chances. All of our members should realize that the ability to provide excellent service to our clients, virtually anywhere in the world, is the core value of their LAW membership. They must also realize that there has to be accountability for failures to meet these expectations. We have been fortunate over the years to experience very few service problems from our members. But if lapses do occur, they should promptly be reported to the Executive Director and/or to a member of the Executive Committee.
   
5. Globally Connected, Locally Focused. Our new motto, courtesy of our Brisbane member (with a few minor “tweaks” from others), is an excellent description of our organization. It is empowering to be able to tell your clients and prospective clients, as well as others in your own firm, that you have the capability to provide first-rate legal services, with local knowledge and expertise, in over 100 commercial centers around the world. When these services can be provided for a fraction of the cost of the giant global law firms (which have a much higher fixed overhead cost structure), you have a story that today’s cost conscious business owners, managers and general counsel will find appealing.
   
6. Referrals of Business. The level of referrals that your firm receives from LAW members will likely depend upon the nature and location of your practice, and your level of involvement in the organization. Long distance, international referrals certainly occur, but so do referrals from members in nearby cities, states and provinces. With LAW’s low cost operational model, it doesn't take very many referrals to cover your cost of membership. We will be improving our referral tracking process this year so that there will be more visibility of the level of referral activity that takes place within the organization.
   
7. Telling the Story. How often do you think about the increased value that your firm receives from its active participation in LAW? Our staff will be working this year to develop a set of marketing ideas that will help each member firm, regardless of its size or location, to tell the story of the added dimensions that are brought to its practice through its active participation in LAW. With careful recruiting of new members and continued emphasis on quality of service, your LAW membership has been increasing in value each year. It is time to start spreading the word, both internally and externally, so that your partners, your staff and your clients all realize the many ways in which value is created by your membership in LAW.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, prosperous and “value-added” 2007.

Sincerely,

Christopher C. McCracken
Chairman
Lawyers Associated Worldwide

ADR UPDATE

Lawyers Associated Worldwide and FORUM Dispute Management, an affiliate of the National Arbitration Forum, have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on an international level. The two organizations came together as a result of the efforts of the National Arbitration Forum’s director of education Roger Haydock and three LAW members: Jason Lim Chen Thor (Michael Khoo and Partners), Seymour Mansfield (Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen PA) and Christopher McCracken (Ulmer & Berne LLP). Click here to view the Press Release.

SECOND CIS LOCAL COUNSEL FORUM – Baku, Azerbaijan

The second CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Local Counsel Forum will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 20-22, 2007. Our Ukrainian member, Victor Kovalenko, would like to invite LAW members to join him in Baku for the Forum. This wide-scale meeting of the international legal community brings together more than 120 leading business lawyers from the best Local Counsel law firms from the CIS economic region, representing Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The Mission of the Forum is "Bringing together the CIS and international legal communities with the aim of creating joint business opportunities and long-term cooperation".

Bjorn Feijen of Stockholm who attended the first CIS Local Counsel Forum held in Kiev in June 2006, will be participating as a panelist at the Baku Forum. Registration will begin shortly on the Forum Web site http://www.rulg.com/cisforum.

NEWS FROM THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

Beijing, China - LAW members firms helped non banking department of China Banking Regulatory Committee to do research on definitions on accredited investors in their respective countries or their amendments of regulations concerning collective capital trust schemes. Contact Hao Wang wh@rayyinlawyer.com for additional information.

Brisbane, Australia – LAW’s Brisbane member has changed its name from Baker and Johnson to Qld Law Group. Please note Steven Johnson’s new email address: stevenjohnson@qldlawgroup.com.au.

Buffalo, New York - Attorney David J. Colligan, partner at Watson, Bennett, Colligan, Johnson & Schechter L.L.P. recently spoke at the Timberland Investing World Summit held in New York City on November 13, 2006 on the topic of “Timber Revenue as a Multiple Asset Approach”.

San Diego, California – Heather Rosing has been elected as the upcoming President of the San Diego County Bar Association, which has over 10,000 attorney members. She is one of the youngest Presidents in the history of the bar.

Cleveland, Ohio - Ulmer & Berne LLP has been ranked the 239th largest law firm in the United States by The National Law Journal. This is the second year in a row that the firm has been recognized as one of the 250 largest firms in the country. Ulmer & Berne LLP was recognized in The Survey of Client Service Performance for Law Firms: The BTI Client Service A-Team as one of 85 firms across the United States “who articulate and deliver the best value for the dollar”. BTI interviewed more than 250 corporate counsel at large and Fortune 1000 companies to compile its data. BTI notes that providing value for the dollar is a strong differentiator amongst law firms.

Orlando, Florida - The statewide law firm, Broad and Cassel, is pleased to announce that four attorneys have been extended an invitation to become Partners with the Firm: Heather Conger of Orlando, Vivian de las Cuevas-Diaz of Miami, Martin Fitzpatrick of Tallahassee, and Cathy Sellers of Tallahassee. Ms.de las Cuevas-Diaz, a member of the Real Estate Practice Group, has extensive experience in complex real estate transactions, for both private and public clients. Ms. Heather Conger, a member of the Corporate and Securities and Affordable Housing and Tax Credit Practice Groups, has worked on many affordable housing deals, business transactions, bond transactions and real estate closings. Ms. Cathy Sellers, a member of the Land Use and Environmental Law Practice Group, focuses on environmental and land use law as well as Florida administrative law. Mr. Martin Fitzpatrick, a member of the Commercial Litigation and Appellate Practice Groups, has extensive commercial litigation experience. He represents clients in the federal, state, administrative and arbitration arenas on matters ranging from business, securities and employment disputes to complex constitutional class actions.

Toronto, Canada – Aylesworth, LLP is pleased to announce that a number of lawyers joined the firm this January - Susan Robins, Richard Jones and Janusz Puzniak. Susan brings a wealth of experience in Cross border and international tax issues. Dick Jones is heading up the Restructuring and Insolvency Group. Janusz started his life in Poland and is now called to the bar in both the US and Ontario. The Aylesworth firm will be helping him to develop his practice, particularly in business immigration.

Los Angeles, California – Howard Gould of Finestone & Richter in Los Angeles spoke at the Beverly Hills Bar Association on “Neighbor v. Neighbor Disputes: Boundary Lines, Easements and View Issues”. The program addressed some of the more frequent problems that arise between neighbors, including boundary lines disputes, disputes over the use of easements, disputes over view issues and more. Howard is the Chair of the Beverly Hills Bar Association Real Estate Section’s Executive Committee.

NEWS FROM THE EUROPE, AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST REGION

Tel Aviv, Israel - On November 19th, The Marker (a financial newspaper), published an article about the suggested Execution Office reform in Israel. Ishai Beit-On from the Beit-On, Shem Tov firm, who strongly supports the reform, was asked to elaborate its advantages. Click here to read a summary of the article.

Zurich, Switzerland – Dr. Sabine Burkhalter Kaimakliotis has become a partner at Grüninger Hunziker Roth Rechtsanwälte. She specializes in litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration as well as insolvency, debt collection and commercial law.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Getting the News Out -- Online and in Print

The clear line between the credibility of online news/articles and print news/articles is fading as people increasingly get news online. Public relations professionals mainly used print media – newspapers, journals etc. -- as the most credible measure of PR efforts.

And PR people still like those hardcopies with their clients’ names in black and white. Internet content, however, in the form of online quotes, announcements and articles cannot be dismissed because when potential clients, current clients and professionals such as reporters and editors do research. Where do they go? Like most of us, they go to the Internet. And unfortunately more and more, press mentions in newspapers and journals are harder to access as time passes. Accessing a print article from a couple of years ago may mean paying a fee to download or subscribing to the site to access it. But Web sites that posted press releases and articles online, are often more easily accessible to read.

Yes, it is great to have hard copies of a newspaper or journal to send to clients and colleagues, but increasingly material is posted to save costs, often through the use of links in emails or other Web sites to gain access.

Increasingly, social media in the form of blogging is transforming how we get news. Bloggers in an effort to get more hits are posting press releases or linking to Web sites or articles that they deem as noteworthy. This new form of “social media” is now being monitored by reporters and editors for finding news or story ideas outside of the more traditional venues.

The Beijing meeting in October 2006 was covered by a reporter and photographer from China Daily. The resulting article was posted online. As a result, the meeting was also covered on the Chinese Intellectual Property Protection Web site, noting China Daily as the source. The news article, “IPR protection mentioned in Lawyers Associated Worldwide general meeting,” was posted on October 31, 2006. It may be accessed globally by those who may not necessarily have read the original post in China Daily. And some could not have read it in print anyway because they wouldn’t necessarily have access to a printed copy outside of China.

So next time you see news posted on the Internet, remember that the potential for it to travel globally to many more sources increased exponentially by the simple ability to search online.

Nancy Eiler

LEGAL UPDATE

COMPARING LAW FIRMS IN THE UNITED STATES AND INDIA: AN INDIAN LAWYER’S PERSPECTIVE by Shikhil Suri

Shikhil Suri is an attorney licensed to practice in India working with the oldest and one of the leading law firms of India, M/s. Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe. He was visiting the LAW member firm of Mansfield Tanick & Cohen in Minneapolis, Minnesota from August to October of 2006. Shikhil has written an article to compare and contrast the organization, structure, size and the functioning of law firms in both countries. The general conclusions that can be drawn are that

1. Indian law firms can learn from U.S. firms in the fields of structure, organization and the use of technology for increased efficiency, and
2. deeper ties and an improving bilateral relationship between the two countries are likely to lead to greater coordination and exchange between firms in both countries. Click here to read Shikhil’s article in its entirety.