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

CHAIRMAN'S CORNER
RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS

As Executive Director Hallie Mann, Vice Chairman Martin Davies and I traveled among this year’s regional meetings, we were approached time and again by members who told us that things really seemed to be going well with Lawyers Associated Worldwide and that membership in LAW was providing a good benefit to their firms. It’s always nice to hear good things about your organization, but I was taught to “give credit where credit is due” which, in this case, means recognizing the contributions to LAW by our Executive Director.

In recent years LAW has continued to grow nicely, with excellent new firms regularly joining our ranks. Many people contribute to LAW’s recruitment process, but our Executive Director is in the center of it all, keeping in regular communication with all prospective and new member firms. Hallie is really the “face” and the “voice” of LAW to these firms. She also brings the professional touch to all of our meetings. Well-run meetings are an excellent recruiting tool, since many future members (“observers”) are in attendance. If it were not for Hallie’s communication, coordination and meeting planning skills, LAW would be a much smaller organization than it is today.

An ever-expanding membership requires an ever-increasing level of dedication from our staff. Hallie and her assistants have kept LAW functioning like a well-oiled machine and have maintained the close, personal atmosphere among our members that is often lost when organizations become larger and more bureaurocratic. The “sense of family” that continues to permeate LAW as we have become a larger organization is a tribute to Hallie, and we salute her on this, the one year anniversary of her appointment as our Executive Director!

Hearing so many good things about LAW at the regional meetings also led me to make another observation. We are not doing an adequate job of sharing our “success stories” with our other members in LAW, with our clients, and with other lawyers in our own firms.

From time-to-time we have reported “success stories” in this newsletter – usually in instances where two or more LAW member firms have worked together to bring about a successful result for a client with cross-border legal needs. They are great examples of why our firms have joined LAW, and they are reminders of the enhanced capabilities that each of our firms have by being part of a first-class international organization. However, we all need to do a better job of reporting these “success stories” to our Executive Director and to Nancy Eiler, our staff person responsible for this newsletter, so that they can be shared with others.

There is another kind of “success story” that we also need to hear more about. I’m referring to the successes, awards, community activities and noteworthy events that occur in each of our law firms, involving our own partners and our own local legal practices. We have successful and interesting law firms in this organization, and when they (you) receive awards, achieve significant legal victories, close major transactions, or attain other local recognition, they (you) need to share that information with the LAW administrative team so that they can, in turn, share it with all of our members. Some of our competitor legal associations do this “sharing of information thing” much better than LAW does, but we can certainly improve.

For example, in Cape Town, South Africa, I learned that a partner in Rime Advokatfirma DA (our Oslo, Norway member firm) has extensive experience representing his country’s Olympic Committee in administrative investigations of doping scandals -- the type that we hear about with regularity these days in the news media. In Cairns, Australia, I heard about a partner in Clelands (our Adelaide, South Australia member firm) who had been designated by his national government as its new Ambassador to the Vatican. In Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, I dined with a partner in McKercher McKercher & Whitmore LLP (our Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada member firm) who told me about the expertise that he has developed over the past 10 to 15 years representing native Aboriginal groups seeking equal educational justice for their children. These are just a few of the interesting stories that we need to be sharing.

Tell us about your successes and your passions. When clients and partners in our own law firms learn more about other members in LAW, these “success stories” will reflect well on all of us. Clients/partners like knowing that their lawyer/law firm is involved in an organization brimming with members who are recognized as successful in their local communities all around the world. It’s the opposite of “guilt by association.” A “wave” of such success stories, submitted by more of our law firms, will act as “a rising tide, lift[ing] all [of our] boats.”

Don’t be bashful. Share your successes. We’re all interested in hearing about them.

Christopher C. McCracken
Chairman
Lawyers Associated Worldwide

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ARTICLE
Hallie Mann

It was so nice to see so many of you at the regional meetings. Each location was superb (Cape Town, Vancouver and Cairns) and only exceeded by the enthusiasm of the host firms. I want to especially thank Albert van Zyl of Marais Muller Yekiso Inc., Charlie Winch and Terry Stewart of Stewart & Winch LLP, and Steve Johnson of Qld Law Group for all the time they spent planning the meetings.

The last few months have flown by with not only the regional meetings but I have moved my house for the first time in 25 years. Therefore, LAW now has a new office location as well. McKenzie Point is on one of the western bays of Lake Minnetonka (the largest lake in the metro area with almost 100 miles of lakeshore). I am now settled into my new space and enjoy seeing the boats go by. Please note the new address below. The telephone numbers have all remained the same.

Lawyers Associated Worldwide
2823 McKenzie Point Road
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55391 USA

I am pleased to announce that Nancy Eiler will be working part time for LAW. She will be assisting me on member relations, Web site updates, meeting planning, etc. Nancy is familiar with LAW since she has been preparing public relations articles for LAW over the past 18 months. She also attended the AGM’s in Toronto and Beijing. Nancy also has had experience with law firm marketing. She may be contacted at +1 216 561 3466 or nancyeiler@lawyersworldwide.com. Please welcome Nancy.

2007 Annual General Meeting – Luzern, Switzerland

I look forward to seeing all of you in Luzern, Switzerland on October 31st. The meeting will start with a reception and dinner on Wednesday night. (The Executive Committee will meet earlier on Wednesday.) It will end on Saturday night with the Gala Dinner. There will be an optional tour to the mountains on Sunday. Forms to reserve hotel rooms at the Palace Luzern have been circulated. Please continue to make your reservations with the Palace Hotel. Please contact me or Nancy Eiler if you need the form. The registration materials for the meeting, including tour options for the accompanying persons, will be sent out in the next few weeks. Please note that the best way to reach Luzern is to fly into Zurich and to take the train from there (car transport can also be arranged).

Letters of Invitation and Visas to Switzerland

Travelers wishing to enter Switzerland need a valid passport. Visas are required for stays of 3 months or more. In general, holders of a valid permanent residence certificate of an EU or EFTA country, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada or the USA do not need a visa.

Indian and Asian nationals require a visa to visit Switzerland. Nationals of Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti also need a visa. An ordinary visa is usually valid for multiple entries for three months from the date of issue with duration of stay from 15 to 30 days. Please check with the nearest Swiss Embassy or Consulate to determine if you need a visa.

If you do need a Letter of Invitation to obtain your visa, please let me know right away so we can take care of this.

Sincerely,

Hallie Mann
Executive Director
Lawyers Associated Worldwide

What happens when you need a firm in a country without a current member firm?

Even though LAW is continually growing, there are those times when you may need a referral for which there is currently no LAW member firm or require a referral for specific business resources. What happens? Several members recently requested referrals for firms in Taiwan and Costa Rica and a Venezuelan business referral. In the case of Marcel Fruytier in Amsterdam, he requested a referral for companies that could build several specific types of factories on short notice in South America, and according to him, “within 24 hours received 10 positive and workable answers.”

If you discover that you or a colleague needs a referral, where there is currently not a member, or requires specific business resources, LAW has the means and the cooperation to get results. Thank you to all who responded to these recent requests for referrals. Your professionalism only serves to increase the value of membership in LAW.

REGIONAL MEETINGS 2007

AMERICAS

The 2007 Americas Regional Meeting was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on May 10 - 12, 2007. Thirty-seven member firms attended along with two observers, including LAW’s new affiliate, the National Arbitration Forum.

The agenda was developed through input from a number of firms and focused on the creation of opportunities for firms to network and on activities to expand and strengthen the network itself. The intent was to move the agenda away from time spent in large plenary sessions or CLE type presentations and instead create opportunities for members to interact in small groups or in planned one-on-one sessions.

The Vancouver Sessions, as they were called, included themed small-group discussions and sub-regional caucuses. The themed small-group discussions provided intimate forums for firms to discuss opportunities around alternate dispute resolution, real estate / construction / environmental issues, M&A / tax and best practices. There were also small group meetings to allow members to assess and constructively criticize the workings of LAW to both maximize the value of the network for each firm and to strengthen the use of the network as a marketing tool.

The sub-regional caucuses were broken down into smaller groups than have been the case in the past to allow for greater interaction and more detailed discussion.

Members were encouraged to circulate between group meetings throughout the sessions. As a result, the level of interaction amongst members was unprecedented.

The weather on Canada’s well noted “wet coast” cooperated beautifully with sunny days filled with a city tour, lunch atop Grouse Mountain and walking the famed Capilano Suspension Bridge. With Alaska cruise ships berthed alongside the hotel and the harbour reflecting both the city and the surrounding mountains, the setting was picture perfect.

By all accounts the Vancouver Sessions were a grand success thanks to the co-chairs and to the members that came prepared to discuss the unique opportunities brought to the network by their firm as well as the potential cooperative and collaborative opportunities that might drive business to their firm. Thanks also to the dedication and commitment of Chris, Martin and Hallie and for their enthusiastic support.

Charles Winch
Stewart & Winch LLP
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada

View more photos from the Americas meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

ASIA PACIFIC

Cairns, North Queensland, Australia was the site for the most recent Asia Pacific regional meeting held May 17–19, 2007. Although my firm is located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, the location was chosen so that members could enjoy the Australian tropics and in particular the Great Barrier Reef. There were twelve member firms and two observer firms in attendance.

The overall theme of a meeting was designed on work generation. Our region is large in area and small in numbers, but as usual our members all participated actively in our discussions, and many good ideas were shared.

A business development group presented two technology-based products that they wished to partner with LAW members with the goal of generating work for the participating firms. The first product is a series of DVD-Rom/Web-based kits on property, capital raising, small business, and wills and estates. In Australia, the LAW members have worked together to produce the legal content and will be partnered in the venture by a national accounting firm, a major bank, a major insurer and Australia's leading valuers.

The second product is a Web-based business-survey program that LAW members will be licensed to distribute. The program which identifies risks within a business including legal risks designed to once again create work for members.

Another major thrust of the meeting was the need to encourage an active participation at the regional meetings as well as the AGMs.

For those of you who haven't been to Queensland, we pride ourselves in the quality and freshness of our food, particularly our seafood. On Friday night, we descended upon a famous local seafood restaurant to enjoy fresh lobsters, mud crabs, prawns, oysters, fish and Wagyu steak. On the Saturday night, we had a wonderful feast of kangaroo, emu and other Australian native animals.

Once again, Hallie Mann's organisational abilities were simply superb, and we're truly blessed to have her as our executive director. Chris and Martin’s dedication and commitment to LAW was again evidenced by their contributions to the meeting. The enthusiastic contributions by all the members made the meeting a great experience. The true friendship within LAW and in particular, our region is remarkable.

Steven Johnson
Qld Law Group
Brisbane, Australia

View more photos from the Asia Pacific meeting in Cairns, Australia

EUROPE, AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

The Regional Meeting for the Europe, Africa and Middle East Region was held at Cape Town, South Africa, from 19 – 21 April 2007 and was hosted by Marais Müller Yekiso Inc., the member firm in South Africa. The meeting was attended by 28 members representing 21 law firms from the region, as well as Chris McCracken and Hallie Mann and five observers representing three observer firms from respectively Nairobi, Kenya, Johannesburg, South Africa and Dubai, United Arab Emirates as well as four accompanying persons.

The format of the meeting in having only one speaker and smaller discussion groups proved to be very successful as it succeeded in obtaining participation by all delegates which often in a larger meeting is not possible and led to good interaction between delegates.

A highlight of the meeting was the address by Professor Andreas van Wyk on the subject, South African Commercial Law: A Mixed Leader Heritage. Judging from the number of questions addressed to the speaker, the speech was widely enjoyed and stimulated a lot of interest.

The meeting was blessed by having the best of Cape Town autumn weather, which allowed delegates to explore the beauties of Cape Town and the Winelands and beyond, and the arranged social excursions to inter alia Table Mountain on the Thursday and to the Cape Winelands on the Saturday were enjoyed by many of the delegates and the accompanying persons.

The observers enjoyed the interaction with members, and I am pleased to report that all three of the observer firms (Dubai, Nairobi, Johannesburg) have thus far indicated that they want to apply for membership of LAW. If accepted, it will bring the membership in Africa to five members in four different countries. This is an indication that holding a regional meeting in Africa for the first time was well founded, with the view of extending the membership of LAW into Africa and the Middle East.

From the perspective of the host firm, having had the privilege of hosting the regional meeting, it gave us the opportunity of introducing many members of our firm to LAW and to LAW members. I am glad to report that twelve of my partners together with their spouses actively took part in the social events, and it was a valuable experience in exposing them to the workings of LAW and making them more aware of the benefits that LAW offers to us as a member firm. They enjoyed meeting our members and socialising with them. It can only further benefit us as firms and to LAW as an association to involve more of our colleagues in LAW activities.

On a personal note, I enjoyed working closely with Chris, Martin and Hallie in making the arrangements for the regional meeting and being able in this way to put something back into LAW, as I believe you only get out of an organization what you are prepared to put into it. It also was a great opportunity to give our firm greater exposure to other members of LAW, the benefits of which I am sure we are already reaping by way of referrals.

Albert van Zyl
Marais Muller Yekiso Inc
Cape Town, South Africa

View more photos from the Europe, Africa and Middle East meeting in Cape Town

Melbourne, Australia

Gary Allwood recently retired as a Partner of Kenyons Lawyers on June 30th, 2007. Gary is staying on as a consultant to the firm.

Gary served on the executive committee with two consecutive chairs, Jim McPherson and Martin Todtman. Marty commented, “Gary worked tirelessly for LAW from Down Under during a time when the organization was not technologically in sync. He was "Hallie Mann" without a budget, back when we communicated with faxes, telephone and letters. He had the responsibility of his own law practice to boot -- not an easy task to say the least. Thank you Gary for all your efforts from someone who worked closely with you and appreciated all your efforts as secretary of LAW.”

Jim McPherson also acknowledged Gary’s efforts as exceptional. He shared that from 1994 to 1996, Gary carried LAW during a static period of very slow growth. “Gary soldiered on,” he said. “We talked twice a week (at 6 a.m. Gary’s time) for two years. He really did carry it (LAW), while tending to his law practice and raising a family.” Jim described him as “sensitive, effective and decisive and as a man with one of the best senses of humor I’ve encountered.” Jim added that Gary’s wife, Ruth, also supported LAW during those years and designed the cover for the old directory and that he has great memories of Gary, Ruth, Jim and Dawn sharing adventures, such as venturing to a Harlem on a Sunday morning for breakfast at a famed restaurant. “He liked adventure, and we really had great fun together.”

With Gary’s retirement, Lynden Kenyon will now serve as the primary contact for Kenyons Law. LAW thanks Gary for all his efforts on behalf of the organization and wishes him a relaxed and fulfilling retirement.

WINNERS LAW FIRM PRIVATE EQUITY FORUM

Winners Law Firm, member firm in Tianjin, China, participated in China Private Equity Forum in Tianjin June 6 to June 8, 2007. Winners presented LAW to the audience. The forum was co-sponsored by Tianjin Municipal Government, All China Federation of Industry & Commerce, and Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

The event provided an introduction to investing in China and featured hundreds of pre-screened private Chinese companies seeking Western investment, Chinese government officials, and a wide variety of private equity professionals, intermediaries, corporate development executives, lawyers, consultants and others interested in investing in China.

The forum had over 5500 participants and a total of 1556 foreign and domestic enterprises, which included 223 investment companies, 952 Chinese companies, and 381 intermediaries. Among them were major venture capital investment companies from America, Europe and Asia, managing total assets of USD 471 billion -- such as Greenbridge Capital, Merrill Capital Management, Inc, Sino-African Capital Partners (Pty.) Ltd., CREDIT SUISSE, Aforge Finance S.A. (France), and JCD Ltd., among others.

Winners Law Firm was actively involved in organizing the event. The firm secured an exhibition booth, and presented LAW to thousands of participants during the event. LAW, for the first time, was publicly introduced together with Winners to the audience in Tianjin, as well as visitors from all over the world.

LAW PRESENTS AT CIS FORUM

Recently retired Aylesworth partner and former LAW chair, James McPherson, attended the second CIS Local Counsel Forum in June 20-22, 2007 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) economic region includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Jim was filling in for Stockholm, Sweden's LAW member, Björn Feijen. He participated on a panel, "Business Development of Law Practice."

If you are unfamiliar with the organization, they describe themselves on their Web site as follows: “The CIS Local Counsel Forum is the first ever wide-scale informal network of the international legal community and the Local Counsel law firms of the CIS economic region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan). The Forum represents non-political and non-partisan gatherings of lawyers who share the Mission of the Forum and wish to expand their practices and business opportunities through new personal contacts.”

NEW FIRM SPOTLIGHT

Welcome to the new 2007 member firms. Here is brief look at each. Please get to know them better by linking to their Web sites.

PANAMA CITY, REPUBLIC OF PANAMA

Galindo, Arias & Lopez is a full service law firm with 37 lawyers that has, since 1968, been providing legal counsel, services, and specialized representation to clients with local, national, and international interests.

The firm’s lawyers have given legal advice on such matters as mergers and acquisitions (national and international), transactions among banks as well as among Panama’s leading industrial and commercial companies, and have represented clients in several major financing and restructuring operations in Panama. They have also helped to orchestrate privatization initiatives involving some of Panama’s most important public services, and have played an instrumental role in other large real state and infrastructure development and investment projects. www.gala.com.pa

ANKARA, TURKEY

Kasaroglu Law Office, established in 1967, focuses on litigation and in international law consultancy. The firm offers seven lawyers and two law apprentices, each fluent in Turkish and English. The firm strives to win in court and to better position the client after the dispute is resolved. The firm’s practice areas include corporate and commercial transactions, telecommunications, infrastructure projects, defense industry projects, foreign investment, intellectual property, construction, energy, water and natural resources, competition, bankruptcy and insolvency, and litigation and arbitration.
www.kasaroglu.gen.tr

REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND

Lex Law Offices is one of Iceland´s leading and largest law firms. The firm offers nearly 30 lawyers, providing clients with a comprehensive range of services in financial, corporate, commercial and other areas. The firm has successfully acted on behalf of a large number of internationally respected corporations, organisations and private individuals, both in Iceland and abroad. LEX clients include major local and international banks, financial institutions, merchants and ship owners, a large number of municipalities, government organisations, insurance companies, manufacturers, businesses, media outlets, utilities and private individuals.
www.lex.is

SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA

McKercher McKercher & Whitmore LLP was founded in 1926 and offers 48 lawyers in more than fifteen practice areas, committed to exceeding the expectations of clients by providing innovative solutions and advice. The firm is nationally recognized, and includes “one of the twenty most powerful lawyers in Canada,” (Canadian Lawyer magazine) and was ranked in a global survey for the outstanding quality of its commercial litigation group, being described as one of only a handful of firms in Canada to be relied upon in "bet the company" litigation.
www.mckercher.ca

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Rivera & Rivera Law Firm counsels foreign corporations and other clients with emphasis in civil and commercial practice, corporate law, foreign investments, banking and finance, taxation, labor law, international trade, maritime and aeronautical law, mining, power and energy, legislation, trademarks, patents, intellectual property, copyright, and immigration. The firm of 16 lawyers, which was founded in 1967, provides comprehensive support in managing litigation arising in these fields of practice. www.riverariveralaw.com

XIAMEN, CHINA

Sphere Logic Partners (SLP) offers commercial legal services across a full range of practice areas. Located in Xiamen, one of the most dynamic business hubs in China, SLP has 31 lawyers and offers legal representation in many jurisdictions across China and handles cross-border issues alone or in close collaboration with peers and outside professionals. SLP lawyers provide legal services to Chinese and multinational companies, many of which are industry leaders or Fortune 500 corporations. The firm’s core practice areas include asset management and disposition, banking and finance, construction, corporate, criminal defense, dispute resolution, intellectual property, international commerce, maritime and admiralty, and real estate. www.sphere-logic.com

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Tim du Toit and Co. Inc. was founded in 1933, has 35 lawyers and has offices also in Pretoria (Lynwood and Centurion). Areas of practice include: financial services law; litigation, general, commercial and arbitration; insolvency law and bankruptcy; corporate law; property law and conveyancing; family law; administrative law; tort / delictual law.  Of particular interest are the practice areas of commercial property finance and property development, financial services law, property law and conveyancing, and private banking. www.timdutoit.co.za .

TIANJIN, CHINA

Winners Law Firm was established in 1995 and the law firm offers its clients more than 50 professionals including eight partners and 26 associates. The firm is recognized as a local market leader in representing the legal interests of a wide range of clients including Fortune 500 multinationals such as Honeywell, Coca Cola, Motorola, Siemens, and Toyota. Their legal practice areas include mergers and acquisitions, international trade, banking, insurance, commercial law, admiralty and maritime law, real estate, intellectual property, patents, Trademarks, copyright, and investment in China.
www.winlawfirm.com

BRIEFS

AMERICAS

Broad & Cassel
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Robert Nicholson, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida since 1994, has joined the Fort Lauderdale office of the statewide law firm, Broad and Cassel, and will be joining the Firm’s White Collar Criminal and Civil Fraud Defense and Health Law Practice Groups.

Nicholson recently completed his second assignment with the Executive Office of the United States Attorney in Washington, D. C., as The National Health Care Fraud Coordinator, where his duties included advising senior Department of Justice officials on health care fraud enforcement, legislation and inter agency relationships related to health care fraud enforcement.

Ulmer & Berne LLP
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Midwest Real estate News magazine named the firm 10th on its list of 2007 Top 25 Real Estate Law Firms. Ulmer & Berne was also the highest ranked Ohio-based law firm. This is the second consecutive year that the firm has been ranked in the Top 10 regionally and the third consecutive year that it has been named in the Top 15. Rankings are determined by the number of real estate transactions in the previous year and the dollar amount related with those transactions above $5 million.

Watson, Bennett, Colligan, Johnson & Schechter, L.L.P.
Buffalo, New York, USA

On Tuesday, July 24, 2007, New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer recommended the appointment of David J. Colligan, a partner with Watson, Bennett, Colligan, Johnson & Schechter, L.L.P., in Buffalo, New York, as a Board member for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, whose responsibility it is to fund and supervise the redevelopment of the inner and outer harbor along Buffalo’s historic waterfront, including the terminus of the famed Erie Canal.

ASIA PACIFIC

Ray Yin & Partners PRC Lawyers
Beijing, China

The firm has been appointed as Chinese Legal Consultant by Xinjiang Tianye Water Saving Irrigation System Limited (Stock Code No. 8280 on Hong Kong Growth Enterprise Market) for providing PRC legal advisory in seeking CSRC and HK Stock Exchange's approval for migration of listing status from HK GEM Board to HK Main Board and drafting relevant PRC legal opinions.

The joint sponsors for this project are Sun Hung Kai International Limited and KGI Capital Asia Limited. Xinjiang Tianye Water Saving Irrigation System Limited is the largest water saving pipeline manufacturer and technology enterprise in China and hopefully will become the second PRC company, next to Shandong Molong, to migrate successfully from HK GEM Board to HK Main Board by the end of 2007.

Winners Law Firm
Tianjin, China

The firm is pleased to announce that Professor Han Liang recently joined their team of lawyers. Professor Han is teaching civil and commercial law at Law School of NanKai University and holds a Doctorate Degree in Management and Post-Doctorate, specialized in civil and commercial law. He is an arbitrator at CIETAC (China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission), a standing member of British Chinese Law Society and a fully-qualified Chinese attorney.

Professor Han obtained his LLB from China University of Political Science and Law (CUPSL) in 1989 and a Master of Management from Tianjin University. In 2004, he was granted PhD degree of management, specializing in financial engineering. Later he was admitted into the PhD post at CUPSL and Law to further legal research in the fields of corporate law, securities law, under the auspices of Professor Jiang Ping, who is the Honorary President of CUPSL. In 2004, he did research at Manchester University as a visiting scholar. Professor Han’s major area of research is capital market legal regulation and structured financial innovation.

In October 2004, Professor Han was selected as one of the “Ten Most Outstanding Legal Experts of Tianjin.” Professor Han has numerous publications on a wide range of legal topics, including Case Study of New Developments in Banking Law and Case Study of New Developments in Law of Guarantee. He is also the co-author of books on international trade, international economic law and contract law. Professor Han has also published more than twenty articles in many legal journals in China.

EUROPE AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

Bernet Castagnet Wantz & Associés
Paris, France

Bernet Castagnet Wantz & Associés is pleased to announce that attorney Laurent Garrabos has joined the firm as partner. Laurent is a graduate of the University of Paris II – Assas and of Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (LLM in Admirality, 1993).

Laurent's main areas of practice are shipping and transportation law, international trade and general commercial litigation. He is a member of the Paris Bar and the Louisiana Bar.

Marais Müller Yekiso Inc.
Cape Town, South Africa

Albert van Zyl and co-director Francois Burger participated in the 2007 Absa Cape Epic Bike Race earlier this year. Each year the Absa Cape Epic starts at the Knysna Waterfront and finishes at Lourensford Wine Estate. However, the stage towns and the route change each and every year. Much of the route is on private land and is only opened to mountain bikers once a year for the Absa Cape Epic. Daily stages are typically between 80 and 140km. There is always a combination of single track, rugged jeep tracks and fast flowing gravel roads, and as little tarred road as possible.

We are waiting to hear if Albert will be heading up an international team of lawyer/bikers for the 2008 race.

Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors
Lagos, Nigeria

Punuka celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this year, having been established by the late Hon. Justice C. Idigbe of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1947. The firm celebrated the event in Lagos with a public lecture by Professor Loukas Mistelis, Director, School of International Arbitration, Queen Mary College, University of London. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honorable Justice Kutigi was chair of the event. The topic of the lecture was “Privatisation and Investment Disputes: Challenges and Prospects.”

There were also two presentations of two books on that day. The first was on Legal Aspects of Capital Market Operations in Nigeria by Anthony Idigbe and the other a collection of essays edited by Professor Chianu and published in honour of Panuka’s founder.

Studio Legale Maccallini
Rome, Italy

Studio Legale Maccallini is pleased to announce that Avv. Andrea Locatelli, Doctor in iure canonico, has recently joined the firm as of-counsel and will be responsible for the rotal proceedings. The Tribunal of the Rota Romana is the normal appellate tribunal of the Holy See and the second highest ecclesiastical court in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church has a complete legal system which is the oldest and one of the most advanced legal systems still in use today. The court is named Rota (wheel) because the judges, called auditors, originally met in a round room to hear cases.

The Rota's main function is that of a third instance appellate tribunal, reviewing decisions of lower courts if the original court and the first appeal court do not agree on the outcome of a case. Dominating its case load are marriage annulment cases due to the increased civil divorce rates among Catholics, but it hears non-administrative cases in any area of canon law. In certain instances, the Rota has exclusive original jurisdiction, such as any contentious case in which a bishop is a defendant. If the case can still be appealed after reaching the Rota, the appeal goes to a different turnus of the Rota.

The Rota is the highest appeals court, but it is not the highest court.