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

LAW REGIONAL MEETING

Americas Regional Meeting to be Held in Lima, Peru

“Pack your six senses and come to Peru.” Berninzon, Loret de Mola & Benavides, Abogados and Lawyers Associated Worldwide invite you to attend the 2005 Americas Regional Meeting in Lima, Peru on April 7-9, 2005. The meeting will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel & Stellaris Casino, beginning with a Welcome Reception and Dinner on Thursday, April 7^th, followed by meetings on Friday, April 8^th, from 9:00 am – 5:00 p.m., and on Saturday, April 9^th, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Dinner one evening will be in the gardens of the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant overlooking the nearby Inca temple, followed by a guided tour to the pyramid temple.

According to our member Eduardo Benavides, Peru has been placed by publications such as Travel & Leisure in the top tourist destinations, and Peruvian food now ranks in the top 5 worldwide by Zagat. April will be warm, sunny and nice (around 26 degrees Celsius), and he assures us it “never rains in Lima.” There will also be tours and activities for accompanying persons. For questions about the Americas Regional Meeting, please contact Hallie Mann at halliemann@schmidt-marketing.com.  You will have the opportunity to sign up for the accompanying person tours, the Saturday visit to the temple and horse show, and the Sunday tour to Cusco and Machu Pichu with the LAW registration materials. For those interested in alternative tours, contact the tour operator, Lisbeth Bachet of Condor Travel at eventos@condortravel.com or +511 615-3000 ext 144.

And don’t forget the other LAW meetings planned in 2005:

• May 5-7, 2005 - Asia Pacific Regional Meeting in Hong Kong, hosted by Christine M. Koo & Ip, Solicitors & Notaries.
• June 2-4, 2005 - Europe, Middle East and African Regional Meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, hosted by the Law Office of Lepik & Luhaäär.
• October 20-23, 2005 - Annual General Meeting in Toronto, Canada, hosted by Aylesworth Thompson Phelan O'Brien LLP.

CHAIRMAN'S CORNER

Lawyers Associated Worldwide has become a more mature organization over the past few years. Previously, a substantial part of the time that we spent together at regional and annual general meetings was devoted to such topics as: (a) Where should we be incorporated? (b) What kind of rules should we operate by? (c) Should we hire a paid administrator and, if so, who should that be? and (d) How do we create and use a new website for the organization?

All of these internal administrative decisions are now behind us. We have spent a year developing a strategic plan that is now being implemented. We are growing at a healthy pace (74 member firms at last count), and the quality level of our newest members is very impressive. We are constantly performing due diligence, including site visits, for new applicants for membership. We have adopted a set of client-driven Service Standards that we all must abide by in order to serve our existing clients and attract new ones for our member firms. In short, the infrastructure is now in place, and we can turn our attention to another key question: How do we best utilize our memberships in Lawyers Associated Worldwide to generate more business and more value for our firms?

The first regional meeting this year in Lima, Peru (see above article) is being structured to focus much less on internal LAW administrative matters and much more on work generation. Work generation is driven by a number of factors, one of which is the expertise of our member firms in areas valued by clients and prospective clients. There will be a substantive presentation by several of our new practice groups demonstrating expertise in their respective areas that should prove valuable to all who attend.

Work generation can also be the result of developing a better understanding of the types of clients that our members represent and the industry sectors in which those clients operate. Some clients might also be asked to identify business opportunities that they see or would like to explore in other countries. Those attending the Lima meeting will be asked to do some “homework” in advance to analyze and report their own firm’s areas of expertise, the types of clients that they represent and the industry sectors in which those clients operate. The process will work best and generate the most group and one-on-one discussions of business opportunities if everyone has done their “homework” and comes to the meeting truly prepared. [Details on specific expectations will be headed your way soon.]

More time (group and one-on-one) will also be available to brainstorm with other members about ways in which we can work together to serve current clients and pursue new ones.

Many members have been urging this sort of change in our meeting format and content, and this year we are going to give it our best efforts. Please plan to prepare, attend and actively participate. We believe it will be a rewarding experience.

Best regards,

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

MEMBER NEWS

Entertainment News

Kudos to Jim McPherson for spotting our LAW member in London, Howard Kennedy, under the credits for "Legal Services" in the newly released and much acclaimed movie, The Merchant of Venice. Martin Davies of Howard Kennedy confirms that the firm’s Media and Entertainment group, lead by Brian Eagles (who also heads up LAW's Media/Entertainment practice group), did play a part in the production. However, Martin disavows any hand by the firm in the original story line! Congratulations to Howard Kennedy for this recognition of its services.

SUCCESS STORIES

David Colligan, of Watson, Bennett, Colligan, Johnson & Schechter, L.L.P., our LAW member in Buffalo, New York, reports a noteworthy LAW success story. According to David, “A local client in the construction industry requested that I represent him involving a potential $5 Million liability for an under funded multi-employer union pension plan. After I explained that I do not have sufficient expertise in that area to advise him and that I would have to refer the matter to outside counsel which I would help select, he asked me to find another local attorney who did not represent any of the other 70 employers who were facing liability. Unable to find a non-conflicted local attorney, I reached out to the Ulmer & Berne firm in Cleveland for help and one of Chris McCracken's partners, Ron Kahn, began to represent my client and ended up representing all 70 employers from Buffalo in final settlement negotiations with the PBGC in Washington, D.C. Not only did the Ulmer & Berne firm save my client a lot of money, it helped insure my client's corporate survival.”

This is another great example of how LAW allows members to better serve their clients, and can be an excellent source of business.

MARKETPLACE

Australia Enters Into Free Trade Agreement with USA

The Free Trade Agreement between the USA and Australia came into effect on January 1, 2005. Australia is America`s 9th largest trading partner, and the Koffels firm, our LAW member firm in Sydney, is anxious to assist other LAW members in developing the trade with Australia. For example, trade delegations may be a potential source of business. The Koffels firm is in contact with the State and Federal Departments of Trade and is prepared to invest time, effort and resources in the development of this business, for example, preparing material for trade delegates, making introductions, etc. Anyone interested in discussing opportunities resulting from this new trade initiative should contact Ross Koffel at rosskoffel@koffels.com.au.

Mining Interest for Sale

Howard Gould reports that a client is selling mining claims to limestone bearing properties in California. The property consists of seventeen mining claims covering approximately 1,100 acres in the southern portion of the Big Maria Mountains in Riverside County, California. The eleven 80-acre placers and the claims are contiguous. The owners have held these claims since 1973. Recently, the husband of one owner passed away, which is the impetus for motivation to sell.

The owner can provide: locational maps; quantitative and qualitative assays; a thesis detailing the metasedimentary units In the subject mining claims; BLM Approved Mining Plan of Operation/Environmental Assessment – EA Number CA-066-95-63 (April 12, 1996); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion - Issued February 15, 1996 (referred to on page 4 of the Plan of Operation) and related Desert Tortoise Survey; and Appraisal and Articles.  Finally, the owner reports that if the new operator opts for railroad over truck transportation, the local railroad company is willing to work with the operator in extending the rail line to the property (there are existing lines approximately 7-10 miles from the site).

Interested parties should contact Howard N. Gould, Finestone & Richter, 11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1900, Los Angeles, CA 90025.  Telephone:  310 575-0800, Ext. 249.  E-mail:hgould@frlawcorp.com.