Upcoming Meetings

• Annual General Meeting –  17-20 September, 2008 at the Fairmont Hotel, Washington DC, USA

Fidelity / Global Solutions - Sponsors of AGM

Global Solutions is the international title insurance operation for Fidelity National Title Group. Their underwriters' expertise in global real estate transactions, customized title policies tailored to local markets, and industry-leading financial reserves offer the service, solutions, and strength needed for a successful real estate transaction.

The real estate closing process in many countries can be cumbersome and perplexing. At Global Solutions' experience with property conveyances in global markets can help you expertly navigate unfamiliar customs or practices. You can count on FNTG's network of thousands of experienced real estate professionals to support your commercial, industrial and residential transactions throughout the world.

The five leading title insurance underwriters that support Global Solutions have a long and distinguished history of protecting real estate investors. For your peace of mind, the title policies issued by Global Solutions underwriters are governed by U.S. law, and the escrow services are bonded and secure.

Upcoming 2008 Sub-regional Meetings

July 25-26 – Great Lakes Sub-regional – hosted in Erie, Pennsylvania by Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C.

The 2008 LAW Great Lakes sub-regional meeting will consist of attorneys from around the Great Lakes, as well as, Philadelphia and New York City. For more information, please contact Dave Mosier at dmosier@kmgslaw.com   or (814) 459-2800.

Sub-regional Meetings

Latin American Sub-regional

The Latin American sub-region held its first meeting on February 8th at the offices of Broad and Cassel in Miami, Florida.  Kathy Deutsch and Patricia Lebow, both partners in the West Palm Beach office of Broad and Cassel, hosted the group.  Kathy also chaired the meeting.  

Lawyers from LAW member   firms in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica attended the meeting as did LAW members from firms in the United States including  Colorado, Louisiana and Massachusetts. Also in attendance were attorneys from Broad and Cassel's Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach offices whose practices include representation of Central and/or South American clients or whose American-based clients do business in Central and South America.

The focus of the agenda was regional business development and marketing. John Adams, the president of Enterprise Florida, addressed the group regarding Florida 's initiatives to develop business for Floridian companies in Latin America. Ben Moody, the managing partner of PAF Securities, discussed raising capital in Latin America.  Marco Rubio, speaker of Florida 's House of Representatives and of counsel to Broad and Cassel, presented an overview of Florida  legislative updates and economic development opportunities for both domestic and foreign companies.  In addition to the substantive discussions on cross-border transactions and regional marketing, topics included the possibility of developing an attorney exchange program with other LAW Latin American firms to establish stronger relationships and the factors to consider with respect to arbitration and choice of law clauses within agreements. The day concluded with a cocktail party and dinner. 

Australian Sub-regional

In March 2008, Ward Keller hosted a sub-regional meeting of the Australian/New Zealand firms in Darwin, Northern Territory Australia.  Members in attendance were Koffels, Solicitors & Barristers from Sydney, Kenyons Lawyers from Melbourne, Queensland Law Group (QLD) from Brisbane, Clelands from Adelaide and Duthie Whyte from Auckland, New Zealand.

The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the other Australian and New Zealand members to the “top end” of “down under,” including the office and operations of Ward Keller as well as to discuss several regional-specific issues, including referral initiatives within the sub-region.  The group also attended a lunch hosted by Osborne Family Holdings, a lifestyle property developer and client of Ward Keller, which included a talk on the Northern Territory economy and recent property boom.  The final afternoon on Saturday was spent at the Fannie Bay Racecourse, where Steven Johnson backed several winners.  Leon Loganathan of Ward Keller was honoured by the presence of all the members from the sub-region especially Executive Board member elect, Brian Everett, who flew in all the way from New Zealand.

Following the meeting, Leon reports an increase in cross referrals as members are more aware of the capabilities of other member firms within the sub-region.  Also noteworthy was discussion on recruitment within Australia, particularly Perth in Western Australia, and some initiatives have been implemented to secure a quality law firm in that city.