Following a vote by the Partnerships of both Bryan Cave LLP, one of the leading US law firms, and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) LLP, including its Russian practice Goltsblat BLP, the two firms have announced they will merge, officially launching in April 2018. The new firm will be called Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner with combined revenues of over US$900 million. As the result of the merger Goltsblat BLP will continue to operate in Russia under the new name Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Russia) LLP. The merger brings together two organisations widely recognised for their innovative approaches to client service, into one global, fully financially integrated law firm. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner will provide clients with access to international practice and sector teams in 32 offices across 11 countries and a platform of approximately 1600 lawyers.

The first European & UK Captive Awards 2017 was held in London yesterday, Tuesday 10th October.

The Awards commend and reward those European and UK providers of captive insurance products and services, as well as captives themselves who have outperformed their competitors and peers, demonstrating the highest levels of excellence over the 12 month judging period.

The first European & UK Captive Awards 2017 was held in London yesterday, Tuesday 10th October.

The Awards commend and reward those European and UK providers of captive insurance products and services, as well as captives themselves who have outperformed their competitors and peers, demonstrating the highest levels of excellence over the 12 month judging period.

Hassans International Law Firm, Gibraltar’s largest law firm, has acted for Sunborn Gibraltar on the issuing of a Euro 58,000,000 bond which has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

ITIRIV and Hassans International Law Firm announce strategic partnership with global blockchain provider, BlockEx

ITIRIV, Gibraltar-based digital management consultants, and Hassans, Gibraltar’s largest law firm, are excited to announce a strategic partnership with BlockEx, a blockchain technology provider offering digital asset creation, issuance and trading platform (DAxP).

Hassans International Law Firm is delighted to announce six partner promotions. The promotions bring the total number of partners at Hassans to 46. The new partners are:

Hassans continues its long-term environment commitment as pro bono legal advisers to the Environmental Safety Group (ESG)

Hassans’ Partner David Dumas QC has been the ESG’s dedicated legal adviser for the work carried out by the Group, locally, and on Campo cross-border and international issues, for the last 14 years. This followed the decision by Senior Partner James Levy QC in 2002 to commit the firm to further the singular aim of bettering the environment, within and outside Gibraltar. Apart from providing legal advice and drafting and submitting paperwork, Hassans has also assisted in the funding the ESG’s many campaigns on practically every environmental issue.

Legal 500, one of the leading international legal directories which provides rankings of law firms based purely on client feedback, published their Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) results yesterday.

Hassans received unique recognition last week for its gaming experts in the globally renowned Chambers and Partners.

James Levy CBE QC (Senior Partner) and Javier Chincotta (Managing Partner) of Hassans met with Trustees of Calpe House, Albert Poggio OBE GMH, Vice President and Edward Yome, the Commissioner of Police, to present a cheque for £10,000. Hassans has committed to providing £10,000 to the Trust each year for the next three years.

Playtech plc, a leading online software and platform provider, has successfully obtained a remote gambling B2B licence in Gibraltar. Playtech is one of the most recognised providers in the gaming industry and at the forefront of new developments.

The Serbian Competition Commission (the "Commission") recently fined four undertakings for bid rigging in the public procurement for the maintenance of train wagons. The contracting authority, the "Nikola Tesla" power plant, which represents the largest electricity-producing complex in Serbia, informed the Commission about possible collusion in public procurement for repair services for the train wagons it uses in coal transportation.

From February 5, 2018 to February 9, 2018, VEGAS LEX customarily supported the events of the Eleventh Russian Business Week of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE).

Novartis Finance S.A. completed the placement of EUR 750,000,000 Guaranteed Notes due 2023, EUR 750,000,000 Guaranteed Notes due 2030 and EUR 750,000,000 Guaranteed Notes due 2038. The 2023 Notes were issued at 99.655% of their principal amount with an interest of 0.500% and will mature on 14 August 2023 at their nominal value. The 2030 Notes were issued at 99.957% of their principal amount with an interest of 1.375% and will mature on 14 August 2030. The 2038 Notes were issued at 99.217% of their principal amount with an interest of 1.700% and will mature on 14 August 2038. The Notes are guaranteed by Novartis AG. They have been provisionally admitted to trading at the SIX Swiss Exchange and are expected to be listed there as well.

14 February, 2018

Foyen Advokatfirma has recruited general counsel Ulrika Hedberg from Trelleborg Municipality. Ulrika is a member of the law firm’s Public Sector, Construction and Real Estate business areas, writes Foyen in a press release.

Getting the Deal Through is an international publication covering 75 business areas linked to more than 150 jurisdictions and collaborating with many of the world's leading law firms. The different sections are written by experts in each area, and we at Foyen are proud to represent Sweden with our latest contributions regarding the construction law and project financing areas in Construction 2018 and Project Finance 2018.

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan was recognized as Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards 2018. SyCipLaw partners Rocky Alejandro L. Reyes and Russel L. Rodriguez received the award on the firm’s behalf.

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan collected a total of PhP55,100.00 and 169 books in support of the “Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa” storybook donation drive. The campaign advocates the exposure of public school children to a wide range of creative, interesting, and age-appropriate reading materials, and, in so doing, instill in them a culture of reading that is critical to the learning and development process.

Studio Legale Villata, Degli Esposti e Associati is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Professor Villata’s latest article.

The work, In tema di questioni di giurisdizione (alla luce di un recente Momorandum), explores questions of jurisdiction following the recent Memorandum from the heads of the three jurisdictions (ordinary, administrative and accounting) addressed to the President of the Italian Republic.

Ken Casey joins Hayes solicitors to head up new Corporate department

(New York, NY – Nov 27, 2017) Partner James J. Terry  of leading construction law firm Zetlin & De Chiara LLP will be a featured speaker at the Practicing Law Institute’s 19th Annual Commercial Real Estate institute in New York on December 4 and 5, 2017.

In the recently published The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018, one of the legal industry’s most prominent guides to the legal market in Asia, Kim & Chang was the only Korean law firm to be top-ranked ("Tier 1") in all 16 practice areas surveyed.  Particularly noteworthy is the fact that our IP group was the only Tier 1-ranked practice to be recognized in the “Intellectual property – Patents and Trademarks” category.

On November 18, 2017, more than 40 Kim & Chang attorneys and K&C Friends (staff volunteers) of Kim & Chang Committee for Social Contribution volunteered in gimjang, a Korean tradition of preparing large quantities of kimchi for the winter.  Volunteers gathered early in the morning to learn how to do gimjang, and helped to make kimchi.  The kimchi prepared through this event was  donated to 100 foster care families supported by the Central Foster Care Family Center .

Kim & Chang was the only Korean law firm to receive “Outstanding,” the highest possible ranking, across all 18 practice areas in the 22nd edition of Asialaw Profiles 2018, a definitive guide to Asia-Pacific’s leading regional and domestic law firms.  Additionally, we were the only Korean firm to be awarded “Outstanding” in the Financial Services Regulatory and Intellectual Property practice areas. 

On December 9, 2017, Kim & Chang attorneys and K&C Friends (staff volunteers) of Kim & Chang Committee for Social Contribution together with youth members of Deulggot Youth World, an organization dedicated to caring for and educating children in need, delivered coal briquettes to a jjokbang town in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District.  Jjokbang towns are low-income neighborhoods comprised of tenement housings with small rooms that barely accommodate one person.  

The volunteers delivered the briquettes to low-income families, the elderly living alone, and others in the jjokbang town with hopes to give them a warmer winter.

By Alexandru Ambrozie, Partner Popovici Niţu Stoica & Asociaţii and Luana Dragomirescu, Managing Associate Popovici Niţu Stoica & Asociaţii

In the recently published Representing Corporate Asia and Middle East Survey, an annual ranking survey published by Asian-MENA Counsel, Kim & Chang won "In-House Community Firm of the Year" in 14 categories.

On October 31, 2017, Kim & Chang Committee for Social Contribution hosted its second Multicultural Family Law Academy for 2017, a “mobile” legal service for multicultural families in Korea, in the City of Gyeongsan in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.  The first session was held in the City of Gimje in Jeollabuk-do Province earlier in 2017.

SyCipLaw partner Arlene M. Maneja was a guest speaker on “Regulatory Framework for Renewable Energy” at the Bioenergy Mission to the Philippines co-organized by the Embassy of Canada in Manila and the Philippine Department of Energy.

New York, NY (November 13, 2017) –  Carol J. Patterson, Senior Partner at construction law firm Zetlin & De Chiara LLP was honored by the Commercial Observer at its first-ever Women in Construction Awards for her precedent-setting achievements.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has issued an annual international law review. Leading lawyers of the world are the authors of the publication. Experts in the Russia region were Vassily Rudomino, Alrud Senior Partner, and Anton Dzhuplin, Alrud Partner.

AVELLUM Advises Shareholder of PJSC “Commercial Bank “Center” on Increasing Its Charter Capital

AVELLUM advised Public Joint Stock Company “Commercial Bank “Center” (“PJSC CB “Center”), a regional Ukrainian bank, and its sole shareholder Mr. Hamed Alikhani on increasing the charter capital of PJSC CB “Center” to UAH200 million. AVELLUM advised the clients on a number of corporate, regulatory, and securities issues related to increasing the charter capital, and on further acquisition of new shares in PJSC CB “Center”.

On 24 January 2018, at the conference held by VEGAS LEX, experts discussed the key trends of tax control and international taxation and the changes relating to unjustified tax benefit, investigations and proof of the facts of deliberate non-payment of taxes and levies.

By Alexandru Ambrozie, Partner Popovici Niţu Stoica & Asociaţii and Luana Dragomirescu, Managing Associate Popovici Niţu Stoica & Asociaţii

As of January 2018, Ana Luís de Sousa and Catarina Pinto Correia join VdA partnership.

Lawyers in, respectively, Projects - Infrastructures, Energy & Natural Resources and Public Law, these appointments stand for from the ongoing strategic commitment to reinforce the firm’s capabilities in core areas and develop new skills in key sectors of the economy, providing increased added value to our clients.

On December 15, Vieira de Almeida entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with Cabinet BASSOUNDA & Partners - BP Partners, a Chadian law firm lead by Sylvanus Bassounda and Beti Kolossoum Nodjitan. BP Partners is one of the most prestigious law firms in Chad, with a widely acknowledged expertise in OHADA Law, Tax, Employment, Finance and Litigation.

VdA has been elected President of the Steering Committee of GRACE for the period 2018/2020. Partner Margarida Couto, shall take office on behalf of the firm.

GRACE (www.grace.pt) is a pioneering non-profit public interest organisation gathering over 160 companies of all sizes and across industries, engaged in deepening their social role, as well as promoting and developing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Portugal.

The appointment of VdA to lead GRACE for the next 3 years is a strong motive for institutional pride, as it recognises the role played by the firm in Portugal, in matters regarding CSR.

Note :

VdA carries out an extensive corporate social responsibility programme, organised around several axes, notably corporate volunteer work, empowerment of non-profit organisations and the provision of pro bono legal services. Throughout 2017, VdA provided over 7.000 hours of free legal services to over 100 non-profit organisations. Over the years, the number of hours allocated to the CSR Programme has steadily increased.

At the end of 2016, VdA launched the Vasco Vieira de Almeida Foundation, having as key mission to educate for citizenship and assert the key role education and knowledge play in the promotion of human rights and the Rule of Law. The Foundation is also engaged in strengthening VdA’s CSR Programme, while an organised expression of the exercise of citizenship, reinforcing VdA’s lawyers’ and staff sense of belonging to the community at large.

www.vda.pt

Angola | Cabo Verde | Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Equatorial Guinea | Gabon | Guinea-Bissau | Mozambique | Portugal | Sao Tome and Principe | Timor-Leste

Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries, a leading Cayman Islands law firm, is pleased to announce that Richard Annette and Aaron Walker have been promoted as the firm’s newest partners, effective January 2018. 

Cyprus consistent efforts to modernize its regulatory environment for investment funds, has created a legal framework bearing hallmarks of the regimes in Luxembourg and Ireland, and has strengthened Cyprus’ profile as an emerging European funds and asset management domicile.

An immigration white paper outlining Britain’s proposed post-Brexit immigration system will not be released until after the transition deal is completed.

The government’s announcement regarding the paper, which was supposed to be released last summer, has been criticised by the business community.

This move also means that a Brexit immigration bill, promised in the Queen’s speech, will not reach the statute book before the registration of the three million EU nationals already living and working in Britain gets underway this autumn.

AVELLUM Promotes New Partner and Counsels

AVELLUM is pleased to announce senior promotions.

Yuriy Nechayev was promoted to a partner at Corporate/M&A practice. In his new role, Yuriy will continue focusing on M&A, corporate law, and private equity.

Goltsblat BLP, the Russian practice of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), has advised Alfa-Bank on its acquisition of shares in a mobile acquiring operator working under the Pay-Me brand. The deal contemplated the early-stage investor shareholding transferred in its entirety to the bank.

On Monday 11th December 2017, our Senior and Managing Partner, Mr Stavros Pavlou was awarded the Prometheus prize in Moscow for his invaluable contribution towards the protection of Russian business interests in Cyprus and abroad. 

On November 28, 2017, Kim & Chang was recognized as the "Asia-Pacific Firm of the Year" in the inaugural Asialaw Asia-Pacific Legal Practice Awards. 

According to the latest "Asia 50," an annual special feature published by The American Lawyer, Kim & Chang ranked 11th among the top 50 Asia-Pacific law firms.

According to “Asia’s Top 50,” a feature story in the November issue of Asian Legal Business (ALB), Kim & Chang is the 12th largest Asian law firm, with the top 11 being China-based firms.  Our firm continues to lead this chart among Korean firms, and once again, this is the highest ranking for a Korean firm.  

Kim & Chang was once again named "Korea Law Firm of the Year" at the ALB Korean Law Awards 2017, a recognition we have won five consecutive times since these awards began in 2012.  Our firm was also once again honored with the highest number of recognitions at this year's ceremony held on November 16 at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul. 

In the 2018 edition of the prestigious legal guide, Chambers Asia-Pacific, Kim & Chang was the only law firm in Korea to receive top rankings (“Band 1”) across all 19 practice areas surveyed.

New York, NY (Dec 15, 2017) - Leading construction law firm Zetlin and De Chiara LLP announced today that Joeann Walker, an Associate at the firm, was named one of Engineering News Record’s (ENR) top young professionals in the New York region for 2018.

NEW YORK (January 29, 2018) – Zetlin & De Chiara LLP today announced that Elissa Rossi has joined the firm as an Associate Principal and Chengdong (C.D.) Xing and Anthony Riverso have joined as law clerks.