Asia

Courts in China Reluctant to Hear Tainted Baby Formula Cases

Three courts in China have so far refused to hear lawsuits filed against the maker of tainted infant formula. Although some lawyers and judges are working hard to establish the power of courts in China, companies that make shoddy goods rarely are held liable there, the New York Times reports.…

Oct 17, 2008 6:30 PM CDT

Latham Stuns Magic Circle’s A&O With 7-Partner Hong Kong Raid

Latham & Watkins has raided one of London’s biggest and best-known law firms, luring seven partners away from the Hong Kong office of Allen & Overy. Their move to the Los Angeles-based international firm “represents one of the most significant departures ever seen from the foreign network of a magic…

Oct 13, 2008 10:19 PM CDT

More Thelen Lawyers Decamp to Pillsbury

After picking up all of the approximately 20 lawyers in Thelen’s China office late last month, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has signed on a partner and counsel in Washington, D.C. from the San Francisco-based firm’s construction litigation and international dispute practices. Michael Jaffe, formerly chairman of the international arbitration and…

Oct 3, 2008 12:09 PM CDT

Thelen’s Entire 20-Lawyer China Office Defects to Pillsbury Winthrop

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has reportedly raided Thelen’s office in China of all 20 or so of its lawyers. The group, which includes partners Lou Bevilacqua, Tom Shoesmith, Joe Tiano and Meg Utterback, is being split between Pillsbury offices in Shanghai, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., reports a Pillsbury press…

Sep 29, 2008 6:26 PM CDT

Japanese Businessman Faces US Trial in Alleged Conspiracy to Murder Wife

A Japanese businessman who is fighting a court battle on two fronts to avoid being tried on charges related to the 1981 murder of his wife has seemingly lost another round. Although Kazuyoshi Miura “was cleared of his wife’s killing by a court in Japan in 1998 following a marathon…

Sep 29, 2008 4:53 PM CDT

Police Beat Pakistan Lawyers in Clash Over Ousted Appellate Judges

Pakistani lawyers clashed with riot police in Islamabad as they protested dozens of appellate judges’ continued absence from the bench. The judges were ousted last year when former President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency and what many considered martial law. “Some lawyers were beaten by officers in front…

Sep 4, 2008 6:10 PM CDT

Hunton & Williams Signs Agreement with African Law Firm

Hunton & Williams has signed a memorandum of understanding with the largest law firm in East Africa to work together on energy matters and commerce-related work. Hunton signed the agreement with Mkono & Co. Advocates after collaborating with the firm on energy-related matters in Tanzania for more than a decade,…

Sep 2, 2008 1:18 PM CDT

Walk of Shame: Shanghai to Post Photos of Jaywalkers

Seeking to shame pedestrian scofflaws into complying with traffic rules, Shanghai police plan to publicize photos and videos of their misdeeds–along with comparable crimes by bicyclists and moped riders–on television and in newspapers. However, the plan is a controversial one, and attorneys are complaining that public humiliation is too harsh…

Aug 28, 2008 5:15 PM CDT

Only 8 of 60 Ousted Pakistan Judges Return to Office; Lawyers Outraged

There were some 60 appellate judges removed from office in November last year by the president of Pakistan after he declared a state of emergency criticized by the legal community as unconstitutional and imposed what many considered to be martial law. Now, “in a move that has outraged the legal…

Aug 27, 2008 8:42 PM CDT

New Role in Managing Law Firm Risk Exposure: the CRO

Once upon a time, the possibility of a malpractice suit being filed against them was pretty much the only risk that law firms had to worry about, and, since lawyers were reluctant to sue other lawyers, they were a rarity. Today, facing a panoply of potential pitfalls, including the Sarbanes-Oxley…

Aug 26, 2008 3:26 PM CDT

Wrangling Over Restoration of Judges Intensifies in Pakistan

Lawyers in Pakistan are planning new protests, starting Thursday, as wrangling among the country’s ruling parliamentary coalition intensifies over whether to restore to office all 60 of the appellate judges removed by then-President Pervez Musharraf in November after he declared a state of emergency and imposed what many considered martial…

Aug 25, 2008 3:35 PM CDT

Judges Still a Divisive Issue for Pakistan’s New Leaders

Even as a suicide bombing that killed perhaps 25 people served as a tragic reminder of the need for decisive leadership in Pakistan, those in charge of the country’s ruling coalition continued to wrangle today over whether some 60 appellate judges removed from office last year by now-former President Pervez…

Aug 19, 2008 11:12 PM CDT

As Musharraf Exits, Pakistan Lawyers Seek Trial and Restoration of Judges

As Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, resigned from office today, lawyers whose protests for over a year helped achieve this situation celebrated. They also called for the restoration to office of dozens of appellate court judges he removed last November. “Hundreds of lawyers gathered in the courtyard of the Lahore High…

Aug 18, 2008 10:29 PM CDT

Teacher ID’d After Interpol Public Plea Gets 39 Months in Child Sex Abuse Case

A Canadian schoolteacher has been sentenced to 39 months in a child sex abuse case in Thailand that captured international attention over authorities’ use of a high-tech investigative technique and an unprecedented Internet appeal for public help in tracking down a seemingly anonymous suspect. Christopher Paul Neil’s face had been”swirled”…

Aug 16, 2008 12:13 AM CDT

Dechert to Open New Office in Beijing

Dechert plans to open an office in Beijing, its second in Asia. It opened the first, in Hong Kong, at the beginning of the year, reports Legal Week. The new Beijing office “will focus on advising financial institutions, domestic and international companies and private investors on all corporate matters,” the…

Aug 15, 2008 4:18 PM CDT