International Law

Internet Ban Plan Would Bar Illegal Downloaders, Under ‘3 Strikes’ Rule

A proposal to ban illegal music and film downloaders from using the Internet that has been under discussion for months by Hollywood entertainment industry officials and Internet service providers may be moving closer to reality. Proposed legislation to implement the enforcement system will be unveiled in the United Kingdom next…

Feb 12, 2008 7:42 PM CST

Outsourcing Alternative: Law Firm Sets Up Own Shop in India

Apparently weary of seeing clients defect to to low-cost companies in India and elsewhere when it came time to perform so-called legal process work, at least one major U.S. law firm reportedly is fighting back. Howrey is opening its own office in India, although outsourcing is not what it is…

Feb 11, 2008 6:06 PM CST

New Merit-Based Associate Pay at U.K.‘s Norton Rose

A well-known British firm is eliminating its traditional experience-based associate pay system and moving to a system that rewards with higher salaries those who demonstrate legal skills. Norton Rose will divide associates into three groups: those who are newly admitted, those who are essentially midlevel associates, based on their demonstrated…

Feb 11, 2008 5:25 PM CST

ABA to Measure Rule of Law in Four Countries, Including U.S.

Within the next few weeks, the ABA’s World Justice Project will start testing its theories of what defines the rule of law by sending fact-gathering teams to four countries, including the United States. This field work will be the first effort by the project to test the feasibility of the…

Feb 8, 2008 10:31 PM CST

Another Man Held in $7B SocGen Rogue Trading Case

Another person is being held for questioning in connection with the $7 billion-plus rogue trading scandal at Société Générale, potentially contradicting the bank’s earlier explanation that the initial suspect, Jerome Kerviel, acted alone. Meanwhile, Kerviel was taken into custody after a Paris appeals court revoked his bail at a court…

Feb 8, 2008 8:22 PM CST

Archbishop Ignites U.K. Firestorm With Support of Islamic Religious Law

Updated: The Archbishop of Canterbury is front-page news throughout the United Kingdom today, facing a firestorm of criticism even from his own bishops following his reported call for Britain, at least to some extent, to recognize Islamic religious law based on the Koran. Now, however, Dr. Rowan Williams is saying…

Feb 8, 2008 4:46 PM CST

Russian Lawyer Seeks Political Asylum Over Client Wiretapping Case

A Russian lawyer who is a well-known critic of the government there is seeking political asylum in the U.S. because of his legal work. Boris Kuznetsov, 64, claims he is being criminally prosecuted in his home country because of his efforts to obtain a court ruling that his client, a…

Feb 6, 2008 6:13 PM CST

U.K. Bugged Inmate’s Calls to Lawyer; Is This a Common Practice?

In a discovery that has fanned fears that British inmates’ phone calls to their attorneys are routinely bugged, a lawyer in the U.K. reportedly has received transcripts of secretly recorded phone conversations between himself and an imprisoned client. Simon Creighton, of Bhatt Murphy solicitors in London, says the transcripts show…

Feb 5, 2008 5:38 PM CST

Bringing Body Worlds to Your Living Room ... Legally

A German anatomist whose partially dissected, sliced collection of preserved human corpses has been seen by millions throughout Europe and the United States in controversial “Body Worlds” museum exhibits now plans to expand his market. Gunther von Hagens expects to sell portions of the bodies of humans—and pets—for home display,…

Feb 5, 2008 4:32 PM CST

New Bridezilla Tactic: Require a Bridesmaid Contract?

Think you’ve heard it all about bad behavior by soon-to-be brides planning their big day? Think again. One in five women who participated in a recent magazine survey said she would like to require her bridesmaids to sign the wedding-day equivalent of a prenuptial agreement, reports the Daily Mail. Asked…

Feb 4, 2008 9:10 PM CST

Candy Competition Sours Company on Now-Former Counsel

Nestle reportedly has axed its lead antitrust counsel in Europe after focusing during a review of its legal staffing there on the fact that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer also represented the competing Mars company. Perhaps best-known on supermarket shelves for its M&M’S candies, Mars is a competitor of Nestle. The two…

Feb 4, 2008 7:10 PM CST

Trial Lawyer’s Advice: Prepare, Connect ... and Don’t Despair

Preparation, eye contact and empathy with witnesses are all key to winning a trial in front of a jury, a seasoned criminal lawyer says. But if all your hard work fails to impress the jury, don’t despair. There’s always at least a faint hope of a Perry Mason moment, British…

Feb 4, 2008 6:43 PM CST

Bank’s Loss of $7.2B Could Mean Big Bucks for Rogue Trader

Jerome Kerviel’s career in the securities industry appears to be at an end after the stunning news late last month that the junior trader allegedly cost one of France’s biggest and best-known banks a record $7.2 billion in losses. Meanwhile, he appears likely to be criminally prosecuted, and the French…

Feb 4, 2008 5:10 PM CST

Going for Gold in the Gulf

As Dubai takes its place among the world’s financial centers, law firms follow

Feb 1, 2008 4:40 PM CST

In Smuggled Letter, Pakistan’s Ex-Chief Justice Backs Independent Courts

Pakistan’s former chief justice has released a letter criticizing President Pervez Musharraf for eliminating the country’s independent judiciary. The letter by Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was his second public statement since Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3, the New York Times reports. The document says Chaudhry and his family are…

Jan 31, 2008 4:37 PM CST