International

UK Firms Accept Partnership Alternatives

Top London law firms battling associate attrition are embracing partnership alternatives. Fifty-nine percent of the big U.K. firms offer such alternatives, Legal Week reports. Of those that do, 30 percent introduced the new jobs in the past year. SJ Berwin is one of the firms that is gearing up to…

Sep 20, 2007 11:28 AM CDT

EU Court: No In-House Counsel Privilege

Highlighting the differences between American law practice and international law practice, the second-highest court in the European Union ruled today that attorney-client privilege does not apply to communications between companies and their in-house counsel. Contending that attorney-client privilege applied, a Dutch chemical company and lawyers’ groups had sought to exclude…

Sep 17, 2007 11:42 PM CDT

Fired Judge Blames Elf for Court Mishaps

The Philippines Supreme Court has asked a fired judge who claims he is assisted by three elves to stop making threats of “ungodly reprisal.” The court kicked Florentino Floro Jr. off the bench largely because of his belief in the supernatural, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). A medical…

Sep 17, 2007 6:50 PM CDT

Microsoft European Fine Upheld

Europe’s second highest court has affirmed a 2004 European Commission finding that Microsoft violated antitrust law. The European Court of First Instance upheld a $689.4 million fine, saying the software maker had abused its dominant market position, the New York Times reports. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports that…

Sep 17, 2007 11:21 AM CDT

New Partnership Alternatives in UK

Struggling to reduce the number of departing lawyers, a number of London law firms are creating alternatives to partnership. A survey of 59 leading British firms found that two-thirds of those in the city now allow career attorneys to work in unspecified senior lawyer positions, compared to a smaller percentage…

Sep 13, 2007 5:42 PM CDT

Muslim Religious Freedom Movement Sparks Threats

An organized movement to allow Muslims to renounce their faith has prompted death threats and reportedly made its leader the most talked-about public figure in the Netherlands. The campaign for religious freedom was launched yesterday, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, by the Committee for Ex-Muslims.…

Sep 12, 2007 6:48 PM CDT

UK Sisters: Treat Us Like Lesbians

In a case that should strike a chord with other alternative families, two British sisters in their 80s have become unlikely activists for reform of the United Kingdom’s inheritance and tax laws. Joyce and Sybil Burden, who have lived together all their lives, are afraid that the survivor will be…

Sep 11, 2007 11:16 PM CDT

Miles, Pints Remain Legal UK Measures

In a reprieve for reluctant adopters of the metric system of measurement that is common throughout Europe and the rest of the world (except in the U.S.), the European Union has amended a previous plan. Britain and Ireland can retain beloved imperial measurements, such as the mile—and the pint—that date…

Sep 11, 2007 9:17 PM CDT

Iraq Dealmeister’s Thoughts on Law, Life

After helping to put together a $1.25 billion deal for a national mobile telecommunications license in Iraq earlier this year, attorney Abdullah Mutawi, who heads the international telecommunications group at Trowers & Hamlins, took a few minutes to reflect on his life and practice. One of his best experiences, he…

Sep 10, 2007 11:39 PM CDT

‘TB Lawyer’ Fights to Regain Practice

Less than six months ago, life seemed good for Andrew H. Speaker, even though he’d been diagnosed with tuberculosis. The young personal injury lawyer was getting married, and about to start his own practice in Atlanta. Then he became the subject of international disapprobation for allegedly endangering others by taking…

Sep 10, 2007 10:17 PM CDT

Client’s YouTube Lawyer Video Banned

A disgruntled client can’t post video clips on YouTube complaining about his lawyer’s allegedly bad work and big bills, a Canadian judge has ruled. Superior Court Justice William Jenkins also said that client Stan Hall can’t post any further videos about lawyer Paul Ledroit without court permission, reports the London…

Sep 10, 2007 9:45 PM CDT

Linklaters Strengthens U.S. Office

London law firm Linklaters has transferred a mergers and acquisitions partner to New York, following the lead of a Magic Circle rival. The transfer of Nick Rees is part of Linklaters’ effort to build up its transactional practice in the New York office, Legal Week reports. The law firm recruited…

Sep 7, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

Weil to Add 2 Asia Offices; Tokyo Next?

Corrected: Two New York City-based corporate partners of Weil Gotshal & Manges are moving to Hong Kong to open a new firm office there, and the firm also plans a Beijing presence. Partners Akiko Mikumo and Peter Feist, along with Shanghai partner David Meredith and two associates, will establish the…

Sep 6, 2007 8:06 PM CDT

Court OKs Sleeping Judge at Jury Trial

Saying that a jury trial requires a judge’s physical presence rather than his attention, a divided Australian appeals court panel decided that a slumbering judge did not require retrial of two men convicted on drug charges. Each was sentenced to more than a decade in prison. The judge, who suffered…

Sep 6, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Mom’s in Cold Storage, But That’s Legal

Two British sisters who have kept their mother’s body in cold storage at a London funeral home for a decade as they visited her there almost weekly have broken no laws. But family friends are now trying to end the two 50-something sisters’ practice of regularly sitting with their 84-year-old…

Sep 6, 2007 4:32 PM CDT