2017
RTS
B
GLO
PE
LAW E X L A
ANNUAL AWARDS WINNER
GLOBAL LAW EXPERTS ANNUAL AWARDS GL OBAL LAW EXPERTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2017 GLE Awards 2017
1
WELCOME TO THE GLOBAL LAW EXPERTS (GLE) ANNUAL AWARDS 2017 PUBLICATION
27
The Americas Winners
53
Asia & Oceania Winners
68
Africa & the Middle East Winners
78
Listings
109
A-Z Index
Editor: John Martin awards-editor@globallawexperts.com www.globallawexperts.com
Reprints & Permissions: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.
Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors and claims made by third parties.
AL
LAW E X
2017
RTS
Congratulations to each of this year’s award recipients.
Europe Winners
PE
We have broken down the winners by region, country and practice area. Many of the firms selected can offer a multitude of services to clients and have provided a firm summary to this effect; meanwhile, some have chosen to profile their expertise concerning their winning category – providing details of their casework and some up-to-date industry commentary. Our Listings section contains the details of additional winners from around the world. Further, the Index at the back of this edition makes it easy for our readers to locate the entries for all of our winners.
4
B
In order to select our winners, we undertook research in all practice areas, creating a shortlist of firms that are deemed experts within their chosen specialisms. During an initial recommendation stage, we received responses from business directors, inhouse counsel, independent firms, high-net-worth individuals, bar associations, visitors to the GLE website, and LinkedIn users. These recommendations were combined with our independent research to create the finished shortlist for each country and practice area. The shortlisted firms were then judged on client testimonials, case studies, legal ranking and published material, as well as the performance and standing of the teams’ individual attorneys.
Contents:
GLO
Throughout the year so far, GLE has conducted an extensive nomination and research process for the eighth annual GLE Awards. GLE is one of the world’s leading online resources for locating specialist legal advisers for the services required by businesses, investors and individuals. The website has shown double-digit user growth month-on-month since inception, with currently more than 30,000 users currently visiting the website. The GLE awards programme has been in existence since 2010, and has helped many winners to further enhance their exposure to potential clients and to reaffirm their position as a market leader in their field.
ANNUAL AWARDS WINNER
GLE Awards 2017
3
EUROPE WINNERS 4
GLE Awards 2017
EUROPE WINNERS
The eurozone started the third quarter of 2017 on a solid footing, according to PMI® survey data, though the rate of growth remained slightly below the recent highs in both manufacturing and services and inflationary pressures cooled further. Commenting on the data, Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, said: “The July fall in the PMI indicates that the eurozone’s recent growth spurt lost momentum for a second successive month, but still remained impressive.
rising at a rate close to a six-year high. Manufacturing suppliers’ lead times also lengthened to the greatest extent for over six years as demand exceeded supply for many inputs. These are symptoms of a booming rather than an ailing economy.”
deleveraging in some sectors. A number of factors support a gradual pick-up, such as rising capacity utilisation rates, corporate profitability and attractive financing conditions, also through the Investment Plan for Europe.
“The survey data is historically consistent with GDP rising at a quarterly rate of 0.6%, cooling slightly from a pace of over 0.7% signalled for the second quarter.
Steady Growth Ahead
Unemployment continues its downward trend, but it remains high in many countries. In the euro area, it is expected to fall to 9.4% in 2017 and 8.9% in 2018, its lowest level since the start of 2009. This is thanks to rising domestic demand, structural reforms and other government policies in certain countries which encourage robust job creation. The trend in the EU as a whole is expected to be similar, with unemployment forecast to fall to 8.0% in 2017 and 7.7% in 2018, the lowest since late 2008.
“The slowing pace of economic growth signalled by the surveys and the accompanying easing of price pressures adds to the belief that ECB policymakers will be in no rush to taper policy, and will leave all options open until the central bank sees a clearer picture of the sustainability of the upturn. “It’s too early to know for sure whether the economy has merely hit a speed bump or whether the upturn is already starting to fade. The evidence so far points to the former, with the economy hitting bottlenecks due to the speed of the recent upturn. Forward-looking indicators such as new order inflows remain elevated, suggesting robust growth will be sustained in coming months. Job creation is consequently booming as companies seek to expand capacity in line with growing demand. “However, even with employment growing at one of the fastest rates seen over the past decade, the survey is still showing backlogs of uncompleted orders
In its Spring Forecast, the European Commission noted that the European economy has entered its fifth year of recovery, which is now reaching all EU Member States. The commission expects this to continue at a largely steady pace this year and next. The commission noted that inflation has risen significantly in recent months, mainly due to oil price increases. However, core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and unprocessed food prices, has remained relatively stable and substantially below its long-term average. Inflation in the euro area is forecast to rise from 0.2% in 2016 to 1.6% in 2017 before returning to 1.3% in 2018 as the effect of rising oil prices fades away. Private consumption, the main growth driver in recent years, expanded at its fastest pace in 10 years in 2016 but is set to moderate this year as inflation partly erodes gains in the purchasing power of households. As inflation is expected to ease next year, private consumption should pick up again slightly. Investment is expected to expand fairly steadily but remains hampered by the modest growth outlook and the need to continue
Both the general government deficitto-GDP ratio and the gross debt-to-GDP ratio are expected to fall in 2017 and 2018, in both the euro area and the EU. Lower interest payments and public sector wage moderation should ensure that deficits continue to decline, albeit at a slower pace than in recent years. In the euro area, the government deficit to-GDP ratio is forecast to decline from 1.5% of GDP in 2016 to 1.4% in 2017 and 1.3% in 2018, while in the EU the ratio is expected to fall from 1.7% in 2016 to 1.6% in 2017 and 1.5% in 2018. The debt-to-GDP ratio of the euro area is forecast to fall from 91.3% in 2016 to 90.3% in 2017 and 89.0% in 2018, while the ratio in the EU as a whole is forecast to fall from 85.1% in 2016 to 84.8% in 2017 and 83.6% in 2018. Elevated Uncertainty
Forward-looking indicators such as new order inflows remain elevated, suggesting robust growth will be sustained in coming months.
The uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook remains elevated. Overall, risks have become more balanced than in the winter but they remain tilted to the downside. External risks are linked, for instance, to future US economic and trade policy and broader geopolitical tensions. China’s economic adjustment, the health of the banking sector in Europe and the upcoming negotiations with the UK on the country’s exit from the EU are also considered as possible downside risks in the forecast.
GLE Awards 2017
5
EUROPE CONTENTS Verita Legal, K. Argyridou & Associates LLC / Client Choice - Financial Services Sector Law Firm of the Year in Cyprus................................................................. 8.
Ince & Co LLP / Aviation Law Firm of the Year in England..........................................................................................9.
Ganguin Samartin / Business Immigration Law Firm of the Year in England.............................................................10.
Reeds Solicitors / Financial Criminal Law Firm of the Year in England.......................................................................10.
ABR Solicitors / Fraud Law Firm of the Year in England............................................................................................. 11.
Cleveland Scott York / Full Service IP Law Firm of the Year in England.................................................................... 11.
City Legal Services Limited / Immigration Law Firm of the Year in England.............................................................12.
The 36 Group / Individual - Cyber Crime Barrister of the Year in England.................................................................12.
Furnival Chambers / Criminal Law Set of the Year in England...................................................................................13.
Furnival Chambers / Individual - Serious Crime Barrister of the Year in England.......................................................13.
Sedgwick Detert Moran and Arnold, LLP / Latin America Insurance & Reinsurance Law Firm of the Year in England................................................................14.
Taylor Hampton Solicitors / Privacy Law Firm of the Year in England........................................................................14.
Mundays LLP / Private Client Law Firm of the Year in England.................................................................................15.
Drystone Chambers / Professional Discipline Set of the Year in England..................................................................15.
Attorneys at Law Teperi & Co / Sports Law Firm of the Year in Finland....................................................................16.
BMH Avocats / Boutique - France-Germany Corporate Law Firm of the Year in France..........................................16.
6
GLE Awards 2017
EUROPE CONTENTS Cabinet Plasseraud / Life Sciences Patents Law Firm of the Year in France............................................................. 17.
Taj / Real Estate Tax Law Firm of the Year in France.................................................................................................. 17.
Dr. Langfinger & Partner mbB / Boutique - Chemistry Patents Law Firm of the Year in Germany...........................18.
GRAMM, LINS & Partner Patent- und Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB / Boutique - Electronic Patents Law Firm of the Year in Germany...............................................................................19.
ameleo Law LLP / Boutique - International Business Law Firm of the Year in Germany..........................................19.
BEMK Rechtsanwälte / Capital Markets Law Firm of the Year in Germany............................................................. 20.
PRÜFER & PARTNER mbB / Industrial Property Law Firm of the Year in Germany................................................ 20.
Appleby / Individual - Insurance & Reinsurance Lawyer of the Year in Guernsey.....................................................21.
Studio Legale Fabiano / Boutique - Data Protection Law Firm of the Year in Italy.....................................................21.
Fava & Associati Law Firm / Boutique - Employment Law Firm of the Year in Italy................................................. 22.
LEXTRUST / Investment Funds Law Firm of the Year in Luxembourg..................................................................... 23.
IURIDICA Law Firm / Boutique Transport Law Firm of the Year in Poland............................................................... 23.
Mușat & Asociații / White-Collar Crime Law Firm of the Year in Romania................................................................24.
Eurofast / Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year in South East Europe.............................................................................24.
Zwicky Windlin & Partner / Private Client Law Firm of the Year in Switzerland ...................................................... 25.
AKT Law Office / Maritime Law Firm of the Year in Turkey...................................................................................... 25.
Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) / IP Law Firm of the Year in Ukraine..................................................................... 26.
GLE Awards 2017
7
CLIENT CHOICE - FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CYPRUS Verita Legal, K. Argyridou & Associates LLC Karolina Argyridou Principal Tel: +357 22 000408 karolina@veritalegal.com www.veritalegal.com We are a niche law firm based in the heart of Nicosia, Cyprus and with a very strong specialisation in: • Banking and Finance • Financial Services and Regulatory Compliance We act for some of the largest and most prestigious financial institutions and investments firms on the island and advise on complex, high value transactions. We also routinely act for clients in the following areas: • Capital Markets • Corporate and Commercial • Investment Funds • Immigration • Insolvency and Restructuring • Real Estate • Trust and Succession Planning Banking and Finance We advise our clients on banking and finance matters, drawing on our expertise and experience in corporate restructuring, refinancing, guarantees and indemnities, taking security over immovable property and movables as well as dematerialized securities and lending against portfolios. We are well versed with standard form documentation widely accepted and used in the banking and finance sector. We have advised on numerous single lender loans, syndicated loans, distressed debt and distressed asset trades as well as risk participations under standard LMA terms. We have also negotiated and advised on funded and unfunded risk participations under the Master Risk Participation Agreement (MRPA) framework. Principals
8
GLE Awards 2017
in our firm have also advised on repos under the Global Master Repurchase Agreement (GMRA) framework. We have extensive experience in advising on trading of distressed debt and distressed assets carried out under standard terms or putting in place tailor-made solutions to suit the peculiarities of each deal and asset type, often facing UK funds as counterparties. Our team consists of English and Cyprus qualified lawyers. We are able to draw from our extensive experience delivering first-class advice within the most challenging timeframes. Financial Services and Regulatory Compliance Our experience in advising on regulatory compliance issues goes back to the pre-MIFID era and UCITS III through the coming into force of MIFID in 2007 and the Third AML Directive and leading up to the Short Selling Regulation, EMIR, UCITS IV, Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV), AIFMD, MiFID II and PRIIPs. We help protect our clients from regulatory risk in an increasingly complex and challenging regulatory environment. Our services range from putting in place or policies and procedures, terms and conditions, client take-on and other client facing documentation, reviewing policies and procedures, terms and conditions in order to achieve compliance with changes in the regulatory framework, to training of back office, middle office and front office on the application and use of policies and procedures and documentation put in place providing guidance on good and bad practice as appropriate, general support and advisory services and providing in-house training on an ad-hoc basis as required by our clients as part of their policies of staff training and development and compliance with regulatory requirements on training of staff.
AVIATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Ince & Co LLP Gillie Belsham Global Head of Aviation Tel: +44 (0) 20 7481 0010 gillie.belsham@incelaw.com www.incelaw.com/en Ince & Co has a 20-lawyer, London-based Aviation team with decades of experience. The Aviation team advises across the industry spectrum – from major commercial disputes, both insured and uninsured to regulatory work, advice on commercial contracts, competition within the aviation industry with a particular interest in the consequence of Brexit for the aviation, aircraft and engine acquisition and all types of finance and leasing. We also have an increasingly strong Travel law and Aviation employment (which is a specialist) practice. Gillie Belsham, our Global head of Aviation, is rightly regarded as a leading name in the aviation industry with many years’ experience in her chosen field of dispute resolution. She continues to be instructed to advise on the largest and most complex aviation and or aviation insurance disputes, including those of major importance to the clients who instruct her. Gillie is recognised as one of the world’s leading practitioners for Aviation Contentious by Who’s Who Legal: Transport 2015. Gillie has also been named as a Super Lawyer for Aviation law by London Super Lawyers magazine, part of Thomson Reuters, for three consecutive years (since it began in 2013). The team is rightly praised in the Directories for its commitment to clients, deep industry knowledge and ability to operate, not as silos, but seamlessly across its offices as one global Aviation team, and for the forthright, straightforward and commercial nature of its advice. In the past two years the team has grown with the recruitment of Anna Anatolitou (partner), who spent six years in the Middle East including as Group General Counsel at the Air Arabia Group and worked in-house at Emirates; Will Cooper (partner) who specialises in aircraft finance transactions and previously worked in-house at the UK Export Finance and has recently been listed as a Leading lawyer by Corporate Jet Investor; Annabel Williamson (legal director) who has a wealth of experience in handling large litigation claims in the aviation sector; and Rebecca Thornley-Gibson (partner), an employment lawyer with specialist knowledge of travel and aviation sectors. The team is also underpinned by a fantastic crop of dedicated aviation associates.
As outlined above, the team advise clients across the spectrum of aviation issues. Below are several highlights of key matters from the past 12 months: • Conducting for one of the parties the largest piece of complex aviation litigation ongoing in London arising out of a lithium battery fire on a Boeing Dreamliner, which involves a total claim of US$60 million, five parties and is scheduled for a 10-week trial in May 2018 in the High Court. • Handling all of Ryanair, Norwegian and Vueling’s UK uninsured passenger claims, which primarily fall under Regulation (EC) 261/2004, on denied boarding, cancellation and delay, and occasionally the Montreal Convention 1999. We handle several thousand claims each year and have a large team supporting to this work, and have developed innovative solutions for handling complex low claim but high strategic value to airlines claims. • Shortlisted for Export Credit Deal of the Year category in Airfinance Journal’s Deals of the Year 2016 for our advice on the innovative Atlas Air/Apple Bank/UK Export Finance financing for GE engine upgrades. • Representing The Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM) with respect to a US$450 million financing for Minsheng Financial Leasing (MSFL) as lessor of two A380-800 aircraft on finance lease to Korea’s Asiana Airlines. • Advising a leading operator in a US$100+ million dispute with a leading OEM. • Advising a premier global airline on a mix of commercial and litigation advice, including EU regulatory advice and the rollout of a new holiday operations business in nearly 40 countries, which is a huge project involving a myriad of regulatory issues. • Acting for a UAE government-owned, low-cost airline on the rollout of a loyalty programme providing advice on the full range of legal and regulatory implications. • Representing an international airline on a long-running case concerning allegations of an air cargo cartel, and continuing to provide ongoing EU compliance advice.
The team is rightly praised in the Directories for its commitment to clients, deep industry knowledge and ability to operate, not as silos, but seamlessly across its offices as one global Aviation team, and for the forthright, straightforward and commercial nature of its advice.
GLE GLEAwards Awards2016 2017
99
BUSINESS IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Ganguin Samartin
Paul Samartin Senior Partner and Head of US Immigration Tel: +44 (0)7476 577774; +44 (0)2070 339527 paul@ganguinsamartin.com
Vanessa Ganguin Senior Partner and Head of UK Immigration Tel: +44 (0)7855 817714; +44 (0)2070 339527 vanessa@ganguinsamartin.com
Ganguin Samartin is a leading immigration law firm based in the City of London. The firm specialises in responsive quality immigration services to the UK and to the US for all sectors of business as well as individuals. Founders Vanessa Ganguin and Paul Samartin are recognised as leaders in their fields by major legal directories including Who’s Who Legal, Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Two of the most highly regarded immigration experts, they bring a vast array of experience and connections to even the most complex of immigration problems. The firm uses its extensive contacts including Home Office and consular to ensure best outcomes for clients big and small. The emphasis is always on finding the fastest and most economical solutions to suit each case. Paul or Vanessa personally oversee cases and are readily available for clients whether individuals or multinationals. Clients include investment banks, hedge funds, IT companies, manufacturing, tech firms, new media, TV, film, publishing, advertising, fashion, celebrities, artists, musicians and high-net-worth individuals. Vanessa has more than 20 years’ specialist experience in immigration. Legal guides say she “handles tricky situations with aplomb,” “provides a great level of service,” “is particularly well known for her handling of complex immigration cases for high-networth individuals that involve complicated human rights issues” and “brings in-depth and all-round knowledge of UK immigration and is able to identify novel solutions to problems.” Vanessa acts for corporate and private clients in family, human rights, and business-
www.ganguinsamartin.com
related immigration matters, providing on-site and remote training, advice on sponsorship, auditing issues and prevention of illegal working. She is renowned for expertise in appeals and challenging refusals. Vanessa speaks at conferences, lectures on immigration law to other practitioners, writes articles and makes media appearances. Vanessa is an active member and trustee of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), has excellent connections within the Home Office and British diplomatic posts and is actively engaged in developing immigration policy with the Home Office. Paul has more than 10 years’ professional experience in US immigration law and is highly regarded in leading legal publications, according to which “Paul is a font of knowledge,” “excellent” and “has extensive experience working with US consulates throughout Europe.” Internationally recognised as a leading figure in US immigration, Paul’s vast experience covers full support for a wide range of businesses and family-based petitions as well as applications and services relating to the renunciation and relinquishment of US citizenship and abandonment of US lawful permanent residency. Paul’s extensive knowledge and insight has resulted in him obtaining visas and resolving issues at US consular posts throughout the world. As an expert in his field, Paul is regularly invited to speak and write on US immigration matters and actively involved in the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and a Past Chair of the AILA Rome District Chapter. Paul is a member of the State Bar of California and was a partner at a leading immigration law firm in London before forming Ganguin Samartin with Vanessa.
FINANCIAL CRIMINAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Reeds Solicitors Jan Matthews Managing Director Tel: +44 (0)7968 986511 jan@reeds.co.uk www.reeds.co.uk Reeds is a highly regarded and well-established firm which specialises in criminal defence, family law and prison law. Established in 1999, Reeds has enjoyed a steady expansion from its original location in Oxford, through the opening of offices from London in the East down to Cardiff in the West with a total of 19 offices. Since inception the firm has taken time and care to construct a team of truly exceptional solicitors, solicitor-advocates, barristers, police station representatives and paralegals. Our strength lies in the fact that our teams are handpicked and chosen not only for their proven technical legal ability, but also for their passion and absolute commitment to achieving the best possible results for every one of our clients, whatever their legal problem. Our ethos is about the provision of quality, and for giving our clients access to straightforward, honest and pragmatic advice. Our clients know they can always trust us to look after them, and our reputation continues to fuel our growth, we believe, because we have strived to preserve this individual and personal approach. Reeds routinely receive instructions to deal with complex and high value financial crime, both in London and nationally. We are members of the Legal Aid Agency’s VHCC panel, which means we have demonstrated that we have the requisite skills, experience and resources, to deal with high-value cost cases. In
10
GLE Awards 2017
the last year, our lawyers have been instructed on a number of multi-Defendant and multi-million pound frauds; prosecuted not just by the CPS but also by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Our niche corporate crime team, consisting of Directors Julian Richards, Stuart Matthews and Jonathan Wilkins, together with Abigail Ashford and Mark Abbott and Peter Binder and John Lamb (members of Reeds Chambers) offer business clients, directors and individuals a tailored, personal service for those facing allegations of serious fraud, bribery & corruption, money laundering, confiscation & asset recovery, intellectual property crime and director disqualification. The team often works individually with their respective clients but equally can work as a team to effectively combine the investigative and litigation experience of our solicitors with the extensive advocacy experience of our integrated Chambers, working together at an early stage during the course of an investigation or prosecution. With the team additionally supported by experienced case workers and litigators, Reeds are able to meet the specific needs of these complex cases in analysing and digesting the usually vast volumes of evidence inherent in cases of this nature, whilst applying a commercial approach and tactical expertise to ensure the best possible chances of success.
FRAUD LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND ABR Solicitors Rob Rode Partner Tel: +333 600 9222 rob.rode@abrsolicitors.com www.abrsolicitors.com Professional Biography: Rob is a nationally and internationally recognized specialist criminal defence solicitor. An acknowledged specialist fraud (white collar) and regulatory defence solicitor, he is described as “like a terrier that never stops digging”. Rob is a supervisor on the Specialist Fraud Panel and a Higher Court Advocate. He represents individuals and companies in the UK and abroad facing investigation/prosecution under the Bribery Act or multijurisdictional legislation including FCPA. He has dealt with prosecution authorities across a number of jurisdictions. Rob undertakes fraud defence, regulatory defence, white collar defence involving cross-jurisdictional issues, defence of tax/VAT fraud, motoring and general criminal matters with “a certain panache”. He has acted as defence solicitor successfully in numerous cases: 1. defending historic and present-day sexual offence allegations; these may also involve allegations of neglect. He has acted for both individuals and organizations. 2. defending allegations of serious violence and murder. He is tactically astute and will ensure that, when appropriate, a proactive defence is pursued in all cases. Rob trained at Irwin Mitchell and joined ABR Solicitors in 1998, becoming a partner in 2002 and senior/managing partner in 2013. He was Chairman of the Serious Fraud Association, and a member of SAHCA, CLSA the International Criminal Bar, the American Bar Association and a member of the criminal duty solicitor defence scheme.
He is Criminal Law Lawyer of the Year in England (IAE Awards 2017). He is UK-regional Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year (ACQ5 Awards 2017). He is ranked a leading figure by Legal 500 and Chambers. Rob & ABR have national and international recognition and awards for their work. Rob is “a tour de force – an ambitious, energetic and thorough lawyer.” “He is a national figure, a leader in the field in Leeds and nationally. A power broker who is held in extremely high regard.” “He is remarkably hands-on. He has a great presence in this area (crime and financial crime); he thinks outside the box and always provides good service to his clients. He’s extremely proactive.” “He’s very talented and hardworking and always keeps his client’s best interests at heart.” “He’s an extremely impressive and dynamic team leader who combines fearless tenacity with an exceptionally personable attitude.” ABR is ranked number one in Yorkshire and number two nationally by Legal 500 and Chambers. The team is described as “excellent”. ABR Solicitors: We know that when your reputation, livelihood or liberty are on the line, you need a lawyer you trust to guide you through a process that can be bewildering and just plain frightening. Our lawyers are experts in the defence of clients in prosecutions brought by all the prosecution authorities, including SFO, FCA, Environment Agency, BIS, HMRC & CPS. We leave no stone unturned, ensuring if a prosecution can be avoided it is avoided; if it cannot, it is defended to the fullest rigour of the law. ABR is a member of the LAA Serious Fraud Panel. “This is a very ambitious firm with a bright future ahead of it.”
FULL SERVICE IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Cleveland Scott York Jonathan Clegg Chairman Tel: +44 20 3077 3499 j.clegg@csy-ip.com www.csy-ip.com Cleveland Scott York is a firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, with offices in London, St Albans, Reading and Brussels. The firm provides comprehensive intellectual property services to a wide range of clients, including SMEs and multi-national corporations. Patents The firm’s patent attorneys are drawn from the very top graduates in science and engineering, including subjects such as physics, engineering, chemistry and biotechnology. It works across a very broad range of technologies and has the expertise to understand the technology behind its clients’ inventions. The firm has a huge amount of experience representing clients before the UK Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office, and dealing with patent applications around the world through its network of overseas attorneys. The firm is skilled in drafting patent applications and prosecuting them through to grant. In addition, its attorneys are skilled in advocacy, and regularly attend oral proceedings in Munich and The Hague. In addition to its detailed knowledge of UK and European law and procedure, the firm also understands the commercial importance of intellectual property. Trade Marks Cleveland Scott York’s trade mark attorneys advise on all areas of brand protection. Brand clearance, protection and enforcement are core to what the firm does, but it also advises clients on related issues including domain names, company names, designs, copyright and confidential information. All of the firm’s attorneys are experienced in representing clients
before various trade mark offices, including the UK and EU Intellectual Property Offices. They are also experienced in obtaining protection through the International system (Madrid Protocol). The firm assists clients with the management of global trade mark portfolios, working with its network of overseas attorneys. Portfolio management is a key aspect of the service the firm provides, and its trade mark attorneys work alongside clients to develop trade mark strategies suiting a range of IP budgets. This includes addressing the use and registration of conflicting marks by third parties and resolving disputes. Designs The firm works alongside designers and brand owners to protect and enforce the look of their products, packaging and get-up, advising on all aspects of design law, including registered designs and unregistered design rights. Its attorneys are experienced in obtaining registered design protection in the UK and European Union (EU) and in filing design applications through the international system (“Hague System”). Working with its network of overseas attorneys, the firm also obtains protection for its clients’ designs around the world, including obtaining design patents in the US. With its specialist knowledge of the differences in design laws around the world and how designs interact with other forms of IP, it is able to help clients secure the best protection they can for their designs. The firm also advises clients on issues regarding the infringement and validity of registered and unregistered designs in the UK and the EU. It has a number of attorneys who are qualified to act in designrelated matters before the Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court (IPEC) and the High Court in the UK.
GLE Awards 2017
11
IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND City Legal Services Limited Adarsh Girijadevi Head of Immigration Tel: +44 (0) 20 3695-4626 info@citylegalservices.co.uk www.citylegalservices.co.uk City Legal Services Ltd is a multi-award-winning Immigration Law firm based in the heart of North West London. Their experienced team is known for client-focused service, honesty and ‘success is our common practice’ approach. They consistently deliver results that exceed clients’ expectations by providing expert advice, optimal and individualised attention to each of their clients. CityLegal™ is a trademark of City Legal Services. The firm can advise and assist clients with all aspects of the application with the freedom of choosing the level of service required ranging from just a phone advice, single or multiple consultations, buy the document checklist online or let the firm handle everything with its all-inclusive package. The firm deals with all point-based applications as well as other general areas of immigration law such as indefinite leave to remain, further leave to remain, EEA Family Permits / Residence Cards and Citizenship applications. The firm also assists its clients in complex immigration matters, such as out-of-time applications, regularising their stay after being an illegal migrant, discretionary applications, etc. The firm is accredited at Level 2 by the OISC, which means it can assist and represent clients in lodging initial notice of appeal, drafting statement of additional grounds, CIO Bails and temporary admission requests.
The firm also specialises in obtaining sponsorship licences for employers under Tier 2 / Tier 5 and educational establishments under Tier 4. It also undertakes compliance audit for employers, giving them peace of mind, and follows UK Legislation regarding employing migrants. The firm assists landlords and estate agencies to comply with the new right to rent checks enforced by the government. City Legal’s specialist immigration consultants are trained to provide highly professional services and solve complex immigration issues. The firm doesn’t just facilitate immigration; it creates opportunities and believes in innovative immigration. The team continue to explore ways to efficiently handle clients’ cases and reduce their stress in making a successful immigration application/appeal. The firm is very proud to be now offering a legal cost finance plan for its clients, using which they can now spread their legal fees in affordable monthly payments. The firm supports and assists individuals, small businesses and large companies to solve their Immigration needs. Its aim is to give clients peace of mind by using a regulated and accredited legal adviser to manage their application, meaning that they don’t have to deal with the frustrations of getting things together. The firm also specialises in all Premium Fast Track (same-day / 24hrs) applications at the Public Enquiry Office (PEO) in all parts of the country. It caters to the needs of everyone, whether they are a skilled professional considering furthering their career, a student looking to enhance educational qualifications or a corporate looking to employ migrants. Its clients range from small start-ups to large international organisations.
INDIVIDUAL - CYBER CRIME BARRISTER OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND The 36 Group William Harbage QC Joint Head of Chambers Tel: +44 (0)20 7421 8000 wharbage@36crime.co.uk www.36group.co.uk 36Crime, the 36Group’s criminal law team, comprises over 40 members, including 7 Queen’s Counsel. There is breadth in all areas of serious and complex crime. 36Crime has members with the experience and specialist knowledge to advise on and conduct trials involving the growing phenomenon of cybercrime in a professional and effective manner. Cybercrime is growing exponentially. UK Government calls it a Tier 1 threat; the latest crime statistics reflect the vast scale of previously unrecorded cybercrime. The NCA’s NCCU, and specialist CPS prosecutors are generating more prosecutions than ever before. The evidence in these cases is often highly complex and technically demanding, requiring specialist counsel to prosecute or defend effectively. 36Crime includes leading and junior counsel who have been at the cutting edge in prosecuting and defending cybercrime cases. Members of the team have provided seminars on cybercrime for law enforcement personnel (including the NCCU and CPS) and defence solicitors. Members of 36Crime have developed a national reputation in this field having prosecuted and defended in some of the most recent and high profile cybercrime cases, including: • R v Ackroyd & others [Southwark 2013]. Case involved an infamous international group of ‘hacktivists’ [Lulzsec] hacking into and launching DDoS attacks on sites including the CIA, Sony, and News International, causing over £30 million
12
GLE Awards 2017
of damage. Evidence included substantial material from a participating informant in the USA and from the FBI. • R v Neale [Guildford 2015]. Cybercrime industrial sabotage and revenge. Ex-director of a cyber-security software company hacking into his former company’s systems. • R v C [Manchester 2016]. DDoS attacks on sites including NatWest, the NCA, and the BBC; money-laundering. • R v B [Birmingham 2017]. International conspiracies to make and supply malware for others to buy on the dark web and use for their own purposes; money-laundering. • R v G [Leicester 2017]. Believed to be the first prosecution under s3ZA of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 relating to allegations of causing significant risk to national security. William Harbage QC is a highly regarded advocate specialising in criminal and regulatory law known for his thorough and conscientious approach. In crime, he undertakes both prosecution and defence work in equal measure. William’s practice covers both white collar and other crime including cybercrime, fraud, moneylaundering, confiscation, misconduct in public office, homicide and terrorism. In regulatory law, his cases have involved Trading Standards, professional and sports disciplinary hearings, and the marketing of prescription medicines. William sits as a Recorder and as Chairman of the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, the self-regulatory arm of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
CRIMINAL LAW SET OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND
Oliver Blunt QC Barrister Tel: +44 (0)20 7405 3232 oblunt@furnivallaw.co.uk www.furnivallaw.co.uk
Sally O’Neill QC Joint Head of Chambers Tel: +44 (0)20 7405 3232 clerks@furnivallaw.co.uk www.furnivalchambers.co.uk
Furnival Chambers is a leading criminal set with Oliver Blunt QC and Sally O’Neill QC as joint heads of chambers. There are more than 90 members of chambers with a rich diversity in both gender and ethnic origin. More than one third are women with five female QCs amongst its 14 silks. The set specialises in serious and organised crime, terrorism, sexual offences, financial crime and asset forfeiture, extradition and regulatory/disciplinary cases. Members are renowned for appearing in high-profile cases for both the prosecution and defence at trial, in the Divisional Court, Court of Appeal. Privy Council and the Supreme Court, as well as the European Court of Human Rights and regulatory/disciplinary panels. A ‘go to’ set for serious, complex cases and those involving novel law. Serious and Organised Crime: The News International phone hacking and corruption (Operation Elveden) trials, the Hatton Garden Jewellery raid, the Stephen Lawrence murder, the Millennium Dome conspiracy, ‘Europe’s largest drugs conspiracy’, the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky, the murder of Sarah Payne, ‘Baby P’, the £50m Tonbridge robbery, the ‘Witchcraft murder’, death row appeals and Official Secrets Act Trials. Terrorism: The London Tube Bombing, the Gloucester shoe bomber, the first Al Qa’eda funding prosecution post-9/11, the Afghan Stansted hijacking, the ‘Ricin’ conspiracy, Al Qa’eda, Iran
Furnival Chambers
and Syria-related cases and IRA trials in the past. Sexual Offences: Operation Yewtree cases, the prosecution of Rolf Harris, the Oxford sex ring, Deep Cut, the ‘West End mini cab rapist’, the M25 rapist, the DJ rapist, the Steve Cook trial and historically R-v-Dica. Financial Crime and Asset Forfeiture: Members act for and against the SFO, FCA (FSA), CPS, UKBA, the police, HMRC and public companies and individuals in international/multijurisdictional proceedings. Cases include the UBS rogue trader (Adoboli), Goldman Sachs and professional cricket ‘spot-fixing’. Extradition: Members advise and represent individuals and foreign governments. Cases include the ‘biggest military computer hack of all time’ into computers at NASA and the Pentagon, Nikonovs v HMP Brixton regarding retention of habeas corpus and ‘Hound of Hounslow’ flash crash trading case. A number of members appeared in Goluchowski and Sas v Poland before the Supreme Court. Regulatory and Disciplinary: Chambers has vast experience in cases before the GMC, NMC (including the Morecombe Bay Healthcare Trust case), GOC and SRA. Members also appear before the coroners court, public enquiries, mental health review tribunals, the British Boxing Board of Control and Football Association regulatory commissions.
INDIVIDUAL - SERIOUS CRIME BARRISTER OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Furnival Chambers Oliver Blunt QC Barrister Tel: +44 (0)20 7405 3232 oblunt@furnivallaw.co.uk www.furnivallaw.co.uk Oliver is the Joint Head of Furnival Chambers, a leading criminal set with more than 90 members. He was called to the Bar in 1974 and took silk in 1994. He served as a Recorder of the Crown Court, principally sitting at the Old Bailey between 1991 and 2006. He has repeatedly been ranked over the years in the top category of Leading Silks in Crime in all established legal directories. Oliver’s criminal practice is entirely defence-based, specialising in murder, terrorism, fraud, corruption and drugs cases. He has been instructed in more than a hundred murder trials, ranging from street gang killings to contract killings/assassinations. As a consequence he has represented some of the UK’s most notorious criminals, including both serial killers and serial rapists. His involvement over the years in terrorist cases has included IRA, Iranian, the London Tube Bombings, and more recently, ISISrelated cases. He has considerable experience in the litigation of high-profile, multi-million pound drug importation and distribution conspiracies. Oliver has been instructed on behalf of organised crime families based variously in London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Liverpool. He has been involved in an infinite variety of fraud cases, ranging from mortgage, insurance, shipping, tax and electoral fraud to money laundering investigation. One case of particular note involved the defrauding of highly placed members of Goldman Sachs.
In the last two to three years, Oliver has been principally involved in the Operation Elveden enquiry, investigating the corruption of public officials. He was instructed on behalf of five editors and journalists from News International. After investigations and trial, all five were cleared of wrongdoing. Throughout his criminal law career, Oliver has appeared in some of the most celebrated criminal trials e.g. The Millennium Dome Robbery. With regard to regulatory interests, he has been instructed by the British Boxing Board of Control to conduct various appeals on their behalf. On a personal front, Oliver has been married for 37 years with four children, one of whom is the celebrated Hollywood actress Emily Blunt. He is now the proud grandfather of three grandchildren, with more no doubt to come. His recreational interests are both cultural and sporting. The family focus in acting had prompted a keen interest in both theatre and film. The failure in his youth to achieve his England ambition on the cricket field has not dampened his enthusiastic participation at Barnes Cricket Club over 40 years. His interest in rugby has included coaching and membership at Rosslyn Park Rugby Club. Too many self-inflicted accidents on the mountain have curtailed his skiing experiences. However, he still retains a considerable enthusiasm (if not accuracy) on the golf course, both in England and in Portugal.
GLE Awards 2017
13
LATIN AMERICA INSURANCE & REINSURANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND
PRIVACY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Taylor Hampton Solicitors Daniel Taylor Partner Tel: +44 (0) 20 7427 5970 daniel.taylor@taylorhampton.co.uk www.taylorhampton.co.uk Privacy At a time when more material than ever is being shared and published online and the press and paparazzi culture shows no sign of abating, it has become increasingly difficult for individuals to protect their own private and confidential information and that of their family from being made public. Victims of privacy invasions have described how this practice made them feel violated and exposed after intimate details of their lives have been made public. The law recognises that misusing private information about an individual is wrong, and we have frequently taken action to stop it. We have successfully acted for the largest numbers of phone hacking victims. This practice reached epidemic levels where people’s voicemail messages were being routinely hacked several times a day. This behaviour amounted to a massive violation of people’s private lives and caused those affected to feel paranoid. They stopped trusting their closest friends and family. Our actions against News International’s phone hacking activities were pivotal to the downfall and closure of the News of the World. Subsequently, the firm represented several claimants in the landmark case of Gulati v Mirror Group Newspapers, where record damages were awarded following years of phone hacking. Taylor Hampton’s clients include individuals both in and outside of the public eye. Victims of phone hacking include individuals who
14
GLE Awards 2017
come from the world of business, politics, sport, media, music, film and television. Phone hacking has also affected the lives of members of the public who have been victims of crime or suffered a personal tragedy. This behaviour by the press and private detectives has often compounded these individuals’ feelings of loss and grief. Victims of phone hacking have described the devastating impact this activity has had on their lives and those close to them. A well-known female actor, who was a client of Taylor Hampton, told the court in a landmark case that phone hacking had wrecked her relationships, led to her son being bullied at school and caused her pain and trauma. One of the consequences is that she had wrongly believed that those close to her were responsible for stories about her life appearing in the media. Another client of the firm was a respected TV producer who told the court that phone hacking led to the breakdown of his marriage with his actor wife. He said his wife and her family wrongly believed he was leaking information about their private lives to the press and said that phone hacking had caused a great deal of distress and broke the trust that had existed in his marriage. Taylor Hampton’s expert privacy lawyers deservedly have a reputation of acting swiftly and effectively to protect people’s private lives from professional privacy invaders.
PRIVATE CLIENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Mundays LLP Julie Man Head of Private Wealth and Partner Tel: +44 (0)1932 950643 julie.man@mundays.co.uk www.mundays.co.uk Mundays LLP is a long-established law firm who are proud to have built a strong and vibrant client base and national reputation. The office in Surrey is well located for national and international clients, situated within an easy commute of London’s orbital M25 and airports at both Gatwick and Heathrow. The private client teams support individuals in their affairs, including those relating to property and conveyancing, family issues arising from personal relationship issues, private disputes and litigation, employment issues, and wills, probate and inheritance planning. For business clients, Mundays look after needs ranging from M&A, restructuring, general commercial issues, litigation, property issues and employment. Mundays act for a diverse client base which includes large corporates, banks and lending institutions, property developers, pharmaceutical and healthcare business, retailers, IT companies, logistics companies, manufacturers, as well as family-owned businesses and SMEs. Some clients are based in the vibrant local community, but increasingly, Munday’s reputation extends beyond through the industry focus, word of mouth, and by virtue of the extensive links overseas, such as the Cicero network of international lawyers (of which Mundays is a founding member) in numerous overseas law firms. The private wealth team provides a wide range of specialist advice for high-net-worth private clients, including matters involving high-value businesses; complex wills involving cross-border issues, domicile considerations, business property relief tax-planning, and 1975 Act claims.
Julie Man has practised in private client matters for 16 years. The detailed knowledge and experience she has acquired during this period has established her as solid legal adviser in the private client arena. She has an acknowledged ability to distil complex points of law into clear explanations tailored to the objectives of each individual client; this has been described by a client as “concise, precise and free of ambiguity”. Ms Man commented: “The wide range of experience and knowledge I have built up during my career allows me to advise a broad spectrum of clients from established, long-standing clients wishing to pass wealth down to the next generation but needing advice meeting challenges brought by the ever-changing ‘modern family’ and changes in legislation – e.g. Brussels IV, residence nil rate band, etc – to successful high-net-worth entrepreneurial clients with the necessary technical rigour, adding a further dimension of interest to my work. “One matter I have dealt with in the last 12 months involved a client who had substantial business interests. I acted in preparing wills for a married couple focusing on efficient tax-planning by transferring family wealth in a structured, protective and effective manner to the next generation. This involved incorporating protective immediate post-death interest trusts, maximising business property relief (BPR) for inheritance tax purposes, including BPR tax planning in the wills, and passing 10% of the estate to charity to attract the reduced rate of inheritance tax. Such clients offer me the opportunity to offer thorough advice on a wide range of private wealth issues.”
PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINE SET OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Drystone Chambers Karim Khalil QC Tel: +44 (0) 207 404 1881 karim.khalil@drystone.com www.drystone.com Leading barrister sets Dyers Chambers and One Paper Buildings merged in July 2015 to create Drystone Chambers, the chambers of Karim Khalil QC and Andrew Campbell-Tiech QC. Drystone Chambers boasts a membership of 85, including five QCs, based at 35 Bedford Row. Drystone Chambers provides enhanced services to its individual, business and public authority clients across the UK and abroad. Professional Discipline Drystone Chambers understands the impact that investigations and proceedings can have on its clients’ everyday lives. This can go beyond issues of professional reputation and may cause real anxiety and distress. They may have a knock-on effect on their current practice or employment. Its barristers will manage their clients’ engagement with their regulator in order to obtain the best possible outcome for them and navigate a path through troubled waters. Members of chambers provide a comprehensive service assisting professionals with advice on their regulatory obligations from registration requirements, negotiations with the regulator and all stages of proceedings from interim orders to appeals. Drystone Chambers have substantial experience in acting for registrants of a wide range of regulatory bodies, including: The General Medical Council; Teaching Agency; Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; Nursing and Midwifery Council; General Pharmaceutical Council; Health and Care Professions Council; Solicitors Regulation Authority; Financial Conduct Authority (formerly the FSA); Football Association Disciplinary Tribunal; and the British Horseracing Authority.
Junior members of chambers have taken secondments with regulatory authorities including HCPC, NMC and GDC which gives them a unique insight and sound footing in the practice area. Advice on Current Legal Developments Regulatory frameworks are changing with bewildering speed. Regulators seek to ensure that good practice permeates the professional environment. Recent developments include: The Health and Social Care Act – this Act establishes a new super-regulator, bringing together the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission. In particular, practitioners should be aware that the Act introduces the civil standard of proof across all healthcare regulators; Extension of powers of the Crown Court – consultation following the Fraud Review proposes to amend the legislation governing the legal and financial services professions in order to give the Crown Court the same powers as the professions’ regulatory bodies to prevent individuals from practising in these fields; The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 – in force from October 2008, this Act enables the OFT to prohibit a person from engaging in estate agency work in situations where it suspects fraud. This removes the restriction under the previous legislation that such an order could only be made following a conviction for fraud. Such changes require a better understanding of the role of the professional in the modern workplace. Chambers offers a bespoke continuing professional development service to better manage risk and preserve trust.
GLE Awards 2017
15
SPORTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN FINLAND Attorneys at Law Teperi & Co Hannu Kalkas Partner, Member of the Bar Tel: +358 (0)9 6866 100 hannu.kalkas@teperi.co www.teperi.co Hannu Kalkas is an experienced attorney with a passionate relation to law and sports. Mr. Kalkas is a partner in Attorneys at Law Teperi & Co in Helsinki. He has broad expertise in sports law and business law. Mr. Kalkas is specialized in dispute resolution and court proceedings, in which he has gained experience with regard to general courts, arbitration and sport tribunals. Hannu Kalkas is the top sports-law-orientated lawyer in Finland. He represents both Finnish and foreign athletes, coaches and sport clubs. He has taken care of a large scale of different kinds of sports-related cases, for instance contract disputes and doping cases. Mr. Kalkas represents several athletes, also Olympic and World Championship medalists, in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). Besides being an expert in cases in the field of sports law, Hannu Kalkas represents clients in complex commercial disputes and in large criminal trials. Mr. Kalkas has graduated in 1999 from the University of Helsinki. Since 2003 he has held the membership of the Finnish Bar Association. The Association is comprised of only 10% of Finnish lawyers. Mr. Kalkas has notable positions in the Finnish Bar Association: he is a Deputy Member of the Board of Directors and a Member of the Ethical Committee. Mr. Kalkas is the Chairman of the Finnish
Association of Sports Law and a Deputy Member of General Service Section in Consumer Disputes Board. He is active in several sports associations, for instance in the Finnish Athletics Federation and the Association of Finnish Sport Managers. Company Attorneys at Law Teperi & Co manages legal matters of companies comprehensively in all fields of business law. The firm has ten attorneys who have a long and wide experience also in company law, employment law, tax law, real estate law, insolvency law and dispute resolution. The firm works in close association with other law firms in Finland by belonging to a nation-wide network of law offices called “Opuslex”. Teperi & Co cooperates with law firms and lawyers abroad as well. The firm is a member of Eurojuris International, which is the leading network of independent law firms in Europe.
Hannu Kalkas is the top sports-laworientated lawyer in Finland.
BOUTIQUE - FRANCE-GERMANY CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN FRANCE
Your French-German counsel for corporate law is an independent law firm offering business law services. We assist investors, corporates and entrepreneurs in the development of their projects and the resolution of disputes. We aim to provide our clients with tailor-made services and cutting-edge solutions resulting from a global vision of the relevant activity sectors and a personalised commitment to each of our clients. is a law firm on a human scale. Our size nourishes the drive for closeness to which we are particularly attached. Because quality contact is the key to a successful collaboration, we develop enduring, privileged relations with our clients, based on responsiveness and trust. German in origin, has a real bi-national expertise and evolves in an increasingly international context which qualifies us particularly for accompanying German-speaking clients for their projects and investments in France, and vice versa. The members of our team have been educated in both legal systems and dispose of a double qualification as Avocat à la Cour and Rechtsanwalt.
The French-German corporate law team is led by Antje Luke, Partner, and supports its clients in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, company restructuring and joint-venture operations. We help clients to choose the appropriate legal form for their investments, to draft and negotiate agreements, to structure their corporate governance, and to follow amendments of their corporate documents, capital increases, restructuring… Our clients are mainly middle-sized corporates, including familyowned businesses, as well as international groups for their specific cross-border business. In addition to her truly international experience, Antje Luke is recognized for her ability to act in France as well as in Germany thanks to her in-depth knowledge of both cultures and both legal systems. Clients appreciate this ability, to better understand the other legal environment and to anticipate its particularities. 29, RUE DU FAUBOURG SAINT-HONORÉ, 75008 PARIS TÉLÉPHONE +(33)(0)1 42 66 63 19| FAX (33)(0)1 42 66 64 81 www.bmhavocats.com Contact: Dr. Antje Luke, Avocat, Rechtsanwältin, Partner – (aluke@bmhavocats.com)
16
GLE Awards 2017
LIFE SCIENCES PATENTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN FRANCE Cabinet Plasseraud Didier Boulinguiez Partner / French Patent Attorney / European Trademark and Design Attorney / European Patent Attorney Tel: +33(0)1 40 16 70 00 info@plass.com www.plass.com/en History Founded in 1906, Cabinet Plasseraud is one of Europe’s leading Intellectual Property firms. Our ISO 9001-2000 certification covers all of our activities in Intellectual Property and is a solid testimony to the know-how and professionalism of our 220 employees in our Paris, Lyon, Lille, Dijon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Angoulême offices in France and overseas offices in Shanghai and Prague. Services With more than 100 attorneys, Cabinet Plasseraud covers all areas of Intellectual Property, both technical and legal. Our professionals provide clear concise strategy advice to obtain and defend rights in patents, trademarks, designs, plant varieties, copyright and domain names. We handle opposition and appeal procedures before the French and European IP offices, and also contentious matters. We also offer a wide range of advisory services, including freedom to operate opinions, IP searching, contract drafting and negotiation, distribution, competition and consumer law auditing of IP portfolios and financial evaluation of IP assets.
Cabinet Plasseraud has developed a department called FIVALOR, specialized in IP financial evaluation. Expertise Cabinet Plasseraud offers significant expertise due notably to our industry-focused approach: mechanics, IT electronics chemistry and biological sciences, trademark rights, designs, copyright, distribution, competition law, Internet and new technologies. We also provide a patent search and technology monitoring services. Furthermore, Cabinet Plasseraud has developed a department called FIVALOR, specialized in IP financial evaluation. Our subsidiary CONTRATAK offers a unique, hands-on expertise in anti-counterfeiting, notably in Asia, South America, Africa, and Russia. More recently we have created Plasseraud Start-up, an IP team offering legal advice designed for start-ups with the excellence and know-how of Cabinet Plasseraud.
REAL ESTATE TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN FRANCE Taj Sarvi Keyhani Partner Tel: +33 1 40 88 70 23 skeyhani@taj.fr www.taj-lawyers.com Specialised in international tax and legal strategies, Taj, a Deloitte network entity, is one of the leading French law firms. The firm currently employs more than 466 professionals including 57 partners. Taj has offices in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Marseille. Thanks to its local coverage, Taj provides clients, throughout France, with its legal and tax expertise, meeting its clients’ geographical and sectorial needs. Thanks to Deloitte’s leading global network and to the expertise of more than 38,000 Deloitte tax specialists worldwide, Taj operates internationally. The firm’s experts propose new solutions that combine the mastery of complex legal and tax issues with a business culture enabling a tailored response to the strategic challenges of companies. In order to design and implement these solutions, the firm’s associates have three qualities that are at the core of its environment: • Business culture • Sense of commitment • Agility of mind and character, facilitating adaptation to an environment with a resolutely international outlook Real Estate Taj provides a comprehensive approach of tax issues arising in the real estate sector, regarding both direct and indirect taxation, in a national or international context. The firm’s financial literacy allows it to understand real estate operations globally through professionals with double backgrounds. Taj advises clients on the ownership structure of real estate
properties. The firm offers its expertise regarding tax management of operations, particularly with respect to transfer taxes, VAT, corporate income tax, local taxes and the 3% annual tax. It analyses specific tax regimes and structures real estate transactions according to the contemplated operation: investment transaction, development and construction or property trading. Finally, the firm secures the transfer of cash flows to investors: debt/dividends arbitration, exit tax, etc. Taj supports clients in transactions involving securities of real estate companies or their assets. The firm performs tax due diligences of the support company and its environment. It advises clients regarding the tax structuring of the acquisition: transfer taxes, tax consolidation, regimes “SIIC”, “OPCI”, “SCPI”, etc. It analyses and manages the tax impact on the cash flow arising from the investment. Taj’s comprehensive and fully integrated approach allows it to offer its customers a full transactional package including tax due diligence of target structures, tax structuring of the acquisition scheme, assistance in the process of negotiation, as well as the tax structuring of the bank and intercompany financing. In addition to the assistance in the transaction, the trust placed in the firm by its clients allows it to ensure a tax support for projects throughout the life of the investment and to bring its expertise for the tax management of real estate companies and their assets, for the preparation and monitoring of the taxable income of the companies holding the assets, by analysing and following up on the tax liabilities: VAT, transfer taxes, 3% annual tax, and it assists clients with the French Tax Administration in claims, audits and litigations.
GLE Awards 2017
17
BOUTIQUE - CHEMISTRY PATENTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY Dr. Langfinger & Partner mbB Dr. Klaus Dieter Langfinger Lead Partner Tel: +49 69 348 776 250 langfinger@langfinger-ip.de www.langfinger-ip.de The patent law firm of Dr. Langfinger & Partner mbB provides professional services in the area of intellectual property law. With its technical training in the fields of chemistry, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering as well as its practical experience in these and related areas, the firm covers the whole range of technology. As a result of its extensive experience in the industry at an executive level and of its own entrepreneurial experience, the firm understands the importance of intellectual property protection to an enterprise and the relevance of the proper strategies in corporate management. An economic mindset is second nature to the firm and always plays a role in its approach to a problem. Intellectual property rights are a proven means of protecting innovations and corporate image. They help success in the market. Intellectual property creates value that can be put to use, licensed, traded, or entered on the balance sheet. Dr. Langfinger & Partner provides its clients with the tools and the strategies to do so. Due to the firm’s many years of experience in the industry, it has established especially effective structures. The firm’s efficient, fully digital workflows ensure the greatest degree of flexibility possible. On request, it can manage all data for its clients’ intellectual property rights. Using a specially secured internet connection, clients can access at any time all data and documents stored on the firm’s servers, place orders directly through their account, and much more. Dr. Langfinger & Partner’s profound technical knowledge in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology, engineering, and computer science is supplemented by extensive experience in patent litigation, license negotiation, and the law governing employee inventions. It will also be the firm’s pleasure to advise clients with regard to possible public subsidies for their projects, such as made available by the SIGNO initiative of the German Federal Economics Ministry for first-time patent applications. Philosophy Values – The law office of Dr. Langfinger & Partner is built on trust, cooperation, quality and reliability, both with regard to its clients as well as internally. The firm views these values as the foundation of the success of its work, and thus also of the success of its clients. Basis – Although the firm’s team are experts in the field of intellectual property, at the interface of technology, science and law, they do not rest on their laurels. The firm continuously makes use of training offered by the best of the industry to update its know-how with the latest developments.
18
GLE Awards 2017
Goal – Clients’ concerns and considerations are the firm’s guiding light. It strives to provide clients with the best possible advice to ensure their economic success. The extra mile – As specialists at the interface between law, technology, and business, the team are more than just executive service providers. If desired, the firm will also contribute its know-how to help clients structure their legal relationships as well as their technical and economic processes. Clients’ concerns – The firm’s lead partner, Dr KlausDieter Langfinger, former head of the Intellectual Property Department of BASF SE, brought into the firm a deep and comprehensive understanding of the needs of employees in the patent field or of corporate patent departments and their internal processes. As a result of its own entrepreneurial activities, the firm is also well acquainted with the conditions facing start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Patent and Utility Model Law A core competency of Dr. Langfinger & Partner is the preparation and enforcement of patent and utility model applications for clients’ inventions. It submits these for clients in Germany and abroad and performs them through the grant procedure at the patent offices. The firm advises clients – tailored to their business – on the elaboration of their patent strategy and takes the legal steps to put them into practice. To this end, the firm discusses options and approaches with clients and analyses, if necessary, the patent portfolios of competitors. Chemistry In the fields of chemistry, pharmacy and biotechnology, substances or mixtures of substances can be protected by patents as such as well as manufacturing processes and new uses for existing substances. This is particularly essential in fields with restricted admission in order to make the high expenses in research and development economically feasible. Based on the present results and technical expertise, the crucial point is to manage the best possible protection. This requires the ability to recognise an underlying general principle for the actual result and to formulate the corresponding patent application which protects this general inventive principle. Due to many years of industry experience with several hundred patent applications in these fields, Dr. Langfinger & Partner can create good conditions for it.
The firm’s efficient, fully digital workflows ensure the greatest degree of flexibility possible.
BOUTIQUE - ELECTRONIC PATENTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY GRAMM, LINS & Partner Patent- und Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB Joachim Gerstein, LL.M. Patent Attorney, Dipl.-Ing. / Partner Tel: +49 511 51 51 20-0 hannover@grammpatent.de www.grammpatent.de GRAMM, LINS & PARTNER is a traditional and wellrespected IP firm in the northern part of Germany, specialized in providing comprehensive IP law consultation services. At offices in Brunswick and Hanover, the attorneys of GRAMM, LINS & PARTNER provide companies with a full range of consultation services. As a matter of course, it is not only taken legal questions into account but also the economic situation and special interests of individual clients. Our guiding principle is to regard the clients’ interests as our own interests. We present you with practicable approaches, and you can depend on us to give a clear answer to your question, allowing you to make business decisions. As an ‘IP Boutique’ our activities focus on comprehensive advice for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) with a view to economically appropriate specific measures, as well as supporting global corporations in developing and implementing far-reaching international IP strategies. We always keep in mind our client’s economic circumstances so that we can arrive at tailored solutions that make business sense. The roots of the law firm reach back to the year 1896. Since then the law firm’s activities have grown to encompass the whole of industrial property law. GRAMM, LINS & PARTNER assist to acquire, defend, and assert intellectual property rights, including patents, design and
trademarks. The specialised attorneys advise and represent in every specialized technical and scientific sector of any field. The electronic group has strong knowledge in process engineering, semiconductors, software and IT and is skilled in representing suppliers in disputes related to Standard Essential Patents. Due to our large client base, every attorney also has a wealth of forensic experience. Our attorneys’ wide-ranging expertise, including in prosecution and litigation proceedings, ensures that the enforceability of the protective rights is taken into account right from the drafting stage when individual IP rights are registered. Many large and renowned companies use GRAMM, LINS & PARTNER’s consultation and additional services. They entrust their entire patent, design and/or trademark portfolios to us, or large portions of them. This has contributed to our firm’s strong expansion, which has resulted exclusively from our own growth and not from mergers. Our attorneys’ keen academic interest can be seen from their many publications in specialist journals and the latest editions of specialist books. Our qualifications are supplemented by teaching roles at the local universities, sharing the expertise and experience through lectures and seminars and engagement in IP organizations and expert groups to advise legislative bodies. We work as a team in order to provide our clients with a comprehensive, focused consultation service in the shortest possible time while providing a dedicated contact partner to each client.
BOUTIQUE - INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY ameleo Law LLP Ulrich Hotze Managing Partner Tel: +49 30 20 00 34 730 ulrich.hotze@ameleo.com www.ameleo.com ameleo Law LLP draws on more than 20 years of professional experience and the synergy generated by a dynamic, innovative team. Through its professional practice, the firm has developed a good understanding of economics, accounting and taxation interrelation, areas which are imperative in its work. For areas in which it does not specialise, the firm leverages on its highly qualified network of local and international legal counsels to handle them. Through a cost-effective and optimal networking approach worldwide, the firm dispenses professional advice from a single source of contact to all its clients. Business Law ameleo Law’s business law advice focuses on the following areas: • Commercial and corporate contracts • Incorporation of legal entities for new businesses • Partnership agreements and statutes • Legal support for various types of transactions • Legal advice on the introduction of products into new and emerging markets • Product protection and enforcement • Management of companies Restructuring and Insolvency Law ameleo Law has 15 years of experience in the handling of bankruptcy proceedings, including managing major international multi-stage processes for corporate entities and their subsidiaries in Europe, Singapore, China and the United States. In addition, the collaboration between ameleo.consulting and international tax
experts has led to the design and implementation of well-established handling concepts for bankruptcy proceedings. The firm’s legal advice covers the following core areas: • Advice on rights, obligations and liabilities of the shareholders and the management in the corporate crisis • Advice on insolvency plan proceedings and out-of-court debt settlement • Advice to the management in the event of (impending) claim by the liquidator • Advice to investors, particularly in relation to the acquisition out of bankruptcy • Enforcement of creditors’ rights • Attorney settlement activities in the insolvency proceedings • Legal implementation in the settlement of (international) corporate structures, in particular for sub-divisions/subsidiaries in Asia and the US International Law The comprehensive legal support that ameleo Law provides for local and international investors with business dealings in Germany, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and the United States is at the forefront of its international activities. Having managed national and international transactions for various businesses, real estate portfolios and large commercial real estate, particularly in major insolvency procedures, coupled with many years of successful law practice, puts the firm in an optimal position to advise international investors. The firm has Mandarin-, Cantonese-, Malay- and English-speaking partners to interact with its international clients.
GLE Awards 2017
19
CAPITAL MARKETS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY BEMK Rechtsanwälte Daniel Blazek Managing Partner, Attorney at Law, Specialized in Company Law & Capital Market Law Tel: +49 521 977 9400 d.blazek@rae-bemk.de www.rae-bemk.de As a boutique law firm, BEMK Rechtsanwälte specialize in the legal representation of investment companies and investment brokers all over Germany. This affects the areas of capital market law, liability defense, restructuring, and insolvency law. The firm is likely to be one of the representative opponents of investors’ attorneys. Three of four partners have collected the experience of several hundred court cases before district and state supreme courts over the past 15 years. The cases concerned company shares as investments, violations of advisory duties, liability of managing directors and prospectus liability. BEMK Rechtsanwälte are entrusted by the largest German liability insurers with the brokers’ rights.
- BEMK Rechtsanwälte also led more than 250 trials, which were subject to a possible liability of a managing director responsible for investment operations in the United Arab Emirates. The state supreme court of the city of Hamm denied a criminal responsibility of the client and a corresponding liability. The course of the trials took several years. Also just recently, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) rejected the opponent’s remedies.
Recent activities include: - Defense of court claims for consultants in connection with one of Germany’s largest investment scandals. BEMK Rechtsanwälte successfully led most of the trials in this complex case and won before several state supreme courts. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) rejected the opponent’s remedies lately.
As a small law firm, direct contact between the client and the lawyer is an advantage when it comes to personal liability. The processing of each case lies in the hands of one lawyer, which allows a quick coordination and communication. BEMK Rechtsanwälte offer services for both national and international clients with concerns regarding German capital markets law.
- Insolvency administrators of different German investment companies have recently mandated BEMK Rechtsanwälte to enforce claims, which are subject to insolvency law and capital market law or insurance law. More than a thousand trials will be dealt with in the coming years.
INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY PRÜFER & PARTNER mbB Jürgen Feldmeier, LL.M., Patentanwalt, European Patent, Trademark and Design Attorney Equity Partner Tel: +49 89 69 39 21-0 office@pruefer.eu; feldmeier@pruefer.eu www.pruefer.eu The office of PRÜFER & PARTNER was founded in the year 1972 and quickly became a highly respected IP-specialized law firm with an established worldwide network. Our highly qualified personnel of about 100 members includes more than 20 German and European patent attorneys and lawyers, creating outstanding competence across all technically and legally relevant IP aspects. With Friedrich Emmerling joining in 2015 as the fifth equity partner, Prüfer & Partner has greatly strengthened its competence in the litigation practice as Mr. Emmerling is renowned as a pure litigator patent attorney who is active in international patent infringement proceedings, many of which are based on standard-essential patents in the field of mobile communications and video technology. Our clients range from individual inventors up to large international corporations operating in Germany as well as world-wide. We represent our clients in the technical fields of physics, electronics, optics, mechanics/mechanical engineering, chemistry and biotechnologies, in particular: semiconductor technology; information and communication technology; LCD and OLED technology; pharmaceutics, life sciences and biotechnology; chemical processes; medical technologies; automotive components; additive manufacturing; printers; packaging technologies; eye glasses and contact lenses; sewing machines; chemical materials such as metal alloys, polymers, toners, battery components, magnetic materials
20
GLE Awards 2017
etc.; software and computer-related technology. Besides the protection of technical inventions through patents and utility models, our services also cover all other kinds of intellectual property, especially trademarks and designs. The location of our office – only a few minutes from the German Patent and Trademark Office and from the European Patent Office – facilitates the handling of all services in the filing and grant procedures and makes it possible to both expedite these procedures and to reduce the costs. Furthermore, we have an office in the domicile of the OHIM in Alicante, Spain. Our worldwide network with experts and colleagues assure our clients of a reliable processing of applications for foreign property rights and the attendance of their foreign protective titles. We are always up-to-date as our carefully selected employees regularly attend advanced training courses in and out of house. Our constant development can offer you the best possible advice. We work on a time- and cost-efficient basis and, thanks to modern software, we offer our clients the possibility to access their data “remotely” – this saves duplication of work regarding records management and facilitates our collaboration. In order to provide you with the highest quality and the most advanced security standards for the protection of your data, we rely on a regular certification in process optimization and IT security management (ISO 9001). Our main working languages are German, English and French and we are also able to provide our assistance in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
INDIVIDUAL - INSURANCE & REINSURANCE LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN GUERNSEY Appleby Kate Storey Partner Tel: +44 (0)1481 755 620 kstorey@applebyglobal.com www.applebyglobal.com Appleby is an offshore law firm with around 470 people, including 60 partners, operating from 10 offices around the globe. The firm advises global public and private companies, financial institutions, and high net worth individuals, working with them and their advisers to achieve practical solutions, whether in a single location or across multiple jurisdictions. Appleby represents combined ingenuity and talent taken from all of the most significant international offshore financial centres, and is focused on the development of new products and the provision of effective service to its many international clients. Appleby’s corporate lawyers are part of a global practice operating from our offices in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jersey, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Shanghai. The firm’s network enables it to service its clients all over the world, including the key developing regions and, in particular, the BRIC economies. The corporate group at Appleby is among the largest and most widely recognised in the offshore world. Its multi-disciplinary teams advise a large number of FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies on all aspects of corporate and commercial law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, joint ventures, capital markets and investment funds. Appleby’s Guernsey office was established in April 2010 and converted to LLP status in March 2016. Appleby (Guernsey) LLP focuses on the three core areas of corporate, dispute resolution and private client & trusts.
Kate Storey Kate Storey is a partner within the corporate department in Guernsey. She qualified as an English Solicitor in 2000 and as a Guernsey Advocate in 2009. She joined Appleby in November 2013 having worked in Guernsey at other law firms since 2007. Prior to this, Kate worked as a commercial solicitor at Cobbetts in Manchester. She practises in the Funds & Investment Services and Banking & Asset Finance teams and has extensive experience of all areas of Guernsey corporate and commercial work, including investment funds, capital markets, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions and restructurings. Kate has specialist expertise in the establishment, listing and regulation of investment funds and the licensing and regulation of fund managers, financial services providers, SPVs and insurance vehicles under all of Guernsey’s financial regulatory laws. She frequently advises on alternative risk transfer transactions, including insurance linked securities, with recent transactions including advising a major fronting insurer on a marine reinsurance ILS transaction, and a leading global professional services company on a longevity risk transfer structure for its pension fund clients. Kate was one of Guernsey´s insurance specialists quoted in the FT Special Report on Guernsey published on 5 December 2014 and was the moderator for the Guernsey Finance ILS Insight seminar on 18 March 2015. She is Chair of the Guernsey Commercial Bar Association and sits on the technical committee of the Guernsey Investment Fund Association.
BOUTIQUE - DATA PROTECTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Studio Legale Fabiano Nicola Fabiano Partner Tel: +39.06.92918591 info@studiolegalefabiano.eu www.studiolegalefabiano.eu Studio Legale Fabiano was founded in 1994 by Nicola Fabiano, who has been a Lawyer since 1993. Mr Fabiano is a Counsel of Italian High Courts and a Civil Law Specialist. The Firm provides advice and assistance on an ongoing basis, also through specialist teams, at all stages of the business lifecycle. Our services include full support in the following areas: data protection and privacy, ICT security, Internet and e-commerce law, civil law and banking law. Mr Fabiano is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics including privacy and e-privacy, e-signatures, registered electronic mail, Internet of Things, and other ICT law issues. Mr Fabiano is also an author, and publishes articles as well as essays and books. Studio Legale Fabiano pays attention especially to the digital innovation and to all the phenomena related to. Our legal knowledge and information technologies (IT) expertise enable us to work combining both – and so represent our main strengths and the added value inherent therein. Moreover, Mr Fabiano is ICT Security Manager certified UNI 11506:2013, enabling him to work in the security field to supervise and prevent legal issues related to the data protection law. In 2010, Nicola Fabiano was recognised as a Privacy by Design
(PbD) Ambassador by the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Dr Ann Cavoukian; he was also mentioned in the official report on Privacy by Design, presented at the 33rd International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. For many years, Studio Legale Fabiano has worked within the fields of Civil Law, Data protection, ICT Security, New Technologies and Digital Innovation, in term of compliance with law. We provide targeted support and advice to our clients (companies, organisations, natural person, public bodies), and some recent successes in our working areas improved the Law Firm position. Many of our clients do not wish to enter into lengthy controversies; however, if it is impossible to arrive at agreements, we are highly successful in litigation. We plan to implement the digital systems used by our Law Firm so as to provide worldwide services to our clients through the Internet using more and more innovative solutions and platforms – taking advantage of digital innovations. Our slogan is: “Work digitally, work fine.” Studio Legale Fabiano is often involved at European and international levels, and our expertise becomes a notable advantage thanks to our competence – combining IT knowledge and legal capabilities.
GLE Awards 2017
21
BOUTIQUE - EMPLOYMENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Fava & Associati Law Firm Gabriele Fava Founding & Name Partner Tel: +39 02 55196406 segreteria@favalex.it www.favalex.it Fava & Associati Law Firm is one of the most successful Italian firms specialized in Employment Law. More specifically, the Law Firm operates in the strategic and operational management of restructurings and transfers of going concerns, with a solid expertise in managing consultation and negotiations with the unions. Fava & Associati further assists its clients in cases related to contract, bankruptcy and corporate law, as well as data protection. Gabriele Fava is Founder and Chairman of the law firm Fava & Associati. Recognized by the market as one of the top experts in the Italian labor law landscape, it is appreciated for its distinctive ability to provide quality legal assistance acting as a strategic partner for the client. He currently holds several offices and memberships within private and institutional bodies. Among the most important: • Member of the Commission for “Legislative Initiatives” of the Bar Association of Milan. • Consultant of the President of the VI Permanent Finance Committee of the Chamber of representatives of the Italian Parliament. • Member of the Board of Arbitrators of CONFINDUSTRIA (National Employers Association). • Legal Advisor to the Office for Education Training and Work of the Lombardy Region. • Member of the Human Capital Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy.
• Jobs Act e-book, Complete regulatory framework and company FAQs, Fava & Associati, 2015. • Labour Law, Ipsoa (Milan), editions 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009. • Notes on Labour Law (Bergamo Confindustria), editions 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012. • Corporate Labour Law 2013, 2012, 2011. • Guide to the Labour Reform, Top Legal (Milan), 2012. • Employee value proposition & flexible benefits, Franco Angeli (Milano), 2012. • Human Resource Management, Studio Guerini (Milan), 2011. • Master24. Management and Leadership, IlSole24ore (Milan), 2010. It is the primary objective of the Law Firm and its lawyers to provide highly specialized care and personalized solutions to the specific needs of its clients’ business. Since its foundation in 2003, the Firm has assisted Italian and multinational leading firms in several industries (Banking, Finance, Food & Beverage, Construction, Trade, Automotive & Spare parts, Media). Fava & Associati also regularly advises Senior Executives and Members of Boards of Directors. Each engagement letter, taking into account the specific skills required, will identify a team of professionals capable of providing a quick and effective response. The team so identified will ensure full availability and will support clients effectively, constantly updating them through face-to-face meetings, conference calls, and so on.
• Scientific Coordinator of the magazine “Labor Law Notebooks” of Confindustria Bergamo.
The firm’s lawyers are used to provide support in English and, thanks to its worldwide network of partner law firms, they provide full and multilingual support.
• From 2017 member of the Board of Directors of Arca Lombardia (Regional Procurement Agency).
They also provide an updating service on major legislative and jurisprudential innovations on a regular basis.
• From 2017 national responsible of the “Fondazione Centesimus Annus Pro Pontefice”.
Moreover, thanks to its long-lasting experience on the field, they have, throughout the years, built solid relationships with representatives of the major national Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations – as well as with the staff of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Development.
Gabriele Fava is also the author of several publications on the labor law and columnist IlSole24Ore. The most recent publications include: • Privacy and worker control following the Jobs Act., Ed. Guerini (Milan), 2016. • Jobs Act e-book: the new rules on remote control and privacy, Fava & Associati and Confcommercio, 2016.
The firm’s lawyers are used to provide support in English and, thanks to its worldwide network of partner law firms, they provide full and multilingual support.
22
GLE Awards 2017
INVESTMENT FUNDS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN LUXEMBOURG LEXTRUST Jonathan Burger Partner – Investment Funds and Financial Law Tel: +352 27 21 411 burger@lextrust.lu www.lextrust.lu LEXTRUST is a Luxembourg niche law firm focused on investment funds, corporate, tax and finance laws, capable of handling sophisticated legal matters with a high level of tailor-made services. The firm was created with the ambition of setting new benchmarks in the Luxembourg legal market to provide the highest quality in a creative and dynamic environment. With over EUR 3,500 billion in net assets under management (AuM) at January 1st, 2017, Luxembourg is the Europe’s number 1 investment fund centre and the world’s leading hub for global fund distribution. The continuing development of the Grand-Duchy as a centre of financial and investment fund services has led to a unique concentration of specialist service providers. This unparalleled blend of expertise in the areas of fund administration, management and distribution enables Luxembourg to offer fund promoters and investors an extraordinarily wide range of investment products. Since its inception, LEXTRUST developed an extensive and growing investment management practice and serves the whole investment management value chain. The firm specialises in a wide range of regulated investment funds with a focus on Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) and Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), including a specific expertise on private equity and real estate investments. Jonathan BURGER is the partner having founded the investment funds practice of LEXTRUST. He combines his strong tax expertise of international tax structuring with the creation and organisation of Luxembourg regulated investment funds, including UCITS,
Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs) and Reserved Alternative Investment Funds (RAIFs), advising domestic and international fund promoters, distributors, investment bankers, asset managers, depositary banks, central administrations and other agents providing fund-related services. Before joining LEXTRUST, Jonathan was working in international law firms established in Luxembourg, including one of the “Magic Circle” law firms. Jonathan is also actively involved in the tax structuring of corporates, financial institutions and asset managers across a broad spectrum of matters including international tax planning, fund structuring, M&A mandates, private banking and wealth management. Over the last years he frequently advised fund promoters and asset managers on the launching of Alternative Investment Funds structures such as SIFs and RAIFs platforms with a wide range of alternative investment strategies, including amongst others, debt funds and credit funds, long-short equity, long only, contrarian, real estate, renewable energies, physical gold, forestry assets, etc. His recent handling matters include: the launching of a Reserved Alternative Investment Fund for a Canadian fund promoter (2017); restructuring of an AIF-SIF master-feeder structure for a US fund promoter (2017); restructuring of several UCITS master-feeder structures for a UK fund promoter (2016); acting as legal advisor of a UK merchant bank in relation with SICARs (2016 and 2015); acting as legal advisor for several Luxembourg UCITS (2016 and 2015); launching of an umbrella AIF-SIF structure for an Luxembourg fund promoter (2015); and the launching of an AIF-SIF structure for a Swiss asset manager (2015).
BOUTIQUE TRANSPORT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN POLAND IURIDICA Law Firm Łukasz Chwalczuk Managing Partner Tel: +48 12 378 95 70 chwalczuk@iuridica.com.pl www.iuridica.com.pl IURIDICA Law Firm is one of the most respected law firms in Poland, providing comprehensive legal support to companies involved in the transport industry. Since 2008 Law Firm IURIDICA committed to the process of revising laws relating to break bulk cargos, that finally was passed by Parliament and signed by the President in 2011. No advertising, but the recommendations and personal links remain steady business development for IURIDICA, over 90% of our new Clients comes from our previous principals. Our Clients are both giants in their industries and small family businesses. From our foundation, we are recognized as experts in legal assistance for entities related to the TSL industry. We represent clients in pre-judicial proceedings, negotiation, mediation – every day we fight for our clients in court. We realize how valuable time is – that’s why we put most of our efforts to settle disputes efficiently without engaging in long and costly court proceedings. We represent companies in court disputes on the basis of the CMR Convention and polish transportation law, in terms of damage and theft of goods, as well as delays in delivery. We process our customers also in the field of labour law. • We advise on the selection of the optimal form of business – create new and transform existing entities • We provide legal support to obtain all necessary licenses and permits
• Prepare and advise on road transport contracts – we provide ready-made drafts, based on the vast experience of our lawyers • We conduct audits of real estate for the logistics centres • We offer a comprehensive audit of the company for compliance with applicable regulations and minimize any risks We are engaged in recovery of claims in the transport of both the pre-trial stage, as well as judicial and enforcement. We carry out the procedure under the European order for payment procedure. Our law firm provides comprehensive services to companies in connection with the Border Force and Civil Penalty Unit on finding the sets of illegal immigrants. We prepare explaining letters and oppositions, as well as appeals in the most serious cases. Our lawyers – Agata Majerska and Agnieszka Sowa – are the authors of a textbook for entrepreneurs in the TSL sector entitled “Transport insurance”. We are laureates of prestigious competitions, and our law firm has been awarded many times in the field of transport law. Łukasz Chwalczuk was named the Rising Star 2015 in the competition Lawyers – Leaders of Tomorrow. In 2016, the Law Firm IURIDICA was awarded by a reputable polish legal website in the field of transport law. Currently, a team of qualified lawyers offers also advice and legal representation in the field of commercial law, public procurement, intellectual property, insurance and compensation, immigration issues and economic criminal law.
GLE Awards 2017
23
WHITE-COLLAR CRIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ROMANIA Mușat & Asociații Octavian Popescu Partner Tel: +(40-21) 202 59 00 / (40-21) 202 59 33 octavian.popescu@musat.ro www.musat.ro During the 27-year history of Mușat & Asociații, the firm has built a strong and experienced Litigation Department, gaining extensive expertise across a broad spectrum of industries and business fields and a deep understanding of the Romanian market. One of the focal areas of its Litigation Department is the Criminal Law practice, developing since its early years and grown to be a key reference in the legal market and for Romania’s business environment. The dedicated specialisation and extensive expertise of the firm’s lawyers has always proved to be an invaluable asset for its clients, either facing criminal investigations or trials, or attempting to avoid and prevent such risks in their activity. Mușat & Asociații’s services include consultancy and prevention of criminal law matters (such as preparing legal analyses, opinions or memoranda on different criminal law and criminal procedural law issues; assisting and representing our clients in different extrajudicial procedures, in order to avoid criminal implications or complex risks; preparing and concluding high-profile civil transactions, to amicably settle civil damages claims within criminal law procedures) and also representation and assistance in criminal litigations (during the criminal investigation phase or the court trial). Partner Octavian Popescu noted: “We were one of the first of a very few full-service law firms to understand and present to our clients the increasing impact of regulatory requirements, compliance issues and white-collar criminality on the conduct of ordinary business. We have consistently advised and represented our clients
or their representatives in situations where they are victims or directly affected by criminal conduct. The strategies designed and implemented together with our clients have involved extensive knowledge of the law, vast experience in criminal investigations and litigations, while ensuring the best advice through the efforts of a multi-disciplinary legal team – consisting not only of litigators but also tax experts, corporate lawyers and compliance legal advisers.” He added: “We pride ourselves on being the most experienced, numerous and well-organised team of attorneys available in the Romanian legal market, capable of handling an impressive portfolio of complex mandates, always setting legal precedents and breaking new ground. Our strength is that we built a strong team formed by strong people that are specialised on connected areas of practices: Litigation & Arbitration, Mergers & Acquisitions, Telecoms & IT, Capital markets, Corporate & Commercial, Real Estate, Banking & Finance.” Moreover, the firm’s Criminal Law practice is noteworthy among industry insiders for balancing the wisdom and expertise of a dedicated team of more than 15 lawyers and counsellors, highly specialised in a wide range of criminal investigations, litigations and disputes, as well as in multiple substantive and procedural laws. Over the past decades, Mușat & Asociații has been actively involved in many of the largest, high-profile criminal investigations and trials to arise in Romania, always at the core of legal precedents and rulings. Mr Popescu concluded: “Our Criminal Law team has proved that an extensive yet versatile team of attorneys is a key factor in obtaining favourable decisions for our clients.”
TRANSFER PRICING FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE
24
GLE Awards 2017
PRIVATE CLIENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SWITZERLAND Zwicky Windlin & Partner Markus Zwicky Partner Tel: +41 41 728 71 61 m.zwicky@zwplw.ch www.zwplaw.ch Zwicky Windlin & Partner is one of the leading law firms in the economic region of Zug. The firm’s Attorneys at Law are specialised in a wide range of activities and offer comprehensive legal advice, assist in negotiations and provide expert representation for its clients before Swiss authorities and courts. The firm’s main activity is providing advice on corporate and contract law. Each of its Attorneys at Law has a preferred area of expertise. Its Notaries create and certify contracts in matrimonial, inheritance and corporate law. Zwicky Windlin & Partner offers individual and solution oriented mandates whilst helping to find economic and optimal outcomes to both its Swiss and international clients. The majority of the firm’s Attorneys at Law have additional legal qualifications and overseas experience. It has a large network of leading specialists in Switzerland and abroad, with whom it maintains close and regular collaboration. The firm offers advice in the following languages: German, English, French, Turkish, Spanish and Italian. Dr Markus Zwicky Dr Markus Zwicky specialises in corporate, commercial and private client law both advising and contentious. He advises and litigates in employment law, estate planning and inheritance disputes and matrimonial asset planning, and in divorces. He assists and represents corporations from their establishment in Zug down to their succession planning. He is a Notary.
Background: • 2003 – Doctorate at the University of Zürich • 2003 – Zwicky Windlin, Zug • Since 1997 – Zwicky Law firm, Zug • Since 1993 – Partner in a Zug Law firm • 1991 – Admittance to the Bar of the Canton of Zug: Attorney at Law and Notary • 1983 – 1988 – University of Zürich, lic. iur. (law degree) • 1980 – Exchange student in Buin/Chile • 1970 – 1982 – Schools in Manchester, Massachusetts/USA, and in Switzerland Memberships: • SAV (Schweizerischer Anwaltsverband, Swiss Bar) • Advokatenverein des Kantons Zug (Zug Bar Association) • AIJA (Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats), Honorary Member • IBA (International Bar Association) • IAPL (International Alliance of Practising Lawyers) • ABA (American Bar Association), Co-Chair International Family Law Committee, Immediate Past Chair • International Private Client Committee, Deputy Liaison Officer • Cámara de Comercio Latinoamericana en Suiza • KMU Swiss Förderverein, Swiss Association for Enterprise Successions • Cámera di Commercio Svizzera in Italia Languages: • Spanish • German • French • English • Italian
MARITIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TURKEY AKT Law Office M. Cem Kaspi Partner Tel: +90 212 251 19 00 cemkaspi@aktlaw.com www.aktlaw.com AKT has been providing qualified legal services since the firm’s establishment in 2000 by Mr Melih Aji, Mr M. Cem Kaspi and Mr Rona Kaspi. In the beginning of 2013, with the merging of Mrs Serra Aksakal and Mr Ercan Demir and moving to its new offices, the firm increased the high quality service concept to maximum. Members of AKT team have broad range of skills and experience focused to deliver fast and effective service to clients. With the trust-based relations established over the years, AKT is able to provide multi-jurisdictional service in highest standards. AKT is the sole Turkish member of the Warwick Legal Network, a prominent international association of law firms specialised in commercial law. Mr Rona Kaspi and Mr M. Cem Kaspi, partners of AKT, are the Turkish special agents of the Marshall Islands Registry which is one of the leading and most reputable international registries in the shipping market. Maritime and Transportation Law Before establishing its current practice, each member of AKT had built a strong reputation in maritime and transportation law related matters. AKT team has great experience in every kind of precautionary orders, injunctions in connection with all kind of maritime and transportation disputes both in domestic and international jurisdiction with the support of a wide network of correspondents.
Each member of AKT gained experience by participating in the sale and purchase transactions of vessels and yachts on a weekly basis for many years. This has enabled each member of AKT lawyers to foresee and to point out any possible risks from the initial term sheet and negotiation stage until the completion of transaction. In addition, each member of AKT has experience in providing practical and pragmatic solutions particularly in complicated transaction and concluding these transactions in a swift and effective manner. The lawyers at AKT are experienced in dealing with finance documents both on the shipowners’ and the lenders’ side, and due to the experience gained from numerous transactions and outstanding experience in litigation, AKT has successfully undertaken a great number of due diligence instructions over the years. AKT’s practice also covers: • Purchase and sale of vessels and yachts from the term sheet stage to successful completion of registry procedures, • Financing and refinancing of vessels and yachts acting for institutional lenders and the borrowers/owners including providing comprehensive advice on the issuance and provision of relevant local securities, • Arrest and enforcement proceedings against ships, enforcement of liens on cargoes, • Casualties, cargo claims, salvage and general average, • Agreements regarding design, building, conversion and repair of vessels.
GLE Awards 2017
25
IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN UKRAINE Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) Nina Moshynska Managing Partner in Ukraine Tel: +380 (44) 278-4958 office@gorodissky.ua www.gorodissky.ua Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) is a leading Ukrainian IP law firm. For more than 15 years under the direction of Nina Moshynska, the firm has provided reliable support to both national and international clients. Nina Moshynska holds leading positions in such international rankings as Best Lawyers, The International Who’s Who of Trademark Lawyers, World Trademark Review 1000, IAM Patent 1000, WIPR Leaders, IP Stars, The Legal 500, Corporate INTL, Global Law Experts and Leaders in Law. Patent attorneys and lawyers of Gorodissky and Partners (Ukraine) provide a full range of services in the field of intellectual property, including: patenting of inventions, utility models, computer programs and industrial designs; trademark registration and development; technology transfer; licensing; pre-trial and judicial disputes; due diligence and evaluation of IP portfolios; and actions against unfair competition, among others. During 17 years of work, Gorodissky and Partners (Ukraine) registered 5969 inventions and utility models, 5995 trademark certificates and 542 industrial designs, proving its leadership between firms in the IP sphere on the Ukrainian market. Today Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) is an experienced team of professionals, including ten patent/trademark attorneys and 11 lawyers, who provide complex professional services in the field of IP protection. The professionalism of the firm is based on high positions in the world’s authoritative rankings. Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) is recognized as one of the leading IP firms in Ukraine according to World Trademark Review 1000, The Legal 500, IAM Patent 1000.
26
GLE Awards 2017
According to the results of international surveys held annually by the British magazine «Managing Intellectual Property» among IP specialists from more than 100 countries around the world, Gorodissky and Partners (Ukraine) is recognized as one of the best firms in Ukraine in the field of intellectual property rights registration, as well as protection of IP rights in courts and during pre-trial procedures. Patent attorneys and lawyers of Gorodissky and Partners (Ukraine) are members of Ukrainian Association of Patent Attorneys, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI), International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), International Trademark Association (INTA), Licensing Executives Society International (LESI), Association of European Trade Mark Owners (MARQUES) and AEA International Lawyers Network. Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) contributed to numerous foreign specialized publications, with regard to the IP rights protection, including: • Patent claim interpretation. Global edition 2010-2016 – Ukraine Chapter • ICLG – Copyright 2015-2017 – Ukraine Chapter • ICLG – Franchise 2015-2017 – Ukraine Chapter • ICLG – Trade Marks 2015-2017 – Ukraine Chapter • ICLG – Patents 2017 – Ukraine Chapter • WIPR Leaders 2016-2017 – Ukraine Practice Update • World Trademark Review, Issue №67, 2017 – INTA Roundtable “Tackling the counterfeiters” Advanced partnerships with foreign law firms, significant experience and modern means of communication allow Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine) to handle all national and international IP matters.
THE AMERICAS WINNERS GLE Awards 2017
27
THE AMERICAS WINNERS
The US economy has gone through a temporary growth dip in the early part of this year but momentum has picked up and the economy is expected to grow at 2.1% this year and next, modestly above potential, supported by solid consumption growth and a rebound in investment. Labour market indicators suggest that the economy could be effectively at full employment. Inflation has remained subdued and, indeed, has weakened moderately in recent months. Wage indicators have shown a modest acceleration. Over the next 12–18 months personal consumer expenditure (PCE) inflation is expected to slowly rise above 2%, before returning to the Federal Reserve’s medium-term target of 2%. There are two-sided risks to the growth outlook. A medium-term path of fiscal consolidation, such as the expenditurebased consolidation proposed in the budget, would address medium-term fiscal imbalances but result in a growth rate that is below staff’s baseline. On the upside, spending reductions could be less ambitious and tax reforms could lower federal revenues, providing stimulus to the economy and raising near-term growth. Over the longer term and despite the ongoing expansion, the United States faces a confluence of forces that may weigh on the prospects for continued gains in economic wellbeing. Secular structural shifts are occurring on multiple fronts including technological change that is reshaping the labour market, low productivity growth, rising skills premia, and an ageing population. If left unchecked, these forces will continue to drag down both potential and actual growth, diminish gains in living standards, and worsen poverty. IMF Executive Directors commended the strong performance of the US economy, including a rebound in growth, improved consumer confidence, low unemployment, and steady job increases. At the same time, they noted that the favourable near‑term outlook is clouded by important medium-term challenges, including rising public debt, potential growth below historical averages, declining labour force participation, and income growth that is not broadly shared. Latin American and Caribbean Economic Prospects Improve The economic outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean is improving, driven by a stronger global economy, improved fiscal positions, lower inflationary
28
GLE Awards 2017
pressures, and better prospects for Argentina and Brazil, according to the Inter-American Development Bank’s 2017 Macroeconomic Report.
billion combined gain or loss in GDP of South America’s biggest economies would add or cut about $70 billion of GDP to the entire region for the three-year period.
“Since our report last year there have been several positive developments as the region shifts to a pattern of better policies,” said IDB Chief Economist José Juan Ruiz. “Tax reform efforts in some countries have been successful in achieving more equity while improving efficiency. Monetary policies in larger economies have kept inflation in check and we estimate the external adjustment process is close to completion in most countries.”
Improved Fiscal and Monetary Outlooks
However, the combination of potential negative US trade and financial shocks, even with the US economy growing, could trim a full 0.4% from the region’s projected 2% annual growth rate for the 2017-2019 period. The report uses the IMF’s threeyear projections as a baseline and then estimates how external impacts could add or subtract to the region’s growth. The shock from the US economy is not evenly distributed. Mexico could see its three-year potential growth rate cut by 0.8%, reducing its annual rate from 2.2% to 1.4%. The Southern Cone and the Andean region would each see their GDP annual growth rate reduced by 0.4%. The shocks would be transmitted through a combination of interest rate hikes, global trade frictions and impacts on commodity prices. At the same time, the performance of both Argentina and Brazil has a big impact on the region. Given the interconnectedness of these economies, a $20
An examination of the fiscal budgets of 22 countries estimates a primary fiscal deficit of 0.8% of GDP for the region, though there the reality varies from one country to another. Still, 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that are pursuing plans for fiscal consolidation are aiming to achieve an adjustment of about 2% of GDP over five years. Tax reforms could increase fiscal revenues by 1.2% of GDP. Expenditures are expected to be trimmed by 0.8%. In the past, external shocks led to higher inflation. This trend has reversed, the report notes, with lower inflation amid more stable commodity prices and rising exports. With imports as a percentage of overall output declining, current account deficits have dropped to medium- or longterm averages. “The region is turning the corner after suffering negative growth in the last two years,” said Andrew Powell, the report’s coordinator and the senior economic advisor of the IDB. “While Latin America and the Caribbean is on surer footing than it was a year ago, going forward it faces big challenges to bring the kind of growth its citizens demand. This will require a continued focus on reforms to improve productivity and a deepening of regional trade integration.”
IMF Executive Directors commended the strong performance of the US economy, including a rebound in growth, improved consumer confidence, low unemployment, and steady job increases.
THE AMERICAS CONTENTS Marinovic y Cia. / Anti-Piracy Law Firm of the Year in Chile.....................................................................................32.
Figueroa Valenzuela & Cía / Boutique - Litigation Law Firm of the Year in Chile......................................................32.
Manríquez, Benavides Abogados (LLP) / Economic Crime Law Firm of the Year in Chile.......................................33.
Aylwin Mendoza Luksic & Valencia Abogados / Energy Sector Tax Law Firm of the Year in Chile ........................34.
Ideas Trademarks and Patents / Intellectual Property Service Provider of the Year in Costa Rica...........................34.
GM Attorneys / Real Estate Law Firm of the Year in Costa Rica..............................................................................35.
Clayton Morgan & Company / Real Estate Law Firm of the Year in Jamaica...........................................................36.
Hornedo y Renovales S.C / Editors’ Choice - Estate Planning Law Firm of the Year in Mexico............................... 37.
GARCIA BARRAGAN ABOGADOS / Editors’ Choice - IP Law Firm of the Year in Mexico..................................... 37.
Rodríguez Dávalos Abogados (“RDA”) / Editors’ Choice - Oil & Gas Law Firm of the Year in Mexico....................38.
GrahamThompson / Admiralty and Shipping Law Firm of the Year in the Turks and Caicos Islands / Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year in the Turks and Caicos Islands / Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year in the Turks and Caicos Islands...............................................................38.
F Chambers / Employment Disputes Law Firm of the Year in the Turks and Caicos Islands...................................39.
Abed Awad, Esq. / US Islamic Law Firm of the Year in the US................................................................................39.
GLE Awards 2017
29
THE AMERICAS CONTENTS Andrade & Associates / Boutique - Construction Litigation Law Firm of the Year in California, US.........................40.
Baron & Budd / Class Action Litigation Law Firm of the Year in California, US........................................................40.
Berliner Cohen, LLP / Hospitality Law Firm of the Year in California, US................................................................. 41.
Girardi | Keese / Industry Choice - Litigation Law Firm of the Year in California, US................................................ 41.
Sycamore Legal, P.C. / Technology Sector Contracts Law Firm of the Year in California, US..................................42.
Morris James LLP / Alternative Entity Law Firm of the Year in Delaware, US.........................................................42.
Marini & Associates, P.A / International Tax Litigation Law Firm of the Year in Florida, US.....................................43.
Finocchiaro & Associates, P.C. / Hospitality Sector Law Firm of the Year in Illinois, US..........................................43.
Boehl, Stopher & Graves LLP / Insurance Litigation Defense Law Firm of the Year in Kentucky, US.....................44.
Phelps Dunbar LLP / Client Choice - Employment Litigation Law Firm of the Year in Mississippi, US....................44.
Greenberg Traurig Hoffman / Media & Entertainment Lawyer of the Year in Nevada, US.......................................45.
Cherundolo Law Firm / Boutique Catastrophic Injury Law Firm of the Year in New York, US.................................46.
The Richard L. Rosen Law Firm, PLLC / Franchise Law Firm of the Year in New York, US..................................... 47.
30
GLE Awards 2017
THE AMERICAS CONTENTS Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP / Public Finance Law Firm of the Year in New York, US....................................... 47.
Ganfer & Shore, LLP / Securities Litigation Lawyer of the Year in New York, US....................................................48.
Braumiller Law Group / International Trade Law Firm of the Year in Texas, US........................................................48.
The Miller Firm, LLC / Medical Malpractice Law Firm of the Year in Virginia, US....................................................49.
Desh International and Business Law / Commercial Law Firm of the Year in Washington, US...............................49.
PH Law Firm / Paglialunga & Harris, PS / Personal Injury Law Firm of the Year in Washington, US.......................50.
Steinman & Rodgers LLP / Anti-Corruption Law Firm of the Year in Washington DC, US...................................... 51.
Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto / Whistleblower Law Firm of the Year in Washington DC, US.......................................... 51.
Law Offices of Charles H. Camp, P.C. / Boutique - International Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration Law Firm of the Year in Washington DC, US.....................................................................52.
GLE Awards 2017
31
ANTI-PIRACY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHILE Marinovic y Cia. www.marinovicycia.cl Antonio Marinovic Senior Partner Tel: +56 2 2 246 3630 amarinovic@marinovicycia.cl
Luis Olmedo Partner Tel: +56 2 2 246 3630 lolmedo@marinovicycia.cl
The Marinovic y Cia. law firm was established by Antonio Marinovic in 1987, and its initial activity was the defence of intellectual and industrial property through the implementation of domestic anti-piracy campaigns for different industries (theatrical, software, videogames, music and merchandising). As a consequence of their clients’ needs, both Chilean and foreign, it currently offers a wide variety of legal counselling services, achieving domestic and international recognition for the excellency and high quality of its services. The firm’s main focus is the intellectual and industrial property field, specifically, the protection of trademarks and copyrights for the most important industries in the world through the implementation of efficient, long-term domestic anti-piracy campaigns. In 2017, Leaders League awarded the firm the qualification of Leaders in Compliance and Anti-Piracy in Chile. Marinovic y Cia. also has an international network of specialised corresponding lawyers, which allows it to provide its clients with a professional counsel in any country of the world. Industrial and Intellectual Property Marinovic y Cia. is one of the main firms devoted to this subject matter in Chile. The firm possesses much experience in the registration of trademarks, designs, utility models, invention patents, internet domain names and copyrights. It also specialises in the penal prosecution of crimes against intellectual and industrial property and anti-piracy campaigns. The firm is internationally recognised by specialised organisations, such as The World Trademark Review. The firm’s legal counselling in connection with this matter also encompasses contractual issues such as licenses, franchises, technology
transference, among others, as well as those matters relating to free competition, consumer protection advertising abuses, etc. Antonio Marinovic Antonio Marinovic is the founding partner for Marinovic y Cia. He specialises in civil and penal matters relating to copyright and trademark infringement. He was responsible for the design and implementation of anti-piracy campaigns in Chile and in other countries in Latin America. In particular, he has been devoted to anti-piracy campaigns for several industries such as software, theatrical, musical and merchandising for the highest prestige companies throughout the world. He has assisted the National Congress for the modification of copyright and trademark laws. He has worked in close collaboration with local authorities in the implementation of those aspects of the intellectual property rights agreements that relate to trade. Mr Marinovic graduated from the Universidad de Chile, and is a member of Chile’s Attorneys Bar, of the Latin-American Copyright Institute and of the Inter-American Industrial Property Association. Luis Olmedo Luis Ignacio Olmedo is a partner of Marinovic y Cia Abogados and has been responsible for the prosecution of thousands of criminal copyright and trademark actions. He has assisted Congress in the amendment of Copyright and Trademark Laws and has worked closely with local authorities in the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Mr Olmedo graduated from the Gabriela Mistral University before obtaining a postgraduate diploma in IP law from the University of Chile and the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. He was selected by the US State Department for the International Leadership Visitor Program in Intellectual Property Rights in 2005, and he is member of the Chilean Bar Association.
BOUTIQUE - LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHILE Figueroa Valenzuela & Cía Carlos Figueroa S. Partner Tel: +56-2 2696 0171 cfigueroas@fva.cl www.fva.cl Figueroa Valenzuela is a law firm established in 1958 to which a number of attorneys with careers in academia, the court and public service have been connected. Throughout its history, other prestigious law firms with different degrees of specialisation have arisen from its doors. Since its establishment, the firm has developed an extensive practice in different areas of law, with the required interdisciplinary teams which allow it to respond with efficiency and promptitude to the challenges of a fast-growing global society. Since its foundation and thanks to the wide experience and competence of its lawyers, Figueroa Valenzuela has always provided high standard legal services to its clients. The firm is built on client-focused commitment and dedication, according to the requirements of a globalised world and always at a fair cost. The firm wants to continue improving the quality and opportunity of its legal services, wherever they might be needed, and developing long-term relationships with its domestic and foreign clients. The firm’s values are: • Excellence of its services • Confidence as link to its clients • High ethical standards • Study and continuous training of its lawyers
32
GLE Awards 2017
Litigation The firm dedicates an important part of its professional activities to the representation and legal defence – through the exercise of the various remedies provided in the Constitution and law of the country – of the rights and interests of its individual and corporate clients, before the different civil, administrative, antitrust, arbitration and labour courts which exist in Chile. The firm has a vast experience in, among other areas, damages liability, environmental protection, torts, labour, and breach of contract claims, debt collection, declaratory judgements, writs of execution, foreclosures, bankruptcies and protection of the corporate interests in the construction, mining, insurance, trade and real estate areas. Carlos Figueroa S. Carlos Figueroa S. is a graduate from the University of Chile and one of the founding members of the firm. He has a vast experience as a trial lawyer on civil, commercial, administrative and constitutional matters. He is also corporate counsel and member of the board of directors of various companies including, among others, the corporation which administers the major commercial seaport, the port of San Antonio, and the leading radio broadcasting (Radio Cooperativa) of the country. He has taught Civil Procedure at the Catholic University in Santiago for over 20 years. Throughout his life, Mr Figueroa has shown an outstanding public service and political vocation, having held, among others, the positions of Ambassador to Argentina, Minister of Economy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Home Affairs and Vice-president of Chile in different democratic Chilean governments.
ECONOMIC CRIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHILE Manríquez, Benavides Abogados (LLP) Juan Carlos Manríquez Main Partner Tel: +56 2 24896000 / +56 32 2231080 jcmanriquez@mbcia.cl www.mbcia.cl Manríquez, Benavides Abogados (LLP) is a law firm specialising in economic crimes, tax fraud, environment criminal cases, political finances issues and international custom affairs. Main Partner at the firm, Juan Carlos Manríquez, noted: “Our working style supposes we are consistently thinking how to tailor efficient solutions to our clients, inside the context of modern trial advocacy.” Mr. Juan Carlos Manríquez has been a Lawyer practising before the Chilean Supreme Court of Justice since 1991. Previously, he graduated in: Economic Crime Law and Corporates, University of Castilla – La Mancha, España, 2011; Master of Laws, by California Western School of Law, San Diego, US (2016), specialist in Trial. In his final tournament of trial, he obtained two prizes: Best Direct Exam (Criminal Law, Defence) and Best Cross Exam (Claimed). He is also an AIDP and Criminal Sciences Institute (ICP, Chile) member. Since May 2016, he has attended the First International Program “Fundamentals on Defence Rights Before International Courts” at The Siracusa International Institute, Siracusa, Italy, in order to obtain a certificate (ICCBA) to make it possible that can advocate before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He is the Former President of the Board of Directors of Port of Coquimbo, Chile; in addition, he is the Former President and Director of the Valparaíso Lawyers Bar during many periods. Moreover, Mr. Juan Carlos Manríquez is a lecturer and searcher in criminal law and criminal proceedings in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela and Spain, as well as a lecturer in Oral Strategy Litigation at the Escuela de Fiscales del Ministerio Público, and a Professor/Adviser at the Academia Superior de la Magistratura (ASMAG), Perú, and a Guest Professor at the Doctorate University of Sevilla, Spain (2007, 2009 and 2011). When asked how Manríquez, Benavides Abogados is distinguished from its competitors – and what are the main strengths of the firm and particularly its Economic Crime department – Mr. Juan Carlos Manríquez commented: “In complex cases of economic crimes we are always refining our skills – in domestic and high courts – with creativity and advanced knowledge, in substantive and procedural
criminal law. It is a personal and dedicated litigation, also before the prominent international criminal courts. We answer every question and query of our clients; we treat with them clearly each issue, i.e. about the fees and cases, and advocate with our best efforts daily.” Moreover, Manríquez, Benavides Abogados has been a pioneer in Chile and Latin America in the application of integrated blocks of rights and harmonisation processes between Common Law and Civil Law to give efficient solutions – for example, in marine pollutions issues – pertaining to shipping accidents, with criminal and civil pleadings; also acting as environmental criminal plaintiff against mining corporates, but also representing corporates, officers, insurance or P&I Clubs. In transnational smuggling cases, tax fraud associated with financing political activities, or mining businesses in conflict, the firm has advocated with success before the Chilean Constitutional Court and the Chilean Supreme Court of Justice. Mr. Juan Carlos Manríquez explained: “We provide a personalised and bespoke solution for every client; his or her problem is our problem. Also, we can litigate as defenders in the most relevant and complex economic crime cases currently in process, related to tax fraud, international business and environment pleas. Thus far in 2017, we have obtained a first positive decision in domestic criminal law history, before the Chilean Constitutional Court, when parts of an illicit activity described by a new law was found to be an example of anti-constitutional precepts.” Looking to the future, he added: “Our objective is to consolidate our programmed development in Chile and Peru, and – why not? – in the International Courts circuits. Our typical client base will continue to be comprised of corporates, officers, business men and business women, private persons, public institutions, politicians who require a speedy reaction and a comprehensive and solid overview to solve a complex problems, in a short time frame, at a reasonable cost. Today – more than every other year – the world of economic crime litigation is just one concern, and just one aspect of the bigger picture, and modern problems required a ‘Global Cicero’. We are on this path.”
Mr. Juan Carlos Manríquez is a lecturer and searcher in criminal law and criminal proceedings in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela and Spain, as well as a lecturer in Oral Strategy Litigation at the Escuela de Fiscales del Ministerio Público.
GLE Awards 2017
33
ENERGY SECTOR TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHILE Aylwin Mendoza Luksic & Valencia Abogados Alvaro Mendoza Negri Partner, Head of Corporate / M&A Area Tel: +56 22 2608000 contacto@amlv.cl www.amlv.cl Aylwin Mendoza Luksic & Valencia (AMLV) provides advisory to both domestic and foreign clients involved in diverse businesses and markets (natural resources, energy, oil & gas, public infrastructure and procurement, industries, taxes, litigation, etc.). The firm also assists ministries, State agencies and public companies, offering high levels of excellence and collaboration across all their mandates and duties. Its experts regularly provide assistance in a complete spectrum of corporate matters, including the initiation of new projects, mergers and acquisitions, fundraising of equity and debt capital, project financing and joint ventures. The advisers at the firm have great experience assisting national and international businesses in their mining, energy and industrial undertakings, and wisely advise them in corporate governance matters, allocating the right conditions to achieve the best practices within board operations and shareholder relations. Alvaro Mendoza Negri noted: “As Partner and Head of the Corporate Law / M&A area, my specialisation considers the civil and commercial law, tax law, customs and energy law. I have been partner at Aylwin Abogados since 1995. Previously, I was chief attorney at the Tax Department in Deloitte & Touche Chile. Further, I served as attorney, Director and Legal Counsel at Peugeot Automobiles, counselor at COPEC Gruop in Chile through one of its companies, Celarauco; and currently, I am Director and Executive VP at Ingeniería Civil Vicente S.A., a major mining and civil constructions company based in Chile. I am member of the Chilean Bar Association.”
According to Mr Mendoza Negri, the Corporate Law / M&A area at AMLV works in a collaborative manner to look after each client’s goals regarding contractual matters, whether of civil or commercial nature. Moreover, AMLV provides innovative and pragmatic solutions for corporate deals, and assists clients in their most complex transactions. During the past few years, Chile has undergone a complete transformation on the tax and corporate system, with profound legal innovations and reforms. The firm’s biggest successes so far in 2017 were the preservation of its legal standards at the highest level of expertise and professionalism, considering the deep changes and improvements that were implemented in Chile during the past years. Today, AMLV serves main companies of diverse industries set in Chile, such as engineering and construction companies, automobile companies, energy and mining firms. It also assists a considerable group of public entities with presence worldwide and in Chile. Mr Mendoza Negri added: “Our firm has expanded into new offices located at Málaga 339, Santiago. The new offices gives us the opportunity to explore new areas of development such as complex litigation, arbitration, natural resources, labour law and public law. Our team is extremely qualified, with more than 25 lawyers that work side-by-side with our clients. The expertise and recognition of AMLV is well known internationally, as we commonly work with foreign industries and companies from the Americas, the US and Europe, mainly. Our team is integrated by professionals with studies in the most prestigious Chilean and foreign universities.”
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR IN COSTA RICA Ideas Trademarks and Patents Maricruz Villanea Managing Partner Tel: +506 22885797 mvillanea@ideatpcr.com www.ideatpcr.com Ideas Trademarks and Patents is a Central America boutique firm specialised in intellectual property matters. Its expert advisers offer integral counselling pertaining to IP in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. The privileged positioning of ideas has determined its constant growth and modernisation, with a standard of quality in the professional services being offered. In addition, this process of continual expansion has led the firm to gain a unique position as an international centre of provision of services, thus enabling its clients to centralise its brand portfolio in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. At present, its staff includes more than 18 professionals, among whom are industrial property agents, lawyers, Public Notaries and Certified Translators. This staff interacts on a continuous basis in order to provide an integral solution to the client. Ideas Trademarks and Patents has specialised in the defence of intellectual property rights, offering advisory and management services in the area of distinctive signs, patents, copyrights, names of domain, registration of vegetable products and varieties, commercial contracts and connected rights. Maricruz Villanea, managing partner, noted that the firm’s experience in the legal progression predominantly involves management of trademark portfolios through the entire Central American and Caribbean Region. Specialised in the defence of intellectual property, Ideas Trademarks and Patents offers advisory and management services in distinctive signs, patents, copyrights, sanitary registrations, commercial contracts and connected rights.
34
GLE Awards 2017
When asked how the firm, as well as Ms Villanea herself, are distinguished from their competitors within the intellectual property realm in Costa Rica, she said: “We are one-stopshop for Central America and the Caribbean Islands. All of our clients are assisted by specialised lawyers. In 2017 so far we have opened additional offices in El Salvador and Nicaragua. These are two boutique firms specialised only in intellectual property matters. “In the coming months, we will continue our expansion in other Central American countries, servicing clients who are companies of all sectors – including such diverse areas as pharmaceuticals, technology, food, beverage and dairy.” Today, the firm’s professional staff has a vast trajectory and experience in the IP field. Defence of clients’ intellectual rights is its main objective and, to that end, its experts have a wide range of tools ranging from professional to technical, enabling them to successfully meet clients’ requirements in areas including: trademark searches; patent searches, mainly pharmaceutical; industrial designs; trademarks; patents; utility models; domain names; copyrights; geographical indications; enforcement; digital law; computer law and software; defence of unfair competition; licensing and technology transfers; franchises; regulatory law (sanitary and bromatological); plant variety registrations; administrative and judicial contentious; sports law; as well as fashion rights.
REAL ESTATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN COSTA RICA GM Attorneys Ivan Granados Managing Partner Tel: +506 2654-4367 / +506 2253-0661 igranados@gmattorneyscr.com www.linkedin.com/company/gm-attorneys www.facebook.com/GM-Attorneys-583146068539273 Ivan Granados is an Attorney and Notary Public who specializes in Real Estate, Corporate & Tax Law. He also provides legal counsel and advisory for Intellectual Property, Immigration (Residences applications) and Estate Planning in Costa Rica. A majority of his clients are business builders and a great number of them are foreign investors including private individuals, companies and enterprises, which require legal advisory. Mr. Granados holds a dual Master’s degree (LL.M) in Tax and Business Law. He has worked in both the public and private sectors. He began his career by holding top legal advisory positions within the Costa Rican Government. In 2004, Mr. Granados entered private practice at GM Attorneys, a distinguished Boutique Law Firm, which for over three decades has provided counsel and personalized services for a broad range of legal parameters with the highest ethical and professional quality standards. Since 2014 both Mr. Granados and GM Attorneys have been honored as “Lawyer of the Year”, “Law Firm of the Year”, and also profiled as “Costa Rica – Corporate & Real Estate Expert” by
ACQ5, Global Law Experts (GLE), Corporate INTL, among other top legal directories and specialized websites and magazines. GM Attorneys offers prompt and direct responses to every client’s situation and provides an overall analysis within the legal parameters on each of its three law offices located in Tamarindo & Flamingo Beach (Guanacaste) and San Jose. The firm’s mission is to become another of its clients’ business allies. GM Attorneys reaches its objectives by creating highly trained task teams, which are continuously updated in addition to strategic alliances, both national and international with other law professionals or in other fields. PRACTICE AREAS • Real Estate • Corporate and Business Law • Foreign Investment • Immigration (Applications for Residence) Tax & Estate Planning • Intellectual Property (Trademarks & Patents) Alternative Dispute Resolution • Criminal and Civil Litigation
GLE Awards 2017
35
REAL ESTATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN JAMAICA Clayton Morgan & Company Clayton A.H. Morgan Managing Partner Tel: +1 (876) 952-1800 claymoco@cwjamaica.com www.claytonmorganandco.com When you need legal help and professional advice in all areas of law, Clayton Morgan & Company has an experienced team of highly qualified Attorneys who can provide you with just that. It is a one-stop full service law firm that prides itself in providing the best advice and support you need in a clear, responsive and friendly manner. Clayton Morgan & Company is also recognised as a leader and expert in the field of Jamaica Property Law. The firm offers a range of legal services for individuals in business and those who require a local attorney’s expertise with their personal legal matter. Clayton Morgan & Company believes in giving more to its clients, providing them with the support of people who understand their needs and appreciate how they feel. The firm sees to it that it look after its client’s best interest in every case, as well as building close working relationships with its clients. Clayton Morgan & Company’s team is prepared to help clients with any legal problem they have. The firm is fully devoted in delivering a cost-effective, legal service and counsel to individuals locally and abroad. Established in 1976, Clayton Morgan & Company is well known in Jamaica and South Florida. The firm retains and instructs several Attorneys specialising in various area of law. The firm’s main office is located at 59 Church Street, Montego Bay, Jamaica WI. A branch office is located at 7 Duke Street, Kingston. As well as its offices in Montego Bay and Kingston, it also has overseas agents in Canada, Panama, Turks and Caicos and the US. The firm is managed by a team of competent and experienced persons including four in-house attorneys, a legal clerk (with over 30 years with the firm) and two accountants (one of which has over 10 years with the firm). The firm’s client base also includes public organisations and charities. Some of the clients with whom the firm has built a strong attorney-client relationship are: • Trans Caribbean Jamaica Limited (Real Estate Developers) • Rose Hall Developments Jamaica • Cool Corporation Group of Companies • Indies Pharma Jamaica Limited • Mango Walk Country Club • Whitter Village Group of Companies • West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists • Tropical Tours Jamaica Limited • Thrifty Car Rentals Jamaica • Dollar Car Rentals Jamaica The firm serves both individuals and companies who require business related services. Some of the services it provides to clients are as follows: • General property advice • General commercial advice • Formation and registration of companies • Commercial dispute resolution • Industrial and employing agreements
36
GLE Awards 2017
• Contracts for sale and lease of real estate • Partnerships • Licensing • Bridge financing for low income housing • Obtaining registered titles for unregistered lands • Obtaining probate and letters of administration of estates • Debt collection • Industrial and employment agreements • Criminal litigation • Civil litigation • Divorce law • Property management Clayton A.H. Morgan Clayton Morgan is the managing partner of Clayton Morgan & Company. He established the firm in 1976 after being called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn, London and admitted to the Bar in Jamaica. During his career at the Bar he has represented hundreds of clients before the several courts and tribunals in Jamaica at the highest levels. His current areas of practice are focused on real estate and commercial transactions. His experience in working with real estate developers in obtaining land development approvals, registered titles, mortgages and transfers of land spans several years. His practice is not only focused on high-net-worth clients and projects but also on small- and medium-range income earners and projects. For example, interest-free bridge financing is arranged for all qualified clients who are first-time, low-income purchasers, together with free legal advice on real estate transactions. Mr Morgan has, during his legal career, been involved in several professional and business activities. He is a cofounder and the first managing director of the Montego Bay Legal Aid Clinic and a former secretary and chairman of the Western Regional Rent Assessment Board. He has also been a member and director of the Urban Development Corporation, The Police Services Commission, Parish Council Services Commission and the Montego Bay Cooperative Credit Union Limited. He is currently a director of Palm View Guest House Limited, Skyborne Limited, The St. James Police Civic Committee, a founding Trustee of Cornwall College Trust, and the founding editor of “EQUITY” the quarterly newsletter of The Cornwall Bar Association. Mr Morgan holds membership in several local and overseas professional organisations, namely: The Jamaican Bar Association, The Cornwall Bar Association, The International Bar Association and The American Bar Association (Associate). He was a vice president of The Jamaican Bar Association (2000–2003) and president of The Cornwall Bar Association (2002–2004 and 2006–2008). He was also a member of The General Legal Council (2004–2009), and a member of The General Legal Council and its Disciplinary Committee (2004–2009).
EDITORS’ CHOICE - ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MEXICO Hornedo y Renovales S.C José Francisco Gutiérrez Carmona Partner Director Tel: +52 55 5280-80-92 jose.francisco@hornedoyrenovales.com.mx www.hornedoyrenovales.com.mx Hornedo y Renovales S.C is a law firm specialising in various branches of law, such as: corporate, tax, patrimonial, hereditary, foreign investments, fiduciary, legal department outsourcing and comprehensive corporate management. Hornedo y Renovales was founded in 1987, with the idea that a small firm can give its clients much more personalised attention. Since then, the firm has advised and represented Mexican entrepreneurs and foreign investors from the most diverse branches of economic activity, especially: mining, publishing, journalism, radio, banking, textiles, food, clothing, franchising, hotel, catering, tourism, development, real estate and other areas. The firm supports its clients to achieve their objectives, defending their interests before authorities, courts, competitors, customers and suppliers, strictly adhering to the law and its code of professional ethics. The firm’s staff are members of various national and foreign associations, chambers and schools, with a solid academic background, but above all subject to rigorous ethical commands, outlined in the firm’s code. Hornedo y Renovales provides a service of the highest quality, within a margin of respect for legality and the highest ethical imperatives. It generates new solutions through constant study, exchange of experiences and the creation of a network of consultants and quality partners. The firm looks for the best solution for its clients’ needs and in case this is not possible it informs them in a timely manner. It assumes responsibility for its acts and omissions, and charges fair and reasonable fees, which represent a real benefit to the client.
Hornedo y Renovales maintains a constant and personal communication with each and every one of its clients, even at the cost of greater potential growth. The firm gives its collaborators spaces of growth and personal satisfaction, generating long-term relationships through the recognition of their achievements and permanent training. It supports initiatives within society that allow the development of a true culture of legality. The firm shares its experiences through the organisation of talks and seminars and the publication of articles and bulletins. It avoids any illegal practices, in particular any acts of corruption. Hereditary Law Hornedo y Renovales has supported a large number of clients in hereditary planning, advising them on the drafting of their testamentary dispositions and on the formation of “ad hoc” legal instruments, such as trusts and other entities of Mexican and foreign law, as well as in the surveillance and execution of their instructions after his death. José Francisco Gutiérrez Carmona José Francisco Gutiérrez Carmona graduated in Law from Universidad Iberoamericana. He is a member of the Mexican Bar Association and a member of the board of directors of mercantile companies, national and foreign. He specialises in corporate and contracts law, relations with different areas of government, permits and concessions.
EDITORS’ CHOICE - IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MEXICO GARCIA BARRAGAN ABOGADOS Adriana Lopez Gonzalez Managing Partner Tel: +5255 5703 3020; +5255 5703 3076 alopez@gb-abogados.com.mx www.gb-abogados.com.mx GARCIA BARRAGAN ABOGADOS is a Mexico Citybased full-service law firm established in 1978, which offers a full range of legal services in Mexico, the US, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Oceania. The firm is known abroad, mainly in the US, for its practice regarding direct and indirect foreign investment in Mexico and legal areas related to the foregoing. Its client base is Mexican and American. The firm has two general partners, two limited partners, 12 associates, paralegal personnel, plus specialised technical staff and administrative personnel. The firm’s services include: general corporate/commercial, mergers and acquisitions, foreign investment, tax, banking and financial, administrative, environment, immigration, telecommunications, admiralty, mining and petrochemicals, intellectual property, sports law and entertainment (image rights), international trade, anti-trust, dumping, government procurement, real estate, health, regulatory affairs (Official Standard compliance), civil practice, litigation, arbitration and mediation. The firm practices throughout Mexico via working relationships with reputable law firms in Mexico’s major cities. The firm has ongoing relations with various reputable American, European, Asian, African, Australian and Oceanian firms.
Adriana Lopéz González Adriana Lopéz González is named and authorised by the National Institute of Copyright as arbitrator in arbitral proceedings. He is a Professor of Civil Law and Intellectual Property Law at Escuela Libre de Derecho and Universidad Iberoamericana. He is an arbiter in copyrights appointed by the National Institute of Copyrights. His areas of practice include: intellectual property; health care; arbitration; litigation; advertising and marketing; and franchises and franchising. He attended the Southern Methodist University School of Law, Southern Methodist University, Universidad Panamericana, Ilustre y Nacional Colegio de Abogados de México, Escuela Libre de Derecho, Centro de Arbitraje de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intellectual and Instituto Nacional del Derecho de Autor. His associations and memberships include: Barra Mexicana; Colegio de Abogados Ilustre y Nacional Colegio de Abogados de México; Asociación Mexicana para la Protección de la Propiedad Industrial (AMPPI); International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (AIPPI); International Trademark Association (INTA); Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Industrial (ASIPI); Asociación de Ejecutivos en Transferencia de Tecnología (LES México, A.C.); and the American Bar Association (ABA).
GLE Awards 2017
37
EDITORS’ CHOICE - OIL & GAS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MEXICO Rodríguez Dávalos Abogados (“RDA”) Jesús Rodríguez Dávalos Managing Partner Tel: +52 (55) 5202-0405 jrodriguez@rdabogados.com.mx www.rdabogados.com.mx Rodríguez Dávalos Abogados (RDA) is highly specialized in all aspects of energy and infrastructure projects. The unique position of the firm in the industry is backed by more than 20 years of experience. RDA has been a significant player on many major strategic infrastructure projects representing billions of dollars in investments. RDA handles a very high percentage of the largest energy projects in Mexico on behalf of developers and has built unparalleled experience providing legal, economic, and business advisory services in Mexico’s Energy Industry and abroad. RDA has participated in many first-of-a-kind projects that have been noteworthy not only for their importance in the field but for the innovative approach. Among some of them we may mention first-of-a-kind projects, noteworthy not only for their importance in the field, but also for the innovative approach that characterizes them. Some of these projects include: the first three privately owned LPG pipelines; the first wet gas exportation pipeline to the United States of America; the first private petrochemicals transportation pipeline; the first private power export project to Central America; the first compressed natural gas transportation system by truck; the first cross-border privately owned LPG pipeline; the first solar power production project in Mexico; the first project generating electricity from landfill biogas; the first natural gas operational SWAP between the United States of America and Mexico; the first interconnection agreement to the Pemex LPG pipeline; NAESB agreements for power generation companies, IPPs, and natural gas LDCs in Mexico; the first private Naphtha processing plant in Mexico.
Meanwhile, with the recent energy reform, the country’s storage and transportation infrastructure for petrochemicals and refined products transitioned from a regime solely handled by Pemex, to an open-access model, allowing, also, the participation of the private sector in such activities. Within this new regulatory context, RDA has provided the advice needed to obtain regulatory permits and rates for 77 refined products and petrochemical storage facilities, as well as eight pipeline systems for the transportation of crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals. RDA has represented foreign and domestic energy companies, Mexican state-owned productive companies as well as energyrelated government agencies. The firm has a strong presence in the entire value chain of the energy sector, including upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the oil and gas industry, as well as in power generation, renewable energies, transmission and marketing of electricity. RDA also works with clients engaged in maritime activities related to the energy industry. Members of RDA have actively participated providing advisory services in the lawmaking processes and applicable regulations to the energy sector, such as: the Energy Regulatory Commission Law; Natural Gas Regulations; Liquefied Petroleum Gas Regulations; applicable guidelines or directives to natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. Moreover, RDA has a broad knowledge of the official standards applicable to natural gas and LPG (implementation and enforcement aspects) and has successfully advised several industry associations on regulatory matters.
ADMIRALTY AND SHIPPING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS / COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS / DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
GrahamThompson Stephen M. Wilson, QC Partner Tel: +1 649-339-4130 sw@gtclaw.com www.grahamthompson.com GrahamThompson (“GT”) prides itself on its unique combination of expert legal skills and real-world experience in working out effective solutions to complex problems. With 65 years of continuous history and a firstrate balance between seasoned practitioners and dynamic young lawyers, GT is excellence-driven in every way and, accordingly, well known as a leading Bahamian law firm. Producing and sustaining a satisfied clientele drawn locally and from across five continents is the common focal point of the firm’s efforts. Integrity, hard work, understanding the “bigger picture” that frames the specific legal needs of clients, creativity, rigorous ethical restraint in the charging of fees, and uncompromising loyalty to the client, are key ingredients of the GT ethos. The firm, well known as the largest commercial law firm in the Bahamas, has successfully expanded from its main downtown Nassau location in recent years to better serve its broad range of corporate and private clients. In 2000, the Freeport, Grand Bahama office was opened, followed by the launching of licensed affiliate GTC Corporate Services in 2001, and the Lyford Cay, New Providence office in 2011. In December 2012, GT expanded to Providenciales in The Turks and Caicos Islands, where it already enjoys a reputation as one of the leading firms for civil and commercial litigation, and more recently, for transactional real estate matters. The firm has built up an enviable reputation both domestically and globally in a variety of important legal disciplines. Its attorneys are sought
38
GLE Awards 2017
after by leaders in the real property, resort development, banking and capital markets sectors. The firm is highly regarded for its expertise in trust and estate planning, commercial matters, civil litigation, family law, securitisation, employment and immigration matters. The firm is consistently ranked a tier-one law firm by the leading international ratings publications, including CHAMBERS AND PARTNERS, IFLR 1000, and CITY WEALTH LEADERS LIST, among others. Currently, two of the firm’s partners have been appointed Queens Council (QC). Unique among law firms, GT has all through the years made notable contributions to high public service. GT’s former partners have played critical roles in the Bahamas’ judiciary including three of the nation’s past Attorneys-General, the former Chief Justice, several Justices of the Bahamas Supreme Court, and the Chairman of the Judicial Review Commission. Other partners have served the Bahamas government as Senators, a Minister of Labour & Housing, a Gaming Board Chairman, a Water & Sewerage Corporation Chairman, a Broadcasting Corporation Chairman, and the Vice-Chair of the College of The Bahamas. Presently, our Partners serve as Chairman of the Utilities Regulatory Commission and the Chairman of the Constitutional Commission. This record of service to successive governments and the judiciary is wholly without parallel in the history of the legal profession of the Bahamas.
EMPLOYMENT DISPUTES LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS F Chambers Mark Anthony Fulford Managing Partner Tel: +1 (649) 339 6275 maf@fchamberslaw.com www.fchamberslaw.com F Chambers is a modern law firm affiliated with Chambers in Europe, North America and the Caribbean which has a reservoir of experienced lawyers to efficiently meet its clients’ demand for quality legal services. “Our mission is to become the leading law firm in the Turks and Caicos Islands, by providing quality and professional representation, advice and services to all clients both personal and corporate, domestically and internationally and to secure a just outcome in the courtroom and at the deal-making table expeditiously,” said Mark Anthony Fulford, managing partner. F Chambers provides advice, services and representation in the following practice areas: Employment Disputes; Immigration; Company Incorporation; Real Estate; Debt Recovery; ADR; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Litigation; Civil Litigation; Family Litigation; Company & Commercial; Tourism and Hotel Development; Wills and Probate. According to Mr Fulford, the value that defines F Chambers can be summarised as fearlessly committed: to human rights – that includes a recognition that the poorest citizen is not made equal to the richest corporation simply by according them the same rights; to a liberal tradition of defending freedom and citizens’ rights irrespective of the popularity of the cause or the client; to creating an undisputed reputation for excellence; to providing a service that is swift, efficient, responsive and at a price matching the quality of the firm’s service; and to ensuring that principles of equality, respect and diversity are embodied both in the service it provides to clients and in the recruitment, training and support policies it promotes.
Mark Anthony Fulford is a managing partner at F Chambers Attorneys based in Providenciales. He is an organiser and communicator with extensive experience in public administration and policy making, public relations, banking, sales and marketing. His expertise lies in inward investment, corporate structuring, development, immigration, employment and real estate. He is an outstanding graduate of the University of Buckingham Law School where he was the first Turks and Caicos Islander to receive the coveted Merit Prize Award. At Buckingham University he served as President of the Law Society, a position that ushered him into the company of distinguished leaders including His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. Prior to returning to the TCI where he is now the managing partner of F Chambers, he gained work experience in an array of practice areas with reputable law firms in London, and in Bermuda. Mr Fulford has successfully conducted numerous cases in the Magistrate Court, Labour Tribunal, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in the Turks and Caicos Islands. He serves as the President of the Legislative Committee of the TCI Bar Association. He is a founding member and Chairman of the Advocates Legal Group, which is the largest group of Legal Aid lawyers that undertake litigation for the indigent. He is a member of the International Bar Association and sits on the Law Firm Management committee. Mr Fulford has served as Special Assistant to the first Premier of the TCI and as an Advisor to the second Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands. He regularly provides his opinion on specially commissioned work to the current Premier.
US ISLAMIC LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE US Abed Awad, Esq. Abed Awad, Esq. 777 Terrace Avenue, Suite 303 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604 +201.462.9500 / +877.272.2529 info@abedawad.com www.abedawad.com
In our global village, marriages, finance, and commercial transactions are crossing borders. Not surprisingly, American courts must regularly interpret and apply foreign law to everything from the recognition of foreign divorces and custody decrees to the validity of marriages, the terms of an Islamic finance deal, the enforcement of money judgments, or the elements of damages in a commercial dispute or a tort action. Abed Awad is recognized nationally as an Islamic and Middle Eastern law expert. He is experienced in complex matters that require attention to detail and strategic litigation planning. With a solid track record, he provides expert witness testimony and related services, such as preparation of briefs and expert reports explaining Shari’a (Islamic law) and the laws of Muslim countries to clients, attorneys, and courts throughout the United States. Mr. Awad has testified, consulted, and/or provided an expert opinion on the laws of the following countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates (including Dubai and Abu Dhabi), and many more. Having the right expert witness at your side can offer a great advantage. Whether you need expert testimony to convince a judge or jury, or if you need a detailed report to explain the issues of your case to a non-expert, testimony from a nationally recognized expert can influence negotiations and even win your case.
GLE Awards 2017
39
BOUTIQUE - CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Andrade & Associates Richard B. Andrade Partner Tel: +1 (949) 553-1951 randrade@aalaws.com www.andradelaw.com Andrade & Associates is a Laguna Hills-based law firm serving all of Southern California in business and civil litigation, with a particular emphasis on litigation, dispute resolution, and transactional matters in the construction industry. A great deal of time, money, and effort goes into every construction project. The firm’s job is to see that its clients’ business goals are met while protecting their legal rights, now and in the future. Andrade & Associates brings together experience in the field with experience in the courtroom to provide outstanding legal representation with a deep understanding of the issues at hand. Firm founder Richard B. Andrade at one time was an owner of a general engineering company that did over $30 million of work. With this combination of practical and legal experience, the firm’s legal team is uniquely situated to handle any construction contract or litigation issue that may arise. Andrade & Associates is a small firm that is experienced in a big way, and it has helped dozens of clients in the construction industry, including construction companies, suppliers, insurance companies and sureties. By maintaining specific expertise and focusing on a particular area of law, the firm is able to represent its clients in the most efficient and effective manner. The attorneys at Andrade & Associates combine industry and legal skill and experience to provide excellent advice and representation to companies involved in the construction industry throughout
California. The firm’s lawyers put their knowledge and talents to work in preparing well-drafted construction contracts, providing effective advocacy in a variety of construction litigation, including construction defects, and dealing with the labour and employment issues regularly faced by companies in the field of construction. Construction Litigation An unfortunate fact of doing business is that disputes will arise, regardless of how diligent one is in the drafting or performance of contracts. When a construction project is ongoing, a problem in any one area can slow down or halt progress on the entire project. In the industry, every day spent resolving a problem is money out of the pockets of basically every party involved in the project. Andrade & Associates understand the importance of protecting its clients’ legal rights. As contractors and construction company owners, the firm understands the value of a solution that achieves the optimum cost-benefit result in any particular solution. It is here to solve problems, not create them, and to do so in an aggressive yet ethical manner. The firm’s litigation practice includes many of the issues typically encountered in the construction industry, including: • •
•
• •
•
Construction law including claims for additional compensation Delay damage claims Mechanic’s liens Miller Act claims Payment/performance bond claims Labor law including wage and hour claims
CLASS ACTION LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Baron & Budd
Dan Alberstone Shareholder, Attorney at Law Tel: +1 (818) 839-2322 dalberstone@baronbudd.com www.baronbudd.com
Roland Tellis Shareholder, Attorney at Law Tel: +1 (818) 839-2320 rtellis@baronbudd.com www.baronbudd.com
Established 40 years ago to fight for workers injured by asbestos, Baron & Budd has expanded to confront not only the asbestos industry but also to “Protecting What’s Right” for people, communities and businesses hurt by societal threats such as water contamination, unsafe pharmaceutical drugs and devices, overtime violations, trucking accidents, financial industry fraud, nursing home abuse and automobile recalls. Today, the firm has offices in cities throughout the U.S., including Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Baron & Budd cases have led to wide-sweeping changes, impacting virtually every consumer. For example, as part of a class action, Baron & Budd helped negotiate several significant settlements to repay bank clients for a portion of the absurdly high fees they were charged as a result of the banks’ highly profitable practice of reordering debit card expenditures from high to low. The settlement also forced a change in banking practices. Dan Alberstone Dan Alberstone co-manages Baron & Budd’s Los Angeles office. He has more than 30 years’ experience prosecuting complex litigation matters, including extensive jury trial experience. He specializes in class action and mass tort litigation in the areas of consumer protection, financial fraud, false advertising, and environmental contamination. Mr. Alberstone has been selected as lead trial counsel by both institutional and individual clients in their most significant matters, and is lead class counsel in a number of high-profile class action cases, including cases against large national banks and other financial institutions, as well as multinational corporations. In the consumer class action sector, Mr. Alberstone has served as lead or
40
GLE Awards 2017
co-lead counsel in several notable cases, including Bias et al. v. Wells Fargo & Company, et al., concerning improperly marked-up fees for third-party home appraisals following loan defaults which resulted in a $50 million non-reversionary class-wide settlement. In addition, Mr. Alberstone has been selected to serve as lead trial counsel representing the Attorney Generals for the states of Hawaii and New Mexico against two global pharmaceutical companies for unfair and deceptive business practices. Roland Tellis Roland Tellis leads Baron & Budd’s Class Action Practice Group and co-manages the firm’s Los Angeles Office. His practice focuses on complex, high-profile litigation, including consumer class actions, financial fraud, business torts, corporate misconduct, automobile defect, food labelling, false advertising, securities fraud and environmental contamination. He has held leadership roles in numerous multi-state, complex class action cases. Mr. Tellis has also represented clients in numerous jury trials, including several involving hundreds of millions of dollars. He is one of three lawyers appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in a multi-state class action case against Takata, related to tens of millions of vehicles equipped with a defective airbag inflator. The case involves the largest consumer product recall in U.S. history. Additionally, he was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in a multi-state class action involving hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen vehicles equipped with “defeat devices” designed to evade emissions laws. Also, in 2005, Mr. Tellis received commendation from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his assistance in a successful parallel prosecution of a $120 million securities Ponzi scheme perpetrated by foreign currency traders.
HOSPITALITY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Berliner Cohen, LLP Joseph E. Dworak Partner Tel: +1 408-286-5800 joseph.dworak@berliner.com www.berliner.com Berliner Cohen, LLP is one of the largest and oldest law firms in San Jose serving the business and regulatory needs of private business and public agencies. For almost 50 years, the firm has developed the special expertise required by a diverse client base consisting of nationally recognised business interests and a number of Silicon Valley’s largest national and multinational corporations, new ventures, leading real estate developers and brokerages, cutting-edge technology companies, healthcare and other service providers, banking and financial institutions, municipalities, public agencies and individuals. Berliner Cohen, LLP also meets the growing demands of the San Joaquin Valley with its expanding offices in Merced and Modesto. Hospitality Law Berliner Cohen’s hospitality practice has been structured to provide practical advice and counselling on a variety of issues facing businesses within the hospitality industry. The firm’s attorneys, including corporate, tax, employment and labour, and real estate attorneys, as well as specialists in commercial litigation and industry-related operational concerns, understand the challenges unique to hospitality-related businesses and their owners and operators, and place an emphasis on creative and preventative solutions to avoid expensive litigation. The hospitality group’s focus includes: • Business formation • Land use matters • Business transactions • Real estate • Commercial finance • Employment issues • Regulatory issues The firm’s knowledge and extensive experience comes from an
involvement in numerous hospitality matters, including acquisition and sales, development and construction, financing, and employment. Berliner Cohen’s real estate attorneys handle a variety of real estate, land use, environmental and construction issues for hospitality industry clients, from acquiring and developing hotels, zoning issues, leasing of restaurants and bars, construction contracts, and management and operating agreements. Additionally, hospitality employers are continually faced with challenging employment and labour issues and ever-changing federal and state laws and regulations. The firm’s employment attorneys offer preventative advice, counsel and training on a wide variety of topics, including harassment and discrimination, wrongful discharge, wage and hour issues, labour disputes, employee leaves, union avoidance, and employee handbooks and policy manuals. Representative Matters • Represented a REIT in the acquisition, public approval process and development of a mixed-use project consisting of 1,200 residential units, 650,000 square feet of retail space and a 250-room hotel • Represented a real estate developer in the acquisition and development of a downtown redevelopment project consisting of office, retail and hotel elements • Represented Kim Small Properties in a project with the DoubleTree Hotel and Tech Center in Santa Clara, which was eventually sold and presently is owned by the Hyatt Corporation • Represented the San Jose Biltmore Hotel in refinancing • Represented area winery in negotiation with promoter to produce all concerts and shows at the winery
INDUSTRY CHOICE - LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Girardi | Keese Thomas V. Girardi Founding Partner Tel: +1 213-977-0211 tgirardi@girardikeese.com www.girardikeese.com Thomas V. Girardi, founding partner of Girardi and Keese, has over 50 years of professional experience as a practicing attorney. He has proved himself to be an accomplished litigator and has become a household name. From being the trial lawyer on the famous Erin Brockovich case to his solid victories against Pfizer, Merck and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mr. Girardi is regarded by his peers as one of the nation’s top trial lawyers of all time. He has obtained more than 30 verdicts of $1 million or more and has handled more than 150 settlements of $1 million or more. He has tried more than 200 jury cases, winning the first California medical malpractice verdict of $1 million or more. Thomas V. Girardi has been active in the legal community and recognized worldwide for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the legal profession. He has received many awards accolades and has been featured in numerous publications and magazines. In 2003, he received the most prestigious honor of being inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame by the California State Bar. Mr. Girardi is also the first trial lawyer to be appointed to the California Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the state courts. From 2006 to the present, Mr. Girardi has hosted a radio show called “Champions of Justice” on KRLA 870AM in Southern California, which discusses legal issues facing Americans today. He has been featured in Lawdragon Magazine, Los Angeles Daily Journal, The National Law Journal, ICE Magazine,
Texas Bar Journal, California Law Business, and New Times Los Angeles. Mr. Girardi is a member of the Board of Directors and former President of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only worldwide organization. He is President of Litigation Counsel of America, a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, the American Board of Professional Liability Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the International Society of Barristers. He currently serves as a Trustee for the Library of Congress. Girardi and Keese is distinguished for the number of active trial lawyers in the firm and the breadth of cases that the lawyers there actually try. The firm handles wrongful death and serious injury cases in the fields of product liability, toxic torts, medical device and pharmaceutical cases and every type of negligence case under the sun. Currently, there is a well-coordinated assault on the right to a jury trial and equally well-coordinated efforts to prevent juries from holding corporate wrongdoers to account. Girardi and Keese will be on the front line of the battle to preserve consumer rights and protect consumers from defective products and corporate misbehavior and negligence. Our typical client – whether a brain-damaged child or a small business owner – is someone who has been the victim of wrongful conduct. Just as there are many varieties of bad behavior, there is a wide variety of victims.
GLE Awards 2017
41
TECHNOLOGY SECTOR CONTRACTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US
SYCAMORE LEGAL Technology Transactions Counsel We’re a boutique law firm dedicated to technology agreements and to privacy and intellectual property – focusing on large and international transactions. We serve some of the most influential companies in the world, including members of the global Fortune 100. Our founder, David Tollen, is the author of the American Bar Association’s bestseller, The Tech Contracts Handbook. Practice areas: Cloud Computing Agreements
E-Commerce
Software Licensing
Big Data
Data Security and Privacy
Expert Witness Services
IT Outsourcing
Training on IT Contracts, for Lawyers and Businesspeople
Open Source Software
Sycamore Legal, P.C.
555 Montgomery St., Suite 1650 San Francisco, California 94111, U.S.A. www.SycamoreLegal.com
ALTERNATIVE ENTITY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN DELAWARE, US Morris James LLP Ross Antonacci Partner Tel: +1 302-888-6914 rantonacci@morrisjames.com www.morrisjames.com
Delaware’s alternative entities, such as LLCs, partnerships and trusts, are some of the most unique and flexible tools in business. They provide an adaptable framework for all sorts of businesses, whether they be large or small, complicated or simple. These same characteristics, however, can create pitfalls for the unwary. As experienced practitioners in all aspects of Delaware law covering these entities, we have an intimate knowledge of their use, benefits and limitations as well as extensive experience with their formation, structuring, financing, operation, and management. We sit on the Delaware State Bar Association’s committees tasked with proposing amendments to these laws, ensuring that we stay on the cutting edge and have an opportunity to propose beneficial changes.
42
GLE Awards 2017
When disputes involving these entities arise they are often litigated in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Our attorneys are experienced in representing the entities, as well as their owners and managers, in a wide range of disputes, including the propriety of self-dealing transactions, the duties of members and managers of LLCs, the rights of unit holders of statutory trusts, judicial dissolution and other disputes governed by Delaware’s unique alternative entity laws. When you engage Morris James, you can expect to work with a team of attorneys who are passionate about the success of your venture and will work hard to leverage our knowledge for your benefit.
Delaware’s alternative entities, such as LLCs, partnerships and trusts, are some of the most unique and flexible tools in business.
INTERNATIONAL TAX LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN FLORIDA, US Marini & Associates, P.A Ronald A. Marini Partner Tel: +1 888-882-9243 rmarini@taxaid.com www.taxaid.com Marini & Associates, P.A is a law firm based in Miami, Florida, whose focus is the practice of tax law and related fields, with an emphasis on zealously representing and defending taxpayers before the IRS and various State Taxing Agencies. US tax law is notoriously complex and ever-changing. The firm’s attorneys have more than 100 years of combined experience in advising on laws, regulations, practices and procedures that impact clients and their businesses. Whether the concern is US Federal (IRS) or multi-state tax issues for a domestic or a multinational business entity, or planning for a foreign national immigrating to the US (inbound), or planning for a US taxpayer emigrating from the US as an expatriate (outbound), Marini & Associates, P.A is available to provide proactive advice and tax-planning. Marini & Associates, P.A is internationally recognized as a leader in providing tax counsel, tax defense representation and legal representation to clients throughout the United States and around the world. International Tax Litigation The Internal Revenue Service has committed to renewed efforts to pursue international violations of the tax laws by individuals and businesses. In order to address what it considers to be an area rife with abusive tax avoidance behavior, the IRS is aggressively pursuing international tax violations through use of both civil audits and criminal investigations and prosecutions. The IRS has announced specific plans to focus on combating international tax fraud and tax evasion by expanding its programs of information sharing and cooperation with nations around the world. The IRS’s most recent efforts in this area have been against US taxpayers who maintain unreported foreign bank accounts. The IRS’s and DOJ’s
public campaign to identify US taxpayers with accounts in UBS and other foreign banks has been extensively chronicled by the media, and now, with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) requiring Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) and certain other non-financial foreign entities to report on the foreign assets held by their US account holders, there is no confidentiality or anonymity for US taxpayers anywhere in the world. The IRS has also announced that it will focus its efforts on increasing audits of US persons and businesses that make payments to foreign individuals and businesses to ensure the US taxpayers are properly reporting and withholding taxes from those payments. The IRS also plans to increase audits and investigations of US individual and business taxpayers with foreign-sourced income, foreign bank accounts and foreign trusts. To accomplish these goals, the IRS announced it plans to hire as many as 800 new employees to focus solely on international tax compliance issues. Marini & Associates, P.A specializes in representing the following taxpayers with international tax issues: US citizens living and working abroad; US citizens with foreign-sourced income; US taxpayers with international trusts; non-US taxpayers with US-sourced income; US businesses with operations in other countries; international businesses with US tax reporting requirements and tax liabilities; US and non-US entertainers with worldwide income; expatriates; and US citizens and residents with undeclared income from offshore bank accounts and other offshore foreign investments. Marini & Associates, P.A’s experienced tax litigators, many of whom are former IRS tax attorneys, know the various tax laws, are seasoned tax litigators, are skilled advocates, have a record of creativity and achievement in successfully representing taxpayers before the IRS. Contact us for a free consultation!
HOSPITALITY SECTOR LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ILLINOIS, US Finocchiaro & Associates, P.C. Peter D. Finocchiaro Principal Tel: +1 (312) 455-0123 peterf@fino-law.com www.finocchiarolaw.com Finocchiaro & Associates, P.C. is a Chicago law firm concentrating in the hospitality industry, commercial transactions, business law, real estate, commercial litigation and tax liens. The firm represents clients in both corporate transactional work and litigation courts across the country. The firm’s clients range from publicly traded corporations, to privately held international and national companies, to local businesses and individuals in their business or litigation needs. It represents real estate developers throughout their real estate business, from acquisition, zoning, finance and leasing through sale. It also represents some of Chicagoland’s most popular and renowned restaurants and hospitality businesses. The firm’s clients appreciate the efficiency with which it presents their legal options, guides them through their strategic legal decisions and then implements those solutions. Hospitality Law Finocchiaro & Associates is proud to represent some of Chicagoland’s most popular restaurants and hospitality establishments. Though most started quite small, many have become quite large and several are renowned. As always, the firm’s mission is to provide the legal guidance to enable its clients to focus on what they do best. Peter D. Finocchiaro Peter D. Finocchiaro actively litigates in federal and state courts across the country in complex construction disputes, contract claims, discrimination and other employment law issues, corporate/partnership disputes and many real estate matters. He has tried several cases to successful jury verdict and has also on appeal. Recently he secured
summary judgment for his client in a substantial, multi-party construction defect case in Southern California. In addition to litigation, Peter handles many other corporate, transactional and real estate matters. He serves as national counsel to the world’s premier sports surface manufacturer. He advises clients on complex commercial transactions, trade secrets, tax certificates, employment law, non-compete agreements, and corporate law issues. His real estate practice encompasses development, tax certificates, covers restrictive covenants, Illinois land trusts, condominiums, title insurance, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and eviction. Peter received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1987, and is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu. He graduated cum laude with a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1984. He is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois and is a member of the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District. His lectures include “Protecting Employers from Disloyal Employees” and “Impact of Unrelated Business Income Taxation on Exempt Organizations,” and is the author of “Legally Speaking,” Midwest Real Estate News, March 1993. For 10 years, he served as a member of the board of directors of Ox-Bow, Inc., a summer school for the arts affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and was vice-chair of the board. Prior to forming Finocchiaro & Associates, Peter had been partner at the national firm of Rivkin, Radler & Kremer, and then partner at Pachter, Gregory & Finocchiaro.
GLE Awards 2017
43
INSURANCE LITIGATION DEFENCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN KENTUCKY, US Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP David Klapheke Partner Tel: +1 502.589.5980 dklapheke@bsg-law.com www.bsg-law.com Attorneys at Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP have more than 100 years of background and experience in providing legal services and for well over 45 years, the firm has carried an “AV” rating in Martindale Hubbell Law Directory. Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP, was originally founded in 1895 as Blakey, Quinn & Lewis. Through the early 1900s, the firm acted as adjusters with authority to settle claims on behalf of insurance companies. Joseph E. Stopher was one of the first attorneys associated with the firm to try cases beginning in the 1940s. Since that time, the firm has become known as one of the ‘Most Prolific Trial Law Firms’ in the state according to The Kentucky Trial Court Review. The firm became known as Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP in April of 1993, coinciding with the move of the firm’s Louisville office to the Aegon Center at Fourth and Market Streets. Although the firm name has undergone five alterations since its inception, the firm has never merged in its history making it somewhat unique. All growth has been internal. Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP is the eighth largest law firm in Kentucky and was one of the first law firms in Kentucky to open satellite offices expanding to Lexington, Kentucky in the early 1940s and opening an office in Paducah, Kentucky one year later. In the 1980s, Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP opened offices in Pikeville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana, providing legal representation throughout Kentucky and southern Indiana.
Throughout its 115-year history, the firm has successfully defended major corporations in high-profile jury trials. The firm’s efforts have earned numerous awards and other recognitions. In addition to its AV rating, the highest available in the nationally published Martindale Hubbell Law Directory, 14 of the firm’s attorneys have been named to the Best Lawyers in America and two of the firm’s members have been elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers. US News & World Report recently named the firm as one of the best law firms in the United States. The firm remains active in community-oriented causes and was recognised by the Louisville Legal Aid Society as the Outstanding Law Firm for 2010 as a result of its work providing legal defence and assistance in the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program. Attorneys with Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP are board members of several non-profit organisations. The firm continues to participate in charitable events for juvenile diabetes, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Brooklawn Child and Family Services and the Louisville Bar Association Toy Drive. Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP and its attorneys have been providing legal representation to insurance companies and their insureds for more than 100 years. The firm provides representation in areas including premises liability, automotive litigation, environmental claims, trucking, fire loss, marine, contracts, declaratory judgments and numerous other matters involving personal injury, property damage, insurance and business loss.
CLIENT CHOICE - EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MISSISSIPPI, US Phelps Dunbar LLP Tommy Siler Partner; Managing Partner, Jackson Office Tel: +1-601-360-9357 tommy.siler@phelps.com www.phelpsdunbar.com Phelps Dunbar’s Labor & Employment team partners with clients to achieve their business objectives. The firm’s advisers believe in counselling proactively and planning strategically with employers, with the goal of avoiding litigation where possible, and achieving cost-efficient results when litigation is the best or preferred solution. Tommy Siler noted: “Because we believe planning is the best way to achieve business objectives and avoid employment issues, we make it our business to share knowledge and experience with clients through ongoing training and education, including seminars, breakfast briefings, newsletters, and email alerts with updates on breaking employment law news. “Our lawyers participate in all phases of state and federal court litigation and arbitration, and have experience in a broad array of administrative charges and investigations before federal, state and municipal administrative agencies.” Phelps Dunbar has the oldest, largest continuous Labor & Employment practice in the State of Mississippi. The Jackson labor and employment attorneys are part of a 43-lawyer L&E Group. Mr Siler said: “We are fortunate to be part of a relatively large law firm that has the human and technological resources to handle any-size claim and the actual in-court jury trial experience and hands-on union avoidance experience to tackle any trial or union organisational effort with which we are faced.”
44
GLE Awards 2017
He added: “We know Mississippi, its federal court system and the EEOC and NLRB personnel that handle Mississippi. We are not just litigators; we are trial lawyers who know how to conduct ourselves in Mississippi courtrooms. We understand Mississippians, and we understand how to communicate with them whether it is in the union-avoidance mode or in the collective-bargaining mode. No firm in Mississippi has our years or depth of experience handling L&E work in Mississippi courtrooms or dealing with union issues.” With respect to Phelps Dunbar’s case work, the firm helped a Mississippi public utility company de-certify a union that was in place for more than 60 years. It also represented numerous private companies and governmental entities in the courtroom, before juries in Mississippi federal district courts all over the state. In addition, Phelps Dunbar provides day-to-day advice to employerclients and helps trouble-shoot problems that arise, as well as helps clients proactively avoid potential complications. In 2017, the firm has guided one client through a complex labor arbitration and assisted another client in de-certifying a union. Mr Siler concluded by noting: “Our clients are comprised of businesses and governments that want to operate the right way and that are willing to fight for their reputation when wrongly accused. Within that group of clients, we represent a range of organisations – from small municipalities to Fortune 500 companies. “Looking to the future, we plan to expand our market share in the Mississippi market as well as expand our reach, regionally.”
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN NEVADA, US Greenberg Traurig Hoffman Mark G. Tratos Shareholder Tel: +1 702.938.6888 tratosm@gtlaw.com www.gtlaw.com Greenberg Traurig Hoffman was founded in 1967 by attorneys Mel Greenberg, Robert Traurig, and Larry J. Hoffman. Centred in the major hubs of the industry, Greenberg Traurig’s Entertainment & Media Practice provides clients in entertainment markets across the globe with multidisciplinary, business-oriented, and innovative legal counsel. The firm represents clients on both the talent and industry sides in the music, motion picture, television, sports, internet, digital media, media and cable, virtual reality, publishing, theatre, and branded entertainment industries. The firm’s approach is multifaceted, as its attorneys are skilled in transactional and litigation entertainment matters; media financing; intellectual property; information technology; internet issues; tax; trusts and estates; immigration; real estate; labour and employment; and governmental regulations. The firm employs its global depth, industry relationships, and business acumen to create practical strategies for its clients to help them thrive in today’s multimedia entertainment marketplace. Mark G. Tratos Mark G. Tratos is the founding shareholder of the firm’s Las Vegas office, home of the largest group of entertainment attorneys in Nevada. Previously, he was the co-founder of the firm of Quirk & Tratos. Mr Tratos focuses his practice on a variety of entertainment, intellectual property and litigation matters. He represents artists and performers, resort, hotel and casino entities in federal court litigation involving trademark, copyrights, domain names, rights of publicity and privacy law for known casino brands. He represents many of the
largest resorts in the world on brand development and protection strategies, enforcement and infringement litigation. Mr Tratos has represented numerous artists and performers, including the estates of Orson Welles, Anthony Quinn; performers Teller, Ozzy Osbourne, David Copperfield, Val Valentino and The Masked Magician; visual artists Ronnie Cutrone, Deny Dent, Vladamir Kush, Tim Bavington and Peter Lik; and athletes including world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. In keeping with the firm’s commitment to community involvement, Mr Tratos has been a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for more than 25 years. He currently teaches entertainment law, rights of publicity and privacy law, and the law of cyberspace at UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law; the business of entertainment at UNLV’s hotel college; and entertainment and fine arts law at the College of Fine and Performing Arts. Mr Tratos is the author of the New York Bar Association’s Entertainment Treatise, chapters on “The Evolution of Entertainment on the Internet,” “The Evolution of Entertainment Production, Distribution, Ownership and Control in the Digital Age,” and “Exhibitions: Art and Artifacts Exhibits as an Expansion of the Entertainment Industry.” He is Past Chair for the Board of Trustees of the National Judicial College and is the Chairman of the Board of Visitors for Lewis & Clark Law School, and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Lewis & Clark College. He serves as Director for the Board of the Smith Center for Performing Arts and Chairman of the Center’s Board of Advisors.
GLE Awards 2017
45
BOUTIQUE CATASTROPHIC INJURY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Cherundolo Law Firm John Cherundolo Partner Tel: +1 315.449.9500 jcherundolo@cherundololawfirm.com www.cherundololawfirm.com In 2013, after a distinguished career as a New York State Acting Supreme Court Judge, John C. Cherundolo chose to return to the practice of law. As a nationally recognised trial lawyer and former New York State Supreme Court Justice, Judge Cherundolo has re-joined the New York State Bar and is actively practicing law again with the establishment of Cherundolo Law Firm PLLC, a personal injury law firm. He is admitted to practice in New York State and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. John Cherundolo has been widely known for years to be one of the finest trial lawyers in the United States. Cherundolo has been involved in serious Personal Injury cases throughout the United States, with a significant presence in the Northeastern United States. In his years of practice, Cherundolo has had many settlements and verdicts for clients well into the millions of dollars and some approaching and/or well into the tens of millions. He is one of only a few trial lawyers in New York State that has been named as a Fellow to the coveted International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a Prestigious International Group that allows only the 500 best trial attorneys in the United States to be admitted as Fellows. Cherundolo is a leader in the law, trial lawyer, educator, Bar leader, and stands for competency and professionalism in every case that the Cherundolo Law Firm handles for its clients. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Syracuse University College of Law where he teaches Advanced Torts and is deeply involved in teaching other advanced trial activities. New York State Judgeship In 2006, Judge Cherundolo was appointed to Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court by the then Governor of the State of New York, George Pataki. In these roles, he presided over a prodigious trial calendar that covered a wide array of substantive and procedural aspects of New York State Law, and wrote many significant decisions making first impression law in New York State that have had significant impact throughout the country. Judge Cherundolo has now returned to the private practice of law, and started Cherundolo Law, a group of professional men and women fully committed to the excellence in the practice of law and the protection of individual rights. Prior Experience Prior to joining the bench, Judge Cherundolo gained prominence as a top trial lawyer by winning large and complex cases throughout the country. In 1983, he founded Cherundolo, Bottar & Leone, P.C., a firm dedicated to representing seriously injured individuals, and practiced trial law in the primary legal areas of medical malpractice, product liability, workplace accidents, automobile, mass torts, and aviation matters. As lead trial counsel, he has won many of the largest verdicts in Upstate New York, and has been involved in complex cases throughout the Northeast United States.
46
GLE Awards 2017
Prior to joining the bench, Judge Cherundolo gained prominence as a top trial lawyer by winning large and complex cases throughout the country. Judge Cherundolo and Syracuse University Judge Cherundolo is a long-time resident of Central New York and graduated cum laude and in the top 10% of his class, from Syracuse University College of Law in 1973. His success earned him the awards of being named as a member of Justinian Honor Society and Order of the Coif, the two highest honours given in Law School. He received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1972, and his B.A. from the Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences in 1970. He later attended Temple University Law School where he received a Masters Degree in Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Syracuse University College of Law. Judge Cherundolo is an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University College of Law for more than a decade, where he teaches courses in Advanced Torts and Civil Actions: Procedures and Pre-Trial Discovery. While an undergraduate student at Syracuse University, Judge Cherundolo was a member of the school’s football squad and was named a three-year letter winner as well as an offensive tackle first team All-East selection and mentioned to several All-American teams. He was also recognised as an Academic All-American. After completing his undergrad degree, he was signed to the Cleveland Browns, but opted to go to law school instead. Judge Cherundolo recently sat as a Chair of the Syracuse University Athletic Department Board of Directors, and is currently a member of the Board of the Syracuse Football Alumni Club. Areas of Law Those who have suffered serious or catastrophic injuries or have been provided with less than quality care are eligible to seek compensation for their losses, including pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of earnings. Cherundolo Law can assist clients with their personal injury claims. The areas in which the firm works with its clients include: • Wrongful death • Brain injury • Spinal injury • Serious burns • Birth injuries and defects • Product liability • Medical malpractice • Nursing home
FRANCHISE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US The Richard L. Rosen Law Firm, PLLC Richard L. Rosen Founding Partner Tel: +1 212-644-6644 rlr@rosenlawpllc.com www.richardrosenlaw.com The Richard L. Rosen Law Firm, PLLC and its predecessors have been providing high-quality legal services in the franchise field for over 40 years. While the Firm is located in New York City, at 110 East 59th Street, it represents clients nationwide. The goal of The Richard L. Rosen Law Firm is to provide our clients with appropriate and effective legal representation at a reasonable cost that “makes sense” in the context of the task that they have asked the Firm to undertake. While The Richard L. Rosen Law Firm, PLLC is experienced in most business matters, including the areas of corporate law, real estate development and lease negotiations and dispute resolution (litigation, arbitration and mediation), our Firm has a longstanding, special involvement in the franchising field. Richard L. Rosen, the founding member of The Richard L. Rosen Law Firm, PLLC, has represented countless franchisors, franchisees and franchisees associations, both as counsel and as a business adviser. Mr. Rosen has counselled and represented franchisors in the setting up of franchising systems and programs; formed franchising entities, drafted and negotiated franchise agreements, area development agreements, registration statements, disclosure and other ancillary franchise documents; litigated in both state and federal courts; and arbitrated and mediated matters on behalf of both franchisors and franchisees. Mr. Rosen is a founding member and immediate past chairman of the Franchise, Distribution and Licensing Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, a member of the Steering Committee of the
National Franchise Mediation Program, The CPR Institute For Dispute Resolution, Distinguished Panel of Neutrals and a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. He is the chairman of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers’ Fair Franchising Standards Committee and a member of the AAFD’s board of directors. In 2008, he received the AAFD’s Total Quality Franchising Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the field of franchising. Richard Rosen and the Firm have earned Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating for legal ability and integrity, and Richard is rated amongst Martindale Hubbell’s list of Preeminent Attorneys. Mr. Rosen is listed in: Who’s Who in America; Who’s Who in American Law; Who’s Who in the World; Best Lawyers in America; “101 Best Franchise Lawyers in America”; (the Franchise Times); the Franchise Times’ “Hall of Fame” of Franchise Attorneys (a charter member); Best Lawyers in the US; Franchise Attorney of the Year; New York, 2015; America’s Super Lawyers; Best Attorneys In America; Who’s Who Legal: Franchise; The International Who’s Who Legal (compendium edition), and is a recipient of the Global Award for Franchise Law. Mr. Rosen and his firm are the authors of the section on Franchise Law in the United States which appears in the Third and Fourth Editions of the (International) Franchise Law Review, as well as the U.S. Franchise Law Analysis which appears in The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Franchise, 2017, and the Analysis scheduled to appear in the 2018 Edition of said publication.
PUBLIC FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US
• Hawkins is ranked number one Bond Counsel for municipal bond issues in the State of New York • during the past year, • during the last five years, • during the last ten years and • since such records have been maintained. • We are the only national law firm in the United States whose practice is devoted exclusively to public finance and public projects, including P3 projects. • We have nine offices nationally. • We have more attorneys, including 14 tax attorneys, engaged in the full-time practice of public finance and projects than any other law firm in the country. • We have an active municipal disclosure practice. • We have participated in virtually every type of transaction in the public finance sector. • In 2016, we were involved as bond counsel and underwriters’ counsel in over $45 billion of municipal bonds. • Since records have been maintained, we are ranked nationally, in terms of volume, the number one underwriters’ counsel and the number two bond counsel, having participated in the issuance of over $1 trillion of municipal bonds.
www.hawkins.com
Our Offices 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich Street New York, New York 333 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, California One Embarcadero Center San Francisco, California 1415 L Street Sacramento, California 200 SW Market Street Portland, Oregon One Gateway Center Newark, New Jersey 601 Thirteenth Street NW Washington, DC 20 Church Street Hartford, Connecticut 2723 South State Street Ann Arbor, Michigan
GLE Awards 2017
47
SECURITIES LITIGATION LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Steven Shore is Ganfer & Shore’s managing partner and head of the firm’s litigation practice group. He has extensive experience in representing parties in complex commercial litigations and, in particular, in business, real estate and securities controversies. Mr Shore is experienced in all phases of litigation in both the New York State and Federal Courts, as well as in arbitral forums. He is also a seasoned appellate attorney, having argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Appellate Divisions of both the First and Second Departments. Mr Shore was one of the founders of Ganfer & Shore. Prior to forming the predecessor firm in 1979, he was a staff attorney with the Division of Enforcement of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and thereafter an associate in the litigation department at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Mr Shore has lectured at the New York City and State Bar Associations in real estate and mediation and at Columbia Law School on securities law. Mr Shore has also served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. Mr Shore is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level in professional excellence and ethics, and has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” annually since 2006. Mr Shore was also listed by Thomson-Reuters in their “Super Lawyers” editions in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 as one of the top hundred attorneys in the Metropolitan New York area. Mr Shore has also been selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.
Steven J. Shore Managing Partner Tel: +1 (212) 922-9250 sshore@ganfershore.com www.ganfershore.com
INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TEXAS, US
A Leader in International Trade Law Braumiller Law Group is recognized around the world for excellence. Our team of international trade lawyers and customs attorneys are known for helping clients achieve and maintain global trade compliance in a way that creates strategic business value. We can assist with: • • • • • •
Import Process & Customs Matters Export Process, Licensing & Agreements Deemed Exports & Technology Transfers Duty Drawback Recovery Foreign-Trade Zones International Trade & Market Access
• Mexican Trade Law • Domestic & International Corporate Transactions • NAFTA & Other Free Trade Agreements • Staffing
Contact: adrienne@braumillerlaw.com Bio: www.braumillerlaw.com/bio/adrienne-braumiller www.braumillerlaw.com
48
GLE Awards 2017
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIRGINIA, US The Miller Firm, LLC Michael J. Miller Senior Partner Tel: +1 540-672-4224 info@millerfirm.com www.millerfirmllc.com The Miller Firm is a national practice representing individuals who have been seriously injured by pharmaceutical or other defective products. Michael Miller serves as the lead trial attorney and brings 30 years of experience to a team of dedicated attorneys. The Miller Firm’s acclaimed trial team has won numerous verdicts as lead counsel from coast to coast in complex mass tort litigation. The Miller Firm tried the first Actos case in history, resulting in a plaintiff’s verdict, and has won more Actos trials than any other law firm. The Miller Firm, LLC is dedicated to serving its clients with compassion and commitment. It provide its clients with a unique combination of legal and medical qualifications to best represent their interests in matters of injury due to medical negligence, defective drugs and faulty medical devices. The firm consists of exceptional lawyers who specialise in medical negligence cases, a board-certified physician who also holds a law degree, several registered nurses, and a team of expert paralegals. Mr Miller is a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. He is a speaker for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and his articles on trial strategy have appeared in several national publications. Due to his 30 years of indepth experience in this type of litigation, he is a frequently invited lecturer at national conferences highlighting medical negligence and product liability. Mr Miller’s expertise in handling his clients’ cases has been published in national print and in the electronic media over the past several years.
Attorney Bruce Burtoff, M.D., is a practicing physician and surgeon in Virginia and the District of Columbia. He is also a licensed member of the Virginia and District of Columbia bars. Dr Burtoff’s years of experience as a member of the medical community and in hospital practice provides the necessary detailed knowledge of medical standards and procedures crucial to understanding even intricate deviations from those standards. His medical expertise is an invaluable asset in handling medical malpractice cases, defective drugs, and faulty medical devices efficiently and successfully for the firm’s clients. The firm has several registered nurses on staff, assisting Dr Burtoff and the firm with an accurate assessment of clients’ cases and with obtaining appropriate qualified experts in the respective field of litigation. The firm represents its clients’ interests with dedication to seeking justice and will not negotiate a settlement without a client’s consent. A primary reason for its success in litigation is its commitment to prepare every case it handles thoroughly for trial. A substantial portion of the firm’s case referrals comes to it from former and present clients. This is a testimonial to the quality of legal representation and individual attention it provides for each of its clients. The Miller Firm, LLC specialises in medical malpractice and product liability. The firm’s expertise in litigation covers medical fields of cardiology, neurology, oncology, pathology, pharmacology, toxicology, accident reconstruction, surgery and others.
COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON, US Desh International and Business Law Pradnya Desh Managing Partner Tel: +1 425-998-9453 pdesh@deshlaw.com www.deshlaw.com Desh International and Business Law provides strategic legal services to support the success of innovative, globally minded, and passionate companies. Their clients want to change the world, and DIBL’s job is to help them get there. In an increasingly complex global economy, it is essential for companies to have necessary legal advice and thoughtful analysis. DIBL helps companies navigate the global marketplace, advising on deals such as technology licensing, startup investment, and the application of free trade agreements. Given the importance of attracting and retaining foreign talent, the firm advises on immigration law to empower clients to navigate the bureaucratic maze. DIBL attorneys are well qualified to help businesses succeed in the face of complicated issues. The attorneys come from diverse backgrounds such as in-house counsel, government, international law firms, and the attorneys speak eight languages. The firm’s attorneys work with businesses at every stage of development and are dedicated to helping companies operate within regulatory boundaries while strategically entering new markets, protecting assets, and managing growth. DIBL’s services include the following: • Commercial Law • Technology and Intellectual Property Law • Immigration • Litigation
Pradnya Desh Pradnya Desh is a former US diplomat and the Managing Partner of Desh International and Business Law. Ms. Desh is a strong believer in the ability of the market to bring about positive results with solid legal planning, clear goals and effective business practices. Both as a US diplomat and as a legal adviser to companies, Ms. Desh has focused her career on promoting economic development through helping companies produce positive outcomes by the choices they make. Formerly, as a diplomat in the US State Department, and a US trade negotiator with USTR in Geneva, Ms. Desh represented the United States in the WTO Committees on Import Licensing, WTO Budget, Trade Policy Reviews, and Balance of Payments. She negotiated Doha Round draft text on trade and development, and for WTO accession of several applicant countries. Ms. Desh was the US representative on the international team to re-write the Integrated Framework (IF) for trade-related technical assistance. She worked with representatives of other donor countries and with representatives of developing country recipients to design a monitoring and evaluation framework and a new governing structure for the organisation to provide greater accountability. Ms. Desh joined Governor Christine Gregoire’s trade delegation to India and Korea in October 2012, and Governor Inslee’s trade delegation to South Korea and Japan in 2015.
GLE Awards 2017
49
PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON, US PH Law Firm / Paglialunga & Harris, PS Jim Harris Partner Tel: +1 888 604 3438 jim@phlawfirm.com www.reachforjustice.com
For over 20 years, Mr Harris has exclusively represented victims in personal injury and product liability cases. Throughout Mr Harris’s career, he has obtained numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts including record-breaking settlements in several cases. For the last 20 years, Paglialunga & Harris, PS have fought for the rights of ordinary people who have been harmed and deserve justice. The firm takes cases that involve catastrophic injury and injuries caused by defective medical devices and pharmaceutical medications. Many of the cases it handles involve fraudulent and even criminal conduct on the part of corporations that have deliberately concealed information about how their products can harm people. It’s important that these bad actors compensate EVERY person they harm.
• IVC Filter
The firm works hard for its clients so they can receive the full justice the law will allow. It believes deserving cases should be resolved and settled quickly and efficiently. But if defendants refuse to do what’s right and provide the firm’s clients the justice they deserve, it is prepared to fight for its clients in the courtroom. The firm’s track record of multimillion dollar results for its clients speaks for itself.
• Hernia Mesh
James Harris James Harris is a founding partner of the firm. Mr Harris was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, where he graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in Business and Psychology. Mr Harris graduated from the Seattle University School of Law and was admitted to the bar in Washington in 1995. Mr Harris is a member of the American Association of Justice Leaders’ Forum and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum. In 2014, Mr Harris and his partner Chuck Paglialunga were nominated nationally for the Litigators’ Awards for work representing people harmed by unsafe pharmaceutical and medical device products. For over 20 years, Mr Harris has exclusively represented victims in personal injury and product liability cases. Throughout Mr Harris’s career, he has obtained numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts including recordbreaking settlements in several cases. Currently, Mr Harris focuses his practice on representing individuals harmed by pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices. Mr Harris’s extensive mass torts experience includes:
50
GLE Awards 2017
• Risperdal • Actos Bladder Cancer • Avandia • Yaz • Vioxx • Metal on Metal Hips • Pelvic Mesh • Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents • Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer • Invokana Amputations and Ketoacidosis • Birth Defects (SSRI) When not representing clients against large corporations, Mr Harris enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. Mr Harris noted: “Since 1996, from its offices in Seattle and San Diego, the PH Law Firm represents people harmed by negligent conduct and by corporations that put profits before people’s safety, including drug companies and medical device companies. “The firm specialises in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, product liability, and personal injury. We represent people nationwide, and right now there are many challenges as corporate interests seek to limit the rights of the people they injure and restrict their access to justice. We focus primarily on cases where a drug or medical device company has rushed a product to market with inadequate testing, may have suppressed scientific evidence showing there was a risk, and failed to warn the medical community. “Moreover, we represent ordinary average people all over the nation. Our staff are the backbone of the law firm. We have very caring, attentive people who help take very good care of our clients. “We want to continue fighting for justice for people whenever drug companies or medical device companies choose to put their profits before people’s safety.”
ANTI-CORRUPTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON DC, US
WHISTLEBLOWER LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON DC, US Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto Stephen M. Kohn Partner Tel: +1 (202) 342-6980 sk@kkc.com www.kkc.com Founded in 1988, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has won numerous landmark decisions, rewriting workplace law while earning hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for its clients, protecting the public, and saving the taxpayers billions of dollars. The firm has successfully litigated a series of prominent cases, generating widespread recognition for the vital role whistleblowers play in a free society. Since 2009, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has been working on the forefront of developing rights for international whistleblowers, including conducting trainings in countries such as Hungary, Bosnia, Israel and South Korea. The partners of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto contributed extensively to the Dodd-Frank Act rulemaking proceeding to ensure that both US citizens and foreign nationals would be protected under the law. Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto is the first law firm in the nation exclusively dedicated to the representation of whistleblowers. The firm’s journey began more than three decades ago, and it has remained on the cutting edge of whistleblower advocacy ever since. The firm helped write whistleblower laws and has worked tirelessly to establish whistleblower reward laws. Its work on behalf of whistleblowers saved lives, protected the environment, freed the innocent, and ultimately allowed it to recover billions of dollars stolen from taxpayers and innocent investors.
Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP has been recognised as one of top plaintiffs law firms in the United States and it is one of the oldest and perhaps the most effective whistleblower advocacy law firms in the world. In 2015, the National Law Journal (NLJ) chose Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto as America’s Elite Employment Trial Lawyers Finalist and named partner Stephen M. Kohn as a “White Collar Crime Trailblazer.” In 2014, the firm was one of only 50 law firms in the United States to obtain the distinction as one of “America’s Elite Trial Lawyers.” The firm was the only exclusively whistleblower rights law firm to be named by the NLJ as one of America’s top law firms. In 2013, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto was featured on Bloomberg-TV as one of the leading whistleblower law firms in the United States. Additionally, for over 20 years Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has consistently obtained the highest peer review rating, AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell, and is regularly recognised by Super Lawyers® (2007-2015), and by the Washingtonian’s “Best Lawyers” (2007, 2009, 2011-2014). In July 2003, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto was listed in the National Law Journal’s “Plaintiffs’ Hot List” as a “go-to team for when the going gets tough.” Stephen M. Kohn is one of the nation’s leading advocates for corporate and government whistleblowers, specialising in Qui Tam / False Claims Act, Dodd-Frank Act SEC whistleblower claims, IRS whistleblower claims and whistleblower retaliation litigation. His record of winning whistleblower cases, at trial and on appeal, dates back to 1984.
GLE Awards 2017
51
LAW E X
2017
RTS
GLO
AL
PE
B
BOUTIQUE - INTERNATIONAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON DC, US
ANNUAL AWARDS WINNER
52
GLE Awards 2017
ASIA & OCEANIA WINNERS GLE Awards 2017
53
ASIA & OCEANIA WINNERS New trade and growth data offer positive signs for Asia-Pacific economies but greater coordinated action to address the unintended effects of globalisation will be needed to sustain it and deliver the benefits more widely and equitably to the region’s people, according to the APEC Regional Trends Analysis. The reports forecasts 3.8% growth for the 21 APEC economies in 2017 and 2018, and 3.7% in 2019. This is up from 3.5% in 2016 and marginally higher than global growth projections. The improved economic outlook for the APEC region, which accounts for half of global trade and 60% of world GDP, is supported by a recovery in its trade performance. APEC economies’ merchandise exports contracted 4.1% in 2016, down from 8.7% the previous year and in-line with a rebound in world trade. Senior Officials are focused on the next steps for market integration and trade in the region. This includes the development of measures to better position labour forces and businesses to take advantage of new economic opportunities it creates as well as help those displaced by competitive and technological change. The report underscores the need for trade-related adjustments including lifelong access to skills training, temporary support for households affected by structural unemployment, and access to credit and digital networks to enable start-ups and small business participation in international production and supply chains. It also calls for the introduction of rules-based trade policies that promote secure market access and limit destabilising trade distortions, as well as voluntary policy declarations in areas such as labour and environmental standards to ensure fair competition. Governance and Fiscal Management Effective governance and improved fiscal management are essential to sustaining robust economic growth and improving its quality, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said in its annual flagship report. The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2017 highlights that despite a broadly positive economic outlook for 2017, Asia-Pacific economies are vulnerable to rising global uncertainty and trade protectionism. The region’s developing economies are projected to grow at 5.0 and 5.1% in 2017 and 2018, respectively, up from 4.9% last year, according to the survey.
54
GLE Awards 2017
Economic conditions are broadly stable in China and higher value-added sectors are gradually replacing excess capacity sectors as drivers of output and employment. The continued softening of economic growth in China, projected at 6.5% in 2017 against 6.7% in 2016, reflects ongoing deleveraging and restructuring efforts to boost output in the medium term. Growth in India is forecast at 7.1% this year as re-monetisation restores consumption, and infrastructure spending increases. Relatively higher oil prices are projected to lift economic growth in the Russian Federation by 1.1% in 2017 after last year’s contraction of 0.2%. The projected moderate Asia-Pacific economic growth faces risks from rising protectionism and global uncertainty. The survey estimates that a steeper-thananticipated increase in these factors could reduce average regional growth in 2017 by up to 1.2 percentage points. Launching the survey in Bangkok, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP Executive Secretary Dr Shamshad Akhtar emphasised that better governance for effective mobilisation and use of fiscal resources is critical to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The survey highlights the importance of effective governance and fiscal management, given the high demands on fiscal policy to address the diverse challenges to sustainable development. For instance, economic expansion has been accompanied by rising income inequality with inadequate creation of decent jobs in the region, which trails the world in social protection coverage. Developing Asia-Pacific economies also use twice as many resources per dollar of GDP as the rest of the world. To address these challenges, the survey calls for effective governance, in particular, a proactive fiscal policy through productive investments in such areas as infrastructure, social protection and resource efficiency. Effective governance can, for example, improve health outcomes in the Pacific, promote economic diversification in North and Central Asia and the creation of decent jobs in South and South-West Asia, reduce development gaps in South-East Asia and accelerate ecological innovation in East and North-East Asia.
The survey recommends that structural reforms could complement fiscal policy and help increase potential output. It notes that governments provide an enabling environment of policies, institutions and public services that helps factor and product markets to work efficiently. The survey evaluates governance quality by analysing data on rule of law, regulatory quality, control of corruption and government effectiveness. A marginal improvement of institutional quality is observed in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily from gains in East and North-East Asia and in landlocked developing countries, particularly in North and Central Asia. The survey finds that when institutions are weak, inequalities tend to increase and the pace of poverty reduction declines. The quality of governance also affects environmental outcomes, as reflected for instance in varying capacities to make and apply environmental rules and safeguards, and initiate ecological innovation and technological transfer. The quality of governance also impacts revenue mobilisation, as willingness to pay taxes is influenced by public perception of government expenditure efficiency. The survey further highlights the importance of transparency and accountability for better governance, and advocates for the production and dissemination of key fiscal data and development of capacity to monitor, evaluate and audit policies as essential to effective governance.
The projected moderate AsiaPacific economic growth faces risks from rising protectionism and global uncertainty.
ASIA & OCEANIA CONTENTS Bennett & Philp Lawyers / Automotive Sector Corporate Law Firm of the Year in Australia................................... 57.
A Hossain & Associates / Commercial Law Firm of the Year in Bangladesh........................................................... 57.
DUAN & DUAN / Business Law Firm of the Year in China.......................................................................................58.
CCPIT PATENT AND TRADEMARK LAW OFFICE / Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year in China..............58.
Dentons Hong Kong / Financial Services Sector Disputes Law Firm of the Year in Hong Kong..............................59.
Link Legal India Law Services / Client Choice - Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year in India..........................59.
LUCAS, S.H. & PARTNERS / Boutique - Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year in Indonesia........................60.
Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto / Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year in Indonesia...........................60.
Choi & Kim / Marine Insurance Law Firm of the Year in Korea................................................................................. 61.
Choi & Kim / Maritime Law Firm of the Year in Korea............................................................................................... 61.
MarQonsult / IP Law Firm of the Year in Malaysia....................................................................................................62.
GLE Awards 2017
55
ASIA & OCEANIA CONTENTS Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo / Boutique Tax Law Firm of the Year in the Philippines...............................................62.
Federis & Associates / Industry Choice - IP Law Firm of the Year in the Philippines...............................................63.
Haridass Ho & Partners / Admiralty Law Firm of the Year in Singapore...................................................................64.
PKWA LAW PRACTICE LLC / Family Law Firm of the Year in Singapore................................................................64.
Julius & Creasy / Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year in Sri Lanka / Full Service Law Firm of the Year in Sri Lanka / IT, Media & Telecommunications Law Firm of the Year in Sri Lanka..................................................65.
Julius & Creasy / Editors’ Choice - Full Service Law Firm of the Year in Sri Lanka...................................................65.
James & Partners Law Offices / Boutique Foreign Investment Law Firm of the Year in Thailand..........................66.
James & Partners Law Offices / Boutique Visa and Immigration Law Firm of the Year in Thailand........................66.
LE & TRAN / Boutique Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year in Vietnam.......................................................... 67.
56
GLE Awards 2017
AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA Bennett & Philp Lawyers Brian Smith Partner Tel: +61 7 3001 2999 bsmith@bennettphilp.com.au www.bennettphilp.com.au Bennett & Philp Lawyers is a leading, mid-tier Queensland law firm providing business and commercial, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and personal injury legal services. Due to the size and diversity of the firm, we are able to offer clients an extensive range of commercial legal services, including automotive law advice. In representing the legal interests of the automotive sector, Bennett & Philp Lawyers is acknowledged as experts in a broad range of commercial issues. We advise motor vehicle, truck and motorcycle dealerships, financiers, people associated with motorsport, performance, accessory and part manufacturers, vehicle tuning and customisation companies and suppliers of services to the automotive industry and other motor vehicle professionals. If it’s auto industry related, we are the experts for legal advice. Director and commercial lawyer, Brian Smith, has been providing legal services to the automotive industry and in particular, to motor vehicle dealerships, for many years, acting in the sale and purchase of numerous automotive dealerships and related businesses. Brian’s reputation as a lead authority on automotive law has ensured his practice has grown organically as word spreads of his knowledge of the issues affecting the industry and his ability to quickly identify a client’s needs and take the necessary steps to protect their interests.
Brian has particular experience in drafting business sale agreements, share sale agreements, shareholder and unit holder agreements, joint venture agreements, management agreements, consultancy agreements, buy/sell agreements, assignment deeds, novation deeds, discretionary and unit trust deeds. He also provides commercial advice for business structuring, capital raising, insurance and commercial trading and conditions. Driving to our strengths, Bennett & Philp launched our automotive law practice on the back of motorsport sponsorships as a number of our legal team are motoring enthusiasts and passionate about the industry. We currently sponsor two professional racing teams actively competing on race circuits within Australia. In addition, we are the Motor Trade Association of Queensland’s (MTAQ) chosen law firm for automotive and motor trades legal advice in Queensland and operate a complimentary telephone referral service for MTAQ members, providing legal advice on a wide range of industry-related matters. As the automotive law practice continues its expansion, both from the firm’s partnership with MTAQ and its members and the emergence of new markets in regional Australia, industry stakeholders are increasingly seeking Brian’s wise counsel. At Bennett & Philp Lawyers, Brian leads a team of commercial lawyers with the expertise, experience and commercial acumen to meet the needs of the motoring industry in Australia.
COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN BANGLADESH A Hossain & Associates Afsar Hossain Associate Tel: +88 (02) 831 1492; +88 (02) 832 2935 afsar.hossain@ahossainandassociates.com www.ahossainandassociates.com A Hossain & Associates is a law firm headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1950 by Asrarul Hossain, Barrister-at-Law and Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the firm is now rated in Chambers Asia and Chambers Global. Today, A Hossain & Associates is one of the leading commercial law firms in the country. Ajmalul Hossain QC, the first and only Queen’s Counsel in England of Bangladeshi origin, is also a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Mr Hossain QC is the Senior Partner of A Hossain & Associates. He practices in London from Selborne Chambers, and from A Hossain & Associates in Bangladesh and Singapore. A Hossain & Associates advises local and foreign businesses of all sizes ranging from domestic private companies to multinational corporations, with banks and financial institutions at the forefront. Recent developments in political and economic spheres have altered Bangladesh’s prospects for the better. Continuing economic growth in Bangladesh and Asia has produced extensive business opportunities for both citizens and foreigners. A Hossain & Associates is prepared to address the challenges associated with developing prosperity on a national level. A combination of expertise in domestic, commercial and corporate law, and specialist knowledge of transnational legal practice enables the firm to offer a full range of legal services to clients. A Hossain & Associates offers complete legal services covering
the establishing, running, and divesting of businesses. This includes the drafting of contracts, corporate documents, legal opinions, general trading conditions, and providing assistance and advice in business negotiations. The firm represents its clients before all administrative authorities not only with respect to licences and registration requirements, but also in administrative litigation. A Hossain & Associates conducts complex commercial litigation in most areas of corporate law. The firm is consistently involved in the setting-up, registration, filing, restructuring, acquisition, public offering, stock market listing, division and disposition of businesses and companies. The firm is also regularly retained in shareholder dispute resolution. A Hossain & Associates has extensive experience in drafting corporate documents and shareholder agreements, meticulous preparation of which is essential to avoid shareholder disputes. It has advised and assisted in establishing subsidiaries, branches and representative offices of banks, financial institutions and companies in Bangladesh, UK, USA and the Middle East. A Hossain & Associates specialises in structuring cross-border transactions. Clients benefit from the firm’s long-established contacts with foreign law firms. Assistance and advice to foreign clients in this area of practice includes the appropriate choice of legal entity for Bangladesh operations, including branch or subsidiary and the obtaining of trading licences, permission from regulatory authorities and work permits.
GLE Awards 2017
57
BUSINESS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHINA DUAN & DUAN Jason Ju Partner Tel: +86-21-62191103 / +852-29730668 jasonju@duanduan.com www.duanduan.com Duan & Duan is an outstanding, prestigious Chinese corporate law firm. Since the firm was founded in 1993, its expert advisers have positioned it as one of the foremost foreign-related legal service providers. Partner Jason Ju noted: “We have represented Chinese and foreign clients for their business both in China and overseas and, since 2000, we have followed the trend of Chinese companies going abroad – provide legal support to them in both contentious and non-contentious matters. So far we have 14 offices around the world, including Hong Kong and Seattle, US.” The firm has more than 500 legal professionals worldwide. As a full-service corporate law firm, it provides legal service in almost all corporate areas, including banking and finance, capital markets, dispute resolution, foreign direct investment, intellectual property rights, international trade, labour, maritime, merger & acquisition, overseas direct investment, real estate and taxation. Moreover, Duan & Duan has a special reputation in the area of cross-border disputes resolution. It has extensive experience in handling international arbitration and litigation cases, and its lawyers often deal with such cases in both China and foreign jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, the US, etc. Mr Ju explained: “Many of our partners are listed on the arbitrator panels of those esteemed arbitration institutions such as China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Shanghai International Arbitration Center, South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Shanghai Arbitration Commission, etc.”
Mr Ju is a senior partner at the firm, and the head of the Hong Kong Office and International Arbitration and Litigation Practice Group. In addition to non-contentious matters, his practice focuses on handling cross-border arbitration and litigation cases from commercial disputes, and he has extensive experience in dealing with joint venture contract disputes, shareholder disputes, equity interest purchase contract disputes, and international trade contract disputes. He added: “I regularly represent Chinese and foreign clients before Chinese and foreign courts and arbitration institutions. Sometimes I am also instructed by clients to give expert evidence as a Chinese law expert in court and arbitration proceedings. I am a member of the Shanghai Bar Association, the Hong Kong Law Society, and also a member of panel of arbitrators of South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission.” When asked how the firm distinguishes itself from its competitors, Mr Ju concluded: “Duan & Duan is highly and widely regarded as one of the top Chinese law firms in the area of cross-border dispute resolution. We have a very capable team consisting of many experienced partners and lawyers, who can handle complex international arbitration and litigation cases. Our history of dealing with international arbitration dates back to the nineties. Compared with our competitors, we have accumulated professional and practical experience from each and every case – not just from books or academic studies. Thanks to our good reputation in this area, many Chinese clients go directly to our office and ask our partners and lawyers to represent them in their disputes with foreign parties.”
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHINA
58
GLE Awards 2017
FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR DISPUTES LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN HONG KONG Dentons Hong Kong Keith Brandt Managing Partner Tel: +852 2533 3605 keith.brandt@dentons.com www.dentons.com Dentons Hong Kong advises on an extensive range of high-value, complex and multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes for clients in construction, general corporate, employment, energy, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing or pharmaceuticals sectors on a range of local and international litigations and arbitrations, from assisting clients in obtaining urgent pre-action injunctions to taking enforcement actions to protect and enforce our clients’ rights. Our dispute resolution team handles litigations and arbitrations in a range of jurisdictions, including PRC, Hong Kong and Singapore. We have a track record of listing Chinese enterprises on stock exchanges around the world. Keith Brandt is described as “having extensive experience of High Court litigation and a growing track record in CIETAC arbitrations.” – Legal 500 The work we undertake in Hong Kong is varied and ranges in complexity and nature. Our deeply experienced team aim to resolve disputes quickly and with minimum disruption to your commercial relationships. We have extensive experience in appearing in the Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal and Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. In addition, our team has also represented clients in HKIAC, CIETAC, ICC,
LCIA, LMAA, SIAC and ad-hoc arbitrations, which means we have the knowledge and experience to advise you at every stage of your dispute. Some of our recent experience in Hong Kong includes: • Leading US electrical wire and cable manufacturer: Defending a claim of over USD 9.6 million brought by a Chinese copper company and pursuing a counterclaim against the same Chinese party in the sum of over USD 5.4 million in connection with a dispute relating to the performance of a contract signed between them in a SIAC arbitration seated in Singapore. • Chinese state-owned bank: Acting for the bank in the registration and enforcement of a Mainland money judgment in the sum of RMB 100 million as a judgment of the High Court of Hong Kong against a Chinese guarantor of a defaulting loan in Mainland China. • Leading solar technology enterprise: Acting for the client in pursuing a claim of USD 7.2 million and defending a counterclaim in the sum of EUR 18 million in an ICC Arbitration seated in Hong Kong in connection with a wafer supply agreement entered into with a leading Chinese solar wafer supplier. • Russian bank: Acting for the bank in pursuing an injunction against a multi-million dollar disposal of assets and appointment of receivers in a world-wide recovery action for a defaulting loan, alleged to have been perpetrated by fraud.
CLIENT CHOICE - BANKING & FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA
Siddharth Srivastava Partner, Banking and Finance, Restructuring and Insolvency Tel: +91 9810139169 s.srivastava@linklegal.in www.linklegal.in
Link Legal India Law Services
Vishakha Bhagvat Partner, Banking and Finance Tel: +91 9004479964 vishakha.bhagvat@linklegal.in www.linklegal.in
Established in 1999, Link Legal India Law Services is a full-service law firm known for its business-focused comprehensive legal advice and strategy on multifarious issues and matters. Link Legal India Law Services and another full-service law firm, DH Law Associates (established in 1997), merged their practices with effect from January 1, 2017, and the merged entity continues to be known as Link Legal India Law Services. The firm comprises 34 partners and more than 120 associate lawyers and is among the top 15 law firms in India in terms of size, with offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Hyderabad and Chennai. The firm has extensive experience in advising clients on complex issues pertaining to infrastructure, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, debt and capital markets, project financing, taxation, litigation, arbitration and mediation and contract management. The firm is involved in major headline transactions, representing clients on most intricate matters and disputes in diverse practice areas and sectors including airports, metro rail and urban transport, roads, ports, real estate, power, aviation, water, waste management, media, pharmaceuticals, information technology, consumer goods, mining, insurance and banking. Some of the partners of the firm have previously worked with leading institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the World Bank, Industrial Development Bank of India.
Siddharth Srivastava is one of the key partners in the Banking & Finance space in the industry. From the firm’s perspective, he has been instrumental in taking the firm to the top of the Project Finance rankings. In the last two years, Link Legal has been involved in key project finance transactions across all sectors, and he has been instrumental in getting the deals as well as proficiently executing them. In addition, he has been recognised as the key contact in Link Legal by Legal 500 in the year 2016 and a noted practitioner by Chamber & Partners (2016). Siddharth is also the recommended lawyer in Banking & Finance by Global Law Experts (2016). He has worked for leading banks and financial institutions in both domestic and foreign currency financings. He has also advised clients on syndication, debt restructuring and securitisation matters. In the recent past he has been extensively involved in various NCD issuances, derivative and trade finance transactions. Meanwhile, Vishakha Bhagvat has handled important assignments and advised various borrowers relating to the borrowings by way of rupee as well as foreign currency facilities, and has also advised various banks and financial institutions on drafting and negotiating finance and security documents including advising on regulatory aspects of the sector. Siddharth Srivastava is considered a “thought leader” in the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and was invited by Association of Indian Bank (AIB) London to give a presentation on the Code and to discuss the impact on the lenders. A majority of the Indian banks based out of London attended the session.
GLE Awards 2017
59
BOUTIQUE - COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDONESIA LUCAS, S.H. & PARTNERS Oscar Sagita, S.H. Managing Partner Tel: +6221 5261043 info@lucasshpartners.com www.lucasshpartners.com Our boutique law firm was established in 1998 and had initially started out specialising in dispute resolution. However, we have now included bankruptcy, banking and restructuring, civil and commercial litigation, criminal litigation, arbitration, administrative law, employment law and tax law as our main areas of practice. Following the firm’s expansion, we now have an international practice with lawyers well versed in international law offering international arbitration and various cross-border advice. The team handles investment structure, company law, banking and finance, general regulatory and compliance matters. Founder and Chairman, Mr. Lucas, who also serves as a Chairman of Indonesian Receivers and Administrators Association (IKAPI) and a member of the Executive Board of Indonesian Advocates Association (PERADI), along with our team of lawyers, have extensive experience in civil and commercial disputes where the issues mainly revolve around contractual disputes and tort. The firm has represented clients in alternative dispute resolution outside of the Courts with consultation, negotiation, mediation, conciliation, expert assessment and have also represented multinational companies involving bankruptcy and suspension of payment.
VISION & MISSION ONE . STOP . SOLUTION .
Law Firm LUCAS, S.H. & PARTNERS offers a “One Stop Legal Solution” for all of your legal needs. Supported by legal knowledge and experience, our attorneys are ready to give solutions and legal
help needed by all individuals and companies, local and foreign, to do business in Indonesia and outside Indonesia. Our “One Stop Legal Solution” provides a full range of legal services in the form of consultation and civil, commercial or criminal litigation. Among others, in Bankruptcy & Suspension of Payment (PKPU), Banking, Company Law, Business, Commercial, Competition, Investment, Capital Markets, Land & Real Estate, Employment, Human Rights, Immigration, Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution, Foundation or Organisation, Mining, Insurance, Telecommunication & IT, Administrative Law, Family Law, including but not limited to services such as:
Our attorneys have extensive litigation experience in all stage of Courts, International and National Arbitration, and to communicate with everybody in Councils, Boards, Committees, Agencies and Governmental Departments of the Republic of Indonesia. The firm maintains its commitment with all of its clients to constantly provide the best and most trusted legal service, which is in accordance to the firm’s motto: “Emphasising CAPACITY, CAPABILITY and COMMITMENT to achieve CREDIBILITY.”
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDONESIA Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto Stefanus Haryanto Managing Partner Tel: +62 21 520 8270 lawyers@akhh.com www.akhh.com Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto is one of Jakarta’s leading independent law firms engaged in transnational practice. The firm’s founding partners have been in the practice of law for more than 15 years. Their combined experience and client base have paved the way for us to deliver effective and well-coordinated legal representation to some of the world’s and Indonesia’s leading multinational enterprises, as well as government entities and private individuals. The firm’s edge lies in its ability to deliver individualised value-added solutions aimed at addressing specific client needs. To this end, the firm invests time familiarising itself with its clients’ operational needs and fostering strong professional relationships with each client’s key decision makers. The firm also advises clients on current developments in the law and its interpretation which stand to affect them, thus reducing clients’ risk exposure arising from changes in the Indonesian legal landscape. From its founding in 2001, a number of international legal publications had recognised the firm’s capability and expertise in various areas of practice. In dispute resolution and competition law, Founding Partner Stefanus Haryanto has been recognised as a resourceful and effective litigator in representing clients in civil and bankruptcy proceedings, including successfully defending clients in anti-monopoly investigations before the Agency for the Supervision of Business Competition (KPPU). Founding Partner Andy Kelana’s expertise in Merger & Acquisition, Telecommunication and Corporate practices has been recognised by the international legal community. He is singled out for his ability to ‘anticipate the needs of clients.’ Founding Partner Helena Adnan has also been recognised for her
60
GLE Awards 2017
work in banking and finance, intellectual property rights, and general corporate advisories. In 2011, AKHH was also a finalist in the ALB Law Awards for Project Finance Deal of the Year for its work on Paiton 3 Power Project. AKHH was designated the 2012 Indonesian Independent Law Firm of the Year by Acquisition International. AKHH team includes lawyers educated in the United States, Japan, Canada, and Europe, augmented by foreign counsels from various jurisdictions in Asia, translators, paralegals, and professionally trained general staff members. Practice Areas: Corporate/Commercial (M&A); Arbitration & Litigation; Project Finance; Telecommunications; Oil & Gas; Energy & Natural Resources; Anti-trust; Banking & Financial Services; Bankruptcy; Capital Markets; Environmental Law; Financial Services; Foreign Investment; Intellectual Property; Employment; International Trade & World Trade Organisation. Key Clients: American Express International, Inc.; Apple, Inc.; The Boeing Company; Bank Indonesia; Bank Negara Indonesia; GE Global Operations; Johnson Home Hygiene Products; Mitsubishi Corporation; Paiton Energy; Sampoerna Group; PT.Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk; PT.XL Axiata, Tbk; WalMart Stores Inc; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). International Work: AKHH acted as the Indonesian counsels for Bank Indonesia in a legal suit at the District Court of Amsterdam filed by the trustee of N.V. De Indonesische Overzeese Bank. Founding Partner Stefanus Haryanto has the experience of providing expert testimonies on Indonesian laws before the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois, Hong Kong High Court, Singapore High Court and Federal Court of Australia Victoria District Registry.
MARINE INSURANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN KOREA Choi & Kim J. H. Choi / S. W. Park Senior Partner / Junior Partner Tel: +82-2-732-5577 mail@choikim.com www.choikim.com Choi & Kim is a South Korean boutique law firm specialized in maritime and insurance laws. Since its establishment in 1997, the firm has been in the forefront of the maritime and insurance practice in Korea, handling a wide range of major shipping and insurance cases. Led by two highly respected professionals, each with well over 30 years of experience in practicing all matters of maritime and insurance, Choi & Kim offers expert legal advice and dedicated service to its global clients that include: 1) P&I clubs and shipping companies such as North of England P&I Association, Steamship Mutual, Britannia, UK Club, Standard Club, London P&I, West of England, Gard, Skuld, Swedish P&I, Japan P&I, China P&I, Korea P&I, Maersk AS, CMA CGM, Hoegh Autoliners, and Hyundai Merchant Marine; and 2) international (re)insurers such as RPC, Scor Re, Aspen Re, ACE American Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., and DAC Beachcroft LLP. The two founding partners still maintain active roles in the firm’s practice to this day. JH Choi has been personally involved in most
of the major marine casualties in Korea. A member of the Korean bar since 1981 and the New York bar since 1991, Mr. Choi has earned the respect of his clients and industry peers for his in-depth knowledge of the law. He regularly teaches courses on maritime law at a number of top Korean universities. CJ Kim, the other founding member, is one of the leading practitioners of shipping and insurance law as well as international trade disputes in Korea. A member of the Korean bar since 1981, Mr. Kim has handled numerous cross-border commercial litigations and arbitrations and is recognized for his advocacy skills in court. He is currently on leave of absence to serve as the Chairman of the Investigation Commission for the Sewol ferry disaster. As over 80 percent of the firm’s clients are based overseas, Choi & Kim caters to its global clients by providing expert legal advisory service in both English and Korean at the pace of demand and with personal attention from the firm’s two founding partners. The wealth of experience accumulated from handling major maritime and insurance cases in Korea coupled with the top-notch quality service to clients has been the backbone of Choi & Kim that has enabled the firm to maintain its integrity and high standing in the industry, and separate itself from its peers.
MARITIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN KOREA Choi & Kim J. H. Choi / S. W. Park Senior Partner / Junior Partner Tel: +82-2-732-5577 mail@choikim.com www.choikim.com Choi & Kim is a South Korean boutique law firm specialized in maritime and insurance laws. Since its establishment in 1997, the firm has been in the forefront of the maritime and insurance practice in Korea, handling a wide range of major shipping and insurance cases. Led by two highly respected professionals, each with well over 30 years of experience in practicing all matters of maritime and insurance, Choi & Kim offers expert legal advice and dedicated service to its global clients that include: 1) P&I clubs and shipping companies such as North of England P&I Association, Steamship Mutual, Britannia, UK Club, Standard Club, London P&I, West of England, Gard, Skuld, Swedish P&I, Japan P&I, China P&I, Korea P&I, Maersk AS, CMA CGM, Hoegh Autoliners, and Hyundai Merchant Marine; and 2) international (re)insurers such as RPC, Scor Re, Aspen Re, ACE American Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., and DAC Beachcroft LLP. The two founding partners still maintain active roles in the firm’s practice to this day. JH Choi has been personally involved in most
of the major marine casualties in Korea. A member of the Korean bar since 1981 and the New York bar since 1991, Mr. Choi has earned the respect of his clients and industry peers for his in-depth knowledge of the law. He regularly teaches courses on maritime law at a number of top Korean universities. CJ Kim, the other founding member, is one of the leading practitioners of shipping and insurance law as well as international trade disputes in Korea. A member of the Korean bar since 1981, Mr. Kim has handled numerous cross-border commercial litigations and arbitrations and is recognized for his advocacy skills in court. He is currently on leave of absence to serve as the Chairman of the Investigation Commission for the Sewol ferry disaster. As over 80 percent of the firm’s clients are based overseas, Choi & Kim caters to its global clients by providing expert legal advisory service in both English and Korean at the pace of demand and with personal attention from the firm’s two founding partners. The wealth of experience accumulated from handling major maritime and insurance cases in Korea coupled with the top-notch quality service to clients has been the backbone of Choi & Kim that has enabled the firm to maintain its integrity and high standing in the industry, and separate itself from its peers.
GLE Awards 2017
61
IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MALAYSIA MarQonsult Clara Yip Partner Tel: +603-7882 0456; +603-7880 3457 clara@marqonsult.com www.marqonsult.com MarQonsult was established in February 2002, with the aim of providing timely, personalized and specialized consultation to businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals seeking to manage and protect their intellectual property rights, and profit from their intangible assets. Our firm practices exclusively in intellectual property. At MarQonsult it is envisioned that through practical and commercial advice and skilled expertise, the client can make informed decisions as well as avoid common pitfalls in the registration, exploitation, enforcement and maintenance of their intellectual property rights in Malaysia. With the assistance of our committed team of legal, technical and support staff, we offer a unique model that resolves all our clients’ intellectual property needs effectively, efficiently and professionally and keeps our clients informed of developments on a regular basis. Our firm counsels local and international businesses, institutions and organizations. We are located in the city of Petaling Jaya, adjacent to the capital Kuala Lumpur, and are only a 20-minute ride by Light Rail Transit to MyIPO. Ms Clara YIP – Founder of the firm She holds a Law and Economics degree from Auckland University (New Zealand) and is a Registered Patent, Trademark and Industrial Design Agent in Malaysia. She was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1993 and was called to the Malayan Bar in 1994. She is proficient in English and Malay, and is conversant in Cantonese, Mandarin and French. She has 20 years’ experience in IP, including patent, design, trademark filing and prosecution; copyrights; trademark opposition; ownership disputes;
trade secrets; trade dress; passing-off; litigation, including settlement negotiations and trial preparation. She was voted Asialaw’s Leading Lawyer in IP, 2006–2009. She serves on the Patent Standing Committee of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association, and is a contributor to INTA’s online publication on Trademark Cancellations as well as BNA’s Malaysian chapter on International Licensing. Services – CLEARANCE: An availability search for trademarks [identical mark and similar mark search with full advice relating to availability]; A novelty or infringement search for patents [with advice on any relevant prior art]; A novelty or infringement search for designs. APPLICATION, PROSECUTION, MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE – Patents, Trademarks, Designs, Domain Names: Preparing all requisite forms; Ensuring compliance of formality requirements; Reporting, and replying to office actions, adverse reports; Preparing appeals and submissions; Attending hearings, Liaison with authorities; Amending applications, Recording IP transactions; Monitoring of deadlines, Renewal applications; Creating programs for managing IP portfolios. COMMERCIALIZATION OF IP: In addition to negotiating, drafting, and enforcing license, distribution and franchise agreements, we help clients to develop strategies and models for the commercialization and licensing of IP rights, and to perform due diligence on the acquisition of IP rights. IP DISPUTES: We provide opinions in matters of counterfeiting disputes, infringement, passing-off, conflict of rights, trade dress, product packaging, trademarks and related Internet issues, trade secrets and related contracts.
BOUTIQUE TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE PHILIPPINES Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo Llewellyn L. Llanillo Senior Partner Tel: +632 811-2500 llllanillo@salvadorlaw.com www.salvadorlaw.com More than a decade ago, Salvador & Associates (S&A) was established by some of the Philippines’ best minds in taxation and commercial law. The firm has built a solid reputation as one of the country’s foremost firms in tax practice. Today, as Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo (SLB), the firm proudly calls many of the country’s top 500 companies and various multinational corporations as clients. With services ranging from tax advisory, tax planning services and litigation, to commercial, corporate and intellectual property law, SLB continues to solidify its role as a true and trusted counsel for its clients. The firm is powered by the collective excellence of highly qualified legal minds in the areas of taxation and commercial law: six partners, seven senior associates, 11 junior associates and a special counsel for immigration law. SLB is a member of TAXAND, a global network of over 2,000 leading tax advisors. As such, the firm has access to specialised and independent tax advice in nearly 50 countries. In its short but rich history, it has successfully handled hundreds of tax cases, amounting to billions of pesos. SLB now handles the most number of cases at the Court of Tax Appeals. Beyond taxation, the firm is also engaged in commercial law practice with special projects like mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganisations, initial public offerings, and the structuring and financing of investments. It likewise offers services in the areas of immigration, intellectual property, litigation and labour law.
62
GLE Awards 2017
Tax Clients turn to SLB’s top-tier tax lawyers for their unparalleled technical expertise, global reach, and in-depth knowledge of innovative structures and complex tax issues arising from transactions, controversies, and general business operations. The firm’s lawyers, which include a former division chief of the Department of Finance and a former head of the tax division of the Philippines’ largest multidisciplinary professional services firm, have extensive knowledge of taxation law as well as the workings of government. SLB is frequently engaged by multinational corporations for advocacy in tax controversy cases from the local board of assessment level up to the Court of Tax Appeals and Supreme Court proceedings. SLB also advises on the tax planning of refund cases, corporate transactions, reorganisations and tax treaty issues. As part of TAXAND, a global organisation of over 2,000 leading tax advisors, SLB provides its clients with access to high-quality, integrated, and independent tax advice in and across nearly 50 countries. As an independent provider, TAXAND allows its member firms wide latitude in providing quality tax advice to its clients without independence issues. SLB adds value to its relationships through its innovative and practical approaches to minimise tax liabilities on issues ranging from national internal revenue taxes such as income tax, value-added tax, percentage tax, local taxes, excise tax, documentary stamp tax, customs duties, local business taxes, and real property taxes to tax planning in various areas of corporate and individual transactions, such as corporate contracts, corporate reorganisation, financial products, compensation and fringe benefits, and family wealth planning.
INDUSTRY CHOICE - IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE PHILIPPINES Federis & Associates Mila Federis Partner Tel: +632 889 6197 ext. 306 mfederis@federislaw.com.ph www.federislaw.com.ph Federis is a boutique law firm in the Philippines, practicing exclusively in the field of intellectual property law. The legal team is composed of Philippine attorneys, paralegals and agents with extensive experience in all types of intellectual property law, including trademark, patent, copyright, trade secret, licensing, business transaction, enforcement and litigation. Federis has been identified as one of the top law firms in the Philippines for patent prosecution by Managing IP, and cited by Asialaw Leading Lawyers as one of the leading experts in the Asia-Pacific region. The managing partner is a licensed attorney who has been recognised for her trademark enforcement work by the World Trademark Review 1000. For many years, the attorneys and agents of Federis have served as the go-to firm for global brands and large corporations who are recognised leaders in their respective industries. The lawyers at Federis also counsel clients to protect and enforce their IP assets. For the last four years, Federis has been one of the top filers of trademark and patent applications in the Philippines, as well as one of the highest in official fee remittances to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). Our attorneys and agents are working hard to protect your intellectual property rights. The numbers prove it. The attorneys at Federis & Associates Law Office provide legal counsel in a variety of areas relating to intellectual property. The firm has become the go-to choice for legal representation in important IP matters, including: • Patent, Utility Model, Industrial Design • Copyright • Anti-Counterfeiting • Trademark • Licensing, Due Diligence, Contract Review • IP Litigation Mila Federis Mila Federis is the co-founder and managing partner of Federis & Associates Law Office, a boutique law firm. Federis is one of just a handful of Philippine law firms whose practice is exclusively focused on IP law. Ms Federis works with clients from a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, hotel, leisure, electronics, automotive, telecommunications and IT. Her extensive experience in an IP-focused practice involves copyright, trademark and design prosecution, enforcement, licensing, advertising and privacy issues. She manages a range of trademark work, from clearance to prosecution and maintenance. Her enforcement work includes cease and desist letter campaigns, raids, coordination with government officials and court actions.
Ms Federis began her IP career during her first job after law school. At that firm, she handled a large portfolio of trademark and patent applications. She also prepared pleadings and memoranda in trademark oppositions, interference, cancellations, unfair competition and trademark infringement actions. Furthermore, Ms Federis collected and presented evidence in cases, prepared complaints and affidavits for search warrant applications and coordinated with criminal enforcement agents in raids against counterfeiters. Her initial training in IP was supplemented by several years of experience working in a law firm in the United States with more than 120 lawyers. She managed the filing of trademark applications with the US Patents & Trademarks Office (USPTO). She also handled and coordinated applications filed in foreign jurisdictions, supervised trademark disputes in different countries, prepared and filed post-registration maintenance Affidavits of Use with the USPTO. Ms Federis is involved in committee work for professional organisations. She organised a roundtable conference for the International Trademark Association (INTA), moderated an INTA conference panel discussion and represented INTA at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation IP Rights Experts’ Group consultation. She is a regular contributor to the Philippines section in INTA publications: Anti-Counterfeiting in Asia and the Pacific Rim, the International Oppositions Guide, Country Guides and the Madrid Practitioner’s Guide. Ms Federis is also the regular contributor to the Getting the Deal Through: Patents Edition and Getting the Deal Through: Trademarks Edition. In addition to her professional activities, Ms Federis devotes time for pro-bono cases. She acted as defence counsel for students accused in anti-subversion cases and was defence counsel for seven women accused in a criminal case for malicious mischief. This case was filed by a prominent political family who illegally constructed fish pens in a lake that was declared by the government as a fish sanctuary. Ms Federis is also a passionate proponent for the firm’s annual gift to the Office of Legal Affairs at the University of the Philippines College of Law and is a regular contributor to the funding of non-government organisations involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of street children. At the firm, Ms Federis counsels clients on all types of trademark, copyright and patent issues. She provides information on how the Philippine IP system works and shares her knowledge with clients about how to effectively navigate the system. Ms Federis uses a strategic approach to obtain the maximum protection for clients’ intellectual property rights in the Philippines. Then, she utilises creative methods to effectively enforce those rights.
Federis is one of just a handful of Philippine law firms whose practice is exclusively focused on IP law.
GLE Awards 2017
63
ADMIRALTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SINGAPORE
Haridass Ho & Partners Haridass Ho & Partners is a medium-sized firm with a niche practice in the fields of Admiralty, Shipping and International Trade whilst handling a broad spectrum of legal services. Haridass Ho & Partners believe in the importance of personalised service and solicitor-client relationship, which are vital building blocks in the successful completion of any instructions. The firm aims to provide speedy cost-efficient legal advice and solutions to problems. With this in mind, the firm is structured to allow for the formation of project groups to undertake specific matters and instructions in a variety of areas of practice. This system of grouping allows for multi-disciplinary teams of lawyers to render collective expertise to a particular project or matter if there is a need for this approach. PRACTICE AREAS: • Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Vessel Sale & Purchase
• Admiralty, Commercial & Corporate Litigation
• Real Estate/Conveyancing
CONTACT DETAILS: Haridass Ajaib
+65 6230 1100
haridass@hhp.com.sg
Thomas Tan
+65 6230 1110
thomas.tan@hhp.com.sg
Augustine Liew
+65 6230 1111
augustine.liew@hhp.com.sg
V. Hariharan
+65 6230 1114
hariharan@hhp.com.sg
Yoga Sharmini Yogarajah
+65 6230 1117
sharmini@hhp.com.sg
Subashini N
+65 6230 1122
subashini@hhp.com.sg
Mohd Haireez
+65 6230 1131
mohd.haireez@hhp.com.sg
Christine Yeo
+65 6230 1101
christine.yeo@hhp.com.sg
Haridass Ho & Partners ADVOCATES & SOLICITORS • COMMISSIONERS FOR OATHS • NOTARIES PUBLIC 24 RAFFLES PLACE, #18-00 CLIFFORD CENTRE, SINGAPORE 048621 TEL: +65 6533 2323 | FAX: +65 6533 7029 | www.hhp.com.sg
FAMILY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SINGAPORE PKWA LAW PRACTICE LLC Lim Chong Boon Director Tel: +65-68545336 chongboon@pkwalaw.com www.sgdivorcelawyer.sg / www.pkwalaw.com Introducing PKWA Law Established in 1998 and constituted as a law corporation in 2004, PKWA Law Practice LLC has been steadily gaining repute over the last 20 years. In particular, the family and divorce law division has truly made its mark in the industry, winning several prestigious awards in the last few years, including: the “Best Family Law Firm – Singapore Recognised Leader in Divorce Law – Singapore” by Acquisition International 2015 Legal Awards, “Family Law Firm of the Year in Singapore 2016” by Corporate International Magazine Global Awards, and for the second consecutive year, nominated for “Matrimonial and Family Law Firm of the Year” at SE Asia Law Awards 2017 by Asian Legal Business. PKWA Family Law Team The PKWA family lawyers were named by Asian Legal Business, Singapore Business Review, Global Law Experts and Doyle’s Guide as leading family lawyers. The team is led by Mr Lim Chong Boon, with more than 25 years of matrimonial experience under his belt. Mr Lim Chong Boon and his Associate Directors Ms Dorothy Tan and Mr Low Jin Liang form the pillars supporting the growth of the team. Ms Dorothy Tan led the family team and won the landmark Court of Appeal case of Twiss Christopher James Hans v Twiss Yvonne Prendergast, which has since continued to be cited and followed
64
GLE Awards 2017
by the Singapore Courts. She was also recognised as one of Asia’s top young lawyers by Asian Legal Business and as a leading family lawyer in Singapore by Doyles Guide. Utilising his experience in corporate finance, Mr Low Jin Liang is well-regarded for his understanding of financial issues and handles complex divorce cases involving substantial assets diligently and logically. Both are recognised among Singapore’s “Most Influential Lawyers Under 40” by Singapore Business Review 2016. A law firm trusted by many, the family lawyers in PKWA strive to include that human touch and heart in every case. It is this added element of care that those they have represented only have good things to say about the family lawyers from PKWA. Understanding that these are very emotional matters that really hit home, PKWA looks out for the long-term interest of their clients and encourages clients to settle amicably through non-adversarial means with the least possible amount of aggravation. The Future PKWA provides a full range of legal services to cater to almost all aspect of a client’s needs, every team working together like a well-oiled machine. Each and every member of the firm takes pride in their work and strives to deliver quality legal service. The firm looks to continue to grow and build market presence over the coming years.
BANKING & FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SRI LANKA / FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SRI LANKA / IT, MEDIA & TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SRI LANKA
Julius & Creasy Dr. J. M. Swaminathan Senior Partner Tel: +94 112 422601 Ext: 324 jacey@sltnet.lk www.juliusandcreasy.com Julius & Creasy offers legal services in the fields of administrative and constitutional, admiralty and maritime, banking, commercial, corporate, infrastructure projects and project finance, insurance, tax, intellectual property, Islamic finance, IT, labour and employment, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, private clients, probate and trusts, property and construction, shipping and telecommunications. Major cross-border assignments for international institutions like the World Bank, ADB and IMF have added to the Firm’s extensive experience and expanded its global reach. The Firm also closely works with many international law firms such as Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright. Our Banking and Finance practice expertise extends to loan syndications, financial structuring, trade financing, securitisations and derivatives. The Firm regularly advises a host of local and international banks operating in Sri Lanka including HSBC, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank and Deutsche Bank. The Firm has advised Asian Development Bank on the USD 69 Million and USD 25 Million loan facilities provided to LOLC Finance PLC and LOLC Micro Credit Limited and Deutsche Investitions _ und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), Germany on a loan facility granted to Hatton National Bank. The Firm is well known for commercial and residential property matters and is regularly involved in the transfer of land, commercial and residential lease agreements, preparation of title reports and condominium property declarations.
The Shipping and Maritime practice of the Firm has been in existence for several years, and we act as the local legal correspondents of all major P & I clubs and also appeared in most of the cases filed in the admiralty courts in Sri Lanka. It is also instructed regularly by the City of London Shipping firms in respect of Maritime and Shipping matters. We also have a large intellectual property practice in Sri Lanka and are presently handling over 30,000 files of which about 10,000 are current and involve both contentious and non-contentious matters. The Firm files a large number of trademark applications for overseas clients, and our practice includes a substantial portfolio of patents as well. Our Senior Partner has served in the Intellectual Property Advisory Commission of Sri Lanka for several decades. Our Firm is instructed by leading intellectual property agents in the UK, USA, India and Singapore, including some of the largest trademark agents in those jurisdictions. We have a large litigation practice and have been involved in leading litigation and arbitration cases in Sri Lanka in both commercial and civil law. The Firm provides clients, both local and international, with comprehensive dispute resolution expertise. In the telecommunications sector, the Firm has acted as local counsel to the largest IPO in Sri Lanka to date. Our Firm is equipped with professionals who are uniquely qualified and knowledgeable on the IT and telecom sector, and we are regularly approached by renowned global companies to carry out local law compliance checks.
EDITORS’ CHOICE - FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SRI LANKA Julius & Creasy Dr. J. M. Swaminathan Senior Partner Tel: +94 112 422601 Ext: 324 jacey@sltnet.lk www.juliusandcreasy.com Julius & Creasy offers legal services in the fields of administrative and constitutional, admiralty and maritime, banking, commercial, corporate, infrastructure projects and project finance, insurance, tax, intellectual property, Islamic finance, IT, labour and employment, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, private clients, probate and trusts, property and construction, shipping and telecommunications. Major cross-border assignments for international institutions like the World Bank, ADB and IMF have added to the Firm’s extensive experience and expanded its global reach. The Firm also closely works with many international law firms such as Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright. Our Banking and Finance practice expertise extends to loan syndications, financial structuring, trade financing, securitisations and derivatives. The Firm regularly advises a host of local and international banks operating in Sri Lanka including HSBC, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank and Deutsche Bank. The Firm has advised Asian Development Bank on the USD 69 Million and USD 25 Million loan facilities provided to LOLC Finance PLC and LOLC Micro Credit Limited and Deutsche Investitions _ und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), Germany on a loan facility granted to Hatton National Bank. The Firm is well known for commercial and residential property matters and is regularly involved in the transfer of land, commercial and residential lease agreements, preparation of title reports and condominium property declarations.
The Shipping and Maritime practice of the Firm has been in existence for several years, and we act as the local legal correspondents of all major P & I clubs and also appeared in most of the cases filed in the admiralty courts in Sri Lanka. It is also instructed regularly by the City of London Shipping firms in respect of Maritime and Shipping matters. We also have a large intellectual property practice in Sri Lanka and are presently handling over 30,000 files of which about 10,000 are current and involve both contentious and non-contentious matters. The Firm files a large number of trademark applications for overseas clients, and our practice includes a substantial portfolio of patents as well. Our Senior Partner has served in the Intellectual Property Advisory Commission of Sri Lanka for several decades. Our Firm is instructed by leading intellectual property agents in the UK, USA, India and Singapore, including some of the largest trademark agents in those jurisdictions. We have a large litigation practice and have been involved in leading litigation and arbitration cases in Sri Lanka in both commercial and civil law. The Firm provides clients, both local and international, with comprehensive dispute resolution expertise. In the telecommunications sector, the Firm has acted as local counsel to the largest IPO in Sri Lanka to date. Our Firm is equipped with professionals who are uniquely qualified and knowledgeable on the IT and telecom sector, and we are regularly approached by renowned global companies to carry out local law compliance checks.
GLE Awards 2017
65
BOUTIQUE FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THAILAND James & Partners Law Offices Nakrit Sawettanan Founder and Managing Partner Tel: +66 2 664 1795; +66 2 664 1796 admin@lawyer-thailand.com www.lawyer-thailand.com James & Partners Law Offices provides several legal practices in connection with the investment field. We assist our client to obtain BOI’s promotion in every step including filing and revising BOI application and supporting documents, following up and dealing with BOI’s officers, advising eligible business types under BOI promotion for our clients. We also advise on benefits and rights of clients under BOI such as collecting FBC under BOI, setting up company under BOI’s benefits and rights, filing applications for expats or workers of clients under BOI promotion and purchasing of real estate for client under BOI promotion. After obtaining BOI we assist our client to make annual report to BOI’s official. Our office assists investors who want to invest in Thailand and other Asean countries toward the opening of AEC on December 31, 2015. Nakrit Sawettanan As a founder and managing partner of James & Partners Law Offices, Nakrit Sawettanan is an international solicitor/lawyer with more than 35 years of experience in both Thailand and US in corporate, commercial, joint ventures, purchases and sales of assets and shares, arbitration and litigation. In UK terms he is both a “solicitor” and a “barrister” and is a renowned advocate in the Civil Courts of Thailand. He has achieved outstanding results
for domestic and international clients in complex litigation and arbitration cases requiring English language skills. In the commercial field under the name of his firm he worked together with a British-American law firm in securitisation deals and in reviewing various types of draft commercial agreements. He also had experience working jointly with two American firms in Chicago in relation to a sale of securities of a US investment fund and investment law of Thailand. Previously he advised a law firm in New York on multiple jurisdiction claims and another top law firm in Singapore on the matter of business laws of Thailand. In project finance matters he represented more than 10 Thai lender banks, also liaising with another London law firm on behalf of foreign banks and investors. He has also represented foreign advisors in Thailand such as in the project of the newest and biggest International Airport which was Flughafen Munchen GMBH, a state enterprise of Germany that operated Munich Airport. Mr Nakrit has provided significant legal advice and opinion to various Thai Government Ministries, civil servants and judges and acted as legal counsel to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in the biggest waste water management project that was worth more than Baht 23 billion. Mr Nakrit has substantial experience for more than 30 years in providing legal advice and services successfully to domestic and multinational companies in obtaining the promotional privileges offered by BOI.
BOUTIQUE VISA AND IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THAILAND James & Partners Law Offices Nakrit Sawettanan Founder and Managing Partner Tel: +66 2 664 1795; +66 2 664 1796 admin@lawyer-thailand.com www.lawyer-thailand.com James & Partners Law Offices assists in all immigration matters for employees and employers including work permits, one-year visas and alien business licenses; preparing employment contracts; advising on issues relating to foreigners residing in and/or doing business in Thailand. Foreigners seeking a prolonged stay, or those coming to work in Thailand, should obtain non-immigrant visas for all family members prior to entering the Kingdom. There are several categories of non-Immigrant visas which include, among others, business visa category (B), dependent visa category (O), investment subject to the provision of the laws on investment promotion (BOI IB), diplomatic and consular visa category (D), performance of duties with the mass media (M), performance of skilled or expert work (EX), investment with concurrence of ministries and departments concerned or capital investment (IM), study or observation (ED) which foreign nationals who intend to remain in Thailand to work or conduct business must comply with visa requirements in addition to obtaining a work permit by work permit which are valid for the period of the visa and have to be renewed every year. If foreigners want to come out to Thailand, they must apply for re-entry visa too. For re-entry there are two categories: single re-entry and multiple re-entry. In addition, foreigners residing in Thailand for more than 90 days are required to register their address with the Immigration Bureau every 90 days.
66
GLE Awards 2017
Nakrit Sawettanan As a founder and managing partner of James & Partners Law Offices, Nakrit Sawettanan is an international solicitor/lawyer with more than 35 years of experience in both Thailand and US in corporate, commercial, joint ventures, purchases and sales of assets and shares, arbitration and litigation. In UK terms he is both a “solicitor” and a “barrister” and is a renowned advocate in the Civil Courts of Thailand. He has achieved outstanding results for domestic and international clients in complex litigation and arbitration cases requiring English language skills. In the commercial field under the name of his firm he worked together with a British-American law firm in securitisation deals and in reviewing various types of draft commercial agreements. He also had experience working jointly with two American firms in Chicago in relation to a sale of securities of a US investment fund and investment law of Thailand. In project finance matters he represented more than 10 Thai lender banks, also liaising with another London law firm on behalf of foreign banks and investors. He has also represented foreign advisors in Thailand such as in the project of the newest and biggest International Airport which was Flughafen Munchen GMBH, a state enterprise of Germany that operated Munich Airport. Mr Nakrit has substantial experience in providing legal advice and services successfully in obtaining non-immigrant visas and work permits to foreign clients in Thailand for more than 30 years.
BOUTIQUE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIETNAM
GLE Awards 2017
67
AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST WINNERS 68
GLE Awards 2017
AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST WINNERS African governments need to integrate entrepreneurship more fully into their industrialisation strategies, according to the African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2017. In 2016, Africa’s economic growth slowed down to 2.2% from 3.4% in 2015 due to low commodity prices, weak global recovery and adverse weather conditions, which impacted on agriculture production in some regions. However, it is expected to rebound to 3.4% in 2017 and 4.3% in 2018. This assumes that as commodity prices recover, the world economy will be strengthened and domestic macroeconomic reforms are entrenched. In fact, there are promising developments across the continent. Africa’s growth increasingly relies on domestic sources, as shown by dynamic private and government consumption that combined, accounted for 60% of growth in 2016. This growth also coincides with progress in human development: 18 African countries had achieved medium to high levels of human development by 2015. Finally, foreign direct investment, attracted by the continent’s emerging markets and fast urbanisation, stood at US$56.5 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach US$57 billion in 2017. Such investment has diversified away from the natural resources sector to construction, financial services, manufacturing, transport, electricity, and information and communication technology. “Although economic headwinds experienced in the last two years appear to have altered the ‘Africa rising narrative’, we firmly believe the continent remains resilient, with non-resource dependent economies sustaining higher growth for much longer spells. With dynamic private sectors, entrepreneurial spirit and vast resources, Africa has the potential to grow even faster and more inclusively,” said Abebe Shimeles, acting director, Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, at the African Development Bank. Still, progress remains uneven. African governments need to push their agenda for job creation with more ambitious and tailored policies. Despite a decade of progress, 54% of the population in 46 African countries are still trapped in poverty across multiple dimensions – health, education and living standards. Demands for better employment opportunities are the main reason behind continued public protests, having motivated a third of all public demonstrations between 2014 and 2016 – albeit in a context of decreasing levels of civil unrest. With the size of the workforce likely to increase by 910 million between 2010 and 2050, creating more and better jobs will remain the core challenge for African policy-makers.
“The key to successful development in Africa is to nurture the emerging culture of entrepreneurship, to use the famous words of Hernando De Soto, ‘el otro sendero’ (the other path) for development; a path that can unleash high-octane creativity and transform opportunities into phenomenal realisations,” said Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, regional director for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme. Opportunities for Middle East on the Horizon after a Difficult 2016 2016 was probably the low point for oil exporters in the Middle East. According to PwC economists, economic prospects for the region should improve in 2017, helped by stronger oil prices over the year. The monthly Purchasing Managers Indices (PMIs) support this outlook, with all showing an ongoing upswing in January to April 2017, indicating better growth prospects ahead. Nevertheless, oil prices still remain well below break-even levels for most oil exporters and fiscal reform and deficit financing will continue to be key policy priorities in 2017 and beyond. PwC stressed three key challenges for the region’s economies. First, low oil prices resulted in large fiscal deficits for oil-producing countries that now need to be reined in. GCC governments collectively registered a deficit of around - 11.1% of GDP in 2016, ranging from an estimated - 3.6% in Kuwait to a burdensome - 20.6% for Oman. Second, fiscal reforms are hard to do and even harder to sustain: energy subsidies were cut across the board (resulting in a GCC average of 2.8% inflation); popular backlash against rising petrol prices has caused some governments to reconsider this policy and yet many more difficult reforms are in the pipeline. And finally, the issue of hidden costs for oil-producing countries manifested in sizeable structural deficits in countries like Egypt and indirectly, negatively affecting countries that heavily rely on remittances and exports from the GCC.
Whilst this environment creates challenges for business, such as managing new taxes, the report identified a growing number of opportunities, particularly as the major Gulf economies look for alternative sources of financing. This includes the debt markets and privatisation initiatives. Richard Boxshall, PwC Middle East’s economist, echoed the positive sentiment for the region’s economic outlook: “The flurry of activity in debt markets, privatisation and PPPs has only just got started and should generate interesting business opportunities in the next few years. Investors can expect to see GCC economies make increasing use of international debt markets and to work harder to attract foreign direct investment in the next few years.” He added: “Foreign investors will want to see that governments have credible and committed plans to control the public finances. Introduction of VAT and excise tax in the GCC is an early opportunity for GCC governments to signal to international investors their commitment to fiscal reforms.” The issue also highlights the growth potential of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, viewed by PwC as “pockets of opportunity” in the region.
The flurry of activity in debt markets, privatisation and PPPs has only just got started.
GLE Awards 2017
69
AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST CONTENTS MADDOCK & BRIGHT IP LAW OFFICE / IP Litigation Law Firm of the Year in Egypt............................................ 71.
Njeri Kariuki Advocate / Commercial Arbitration Law Firm of the Year in Kenya...................................................... 71.
D&C Legal Services / Corporate Law Firm of the Year in Lebanon..........................................................................72.
Bheeroo Law Chambers / Corporate Law Firm of the Year in Mauritius..................................................................72.
Jackson, Etti & Edu / Energy & Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year in Nigeria........................................................73.
Jackson, Etti & Edu / Real Estate Law Firm of the Year in Nigeria...........................................................................73.
KETTANI LAW FIRM / M&A Law Firm of the Year in Morocco...............................................................................74.
The Law Firm of Majed M. Garoub / Commercial Contracts Law Firm of the Year in Saudi Arabia........................74.
Abdelaziz Alhanaee Advocates and Legal Consultancy / Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year in the UAE...........................................................................................75.
Kampala Associated Advocates / Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year in Uganda...........................................76.
Onyango & Company Advocates / Editors’ Choice - Corporate Law Firm of the Year in Uganda............................ 77.
70
GLE Awards 2017
IP LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN EGYPT MADDOCK & BRIGHT IP LAW OFFICE Abdel Wahab Moustafa Managing Partner Tel: +2 02 2735 2592 abdelwahab@mbo-law.com www.mbo-law.com MADDOCK & BRIGHT IP LAW OFFICE is a unique law firm. It is ranked amongst the most professional and long-established law firms in Egypt, specializing in the protection of intellectual and industrial property rights in Egypt, Middle East and North Africa. The firm fills a market gap in the MENA region by cleverly combining services in the field of intellectual property law and market entry support. Its mass, diversity and advanced technological tools allow it to provide customized, comprehensive services catered to the specific needs of foreign companies and law firms in the Middle East & North Africa. In addition to a team of specialists in various fields of law, economics and technology, the firm is staffed with qualified patent and trademark attorneys, who have gained many years of experience in establishing and enforcing intellectual property rights over patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and copyrights as well as in such work as assignment, licensing and litigation. The firm covers the entire spectrum of intellectual property protection services, searches, filling applications for registration of trademarks, designs, utility models and patents, filling oppositions, filling statements, technical translation, arguments and suits. It files lawsuits on behalf of foreign right holders against infringers in Egypt, Middle East & North Africa. The firm also provides legal and technical assistance related to infringement, compensation cases, conducting contracts, arbitration, legal advice, amicable approaches to settle disputes as well as licensing, and various other issues. In addition, the firm is continuously developing technological tolls that support its work, in order to provide faster and more cost-effective IP services for its foreign clients.
Abdel Wahab Moustafa As a managing partner of MADDOCK & BRIGHT IP L AW OFFICE (MBO) in Egypt and some of the MENA region countries, Mr. Moustafa specializes in industrial and intellectual property strategic advice for companies to gain competitive advantages worldwide, and federates MBO’s consultants’ skills to accompany and support clients in their development strategies. Due to his wide area of knowledge with regards to using different legal weapons (decision between administrative or court proceedings, under-cover investigations, borders seizure, goods seizure, preparing documentation and complaints for customs and governmental bodies, litigation), he has built up the credibility and reputation of MBO. Beside managing the development of MBO (more than 120 IP attorneys, agents and lawyers in MBO offices), in 2006, he joined Mona Bakir Office and started initiating the same practices on a larger scale, across the last years, and after working as senior patent and trademark attorney and litigator on behalf of foreign right holders. Owing to his full experience in IP matters and in the litigation field, Mr. Moustafa has led Mona Bakir & Son Office into a new partnership resulting in a capital raise under a new name of Maddock & Bright IP Law Office. Maddock & Bright IP Law Office combines the existing expertise and clientele base of Mona Bakir & Son Office with management and expansion tactics to bring to the legal field a wider range of integrated legal solutions, and a greater regional footprint. Mr. Moustafa received several awards for excellence in client services: https://drive.google.com/ open?id=0B7eFGEGlkC1GMEJKbVNsaEgxMVE https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7eFGEGlkC1Gb0paY3dab2RQUlE
COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN KENYA Njeri Kariuki Advocate Njeri Kariuki Sole Proprietor Tel: +254202217936; +254722523823 njeri_kariuki@nka-law.co.ke www.nka-law.co.ke Njeri Kariuki is an advocate who has specialised in resolving disputes through arbitration and ADR. During the course of her career, she has delivered awards as a sole arbitrator spanning the petroleum, insurance, banking, real estate, industry and corporate sectors, primarily within the domestic arena. Ms Kariuki has also sat on several three-panel tribunals as co-arbitrator, determining disputes in similar sectors. In addition, she has sat as Chair of a Dispute Adjudication Board set-up to midwife an international geothermal project to fruition. In her primary profession as an advocate, in which she has practised since 1988, Ms Kariuki takes on, in the main, noncontentious matters in the realm of real estate (conveyancing) law, probate and succession, commercial contracts, company/business formations and company secretarial matters. Besides being an advocate and an arbitrator, she is also an accredited mediator and is listed as a trainer and a tutor of several courses with the AFL of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She is a member of the following: Committee Member of the Kenya Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Member of the Law Society of Kenya, East Africa Law Society, FIDA, Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Member, LCIA African Users Council, Member, Dispute Resolution Board Foundation, ICCA, SIAC Users Council – Africa (by invitation only).
NJERI KARIUKI ADVOCATE In terms of publications, Ms Kariuki has: • Written and presented a paper on international commercial arbitration during the 10th Joint Annual Seminar of the London Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the LCIA held in September 2014. • Written and presented a paper on Commercial Mediation in Africa, during the Centenary Conference of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators held in July 2015 in Livingstone, Zambia. • Written and presented a paper on “The Effective Skills required for building an Arbitration Practice in Africa: a Woman’s Perspective” during the Joint IBA/ICC Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 5th June, 2017. • Contributed the Kenya Chapter in the: • 2014 Chambers Legal Practice Guide on Litigation; • International Arbitration in the 2016 Chambers Country Practice Guides; • Global Legal Group’s International Comparative Legal 2016 & 2017 Guides; • Lexology Navigator Arbitration 2016; • Practical Law – Arbitration Global Guide 2016. When asked how Njeri Kariuki Advocate is distinguished from its competitors, Ms Kariuki noted that the firm’s integrity and excellence in the provision of services are what sets it apart. To this end, the firm has been recently recognised through: a 2017 Citation in Chambers Global as a Leading Individual, the 4th since 2014; a 2017 Arbitration Award in Kenya from International Advisory Experts; and a Corporate INTL Global Award – Commercial Arbitration Law Firm in Kenya. Each of these accolades have been instrumental in improving the firm’s market position, domestically and internationally.
GLE Awards 2017
71
CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN LEBANON D&C Legal Services Richard Deeb Managing Partner Tel: +961 3 316 042 richard.deeb@dc-ls.com www.dc-ls.com D&C Legal Services’ managing partner Richard Deeb is a qualified lawyer with more than 15 years’ experience in the legal field in Lebanon, Qatar and GCC. Mr Deeb has a strong experience in corporate law, intellectual property and trademark law, real estate, and has handled several litigation, arbitration and mediation matters. He has represented his multinational clients in numerous intellectual property disputes and has provided advice on such matters to protect client interests. When asked how D&C Legal Services is distinguished from its competitors, Mr Deeb noted: “Unlike most law firms, we spend the time getting to know our clients and ensuring that we fully understand their goals. We also believe that clients are a critical part of our team; we seek their input throughout the representation. Each client comes to us with different needs and concerns. We limit the number and type of matters we undertake so that we can always deliver the best possible service for the firm’s existing clients.” According to Mr Deeb, the firm’s size enables it to avoid the bureaucracy and higher costs often associated with larger law firms. Its size, however, has never prevented its expert advisers from representing clients in large cases. “Rather,” he explained, “our size and approach allow us to provide more bespoke services at more reasonable rates. We work hard to ensure that our clients are always fully informed about the status of their case and our agreed-upon plans to resolve it in the most efficient, economical and expeditious fashion possible.”
Richard Deeb – Major Transactions: • Advising on a corporate matter (joint venture) relating to one of the largest international automotive companies. • Arbitration case in front of the Qatar chamber of Commerce for 6.5 million dollars. • Advising on major agency and distribution agreements for multinational companies especially in the sector of gas and oil, furniture, real estate, cement, iron, safety, battery, heavy equipment, automotive finance, investment… • Negotiation and mediation for a conflict with an international company in the field of oil and gas. • Drafting, reviewing and advising on major business and construction contracts. • Advising on a finance deal with a UK leading bank, worth more than 100 million dollars. • Establishing a joint venture with one of the largest companies in the field of oil and gas. • Following all of the legal cases in front of the Qatari courts and abroad, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Dubai, as well as the arbitration in front of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and International Chamber of Commerce. • Handling all of the construction contracts and all of the real estate matters of a leading construction company. • Working with one of the major global technology groups regarding a joint venture company. • Handling one of the largest acquisition deals of a multinational company.
CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MAURITIUS Bheeroo Law Chambers Sunil Bheeroo Founder and Managing Partner Tel: +230 210 0507 sunilbheeroo@intnet.mu Bheeroo Law Chambers is a well-established firm of lawyers situated in the heart of Port Louis, capital of Mauritius dealing with individual, corporate clients as well as with government and non-governmental organisations. The firm specialises in corporate, commercial and international trade. It also deals with patent rights, arbitration, financial services and offshore business activities. Bheeroo Law Chambers has a subsidiary company named Swift Consultancy Services, offering company and corporate secretarial services. The firm acts on behalf of investors until full implementation of their project and continue giving its support if so needed. The firm also deals in offshore activities and advises clients in their best interest. The firm provides its clients with sound investment advice and assists them in investment in Mauritius and in the region under the SADC & COMESA protocol agreement. Bheeroo Law Chambers is also engaged in continuing education and training and design courses to suit the needs of the client.
72
GLE Awards 2017
The firm is a one-stop-shop for corporate and legal matters as its clients’ corporate and legal partner. The firm’s services include: • Incorporation of Companies & Corporate Services • Investments & Property Acquisition • Project Financing & Project Management • Offshore Business, Patent Rights, Arbitration Sunil Bheeroo Sunil Bheeroo is the founder and managing partner of Bheeroo Law Chambers. Mr Bheeroo is a British-qualified Barrister-at-law, with expertise in corporate, finance and investment law as well as an academic and professional vocation in both business management and law. Mr Bheeroo’s experience spans across three decades and over a variety of corporate and legal fields. Having trained and initiated a practice in the United Kingdom, he chose to practise further in Mauritius and worked his way to becoming an accomplished and respected lawyer in Mauritius. Mr Bheeroo was previously vice chairman of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius and Adviser to the Ministry of Finance.
ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NIGERIA Jackson, Etti & Edu Taiwo Adeshina Partner Tel: +234 1 4626841/3 taiwoadeshina@jacksonettiandedu.com www.jacksonettiandedu.com Jackson, Etti & Edu (JEE) is a leading Nigerian integrated law firm rendering specialist legal services to Nigerian and international clientele. Established in 1996 with eight lawyers, Jackson, Etti & Edu has grown into a firm of eight partners, more than 40 associates and two consultants. It operates across West Africa with four offices strategically located in Nigeria (Victoria Island, Ikeja and Abuja) and an associate office in Ghana. The Energy and Infrastructure Practice (‘EIP’) of JEE is one of the practice areas in the Corporate and Commercial Department of the firm. The EIP has experienced professionals who deploy their sector specific expertise and skills to provide bespoke solutions to the daily challenges of clients operating in the highly regulated Nigerian oil and gas and power sector. Partner Taiwo Adeshina noted: “We are not only conversant with prevailing issues in the Nigerian energy industry, but also at the forefront of providing expert legal advice to participants in the energy value chain such as: government agencies, foreign and local Investors, indigenous companies, service companies and energy projects financiers.” Notable Transactions a. Jackson, Etti & Edu advised on the divestment by a leading multinational oil servicing company of its interest in its local subsidiary by way of an asset sale arrangement, as well as the subsequent winding up and liquidation of its two subsidiaries earlier consolidated into a new company. The transaction was valued in excess of US$36.8 million.
b. The firm conducted legal due diligence on two Nigerian entities on behalf of a prospective purchaser of Bonny Light Crude Oil. This involved visiting the offices of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Headquarters and the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML). c. The firm also advised Viathan Engineering Limited on the acquisition of Akute Power Limited, an independent power plant based in Lagos, Nigeria, having an installed capacity of 12.5 MW. The transaction was valued at $18.5 million. Mr Adeshina added: “A significant percentage of our clients are oil service companies already operating in the oil and gas industry. The instructions received from such clients usually pertain to issues that arise from their daily operations and activities of regulatory bodies on such operations. At Jackson, Etti & Edu, we leverage on our in-depth comprehension of the relevant laws to negotiate, draft and review key transaction documentations peculiar to clients’ transactions. Moreover, we engage with regulatory bodies to appreciate any new development in practice and procedure. “In 2017 so far, we have advised the Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on the development of legal framework for the Lagos State Government’s proposed embedded generation scheme. This was the first embedded generation scheme embarked upon by a State Government in Nigeria. We were also engaged by the Lagos State Government to draft the ‘Lagos State Power Sector Bill 2017’.”
REAL ESTATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NIGERIA Jackson, Etti & Edu Kingsley Opia-Enwemuche Senior Associate Tel: +234 (1) 462 6841 kingsleyopia-enwemuche@jacksonettiandedu.com www.jacksonettiandedu.com Jackson, Etti & Edu’s Real Estate Practice is renowned for its commercial nous, pragmatism, robust experience and in-depth knowledge in advising diverse clients on complex real estate deals ranging from sale and acquisition; development and re-development; finance/refinancing; private equity investment and investment trust (REITs); investment vehicle structuring; leasing, sale and leaseback, title documentation and perfection – etc from conceptualisation through to transaction close. The firm’s advice is tailored to meet clients’ investment objectives. The firm’s experience in this area includes advising a property development company on the reclamation by dredging of up to 150 hectares of land from the Lagos Lagoon. Jackson, Etti & Edu advised from the conceptualisation/feasibility phase to the completion of the dredging works and title documentation, and is currently advising on the development of infrastructures on the reclaimed land. The firm also: advised a joint venture property development company in connection with the development of 50 (fifty) terrace houses in Yaba, Lagos; acted for Bourdillon Heights Nigeria Limited in the purchase of a property in Victoria Island, Lagos valued at N430,000,000 (four hundred and thirty million Naira); acted for the Bridge Clinic Limited on the purchase of its head office in Ikeja GRA,
Lagos valued at N280,000,000; advised a syndicate of lenders on a $100 million Development Finance Facility to Satellite Oil & Gas International Limited for the development of an Energy Complex in Eko Atlantic City, Lagos; advised Edimara Properties Limited of the term loan facility of US$10,000,000 and a Naira term loan of N1,489,875,000 for part-financing the development of an office building situated in Ikoyi, Lagos; and acted as the Transaction Counsel for title documentation for developed residential units in a residential estate developed on a parcel of land measuring 50 hectares along the Lekki-Epe corridor. Senior associate Kingsley Opia-Enwemuche noted: “At Jackson, Etti & Edu, we combine our robust knowledge of local market and legal expertise to help our diverse clients plan, negotiate and execute real estate transactions across the real estate value chain – residential, offices, retail, industrial and hospitality/leisure. “Our geographical reach and experienced real estate lawyers enable us to support any real estate transaction or project across the country.” Mr Opia-Enwemuche added: “Today, Jackson, Etti & Edu’s typical clients positioned within this sector include real estate financers, developers, investors, portfolio managers and facilities managers. “In recognition of our expansive service offering in this area, we were awarded the 2016 Real Estate Law Firm of the Year at the Esq Nigerian Legal Awards. This has positioned us as the preeminent real estate law firm in Nigeria.”
GLE Awards 2017
73
M&A LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MOROCCO KETTANI LAW FIRM Nadia Kettani, Esq Partner Tel: +212 5 22 43 89 00 nadia@kettlaw.com www.kettlaw.com Kettani Law Firm (KLF) is a major Moroccan business law firm founded in 1971 by Professor Azzedine Kettani. In 2011, it was the first legal entity to register as a private lawyers’ partnership (“société civile professionnelle”) in Casablanca under the name of KETTANI LAW FIRM SCP. It covers the entire spectrum of financial and business activities. The firm acts for banks and other financial institutions, international businesses, major public and private companies and government departments. It has 20 lawyers, a total of 50 staff, and is divided into four departments – composed of 120 employees – including: Arbitration, Consulting, Litigation, and Dedicated Units. Partner Nadia Kettani practises in the areas of business law, foreign investment, international transactions and litigation. She was admitted to the Casablanca Bar Association in 1994. She also has a master’s degree in business law from the University of Hassan II, Casablanca. KLF is an acknowledged leader in the fields of corporate finance, banking, project finance, company and commercial law. The firm’s other areas of expertise include: stock exchange laws; aviation laws; telecommunication regulations; labour law; and industrial property. It also has a large experience in litigation handling all forms of commercial disputes. The firm acts as a local counsel for international public and private corporations, investments banks and financial institutions, governments and international bodies. It has handled a number of high-profile projects for clients around the world. These include advising France Telecom as a potential buyer of Maroc Telecom
($2.3 billion), the national telecommunication operator, advising Telefonica for the acquisition of the second GSM line bid ($1.1 billion) and advising Imperial Tobacco in the acquisition of the Moroccan state-owned tobacco company Régíe des Tabacos for approximately EUR 1.3 billion. KLF advises on all operations relating to the financial strategy of Moroccan and foreign companies, such as restructuring and regrouping (mergers and similar operation, joint ventures), acquisitions, take over bids, public offers of exchange, stock exchange listings and other equity transactions. In addition, the Consulting department is highly active in the area of mergers and acquisitions. Ms Kettani has advised, amongst others, the following key corporate clients in relation to their mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures in Morocco and abroad: Al Sahl Group (Libya); Al Homaizi (Kowait) in relation to its introduction of IKEA in Morocco; Alshaya Group (Kuwait) in relation to the setting up of international franchises in Morocco (such as Starbucks and H&M); St Gobain (France); and Platinum Power (Morocco) in relation to its capital opening operation to AfricInvest. Ms Kettani has also recently acted on behalf of top-tier international hotel operator companies such as Hilton and Marriott regarding their investments in Morocco, and represented local groups such as Risma, which is managing the hotels of Accor in Morocco, as well as Atlas Voyages, in relation to its partnership with TUI. In 2015 and 2016, Ms Kettani notably assisted Marriott regarding is implementation in Marrakech, and Fès and Taameer (Koweit) in the selling of its hotel units.
COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SAUDI ARABIA The Law Firm of Majed M. Garoub Majed M. Garoub Founder & Chairman Tel: +966126518222 majed@lawgaroub.com www.lawgaroub.com Since its establishment in 1995 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, The Law Firm of Majed Garoub has handled and processed more than one thousand lawsuits with an accumulative value exceeding thirty billion Saudi Riyals. The firm employs a team of dedicated practitioners who offer superior knowledge and understanding of local laws. Its team members have rights of audience before the local courts on a wide variety of levels, including specialised judicial bodies and committees. The firm works with a wide network of international partners (law firms, consultancy firms, and legal organisations) allowing it to provide comprehensive globalised integrated services. In addition to its strong domestic capabilities, the firm is allied with partner firms which provide it (and its clients) with multidisciplinary, international expertise and enable it to customise its services to its clients’ interests both domestically and internationally. The firm’s experience reaches beyond Saudi Arabia and extends across the entirety of the Middle East. Its top priority is serving its clients with the best possible solutions and detailed legal advice to meet any challenge. Majed M. Garoub Majed Garoub is the founder and chairman of The Law Firm of Majed M. Garoub and the Saudi Law Training Centre. He is a member of many international and local legal entities such as the American Bar Association (ABA) the International Bar Association
74
GLE Awards 2017
(IBA) and the Anti-Commercial Fraud Committee (ACFC). He is also the Consular to the president of the International Union of lawyers (UIA). Mr Garoub is a member of the Scientific Committee of Reconciliation and Arbitration at the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce and the deputy president of the Arab chamber of arbitration and reconciliation. Mr Garoub is the Consular to the president of the International Union of lawyers; and a member at the Arab Arbitration Group initiated by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Mr Garoub is contributing to spreading the knowledge of law and legal rights awareness in the community through conducting several courses, seminars and conferences to support the spread of legal culture on a national and international level; and for his continuous global efforts he has been awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite in 2015 by the French government. Mr Garoub is a member of the Scientific Committee of Reconciliation and Arbitration at the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce, and the deputy president of the Arab chamber of arbitration and reconciliation. Therefore, he was appointed as arbitrator and representative of several governmental agencies and international commercial companies. Thereupon, he was known as “The Youngest Arab Arbitrator, specialised in International Commercial Arbitration”. For all the aforementioned expertise in arbitration he has been selected to join the Arbitration Consulting Committee at the Saudi Ministry of Justice. He is fluent in both Arabic and English.
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE UAE Abdelaziz Alhanaee Advocates and Legal Consultancy Mr. Abdelaziz Alhanaee Managing Partner Tel: +97143809666 abdelaziz@alhanaee.com www.alhanaee.com Abdelaziz Alhanaee Advocates & Legal Consultancy is a local law firm based in Dubai. It was established in 2013 and licensed to offer legal services and litigation under one roof before all courts in the UAE.
Why Abdelaziz Alhanaee Advocates is one of the best law firms in Dubai?
Our Vision Abdelaziz Alhanaee Advocates & Legal Consultancy strives to be one of the top law firms in the Middle East for providing litigation and legal services in a professional manner. Our Mission Our Mission is to provide best-in-class litigation and legal services to both international and local clients by providing reliable and timely services by professional consultants in an ethical manner to protect, defend, and maintain our clients’ rights. Our Practices We provide the highest quality standards in all complex litigation matters. • Litigation • Banking & Finance • Corporate & Commercial • Arbitration • Employment • Property & Real Estate • Criminal With the aid of our highly experienced lawyers we provide the following services at high standards:Representing our clients before the UAE courts of different tiers and Court experts. Representing our clients before Arbitration Centres and Panels. Representing our clients in the enforcement of awards. Reviewing various documentation which our clients may require in its operation and relationships with third parties, and advising our clients accordingly. Assistance in obtaining various licenses, approvals and permits required for the establishment of new companies in the UAE. Advising on laws and regulations in accordance with the UAE Law. Advising on the requirements of the competent authorities of the UAE. Applying for attachments and travel bans. Conducting amicable settlements. Shareholders’ disputes. Construction disputes. Representing our clients in the recovery of debits. Advising on merges, acquisitions and related agreements. Dealing with Money-Laundering cases. Rental disputes. Internet crimes.
Our Team
Abdelaziz Alhanaee – Managing Partner Abdelaziz has been practicing law since 2002 and was a partner and head of litigation at Habib Al Mulla & Company (currently Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla) for more than eight years. Abdelaziz is licensed to appear before UAE different courts, including Federal Courts. Hussein Shabana – Partner Hussein has been practicing law in the UAE for more than 20 years. Hussein was a Partner at Hadef & Partners for almost three years and prior to that Hussein was Senior Partner and Head of Civil and Commercial Department – Litigation – at Habib Al Mulla & Company (currently Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla) for more than 15 years. Mohamed Rouchdi – Partner Mohamed has been practicing law in the UAE for more than 10 years. Mohamed joined the Dispute Resolution Department at Hadef & Partners in early 2008 as Senior Legal Consultant, and prior to that, Mohamed was a Legal Consultant in the Litigation Department at Habib Al Mulla & Company (currently Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla) for more than three years.
GLE Awards 2017
75
BANKING & FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN UGANDA Kampala Associated Advocates Sam Mayanja Senior Partner Tel: +256 312 244 100 smayanja@kaa.co.ug www.kaa.co.ug Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA) aspires to be a market leader in the legal profession and a world-class law firm of choice in Uganda through provision of innovative practical legal solutions. The firm maintains the highest levels of customer service and professional integrity through its professional, dynamic and responsive teams. At the heart of KAA is a team working together to ensure that that the firm delivers first-class legal services to its clients by providing practical, innovative and legally sound solutions. Effective teamwork also requires leaders who put the team’s interest before their own and inspire others to reach their full potential. KAA believes that its reputation is important and behaving with the highest levels of integrity is fundamental to who the firm is. It demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainable, responsible business practices. KAA anticipates and understand its clients’ needs. It shares knowledge, opportunities and best practices for the benefit of its clients and the development of its people. KAA works together to bring resources and expertise to serve all client needs promptly, proactively, effectively and efficiently. The firm always communicates regularly and clearly with its clients looking to achieve the end result desired by its clients. KAA strives to become one of the most sought-after providers of legal services by always endeavouring to be better tomorrow than it is today, investing in its people development while attaining the highest level of competence in its areas of practice and achieving the highest standards of quality and innovation in everything it does as a firm. Banking and Finance KAA’s banking and finance practice encompasses corporate finance, project finance, trade finance, development finance, asset finance/leasing and collateral creation and perfection. The practice is headed by Sam Mayanja, who has several years’ banking experience. He is supported by David Mpanga who has been involved in the operation of well-established, highly regarded companies in the banking sector and has acted as engagement leader for several syndicated facilities for some of the top banks and corporates. The team also advises on derivatives and capital markets with regard to Initial Public Offerings, international finance, international cross-border finance, trade and commodity finance, project finance, infrastructure finance and asset finance. The team also works with credit departments of banks to create, perfect, monitor and enforce collateral securities provided to secure loans and other credit facilities to customers. It also has specialist knowledge of the realisation
76
GLE Awards 2017
of securities, especially the disposal of collateral securities. The team includes senior associates: Dennis Otatiina, Pearl Nyakabwa and associates John Bulungu and Leonard Businge. The practice supports some of the largest commercial banks in the Ugandan economy, including Barclays Bank Uganda Limited, Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited, NC Bank Uganda Limited, Centenary Bank Limited and Standard Chartered Bank Uganda Limited. The team prides itself on the sound legal structuring and the creation of security packages, as well as the perfection of securities in the shortest possible time. Sam Mayanja Prior to joining KAA, Mr Mayanja was the principal partner of Sam Mayanja & Co. Advocates. His main focus is the banking and financial field, and he has represented numerous commercial and banking companies. He is recognised as a leading authority on the Ugandan banking and financial services sector by the International Edition of Who’s Who in Global Banking. When he was Bank Secretary to the Uganda Development Bank, he represented the Uganda Bankers Association in drafting the present code of conduct of Ugandan Banks, and was part of the team that assisted in the drafting of the current Financial Institutions Act. In addition to his role in the banking sector, he was appointed as a consultant by the Non-Performing Assets Recovery Trust (NPART) in the recovery of the now defunct Uganda Commercial Bank’s non-performing loans. Mr Mayanja has advised the Bank of Uganda (Agricultural Policy Secretariat) on how to handle the Ginnery loans extended to cotton ginneries by the World Bank through the now defunct Co-operative Bank. He assisted the Ministry of Finance in its negotiations with Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) on its assumption of the Ginnery loans formerly handled by the Cooperative Bank. In international circles, Mr Mayanja was engaged by the World Bank in drawing up legal structures for the Northern Transport & Transit Corridor covering the countries of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was also a legal adviser to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on the Trans-African Highways Programme, where he helped set up the Secretariat of the Trans-Africa Highway Authority (Lagos-Mombasa) at Bangui, Central African Republic. He is also a senior lecturer at Nkumba University, where he teaches Insurance, Banking and Commercial Law. In past years, he was also a lecturer at the Law Development Centre and the Uganda Christian University, Mukono. As a member of the Uganda Institute of Corporate Governance, he is a regular contributor to its quarterly magazine, Sustainable Wealth.
EDITORS’ CHOICE - CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN UGANDA Onyango & Company Advocates Onyango Owor Managing Partner Tel: +256 414 666 242; +256 392 003 495; +256 701 666 244 onyango@onyangoadvocates.com www.onyangoadvocates.com Onyango Advocates is a full-service Ugandan law firm with expertise in corporate advisory, commercial litigation, intellectual property, banking and finance, insurance, employment and tax. The firm also has a specialisation in immigration, personal injury, NGO Advisory and Social Enterprise advisory among others. The firm is recommended by Global Law Experts as experts in corporate law. It is also a recognised law firm in Ugandan banking and finance law by IFLR1000, a leading guide for top-tier lawyers around the world. Onyango Advocates works closely with governments and regulatory agencies in the region to assist its clients with practical, cost-effective legal solutions. It is part of regional and global networks of lawyers and law firms. The firm provides advisory and transactional services to national and multinational organisations across a variety of sectors. Its diverse corporate and commercial law practice encompasses the full range of commercial legal services required by corporate entities and investors. These include: Company Law The firm advises directors, shareholders and in-house legal counsel on a range of company law and corporate finance matters. These include share capital, equity and debt capital, shareholder rights, status of directors, directors’ liabilities and responsibilities and corporate governance. Agency and Franchising The firm advises local and multinational organisations on the key contractual aspects that are relevant to commercial agency, distribution and franchising. These include the licensing of the exploitation of intellectual property rights by the franchisee, restraint of trade and other related restrictions, relationship of the parties and indemnification provisions, business image and operating standards,
tax considerations, termination and other relevant matters such as dealer due diligence and contentious proceedings. Insurance The firm offers support to insurance and re-insurance companies on insurance regulation, insurance contract law and regulatory and dispute management aspects of their business. Its experienced team combines a detailed knowledge of the sector and a commercial awareness of the insurance industry and includes specialists from our banking and finance, dispute resolution and employment and pensions practices. The firm also advises insurance firms on such matters as claims, professional liability, insurance coverage, environmental liability, policy drafting and product design. Telecommunications Onyango Advocates’ lawyers have a deep understanding of the telecoms sector and offer transactional and advisory services to telecom companies, internet service providers, satellite companies, media companies, government regulatory agencies. The firm also has extensive knowledge in matters concerning licensing and business issues such as mobile telephone banking, business viability study and due diligence, major network infrastructure deployments, mergers and acquisitions, telecom finance, tax, passive infrastructure transactions and dispute resolution. Technology (ICT) The firm keenly follows changes in information technology and the law to give its clients innovative and effective solutions in areas such as: software licensing, intellectual property issues, defamation, infrastructure arrangements, spectrum auctions and e-commerce, and tax issues relevant to the procurement of ICT equipment. The firm gives full-service legal advice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, regulatory issues and major commercial contracts with customers and suppliers.
GLE Awards 2017
77
LISTINGS
LAW E X
78
Europe
90
The Americas
2017
RTS
GLO
AL
Contents:
PE
B
Our Listings section contains the details of additional winners from around the world.
100
Asia & Oceania
ANNUAL AWARDS WINNER
106
Africa & the Middle East
EUROPE INDIVIDUAL - DATA PROTECTION LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRIA SCWP Schindhelm, Austria Dr. Michael M. Pachinger Partner Tel: +43 664 3407334 m.pachinger@scwp.com at.schindhelm.com
LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRIA OBLIN MELICHAR Dr Klaus Oblin Partner Tel: +4315053705 office@oblin.at www.oblin.at
TENANCY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRIA Schmelz Mag Eva-Maria Schmelz, Mag Dorian Schmelz Managing Partners Tel: +43 2243 327 44 office@rechtampunkt.at www.rechtampunkt.at
78
GLE Awards 2017
TRADEMARK LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRIA schmid-ip Dr. Katharina Schmid Owner | Attorney at Law Tel: +43 (0)1 535 57 44 10 trademarks@schmid-ip.at www.schmid-ip.at
LABOUR LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AZERBAIJAN GRATA International law firm Ummi Jalilova Managing Partner Tel: +994 (12) 597 48 33 ujalilova@gratanet.com www.gratanet.com
UK-EU ANTITRUST LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN BELGIUM Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP Andrew Hockley Partner, London Tel: (+44 203 400 4630) andrew.hockley@blplaw.com www.blplaw.com
Dave Anderson Partner, Brussels Tel: (+32 2 792 2011) david.anderson@blplaw.com www.blplaw.com
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN BULGARIA PAVLOV & CO Vasil Pavlov Managing Partner Tel: +359 2 980 07 27 vpavlov@pavlov-law.com www.pavlov-law.com
BOUTIQUE - M&A LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CYPRUS SOTERIS PITTAS & CO LLC Soteris Pittas Managing Partner Tel: +35725028460 spittas@pittaslegal.com www.pittaslegal.com
GLE Awards 2017
79
IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CYPRUS L PAPAPHILIPPOU & CO LLC Advocates & Legal Consultants
Leandros Papaphilippou Managing Partner Tel: +35722271000 info@papaphilippou.eu www.papaphilippou.eu
LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CYPRUS PHOEBUS, CHRISTOS CLERIDES & ASSOCIATES LLC Dr. Christos Clerides Managing Partner Tel: +357 22753015 c.clerides@clerideslegal.com www.clerideslegal.com
PROPERTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CYPRUS Haris Kalogirou & Co LLC Haris Kalogirou Managing Partner Tel: +357 – 26 220808 info@kalogiroulaw.com www.kalogiroulaw.com
PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CYPRUS Mantis & Athinodorou LLC Michael Mantis Partner Tel: +35799339339 michael@mantislaw.com www.mantislaw.com
OUTSOURCING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN DENMARK Accura Advokatpartnerselskab Rene Thornfeldt Head of Department Tel: +45 3945 2800 rene.thornfeldt@accura.dk www.accura.dk
80
GLE Awards 2017
ART LAW CHAMBERS OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND 36 Art (Part of the 36 Group) Jessica Franses Barrister Tel: +44 (0)207 421 8030 jfranses@36civil.co.uk www.36group.co.uk/art
BIOTECH SECTOR PATENTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Venner Shipley Tim Jump Senior Partner Tel: +44 (0)207 600 4212 tjump@vennershipley.co.uk www.vennershipley.co.uk
CLIENT CHOICE - INNOVATIVE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Mancini Legal Limited Alessandro Mancini CEO/Solicitor Tel: +44 (0)1403 337337 alessandro.mancini@mancinilegal.com www.mancinilegal.com
CONTRACT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Emerging Law Limited Neil Williamson Director Tel: +44 (0) 203 637 6374 neil.williamson@emlaw.co.uk www.emlaw.co.uk
INDIVIDUAL - PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE BARRISTER OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND 1 Chancery Lane, Chambers of John Ross Q.C. John Ross Q.C. Head of Chambers Tel: +44 207 092 2900 jross@1chancerylane.com www.1chancerlyane.com
GLE Awards 2017
81
PATENTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Pinsent Masons Clare Tunstall Partner, Head of Life Sciences and IP Tel: +44 20 7490 6357 clare.tunstall@pinsentmasons.com www.pinsentmasons.com
PENSIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ENGLAND Walker Morris LLP Jo Ratcliffe Partner & Head of Pensions Tel: +44 (0)113 399 1827 jo.ratcliffe@walkermorris.co.uk www.walkermorris.co.uk
MEDIA LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN FRANCE NomoS Eric Lauvaux Partner Tel: +33 1 43 18 55 81 elauvaux@nomosparis.com www.nomosparis.com
ART LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY THEMIS Rechtsanwälte Solicitor Dr. iur. Hannes Hartung TEP Managing Partner Tel: +49 89 9901 8300 hartung@themis.partners www.themis.partners
CLIENT CHOICE - LIFE SCIENCES LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY Dentons Europe LLP Peter Homberg Partner Tel: +49 69 4500 12311 peter.homberg@dentons.com www.dentons.com
82
GLE Awards 2017
COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY GRP Rainer Michael Rainer Managing Partner Tel: +49 221 2722750 info@grprainer.com www.grprainer.com/en
EUROPEAN PATENTS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY ROIDER IP Law Firm Stephan Roider European Patent Attorney / Founding Partner Tel: +49 89 2371 0616 patent@roider-ip.de www.roider-ip.de
FACTORING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY FPS Fritze Wicke Seelig Partnerschaftsgesellschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB Dr. Karl Friedrich Dumoulin Partner Tel: +49 211 302015-14 dumoulin@fps-law.de www.fps-law.de
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY LexDellmeier Alexandra Dellmeier Founder, Attorney at Law and Certified IP Attorney Tel: +49 89 55 87 987 0 info@lexdellmeier.com www.lexdellmeier.com
IT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY Anwaltskanzlei Hild & Kollegen Lawyer Hagen Hild Fachanwalt IT -Recht / Certified Lawyer in IT Law Fachanwalt Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz / Certified Lawyer in Protection of Industrial Property Tel: +49 821 / 420 795 -0 info@kanzlei.biz www.kanzlei.biz
GLE Awards 2017
83
LOW CARBON ENERGY SECTOR LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP Dr. Wolf Friedrich Spieth Partner Tel: +49 30 202 83 891 wolf.spieth@freshfields.com www.freshfields.com
PATENT PROSECUTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff Bernd Laqua Patent Attorney Tel: +49 89 621 800 0 laqua@wuesthoff.de www.wuesthoff.de
TOWN PLANNING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY Eisenmann Wahle Birk & Weidner Hans-Jörg Birk Founding Partner Tel: +49 711 / 23823 birk@ewb-rechtsanwaelte.de www.ewb-rechtsanwaelte.de
YACHT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY CPS Schließmann Wirtschaftsanwälte Prof. Dr. Christoph Ph. Schließmann Founder and Owner Tel: +49-69-6637790 christoph.schliessmann@der-yacht-anwalt.de www.der-yacht-anwalt.de
BUSINESS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GREECE BENEKI - LASKOS LAW FIRM Pelops D. Laskos Partner Tel: +30 2103635500 info@laskoslaw.gr www.laskoslaw.gr
84
GLE Awards 2017
CROSS BORDER COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GREECE KPAG KOSMIDIS & PARTNERS LAW FIRM Abraam Kosmidis Managing Partner Tel: +30 23920 57167 info@kpag.com www.kpag.com; www.greece-lawyer.com
PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN HUNGARY KNP LAW Nagy Koppany Varga and Partners Kornelia Nagy-Koppรกny Managing Partner Tel: +36 (1) 3029050 knagykoppany@knplaw.com www.knplaw.com
TECHNOLOGY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN HUNGARY Jambrik Law Office Gergely Jambrik Founding Partner Tel: +36 1 428 0028 gergely@jambrik.hu www.jambrik.hu
CIVIL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN IRELAND Anderson & Gallagher Robert Anderson Partner Tel: +353 1 677 6932 robert@andersongallagher.ie www.andersongallagher.ie
MARITIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN IRELAND Dillon Eustace David Kavanagh Partner Tel: +353 1 6731865 Mob: +353 87 2588986 david.kavanagh@dilloneustace.ie www.dilloneustace.ie
GLE Awards 2017
85
BANKRUPTCY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Patrizia La Rocca Dr. Patrizia La Rocca Partner Tel: +39 02 54 11 85 44 patrizia.larocca@libero.it CORSO XXII MARZO, 5, 20129 MILANO ITALY
PATRIZIA LA ROCCA
CORPORATE IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY STUDIO LEGALE APRIGLIANO Salvatore Aprigliano Senior Partner Tel: +39 02.36.55.63.63 segreteria@apriglianos.com www.apriglianos.com
CORPORATE INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Paul Hastings (Europe) LLP Francesca Petronio Partner, Litigation Department Tel: +39 02 30414 226 francescapetronio@paulhastings.com www.paulhastings.com
INDIVIDUAL - RESTRUCTURING LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN ITALY GDLegal Marco Greggio Managing Partner Tel: +39.049651599 Mob: +39.328.9098617 m.greggio@gdlegal.it www.gdlegal.it
REAL ESTATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Spadafora De Rosa Law Alessandro de Rosa Senior Partner Tel: +39 6 858221 a.derosa@spadaforaderosa.com www.spadaforaderosa.com
86
GLE Awards 2017
TRADE UNIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Carnelutti Studio Legale Associato Giuseppi Bulgarini d’Elci Partner Tel: +39 02 65585 606 gbulgarini@carnelutti.com www.carnelutti.com
TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Carnelutti Studio Legale Associato Margherita Barié Partner Tel: +39 02 65585 242 mbarie@carnelutti.com www.carnelutti.com
BOUTIQUE CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN LITHUANIA Stašaitis & Partners law office Mindaugas Šeškauskis Partner, Advocate Tel: +370 37 207987 info@stasaitis.lt www.stasaitis.lt
BOUTIQUE COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN POLAND Puwalscy & Partners spółka partnerska Kancelaria Radców Prawnych Marek Puwalski Managing Partner Tel: +48 (0) 662 545 888 mpuwalski@puwalski.pl www.puwalski.pl
BOUTIQUE COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN PORTUGAL ABV ADVOGADOS António Paula Varela Managing Partner Tel: +351 213 703 600 geral@abvlegal.pt www.abvlegal.pt
GLE Awards 2017
87
BOUTIQUE COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN PORTUGAL Ana Bruno & Advogados, Sociedade de Advogados, SP, RL Filipe Eusébio Partner Tel: +351 21 371 33 50 filipe.eusebio@anabruno.pt www.anabruno.pt
BOUTIQUE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN PORTUGAL Clara Silva da Costa, Attorneys at Law Clara da Costa Managing Partner Tel: +351 916400444 info@cscadvogada.com www.cscadvogada.com
EDITORS’ CHOICE - ADMINISTRATIVE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN PORTUGAL Diogo, Neto, Marques & Associados Mario Diogo Partner Tel: +351 236 209 650 mario.diogo@dnm-sadvog.com www.dnm-sadvog.com
BOUTIQUE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN RUSSIA Elga Syukiyaynen Elga Syukiyaynen Private Counsel Tel: +7 916 189 68 26 elga76@mail.ru
MEDIA AND INTERNET LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SLOVENIA LAW OFFICE PETEK Ltd. Marko Petek, PhD, Attorney at law Founding Partner Tel: +386 41 955 571 info@op-petek.si www.op-petek.si
88
GLE Awards 2017
IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SPAIN Padima Dr. Ivan Sempere Partner Tel: +34 965 14 58 09 i.sempere@padima.es www.padima.es
FAMILY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SWEDEN Advokatbyrån Jessica Sandberg AB/ Law firm of Jessica Sandberg Jessica Sandberg Partner Tel: +46 8 667 14 00 jessica@advokatsandberg.se www.advokatsandberg.se
BOUTIQUE BANKING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SWITZERLAND BÜHLMANN KOENIG & PARTNER AG Jurg Buehlmann Partner Tel: +41 43 499 77 88 j.buehlmann@bkh-legal.ch www.bkh-legal.ch
COMMODITIES TRADING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SWITZERLAND GTLaw Gilles Thieffry Partner Tel: +41225929495 gilles.thieffry@gtlaw.ch www.gtlaw.ch
PATENT LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SWITZERLAND IPrime Rentsch Kaelin AG Rudolf A. Rentsch Dr. iur., M.A. HSG et MSc EE ETH Partner, Attorney at law and Swiss Patent Attorney Tel: +41 44 229 60 60 mailroom@iprime.ch www.iprime.ch
GLE Awards 2017
89
TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SWITZERLAND AFSCHRIFT Professor Thierry Afschrift Managing partner Tel: +41 22 593 48 30 (GENEVA); +41 79 544 80 78 (FRIBOURG) avocats@afschrift.com www.afschrift.com
TECHNOLOGY IN-HOUSE LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN SWITZERLAND Credit Suisse Paul Lanois Senior Legal Counsel paul.lanois@credit-suisse.com www.credit-suisse.com
INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN UKRAINE Arzinger Andriy Selyutin Partner, Head of South-Ukrainian Branch Tel: +38 044 390 5533 andriy.selyutin@arzinger.ua www.arzinger.ua
THE AMERICAS
CLIENT CHOICE - M&A LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN BRAZIL Velloza Advogados Associados Cesar Amendolara Partner Tel: +5511-31450070 cesar.amendolara@velloza.com www.velloza.com.br
90
GLE Awards 2017
CONSUMER LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN BRAZIL Brasil e Silveira Advogados Rafael Brasil / Eliseu Silveira Founding partner Tel: +55 (62) 3922-1234 contato@brasilesilveira.adv.br www.brasilesilveira.adv.br
WHITE COLLAR CRIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN BRAZIL Moraes Pitombo Advogados Antônio Sérgio A. de Moraes Pitombo Founding Partner Tel: +55 11 3047-3131 apitombo@mpp.adv.br www.moraespitombo.com.br
AVIATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CANADA MacKenzie Fujisawa LLP Brian Poston Partner Tel: +1-604-443-1213 bposton@macfuj.com www.mackenziefujisawa.com
CLASS ACTIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CANADA Klein Lawyers LLP David A. Klein Managing Partner Tel: +1-604-800-8888 info@callkleinlawyers.com www.callkleinlawyers.com
TECHNOLOGY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN COLOMBIA Marrugo Rivera & Asociados - FuturLex Ivan Dario Marrugo J. Managing Partner Tel: +57 3002189721 www.marrugorivera.com www.futurlex.co
GLE Awards 2017
91
CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ECUADOR Almeida Guzmán & Asociados Diego Almeida-Guzmán Senior and Technical Partner Tel: +593 2 292-8115 dalmeida@almeidaguzman.com www.almeidaguzman.com
TRADE & CUSTOMS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ECUADOR COBO Abogados Antonio Jose Cobo Senior Partner Tel: +593-2 2223238 antoniojosecobo@coboabogados.com www.coboabogados.com
BUSINESS CRIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MEXICO PORTOS ABOGADOS S.C. José Manuel Portos Ubierna Director Partner Tel: +(5255) 55 75 64 23; 55 75 62 89; 52 54 84 69; 55 75 94 10 portos@portos.mx www.portos.mx
DATA PROTECTION LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN MEXICO NH JURIS, S.C. Dr. Carlos Narváez-Hasfura Managing Partner Tel: +52 (55) 1000 0627 cnarvaezh@nh-juris.com www.nh-juris.com
TRADEMARK LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MEXICO ANCIANO & AYALA ABOGADOS, S.C. Rodrigo Anciano Socio/Partner Tel: +(52 55) 5550 7573 / +(52 55) 5540 1390 / +(52 55) 5540 1439 ranciano@ssal.com.mx www.ssal.com.mx
92
GLE Awards 2017
TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN PUERTO RICO Pellot-González Tax Attorneys & Counselors at Law, P.S.C. Luis M. Pellot González, Esq. Founding Partner Tel: +(787) 250-6300 pellot@pellot-gonzalez.com www.pellot-gonzalez.com
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ALASKA, US Brena, Bell & Clarkson Robin Brena Senior Partner Tel: +1 907 258-2000 rbrena@brenalaw.com www.brenalaw.com
EDITORS’ CHOICE - BANKRUPTCY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ARIZONA, US Moyes Sellers & Hendricks Ltd. Keith L. Hendricks Litigation Section Chair Tel: +1-602-604-2120 khendricks@law-msh.com www.law-msh.com
BUSINESS LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Bergeson, LLP Daniel J. Bergeson Partner Tel: +1 408 291 6200 info@be-law.com www.be-law.com
DISTRESSED COMPANIES LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Vectis Law Group Patrick M. Costello Principal Tel: +1-650-320-1688 pcostello@vectislawgroup.com www.vectislawgroup.com/firmprof.html
GLE Awards 2017
93
EDUCATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP Jack P. Lipton, Ph.D. Partner Tel: +1 213.236.0600 jlipton@bwslaw.com www.bwslaw.com
LAND USE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP Gregory J. Patterson Chair Tel: +1 805.987.3468 gpatterson@bwslaw.com www.bwslaw.com
INDIVIDUAL - WEALTH MANAGEMENT LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Jennifer Jordan McCall Partner Tel: +1 650.233.4020 jmccall@pillsburylaw.com www.pillsburylaw.com
TELECOMS SECTOR LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CALIFORNIA, US Cooper, White & Cooper LLP Mark P. Schreiber Managing Partner Tel: +1 415 433-1900 mschreiber@cwclaw.com www.cwclaw.com
EDITORS’ CHOICE - INSURANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN COLORADO, US Dworkin, Chambers, Williams, York, Benson & Evans, P.C. Geri O’Brien Williams Partner Tel: +1 303-584-0990 gwilliams@dnvrlaw.com www.dnvrlaw.com
94
GLE Awards 2017
INSURANCE COVERAGE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN GEORGIA, US Fields Howell LLP Paul L. Fields Managing Partner Tel: +1 (404) 214-1252 pfields@fieldshowell.com www.fieldshowell.com
ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN IOWA, US BELIN MCCORMICK, P.C. Steven E. Zumbach Shareholder Tel: +1 515-283-4625 sezumbach@belinmccormick.com www.belinmccormick.com
MEDIA LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MASSACHUSETTS, US FIERST, KANE & BLOOMBERG LLP Frederick U. Fierst Managing Partner Tel: +1-413-584-8067 fred@ent-atty.com www.fierstkane.com
COLLABORATIVE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MONTANA, US Element Law Group Katie Mazurek Partner Tel: +1 (406) 624-9204 katie@elementlawgroup.com www.elementlawgroup.com
BOUTIQUE IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEVADA, US Bayramoglu Law Offices, LLC Gokal Bayramoglu Partner Tel: +1 702-462-5973 gokalp@bayramoglu-legal.com www.bayramoglu-legal.com
GLE Awards 2017
95
BANKING & FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Otterbourg P.C. David W. Morse, Esq. Partner Tel: +1 (212) 905-3641 dmorse@otterbourg.com www.otterbourg.com
BOUTIQUE CONSTRUCTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Kushnick Pallaci PLLC Vincent T. Pallaci Managing Member Tel: +1-631-752-7100 vtp@kushnicklaw.com www.nyconstructionlaw.com
BOUTIQUE DIVORCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP Richard L. Hause, Esq. / Wendy B. Samuelson, Esq. Partners Tel: +1 516-294-6666 rhause@samuelsonhause.net / wsamuelson@samuelsonhause.net www.samuelsonhause.net
BOUTIQUE FAMILY BASED IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US
Gehi & Associates Naresh Gehi Partner Tel: +1 718-263-5999 info@immigrationquestion.com www.immigrationquestion.com
ENERGY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US The Dax Law Firm, P.C John Dax Partner Tel: +1 518 432 1002 jdax@daxlawfirm.com www.daxlawfirm.com
96
GLE Awards 2017
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Wolf, Arnold & Knoll, P.C. Lawrence Knoll Partner Tel: +1 646-454-5532 knoll@legaltransnational.com www.legaltransnational.com
REINSURANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Tressler LLP Royce Cohen Partner and Co-Chair of the Reinsurance Practice Group Tel: +1 (646) 833-0875 rcohen@tresslerllp.com www.tresslerllp.com
CORPORATE FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Seward & Kissel LLP Jeff Berman Partner Tel: +1 (212) 574-1232 bermanj@sewkis.com www.sewkis.com
STRUCTURED FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK, US Seward & Kissel LLP Kalyan (“Kal”) Das Head of Global Bank and Institutional Finance & Restructuring Practice Group Tel: +1 (212) 574-1391 das@sewkis.com www.sewkis.com
WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN OHIO, US Walter | Haverfield LLP Ralph Cascarilla Managing Partner Tel: +1 (216) 928-2908 rcascarilla@walterhav.com www.walterhav.com
GLE Awards 2017
97
COLLECTIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TENNESSEE, US Stone, Higgs & Drexler George Higgs Partner Tel: +1 901-528-1111 ghiggs@stonehiggsdrexler.com www.stonehiggsdrexler.com
REAL ESTATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TENNESSEE, US Long, Ragsdale and Waters David Long Partner Tel: +1 (865) 584-4040 dlong@lrwlaw.com www.lrwlaw.com
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN TEXAS, US Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP Jamil N. Alibhai Partner Tel: +1 972.628.3600 jalibhai@munckwilson.com www.munckwilson.com
IP LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN TEXAS, US Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP William A. Munck Managing Partner Tel: +1 972.628.3600 wmunck@munckwilson.com www.munckwilson.com
COPYRIGHT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TEXAS, US Bibby, McWilliams & Kearney, PLLC John J. Davis III Managing Member Tel: +1 713 936 9620 x104 jdavis@bmkpllc.com www.bmkpllc.com
98
GLE Awards 2017
IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TEXAS, US Sutton McAughan Deaver PLLC Al Deaver Managing Principal Tel: +1 713 800 5703 adeaver@smd-iplaw.com www.smd-iplaw.com
PATENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIRGINIA, US Ledell Ansari, LLP Sadiq Ansari Partner Tel: +1-571-327-0470 sansari@ledellansari.com www.ledellansari.com
INSURANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON, US Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S. Carl E. Forsberg Shareholder Tel: +1-206-689-8500 cforsberg@FoUm.law www.FoUm.law
MILITARY CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON DC, US Federal Practice Group Eric S. Montalvo Founder Partner Tel: +1.888.488.1774 milcrim@fedpractice.com www.fedpractice.com
GLE Awards 2017
99
ASIA & OCEANIA
BOUTIQUE - PATENT PROSECUTION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA Dark IP Pty Ltd Andrew Dark Director Tel: +617 3192 9840 mail@darkip.com.au www.darkip.com.au
CONTRACT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA Feinauer Dick Feinauer Senior Partner Tel: +61 8 9420 8100 dirk@feinauer.com.au www.feinauer.com.au
CRIMINAL DEFENCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA SYDNEY CRIMINAL LAWYERS Mr Ugur Nedim Principal Tel: +612 9261 8881 info@criminallaw.com.au www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au
IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA VISATEC LEGAL Adewale Oladejo Senior Partner Tel: +61 3 9998 6138 info@visatec.com.au www.visatec.com.au
100
GLE Awards 2017
PROPERTY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA Madison Marcus Law Firm Bechara Shamieh Group Managing Director Tel: +61 2 8022 1222 bechara@madisonmarcus.co www.madisonmarcus.co
TRADEMARK LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA Brands Hawker John Hawker Principal Tel: +61 3 9817 3246 jh@brandshawker.com.au www.brandshawker.com.au
WHITE COLLAR CRIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA Nyman Gibson Miralis Dennis Miralis Partner, Defence Lawyer Tel: +61 2 9264 8884 dm@ngm.com.au www.ngm.com.au
CORPORATE FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN CHINA Tahota Law Firm Shoutai Cheng Chief Partner Tel: +86-13908022067 shoutai.cheng@tahota.com www.tahota-lawyer.com/cn
INDIVIDUAL - CONTRACT DISPUTES LAWYER OF THE YEAR IN CHINA Dentons Daorina Senior Partner Tel: +86 139-1161-0016 daorina@dentons.cn www.dentons.com
GLE Awards 2017
101
CORPORATE IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN HONG KONG Chow King & Associates Mr. Eugene Chow Principal Tel: +(852) 2838-1878 eugene@chowking-visas.com www.chowking-visas.com
FULL SERVICE MEDIUM-SIZED LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN HONG KONG Christine M. Koo & Ip, Solicitors & Notaries LLP Christine Koo Principal Partner Tel: +852 2524 8996 christinekoo@cmkoo.com.hk www.cmkoo.com.hk
INDIVIDUAL - COMMERCIAL LITIGATION BARRISTER OF THE YEAR IN HONG KONG
Temple Chambers Russell Coleman Barrister Tel: +852 2523 2003 coleslaw@templechambers.com www.templechambers.com
CIVIL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA LAW OFFICE OF RAMNI TANEJA Ramni Taneja Sole Proprietor Tel: +91 11 4155 2051 ramni@ramnitaneja.com www.ramnitaneja.com
LAW OFFICE OF RAMNI TANEJA
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA LAW OFFICE OF RAMNI TANEJA Ramni Taneja Sole Proprietor Tel: +91 11 4155 2051 ramni@ramnitaneja.com www.ramnitaneja.com
102
GLE Awards 2017
LAW OFFICE OF RAMNI TANEJA
CLIENT CHOICE - COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA Phoenix Legal Second and Third Floor, 254, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, New Delhi – 110020 Tel: +91 11 49830000 Fax: +91 11 49830099 delhi@phoenixlegal.in www.phoenixlegal.in
CLIENT CHOICE - FOOD & BEVERAGE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA Qui Prior Law Associates Rajiv Sarin Founder & Head Tel: +91 9899335915 rajivsarin@quiprior.com www.quiprior.com
CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA Kaden Boriss Partners
Hemant K. Batra Founder & Global Chairman Tel: Official Mobile +91 9818266278 / Office Board Line +91 124 404 0193 Ext 102 hkb@kadenboriss.com www.kadenboriss.com Offices: India, UAE, UK, Thailand, Singapore & Australia
CORPORATE TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA Krishnomics Legal Gagan Kumar Senior Partner Tel: +91 1165092194 gagan@krishnomics.in www.krishnomics.in
INSOLVENCY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA Kesar Dass B. & Associates
Sumant Batra Managing Partner & Head – Insolvency & Secured Transactions Practice Tel: +91 11 24319971 Mob: +91 98100 28892 sumant.batra@kesardass.org www.kesardass.org
GLE Awards 2017
103
M&A LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDIA FORTITUDE LAW ASSOCIATES Mr. Rahul R Mahajan Managing Partner Tel: +91-22-49151100 rmahajan@fortitude-law.com www.fortitude-law.com
ANTI-MONOPOLY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN INDONESIA HADS Partnership Law Office Mrs. Nurmalita Malik, S.H., M.H Senior Partner nurmalita.malik@hadspartnership.com LinkedIn: HADS Partnership Twitter: HADS Partnership
BOUTIQUE COPYRIGHT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN JAPAN Hashimoto Patent Office Toranosuke Hashimoto President, Patent Attorney Tel: +81-42-569-8176 hashi-th@khaki.plala.or.jp www.hashimotopat.com
INDUSTRY CHOICE - BOUTIQUE LICENSING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN JAPAN K.ITO & ASSOCIATES Shinichi Watanabe Partner Tel: +81 (3) 5623 5781 s-watanabe@kitopat.jp www.kitopat.jp/en
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN MALAYSIA Seow & Associates
Jessie Tan Shin Ee & Renny Tan Tsui Lyn Partners Tel: +60322015584 jessietan@seowassociates.com / rennytan@seowassociates.com www.seowassociates.com
104
GLE Awards 2017
BOUTIQUE IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SINGAPORE NAMAZIE & CO. Farah Namazie Proprietor/Principal Tel: +65 6538 9711 farahnamazie@namazie-law.com www.namazie-law.com
FAMILY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SINGAPORE Eversheds Harry Elias Eliza Tan Partner Tel: +65 6535 0550 elizatan@eversheds-harryelias.com www.eversheds-harryelias.com
IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TAIWAN Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law Yu-Li Tsai Partner Tel: +866-2-25856688 email@deepnfar.com.tw www.deepnfar.com.tw
CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIETNAM DN Legal Limited Dao Nguyen Managing Partner Tel: +84 28 3827 2418 info@daonguyenlegal.com www.daonguyenlegal.com
GLE Awards 2017
105
COMMERCIAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIETNAM VILAF Mr. Dang Duong Anh Managing Partner Tel: +84 24 3934 8530 anh@vilaf.com.vn www.vilaf.com.vn
ENERGY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIETNAM VILAF Mr. Dang Duong Anh Managing Partner Tel: +84 24 3934 8530 anh@vilaf.com.vn www.vilaf.com.vn
TAX LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN VIETNAM VILAF Mr. Dang Duong Anh Managing Partner Tel: +84 24 3934 8530 anh@vilaf.com.vn www.vilaf.com.vn
AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST
EDITORS’ CHOICE - COPYRIGHT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ISRAEL Kasher Law Office Shiri Kasher-Hitin Partner Tel: +972-54-5570790 shiri@kasherlaw.co.il www.kasherlaw.co.il
106
GLE Awards 2017
TECHNOLOGY SECTOR TRANSACTIONS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ISRAEL Horev & Co. Law Office Karin Horev, Adv. Founding Partner Tel: +972-3-6240110 karin@horevlaw.com www.horevlaw.com
BOUTIQUE IP LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN KUWAIT Dr. Khaled Al Yaqout Law Firm & Legal Consultation Yasser Megahed Patent and Trademark Attorney / Head of Intellectual Property Division Tel: +965 22400430/1/2 Mob: +965 97346625 yasser@dralyaqoutlawfirm.com www.dralyaqoutlawfirm.com
EDITORS’ CHOICE - OIL & GAS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN LEBANON Al Jad Law Firm Malek Takieddine Partner Tel: +9613083339 malek.takieddine@al-jad.com www.al-jad.com
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TUNISIA Eversheds Sutherland El Heni Fares Koussay EL HENI Managing Partner Tel: +216 71 860 235 fareselheni@eversheds.com www.eversheds.com
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TUNISIA Eversheds Sutherland El Heni Fares Koussay EL HENI Managing Partner Tel: +216 71 860 235 fareselheni@eversheds.com www.eversheds.com
GLE Awards 2017
107
CORPORATE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN QATAR Ghada M. Darwish Law Firm Ghada M. Darwish Founder / Managing Partner Tel: +974 44 889 050 info@gdarwish.com www.gdarwish.com
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SENEGAL / LITIGATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SENEGAL / OIL & GAS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SENEGAL
LPS L@w Leon Patrice SARR Managing Partner Tel: (+221) 33 848 79 88 lp.sarr@lps-law.com www.lps-law.com
Magna Brice SYLVA Partner Tel: (+221) 33 848 79 88 mb.sylva@lps-law.com www.lps-law.com
PROJECT FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN SIERRA LEONE Garber & Co Maurice Garber, LLM (London), MCIArb, UK Senior Partner Tel: +23276-671588 mauricegarber@yahoo.com www.garberandco.com
BUSINESS CRIME LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN TUNISIA BOUSSAYENE KNANI & Associés Amine Knani Partner Tel: +216 71 288 688 a.knani@bkassocies.com www.bkassocies.com
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE UAE AL ROWAAD ADVOCATES & LEGAL CONSULTANTS Hassan Elhais Senior Partner Tel: +971 4 355 8000 hassan@professionallawyer.me www.alrowaad.ae; www.professionallawyer.me
108
GLE Awards 2017
A-Z INDEX # 1 Chancery Lane, Chambers of John Ross Q.C................................................................................................... 81. 36 Art (Part of the 36 Group)................................................................................................................................ 81. 36 Group, The.......................................................................................................................................................12.
A A Hossain & Associates....................................................................................................................................... 57. Abdelaziz Alhanaee Advocates and Legal Consultancy........................................................................................75. Abed Awad, Esq...................................................................................................................................................39. ABR Solicitors........................................................................................................................................................11. ABV ADVOGADOS................................................................................................................................................ 87. Accura Advokatpartnerselskab ............................................................................................................................80. Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto ...................................................................................................................60. Advokatbyrรฅn Jessica Sandberg AB/ Law firm of Jessica Sandberg....................................................................89. AFSCHRIFT...........................................................................................................................................................90. AKT Law Office.....................................................................................................................................................25. Al Jad Law Firm...................................................................................................................................................107. AL ROWAAD ADVOCATES & LEGAL CONSULTANTS.......................................................................................108. Almeida Guzmรกn & Asociados ............................................................................................................................92. ameleo Law LLP...................................................................................................................................................19. Ana Bruno & Advogados, Sociedade de Advogados, SP, RL.................................................................................88. ANCIANO & AYALA ABOGADOS, S.C..................................................................................................................92. Anderson & Gallagher...........................................................................................................................................85. Andrade & Associates..........................................................................................................................................40. Anwaltskanzlei Hild & Kollegen............................................................................................................................83.
GLE Awards 2017
109
A-Z INDEX Appleby................................................................................................................................................................. 21. Arzinger................................................................................................................................................................90. Attorneys at Law Teperi & Co...............................................................................................................................16. Aylwin Mendoza Luksic & Valencia Abogados......................................................................................................34.
B Baron & Budd.......................................................................................................................................................40. Bayramoglu Law Offices, LLC..............................................................................................................................95. BELIN MCCORMICK, P.C.....................................................................................................................................95. BEMK Rechtsanwälte...........................................................................................................................................20. BENEKI - LASKOS LAW FIRM..............................................................................................................................84. Bennett & Philp Lawyers...................................................................................................................................... 57. Bergeson, LLP......................................................................................................................................................93. Berliner Cohen, LLP.............................................................................................................................................. 41. Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP...............................................................................................................................79. Bheeroo Law Chambers.......................................................................................................................................72. Bibby, McWilliams & Kearney, PLLC....................................................................................................................98. BMH Avocats........................................................................................................................................................16. Boehl, Stopher & Graves LLP...............................................................................................................................44. BOUSSAYENE KNANI & Associés......................................................................................................................108. Brands Hawker....................................................................................................................................................101. Brasil e Silveira Advogados................................................................................................................................... 91. Braumiller Law Group...........................................................................................................................................48. Brena, Bell & Clarkson..........................................................................................................................................93. BÜHLMANN KOENIG & PARTNER AG................................................................................................................89. Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP.........................................................................................................................94.
110
GLE Awards 2017
A-Z INDEX C Cabinet Plasserau..................................................................................................................................................17. Carnelutti Studio Legale Associato....................................................................................................................... 87. CCPIT PATENT AND TRADEMARK LAW OFFICE................................................................................................58. Charles H. Camp, P.C., Law Offices of..................................................................................................................52. Cherundolo Law Firm...........................................................................................................................................46. Choi & Kim............................................................................................................................................................ 61. Chow King & Associates....................................................................................................................................102. Christine M. Koo & Ip, Solicitors & Notaries LLP................................................................................................102. City Legal Services Limited..................................................................................................................................12. Clara Silva da Costa, Attorneys at Law.................................................................................................................88. Clayton Morgan & Company................................................................................................................................36. Cleveland Scott York...............................................................................................................................................11. COBO Abogados..................................................................................................................................................92. Cooper, White & Cooper LLP................................................................................................................................94. CPS Schließmann Wirtschaftsanwälte..................................................................................................................84. Credit Suisse........................................................................................................................................................90.
D D&C Legal Services..............................................................................................................................................72. Dark IP Pty Ltd....................................................................................................................................................100. Dax Law Firm, P.C, The.........................................................................................................................................96. Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law.............................................................................................................................105. Dentons...............................................................................................................................................................101. Dentons Europe LLP............................................................................................................................................82.
GLE Awards 2017
111
A-Z INDEX Dentons Hong Kong.............................................................................................................................................59. Desh International and Business Law..................................................................................................................49. Dillon Eustace.......................................................................................................................................................85. Diogo, Neto, Marques & Associados...................................................................................................................88. DN Legal Limited................................................................................................................................................105. Dr. Khaled Al Yaqout Law Firm & Legal Consultation...........................................................................................107. Dr. Langfinger & Partner mbB..............................................................................................................................18. Drystone Chambers..............................................................................................................................................15. DUAN & DUAN.....................................................................................................................................................58. Dworkin, Chambers, Williams, York, Benson & Evans, P.C...................................................................................94.
E Eisenmann Wahle Birk & Weidner........................................................................................................................84. Element Law Grou................................................................................................................................................95. Elga Syukiyaynen..................................................................................................................................................88. Emerging Law Limited......................................................................................................................................... 81. Eurofast................................................................................................................................................................24. Eversheds Harry Elias.........................................................................................................................................105. Eversheds Sutherland El Heni.............................................................................................................................107.
F F Chambers..........................................................................................................................................................39. Fava & Associati Law Firm....................................................................................................................................22. Federal Practice Group.........................................................................................................................................99. Federis & Associates............................................................................................................................................63. Feinauer..............................................................................................................................................................100.
112
GLE Awards 2017
A-Z INDEX Fields Howell LLP.................................................................................................................................................95. FIERST, KANE & BLOOMBERG LLP....................................................................................................................95. Figueroa Valenzuela & Cía.....................................................................................................................................32. Finocchiaro & Associates, P.C...............................................................................................................................43. Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S.........................................................................................................................................99. FORTITUDE LAW ASSOCIATES.........................................................................................................................104. FPS Fritze Wicke Seelig Partnerschaftsgesellschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB...................................................83. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP....................................................................................................................84. Furnival Chambers................................................................................................................................................13.
G Ganfer & Shore, LLP.............................................................................................................................................48. Ganguin Samartin.................................................................................................................................................10. Garber & Co........................................................................................................................................................108. GARCIA BARRAGAN ABOGADOS....................................................................................................................... 37. GDLegal................................................................................................................................................................86. Gehi & Associates................................................................................................................................................96. Ghada M. Darwish Law Firm..............................................................................................................................108. Girardi | Keese...................................................................................................................................................... 41. GM Attorneys.......................................................................................................................................................35. Gorodissky & Partners (Ukraine)...........................................................................................................................26. GrahamThompson................................................................................................................................................38. GRAMM, LINS & Partner Patent- und Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB........................................................................19. GRATA International law firm................................................................................................................................79. Greenberg Traurig Hoffman...................................................................................................................................45. GRP Rainer...........................................................................................................................................................83. GTLaw..................................................................................................................................................................89.
GLE Awards 2017
113
A-Z INDEX H HADS Partnership Law Office............................................................................................................................104. Haridass Ho & Partners........................................................................................................................................64. Haris Kalogirou & Co LLC.....................................................................................................................................80. Hashimoto Patent Office....................................................................................................................................104. Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP............................................................................................................................ 47. Horev & Co. Law Office.......................................................................................................................................107. Hornedo y Renovales S.C..................................................................................................................................... 37.
I Ideas Trademarks and Patents..............................................................................................................................34. Ince & Co LLP.........................................................................................................................................................9. IPrime Rentsch Kaelin AG.....................................................................................................................................89. IURIDICA Law Firm..............................................................................................................................................23.
J Jackson, Etti & Edu..............................................................................................................................................73. Jambrik Law Office...............................................................................................................................................85. James & Partners Law Offices.............................................................................................................................66. Julius & Creasy.....................................................................................................................................................65.
K K.ITO & ASSOCIATES.........................................................................................................................................104. Kaden Boriss Partners........................................................................................................................................103. Kampala Associated Advocates............................................................................................................................76.
114
GLE Awards 2017
A-Z INDEX Kasher Law Office..............................................................................................................................................106. Kesar Dass B. & Associates...............................................................................................................................103. KETTANI LAW FIRM.............................................................................................................................................74. Klein Lawyers LLP................................................................................................................................................ 91. KNP LAW Nagy Koppany Varga and Partners.......................................................................................................85. Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto........................................................................................................................................ 51. KPAG KOSMIDIS & PARTNERS LAW FIRM.........................................................................................................85. Krishnomics Legal..............................................................................................................................................103. Kushnick Pallaci PLLC...........................................................................................................................................96.
L L PAPAPHILIPPOU & CO LLC Advocates & Legal Consultants...........................................................................80. Law Firm of Majed M. Garoub, The......................................................................................................................74. LAW OFFICE OF RAMNI TANEJA......................................................................................................................102. LAW OFFICE PETEK Ltd......................................................................................................................................88. Law Offices of Charles H. Camp, P.C....................................................................................................................52. LE & TRAN............................................................................................................................................................ 67. Ledell Ansari, LLP.................................................................................................................................................99. LexDellmeier........................................................................................................................................................83. LEXTRUST............................................................................................................................................................23. Link Legal India Law Services...............................................................................................................................59. Long, Ragsdale and Waters..................................................................................................................................98. LPS L@w............................................................................................................................................................108. LUCAS, S.H. & PARTNERS...................................................................................................................................60.
GLE Awards 2017
115
A-Z INDEX M MacKenzie Fujisawa LLP...................................................................................................................................... 91. MADDOCK & BRIGHT IP LAW OFFICE............................................................................................................... 71. Madison Marcus Law Firm..................................................................................................................................101. Majed M. Garoub, The Law Firm of......................................................................................................................74. Mancini Legal Limited.......................................................................................................................................... 81. Manríquez, Benavides Abogados (LLP)................................................................................................................33. Mantis & Athinodorou LLC...................................................................................................................................80. Marini & Associates, P.A.......................................................................................................................................43. Marinovic y Cia.....................................................................................................................................................32. MarQonsult...........................................................................................................................................................62. Marrugo Rivera & Asociados – FuturLex............................................................................................................... 91. Miller Firm, LLC, The............................................................................................................................................49. Moraes Pitombo Advogados................................................................................................................................ 91. Morris James LLP................................................................................................................................................42. Moyes Sellers & Hendricks Ltd............................................................................................................................93. Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP................................................................................................................................98. Mundays LLP........................................................................................................................................................15. Mușat & Asociații.................................................................................................................................................24.
N NAMAZIE & CO..................................................................................................................................................105. NH JURIS, S.C......................................................................................................................................................92. Njeri Kariuki Advocate........................................................................................................................................... 71. NomoS..................................................................................................................................................................82. Nyman Gibson Miralis.........................................................................................................................................101.
116
GLE Awards 2017
A-Z INDEX O OBLIN MELICHAR...............................................................................................................................................78. Onyango & Company Advocates.......................................................................................................................... 77. Otterbourg P.C......................................................................................................................................................96.
P Padima..................................................................................................................................................................89. Patrizia La Rocca...................................................................................................................................................86. Paul Hastings (Europe) LLP..................................................................................................................................86. PAVLOV & CO......................................................................................................................................................79. Pellot-González Tax Attorneys & Counselors at Law, P.S.C...................................................................................93. PETEK Ltd., LAW OFFICE....................................................................................................................................88. PH Law Firm / Paglialunga & Harris, PS................................................................................................................50. Phelps Dunbar LLP...............................................................................................................................................44. PHOEBUS, CHRISTOS CLERIDES & ASSOCIATES LLC......................................................................................80. Phoenix Legal.....................................................................................................................................................103. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP..................................................................................................................94. Pinsent Masons....................................................................................................................................................82. PKWA LAW PRACTICE LLC.................................................................................................................................64. PORTOS ABOGADOS S.C....................................................................................................................................92. PRÜFER & PARTNER mbB...................................................................................................................................20. Puwalscy & Partners spółka partnerska Kancelaria Radców Prawnych................................................................ 87.
Q Qui Prior Law Associates....................................................................................................................................103.
GLE Awards 2017
117
A-Z INDEX R RAMNI TANEJA, LAW OFFICE OF.....................................................................................................................102. Reeds Solicitors....................................................................................................................................................10. Richard L. Rosen Law Firm, PLLC, The................................................................................................................ 47. Rodríguez Dávalos Abogados (“RDA”)..................................................................................................................38. ROIDER IP Law Firm............................................................................................................................................83.
S Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo.................................................................................................................................62. Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP..................................................................................................................96. Schmelz................................................................................................................................................................78. schmid-ip..............................................................................................................................................................79. SCWP Schindhelm, Austria..................................................................................................................................78. Sedgwick Detert Moran and Arnold, LLP.............................................................................................................14. Seow & Associates.............................................................................................................................................104. Seward & Kissel LLP............................................................................................................................................ 97. SOTERIS PITTAS & CO LLC.................................................................................................................................79. Spadafora De Rosa Law.......................................................................................................................................86. Stašaitis & Partners law office.............................................................................................................................. 87. Steinman & Rodgers LLP..................................................................................................................................... 51. Stone, Higgs & Drexler.........................................................................................................................................98. STUDIO LEGALE APRIGLIANO............................................................................................................................86. Studio Legale Fabiano.......................................................................................................................................... 21. Sutton McAughan Deaver PLLC...........................................................................................................................99. Sycamore Legal, P.C.............................................................................................................................................42. SYDNEY CRIMINAL LAWYERS..........................................................................................................................100.
118
GLE Awards 2017
A-Z INDEX T Tahota Law Firm..................................................................................................................................................101. Taj..........................................................................................................................................................................17. Taylor Hampton Solicitors.....................................................................................................................................14. Temple Chambers...............................................................................................................................................102. THEMIS Rechtsanwälte Solicitor..........................................................................................................................82. Tressler LLP.......................................................................................................................................................... 97.
V Vectis Law Group.................................................................................................................................................93. Velloza Advogados Associados.............................................................................................................................90. Venner Shipley...................................................................................................................................................... 81. Verita Legal, K. Argyridou & Associates LLC..........................................................................................................8. VILAF..................................................................................................................................................................106. VISATEC LEGAL.................................................................................................................................................100.
W Walker Morris LLP................................................................................................................................................82. Walter | Haverfield LLP......................................................................................................................................... 97. Wolf, Arnold & Knoll, P.C....................................................................................................................................... 97. Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff........................................................................................................................................84.
Z Zwicky Windlin & Partner......................................................................................................................................25.
GLE Awards 2017
119
GLOBAL LAW EXPERTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2017
GLOBAL LAW EXPERTS www.globallawexperts.com