Leading UN war crimes prosecutor, Justice Louise Arbour, used her opening IBA address in Vancouver to attack states and international organisations involved in Bosnian peacekeeping over their reluctance to supply evidence to the Hague tribunal. She said states that had been observing or peacekeeping in Bosnia had been “reluctant” to give evidence needed to support […]
Five-firm pan-European federation the Punder Group has lost its Belgian and Swiss members after a “strategic review” revealed differences of opinion over the speed at which the group should integrate. Belgian top five Coppens Van Ommeslaghe & Faures, based in Brussels, wanted rapid progress towards integration while Zurich-based 11-lawyer Stoffel & Partner wanted to concentrate […]
The president of the Law Society, Phillip Sycamore, has written to the Turkish prime minister, Mesut Yilmaz, to express the Law Society’s concern and dismay at the shooting of Akin Birdal, the president of the Human Rights Association of Turkey. Sycamore called for a full and impartial investigation into the attack on Birdal.
London firm Swepstone Walsh is to be sued in the High Court in a negligence action where it is alleged the firm was to blame for the failure of a #2.7m claim. A writ has been issued against Swepstone Walsh by the Swiss company Orsank SA and Orsank’s UK representative, Broderick Munro-Wilson – a friend […]
A delegation of lawyers, backed by the International Bar Association (IBA), is travelling to Croatia on a mission to help the country’s lawyers rebuild its legal system. Dianna Kempe QC, secretary general of the IBA, and British barrister Margaret McCabe arrived in Zagreb last Thursday. On Friday they travelled to Split to meet the country’s […]
City firm Denton Hall has set up an Israel practice group to be headed by corporate partner and Israel specialist Anthony Alexander. The group will include commercial litigation partner John Rosenheim, corporate partner Steven Goodman, banking partner Geoffrey Wynne and intellectual property litigation partner Hilary Newiss. They will be assisted by Israel-qualified Iko Meshoulam and […]
A UK barrister who was recruited to jointly head Fox & Gibbons’ Turkish office has started industrial tribunal proceedings against his former employers. Ian Philliskirk, who joined the Middle East firm in January, quit after two months because he was unhappy with the way the office was being run. He is now seeking damages based […]
A barrister who worked in Sarajevo as a legal advisor for Bosnia’s Human Rights Ombudsman will address a seminar on the subject. Barrister Jessica Simor of Monckton Chambers, who returned in August from a six-month spell of work in the country will join with the former Professor of Law at the University of Sarajevo, Dr […]
The 200-member British Israel Law Association is organising a trip to Israel at the end of June. About 40 are expected to go on the four-day visit, which will feature visits to Israeli law firms, business briefings, lectures and a tour of the Supreme Court. For further information, contact Richard Schiffer, of Zellermayer Pelossof & […]
Stephenson Harwood has sealed its association with Croatian firm Zuric Partneri in less than a year by acting in a deal that is worth more than $270m for Croatian Airlines. The two firms acted for the airline in its pre-delivery financing of six A-319 airbuses from Airbus Industries, to replace the existing five Boeing B737-200 […]
Israel, like Central and Eastern Europe, South Africa and certain Far Eastern countries such as Vietnam, is now well recognised by UK solicitors as an emerging market. The country is becoming the financial and technological centre of the Middle East and consequently there is enormous potential for UK lawyers to supply complex legal advice. But […]
A new British Israel Law Association is being set up in London with the support of 70 lawyers who attended a meeting at the Law Society last week. Berwin Leighton corporate finance partner Neville Eisenberg suggested the association because of increased business contact between the UK and Israel over the past two years. “I’ve had […]