Editor's picks
LUXURY LAW SUMMIT
Protecting your brand in the global marketplace
The luxury team at Covington & Burling discuss managing reputational risk at the contract stage.
OUTSOURCING
Exigent extends into Canada
Exigent, a leading global provider of legal process outsourcing (LPO), is opening a centre in Canada.
HOT GOSSIP
New Hampshire's 'Robin Hood' accused of harassment
A group of friends nicknamed 'Robin Hood' who roam a US city and fill up parking meters which are about to expire have been hit with a lawsuit claiming they harass parking enforcers.
LUXURY LAW SUMMIT
Luxury brands head for the summit
A raft of top luxury brands are on the VIP list for the first ever Luxury Law Summit.
PFI
PF2: a new approach to public private partnerships?
James Larmour of Freeth Cartwright considers HM Treasury's “Standardisation of PF2 Guidance.”
What's new today:
Thursday, 19 April 2012
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SOUTH EAST ASIA
Malaysia set to accept foreign firms
The Malaysian government has announced plans to amend the country's Legal Profession Act to allow foreign firms to practise in the country, reports the Malaysian Insider.
The Bill - which is hoped to encourage Malaysian develop into a global Islamic finance hub - includes 15 new sections which explain how foreign law firms will be licensed by a five-man committee, co-chaired by the Attorney General and the president of the Malaysian bar.
According to the report, an explanatory note for the Bill states: 'The amendment… will allow foreign law firms to practise in Malaysia in the permitted practice areas through an international partnership, or qualified foreign law licence.'
The 'permitted practice areas' have yet to be specified, but will be outlined by the Bar council and approved by the AG. -
IRISH LEGAL PROFESSION
Irish Minister for Justice considers regulation bill amendments
The battle over 'de-regulation' of the Irish legal profession continues with Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter considering amendments to the controversial Legal Services Regulation Bill, according to The Irish Times.
The minister was responding to criticism from the Irish Law Society at the annual conference of the Law Society in Co Cork, suggesting that adjustments will be made to put the monitoring scheme beyond ministerial or government interference.
He was responding to claims that the appointment of members to the regulation authority would undermine the independence of the legal profession.
Mr Shatter said he was considering various models for the appointments phase: 'One of these is the possibility of advertising through the Public Appointments Service for expressions of interest, and another, with which I would have a personal affinity, relates to the option of drawing from a pool of nominating bodies.' -
LAW FIRM NEWS
Pippa's pistol pal revealed as Shearman associate
The man photographed flaunting what appeared to be a handgun while driving through Paris with Pippa Middleton has been revealed to be an associate at the Paris office of New York-based law firm Shearman & Sterling, according to a report in The Lawyer.
Romain Rabillard - who has previously represented small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch - could now technically face a seven-year prison sentence if police can prove the gun was real.
It has also been reported that Ms Middleton herself could be prosecuted if she was found to have been involved.
In a comment to the Telegraph, Arthur de Soultrait, a French aristocrat and friend of Ms Middleton, has denied that the gun was real. Mr de Soultrait was in the back of the Audi which Mr Rabillard was driving. He said Ms Middleton had been 'subject to constant and dangerous harassment by paparazzi throughout her time in Paris,' before adding 'as a joke, my friend brandished a toy pistol in their direction. Obviously Philippa had no idea that he was going to do that and told him to stop immediately. She did not find it funny.' -
COURTS
British TV first as murderer is jailed
The sentencing of a murderer in a British court was televised for the first time yesterday, as David Gilroy was jailed for a minimum of 18 years, reports the Daily Telegraph.
According to the article, Scottish viewers were able to watch as the judge, Lord Bracadale, told Mr Gilroy he had shown 'chilling calmness and calculation' when he killed Suzanne Pilley and disposed of her body - which has never been recovered.
The Guardian newspaper reports that the admission of TV cameras to the court was an unusual move by the judge, but for the first time in British legal history the footage - which only focuses on the judge - was cleared for broadcast immediately. -
LEGAL PRACTICE
US Supreme Court gives immunity relief to lawyers
The US Supreme Court has voted unanimously to give private-practice lawyers who are temporarily engaged by government agencies an entitlement to qualified immunity from being sued, reports the national Law Journal.
The decision will appease many lawyers who feared being exposed to liability for constitutional violations without the immunity afforded to those employed full-time.
According to the report, the American Bar Association had suggested that lawyers would be 'substantially deterred' from taking on government work.
The problem came to a head in the case of California lawyer Steve Filarsky who was sued along with city employees in Rialto during an employment dispute. Immunity was given to full-time government employees but not to Mr Filarsky.
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Research
European GCs slam lack of client service
Law firms across Europe are failing to look after their retained clients with general counsel slating the lack of communication and regular reviews, according to new research from the Global Legal Post in association with Martindale-Hubbell.
To download the report in full, click here.
