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GLOBAL LAW NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2010

WELCOME

The ALFA International - International Law Practice Group would like to welcome you to the March 2010 edition of the Global Law Newsletter, a periodic electronic newsletter focusing on a wide array of articles designed with ALFA International clients and colleagues in mind.

Editor: Joe Marconi, Johnson & Bell, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois, marconij@jbltd.com

FEATURED ARTICLES

DOWNSIZING IN JAPAN: A BRIEF LEGAL OVERVIEW (Japan)

Authors: Bonnie Dixon (bonnie.dixon@aplaw.jp) & Miho Niunoya (miho.niunoya@aplaw.jp), Atsumi & Partners, Tokyo, Japan

Japanese work culture has for years been predicated on a concept of “lifetime employment”; this has been all but eradicated in the current global financial turmoil as lay-offs of both regular and “temporary” staff accelerate. This note deals with general issues that should be considered in formulating an employee “redundancy” plan in Japan (a “Redundancy Plan,” though note that “redundancy” is not a separate concept from other forms of employee dismissals in Japan – it is just dismissal for business reasons).

For the full article click here.

BRAZIL-SWITZERLAND AGREEMENT: A COOPERATIVE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION (Brazil)

Contact: Marta Rodriques (mar@baptista.com.br), L.O. Baptista Advogados Associados, Sao Paulo, Brazil

After five years of negotiations, the Agreement on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters signed between Brazil and Switzerland (the “Agreement”) will finally take effect on September 27. The intent of such agreement is to facilitate the exchange of information and documents referring mainly to investigations of corruption, money laundering, fraud and organized crime. For the full article click here.

SHAREHOLDER ACTIONS IN ENGLAND & WALES: New rules but little action (England)

Authors: John Sykes (john.sykes@charlesrussell.co.uk) & Lynne Gregory (lynne.gregory@charlesrussell.co.uk), Charles Russell LLP, London, England

In the light of the current economic crisis many shareholders in private companies are considering whether the directors of the companies in which they have invested can be held accountable for their actions. For the full article click here.

Pre-salt: new prospects for the Brazilian energy market (Brazil)

Contact: Marta Rodriques (mar@baptista.com.br), L.O. Baptista Advogados Associados, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Recent discoveries of vast off-shore oil reserves along Brazil’s coast present a potential boon for the Brazilian energy industry—but production will not come without its hurdles. For the full article click here.

ANTI-CORRUPTION LEGISLATION (Ukraine)

Author: Inna Laska (inna.laska@arzinger.ua), Arzinger & Partners, Kyiv, Ukraine

New legislation in Ukraine is set to take effect soon. The laws greatly expand anti-corruption provisions and enforcement mechanisms, but their effectiveness remains to be seen. For the full article click here.

Canadian Privacy Law Goes Abroad – That’s Data Protection! (Canada)

Authors: Julio Arboleda Ramirez (jarboleda@blgcanada.com) & Curtis Ellery Marble (cmarble@blgcanada.com), Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP, Calgary, Canada

Case studies in privacy laws and their application highlight the scope and reach of Canadian privacy laws and their consequences both inside and outside Canada. For the full article click here.

Climate change and international trade (Brazil)

Contact: Marta Rodriques (mar@baptista.com.br), L.O. Baptista Advogados Associados, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Climate change treaties and legislation sets of a cascade of downstream events affecting international trade. For the full article click here.

ABOUT ALFA INTERNATIONAL

ALFA International, the global legal network, (www.alfainternational.com) is an organization of independent law firms. ALFA International’s membership is comprised of 135 international law firms (85 U.S. based firms, 50 non U.S. based firms) employing over 9,000 lawyers and 10,000 other legal professionals. Member firms are located in nearly every U.S. state as well as in Canada, Mexico, across Europe, Latin America, South America and the Pacific Rim. ALFA International’s basic objective, accomplished through its member firms and their activities, is to improve the quality and efficiency of legal services and to provide those services to clients within a reasonable and value oriented cost formula across jurisdictions around the world.