WLG Connections - Members Newsletter - Q1 & Q2 2017

1. The theme of my first column in this newsletter as WLG
President in 2016 was “Time to Meet Change with Change”.
That theme was meant to be aspirational. Some 18 months
later it appears to have been a self-fulfilling prophecy.
While some of my predecessor WLG Presidents may
dispute this, I can’t remember a similar period when there
have been so many changes to the WLG – its membership,
organization, ways of doing things and more.
The various member firm mergers and other types of
combinations (see Page 17) are, of course, a reflection of
the changing times as far as law firms and their decisions
regarding strategic growth go, internationally, regionally
and nationally. These new combinations also reflect
reactions to the changing forms and numbers of legal
services providers around the world.
The WLG’s current challenge is to determine how we
continue to remain valuable in such a market, particularly
when that market is no longer susceptible to a “mono”
definition of what a “law firm” is. I’ve certainly not
seen many reliable definitions of what, for example, an
“independent law firm” is, or what a “national” vs. an
“international” vs. a “global” law firm are. And that’s before
we even get to “poly-centric” law firms or whatever else
some are calling themselves these days.
Nevertheless, it appears as if the WLG’s views of “member
jurisdictions” and “jurisdictional limits” – and how these
WLG News:
2017 Asia Awards
Winners
p.
3
Member Profile:
Sołtysiński Kawecki
& Szlęzak
p.
11
Upcoming Conferences:
Tel Aviv
p.
24
ISSUE 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
WLG NEWS
2017 Asia Regional Conference Highlights 2
Member Firms Shine at 2017 Asia Awards Ceremonies 3
WLG Online Initiatives Continue 4
Member Surveys a Goldmine 5
Our Newest Member Firms 6
Meet the Re-Organized WLG Staff Team 7
Member Firm Marketing Pros Meet Up 8
SUCCESS STORIES
BKL and Greenberg Traurig Advise on Korean IPO 9
Bech-Bruun and Taylor Wessing Team Up on Acquisition 9
MinterEllison Taps AZB and Chandler to Assist Client 9
Setterwalls and Schjødt Team Up on
Cross-Border Merger 10
CMS Germany and Norway’s Schjødt Advise
on Acquisition 10
BKL and Makarim & Taira S. Work on Joint Venture 10
A&PKS Referral Leads MinterEllison to Mighty Mandate 10
MEMBER FIRM PROFILE
Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak 11
MAJOR MATTERS
Member Firms’ News-Making Files 14
MEMBER FIRM NEWS
Member Firms Make Changes for Growth 17
WongPartnership Leader Wins Prestigious Award 19
MEMBER NEWS ROUND-UP
Expansions, Events and Other News from WLG Firms 20
MEMBERS’ CALENDAR
Upcoming WLG Conferences 24
Other WLG Events 24
Meeting Challenges
with Change
Message From Swee-Kee Ng,
President

2. 2 Connections
are presented to members, potential
clients and others – may need to
adapt to the changing environment.
A reality facing the WLG is that
if we want to attract, and retain,
first class firms in current and
new jurisdictions, we have to
realize that such firms may have
their own growth strategies which
may include expansion into other
countries. The WLG has to adapt to
such expansion possibilities and I
believe it is necessary to have a WLG
policy that enables our members to
expand into certain jurisdictions
overseas while at the same time
remaining as an active and valued
member of the WLG.
This is a sensitive and challenging
topic that your Board of Directors,
with input from the WLG
Membership Committee, has
spent time discussing over the past
several months. Some of the factors
that make the task challenging
are the different sizes, growth
ambitions and jurisdictional
coverage of our member firms
as well as some discernible
differences in approach between
the regions. We will propose some
policy solutions over the next few
months. But, if acceptable to the
membership, even the efficacy
of these solutions will need to
be continuously monitored and
adjusted as necessary to adapt to
what we believe will be ongoing
change into the foreseeable future.
I hope you agree that other changes
implemented over the past 18
months or so are altogether positive.
I believe what the WLG team has
achieved recently, in modernizing
and enhancing our member
communications, “digging deep”
to harvest our members’ feedback
and ideas through our recent
surveys, and the reorganization
of and changes to our staff team
announced earlier this year are
significant examples of ways we
are meeting change with change.
Another is our continuing focus on
recruiting new high-quality firms
in jurisdictions identified by our
members as being important to you
and your clients. Still another is our
growing emphasis on helping more
lawyers in member firms become
more knowledgeable about and
engaged with the WLG.
We’ll announce more changes
– many of them suggested by
members in our recent surveys and
designed to keep the WLG changing
in the future – for our future.
Best regards,
Swee-Kee Ng
WLG
NEWS
Delegates Give Big
Thumbs-Up to 2017 Asia
Regional Conference
A mix of new faces and member
firm stalwarts came together in
George Town, Penang, Malaysia
on January 13-14 to advance
relationships between their firms
and exchange news and views
on major legal and business
developments in the region during
the WLG’s 2017 Asia Regional
Conference, held at the Shangri-La
Hotel.
Nearly 40 delegates assembled
for the opening dinner held at the
Seven Terraces, a George Town
Heritage Hotels property, to hear
the company’s founder and CEO,
former investment banker Chris
Ong, speak about his passion:
turning heritage buildings into
beautifully restored boutique
hotels. After winning the 2007
UNESCO Award of Distinction
for heritage conservation with
Australian business partner Karl
Steinberg for their first project,
the Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka,
the Penangite came back to
his hometown with a desire to
contribute to the rejuvenation
of George Town. Since then, he
President’s Message Cont’d
Delegates signal their approval of 2017 Asia Regional Conference.

3. 3Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
has successfully completed four
boutique hotels within the city’s
heritage zone.
On Saturday, the always-ambitious
full day of the conference kicked
off with opening remarks by WLG
President Swee-Kee Ng of Shearn
Delamore & Co. (his firm hosted the
event) and WLG Regional Director
for the Asia-Pacific Scott Guan of
Zhong Lun Law Firm in China.
Then, Scott moderated a panel
discussion on “Merger Control &
Competition Law” featuring Yo-Yi
Chen of Formosa Transnational
in Taiwan, Nisha Kaur Uberoi of
AZB & Partners in India, Pranat
Laohapairoj of Chandler MHM
Limited in Thailand, Yohanes
Masengi of Makarim & Taira S.
in Indonesia, Marhaini Nordin of
Shearn Delamore & Co. in Malaysia
and Tom Shon of MinterEllison in
Australia.
Plenary II focused on the topic of
“Younger Lawyer Development
& Retention Issues” and was
led by Wai King Ng, Managing
Partner of WongPartnership LLP
in Singapore. Several panelists
took part in this lively discussion,
including Eric Yang of Bae, Kim &
Lee in South Korea, Hitoshi Sakai
of City-Yuwa Partners in Japan,
Manish Tully of Vaish Associates in
India, Nguyen Duy Linh of VILAF
in Vietnam, Ronald Lleno of SyCip
Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
in the Philippines, Scott Guan and
Swee-Kee Ng.
After a short networking break,
K. Shanti Mogan of host firm
Shearn Delamore & Co. provided
an overview of “Arbitration in the
Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre
for Arbitration”. The Centre was
established in 1978 under the
auspices of the Asian-African
Legal Consultative Organization
(AALCO) as its first regional
centre established in Asia to
provide institutional support
as a neutral and independent
venue for the conduct of domestic
and international arbitration
proceedings.
After lunch, Scott Guan moderated
the always-popular “Asian Market
Roundtable” session, during which
conference delegates provided
brief updates on recent business
and legal developments in their
respective jurisdictions. The formal
program wrapped up with closing
remarks by Swee-Kee and Scott,
followed by a mini-tour of George
Town and a dinner.
Enthusiastic thanks flowed to
the event organizers and host
firm throughout the following
week, with delegates obviously
well pleased with the learning
and relationship-development
opportunities provided by the 2017
Asia Regional Conference.
Next Up: EMEA Regional
Conference in Tel Aviv
Younger lawyers with the WLG’s
EMEA member firms will get
their chance to experience a
similarly full day of professional
development and networking on
September 10-11 at the 2017 EMEA
Regional Conference, which will be
hosted by Herzog, Fox & Neeman
in Tel Aviv. Delegates may opt to
arrive early over the weekend to
visit Jerusalem and more of the
country’s storied historical sites
before the conference kicks off with
an opening dinner on the evening
of Sunday, September 10.
Member Firms Own
Podia at 2017 Asia
Awards Ceremonies
In yet another confirmation of the
quality of the membership make-
up of World Law Group, several
member firms were recently
recognized at both the 2017 Asia
Legal Awards and the Chambers
Asia-Pacific Awards.
At the Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards, left to right: Wei Bao and Lijun Cai of Zhong Lun Law
Firm; Lina Amran, Makarim & Taira S.; Johanes Masengi, Makarim & Taira S.; Alvin Yeo, Wong-
Partnership; Swee-Kee Ng, Shearn Delamore & Co.; Wai King Ng, WongPartnership; Catherine
Sun, Chienbiao Li and Dong Feng, all of Zhong Lun Law Firm.

4. 4 Connections
In the latter ceremony, held in
Singapore on March 24, members
singled out for excellence were:
• AZB & Partners as “India Law
Firm of the Year for Client
Service”;
• Shearn Delamore & Co. as
“Malaysia Law Firm of the Year”;
• SyCip Salazar Hernandez &
Gatmaitan as “Philippines Law
Firm of the Year”; and
• Zhong Lun Law Firm as “PRC
Dispute Resolution Firm of the
Year”.
In addition, WongPartnership
chairman and senior partner
Alvin Yeo was bestowed with the
“Outstanding Contribution to
the Legal Profession” award by
Chambers and Partners. (See Page
19 for this story.)
The Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards
honour the work of national and
international law firms across the
region based on research for the
most recent edition of Chambers
Asia-Pacific. They reflect notable
achievements over the past 12
months, including outstanding
work, impressive strategic growth
and excellence in client service.
A month earlier, at the 2017 Asia
Legal Awards held on February 22
in Hong Kong, representatives of
South Korea’s Bae, Kim & Lee and
Singapore’s WongPartnership made
multiple trips to the podium.
Bae, Kim & Lee took home the top
honour of “Asia Firm of the Year”.
The judging panel, made up of
editorial staff of The Asian Lawyer,
China Law & Practice and Legal
Week (all now owned by American
Lawyer Media) acknowledged the
firm’s breadth of expertise and
success across practice groups,
along with its caseload complexity.
The firm scored two Supreme Court
victories, both against government
agencies, that set standards for fuel
gas surcharges and personal data
protection. They also saw successes
related to pharmaceutical patent
licensing and invalidation, unfair
competition, and some of Korea’s
most prominent M&A and IPO
deals in 2016.
In addition, BKL’s Dongwoo
Seo and Hee-Gang Shing were
recognized as “M&A Lawyer of the
Year” and “Securities Lawyer of the
Year” respectively.
On the same night, Singapore’s
WongPartnership was named
“Disputes Firm of the Year”,
having won a landmark appellate
case on behalf of Macau-based
Sanum Investments Ltd. before
the Singapore Court of Appeal
and a multimillion-dollar
landlord-tenant dispute between
Takashimaya Singapore and Ngee
Ann City Development.
WongPartnership was also
recognized as “Employment Firm
of the Year”, having demonstrated
its strength in some of Asia’s most
challenging employment disputes,
including EFG International’s
proposed acquisition of BSI Bank,
Singapore’s private-banking
business, and a multimillion-
dollar lawsuit by a former C-suite
executive of a Singapore-listed
conglomerate. Last but not least,
the firm was also singled out for its
involvement in the USD 1.5 billion
restructuring of Pacific Andes,
which was awarded “Finance Deal
of the Year for Restructuring &
Insolvency”.
WLG Online Initiatives
Continue Apace
It’s been a busy 12 months on the
technology front for WLG as the Staff
Team, at the direction of the Board
of Directors and with input from the
Business Development Committee,
continues to roll out improvements to
the organization’s communications
and online platform. All are part of
the WLG’s “Expanding Connectivity
Project” championed by President
Swee-Kee Ng.
First to be released late last
year were e-versions of event
announcements and other member
communications, as well as
templates for a series of practice
and industry area e-bulletins.
An e-version of this members’
newsletter, WLG Connections, is
now ready to be implemented. Both
of the latter will prompt changes
in the way member firms submit
news – changes that were recently
announced to all Key Contact
Partners as well as marketing/
business development professionals
at member firms with whom the
WLG team liaises with regularly.
Next up is the release of version 1.0
of a “WLG Member Dashboard”,
which has been designed to give
Key Contacts and other
designated users in their firms
an “at a glance” overview of
their involvement in WLG and to
manage their presence on
www.theworldlawgroup.com.
Among other things, the
Dashboard will enable members to:
• Track all people in their firm who
are designated as Key Contacts
and marketing/BD contacts,
and who are members of WLG
committees, practice and
industry groups;

5. 5Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
• Access their recent emails from
WLG;
• Check, at a glance, when their
firm’s profile and Member Firm
Fact Sheet were last updated on
www.theworldlawgroup.com;
• Monitor which of their firm’s
news, major matters, legal
updates and other content
have been published on www.
theworldlawgroup.com. (Note
that this will become even more
important as the WLG Staff
Team will be selecting content
from that published to the site
by members for inclusion in
practice/industry e-bulletins
and future issues of WLG
Connections);
• Check upcoming WLG events.
The new Dashboard will also
enable users to select and
download or email to colleagues
or clients up to five Member Firm
Fact Sheets at once, eliminating
the need to visit each member’s
page on the WLG website to do so.
It will also provide direct access
to a “bank” of WLG content,
such as collateral, news stories,
recent referral stats, etc., so Key
Contacts and firm marketing/
communications professionals
will be able to easily share this
information via their firms’
internal newsletters, intranets and
presentations.
Version 1.0 of the Member
Dashboard is scheduled for launch
early this fall. Future versions
may see the addition of a WLG
referrals management system
if consultations with members
indicate such a system would
be helpful to a “critical mass” of
member firms.
Future Developments
With the Member Dashboard
launched, the WLG Staff Team,
led by project manager Keelin
Mayer, will move to final design
and development of a “Find
a Colleague” feature. This
enhancement is designed to meet,
at least in a preliminary way,
requests by WLG practice and
industry group members among
others, to be able to more easily
identify, learn about and connect
with their colleagues in other
member firms.
The “Find a Colleague” feature
will enable any lawyer who has
registered to log-in and access the
“Members’ Centre” to also provide
a brief profile, including contact
information, up to five areas of
practice, their WLG practice and
industry group memberships, and
a link to their full bios on their own
firm’s website.
In fact, Key Contacts and other
lawyers who are members of any
WLG practice/industry group
and who have registered to
access the Members Centre can
already include a link to their
bios by logging in, clicking on
“My Profile”, going to “Additional
Information>Edit” and adding
the url in the field provided from
their bio page on their own firm’s
website. Doing so makes their
name (e.g. on any WLG committee
or practice/industry group
membership list) a live link to their
bio page.
For additional information on
any of these developments or
assistance, contact Keelin at
kmayer@theworldlawgroup.com.
Member Surveys Yield
Goldmine of Feedback
and Ideas
The results of two recent member
surveys conducted at year-end
2016 are giving the WLG Board of
Directors much to chew on.
An analysis of the 230 responses
to the surveys – an in-depth

6. 6 Connections
questionnaire answered by Key
Contact Partners of nearly all
member firms (“the KCP Survey”)
and a shorter “General Members
Survey” in which approximately
160 individuals participated – is
currently being reviewed by the
Board, which will also consider
recommendations for action based
on the results proposed by WLG
Executive Director Beth Castro and
other staff.
A comprehensive report on the
survey results and the Board’s
review will be shared with member
firms shortly. In the meantime,
some highlights of the survey
responses are:
• 97% of respondents to the KCP
Survey said their firms valued
WLG for inbound referrals.
While a positive response in
this regard was expected (after
all, it’s the main reason many
firms become members), the
degree of perceived value was
somewhat higher than expected:
36% of respondents said the
WLG was “Very Valuable” for
inbound referrals, 43% said it
was “Valuable” and 18% chose
“Somewhat Valuable”. Only 3%
said the WLG was “Not Very
Valuable” for inbound referrals
while no respondents answered,
“Not Valuable”;
• 100% of KCP Survey respondents
said they valued WLG as a
“trusted, high-quality network
for outbound referrals” with
a whopping 90% saying the
network was “Valuable” or “Very
Valuable” in this regard;
• 95% of KCP Survey respondents
indicated their satisfaction
with the quality of WLG’s 57
member firms with 56.9% saying
they were “Very Satisfied” and
another 38.5% saying they were
“Satisfied”;
• 98% of KCP Survey respondents
said that WLG does a good job
of communicating relevant,
important information to them.
However, more than 50% of non-
KCP participants in the General
Members Survey said they would
like to hear from WLG more
often;
• 97% of KCP Survey respondents
said that WLG’s recent initiatives
to involve more younger lawyers
were helpful, with 87% agreeing
these initiatives were “Very
Valuable” or “Valuable”;
• Many respondents to both
surveys suggested the need
for more opportunities for
involvement by non-KCP lawyers
in their firms, e.g., via more
active WLG practice/industry
groups and more networking
opportunities at both WLG and
external events;
• 84% of KCP Survey respondents
said they believed the WLG
could be doing more to help
build referrals and business
development opportunities
for member firms – and many
suggested specific ideas. While
some are already in place
(indicating WLG needs to better
communicate existing programs
and resources), the Staff Team
has captured several of these
ideas in its recommendations to
the WLG Board of Directors.
Get to Know Our Three
Newest Members
As many members will already
be aware, three top-tier firms in
their national markets – Bruchou,
Fernández Madero & Lombardi
Abogados of Argentina, Burness
Paull LLP of Scotland, and
WongPartnership LLP of Singapore
– were all admitted to the WLG
membership during the WLG’s Fall
2016 Conference in Houston, Texas
last September.
We’ll provide in-depth profiles
of our three newest members
in upcoming issues of WLG
Connections. For now, here are
brief introductions to these three
impressive firms. Profiles and more
information on them are available
on www.theworldlawgroup.com
and URLs for each of their websites
are included in the relevant
sections below.
Argentina: Bruchou, Fernández
Madero & Lombardi
Joining as the WLG’s second
member in Argentina, Bruchou,
Fernández Madero & Lombardi
(BFM&L) was founded in 1990 to
provide legal advice to companies
operating in an economy subject
to rapid and dramatic structural
changes.
Today, BFM&L is a leading full-
service law firm in Argentina.
Its national standing and
international reputation are
evidenced by BFM&L having been
named “Law Firm of the Year –
Argentina” in 2015 by Chambers
and Partners – its third major
award from Chambers. Among
other accolades, BFM&L was also
recognized as “Law Firm of the
Year – Argentina” in 2016 by the
International Financial Law Review
– the sixth time in the last 10 years
it has won this award. With 140
lawyers, BFM&L has expanded
faster than any other Argentine law
firm in recent years.

7. 7Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
Founding partner Enrique Bruchou
and partner Ignacio Minorini Lima
are WLG Key Contact Partners and
both will attend the 2017 Spring
Conference in Warsaw.
Learn more about the firm at
www.bfmyl.com.
Scotland: Burness Paull LLP
Burness Paull has a single,
refreshingly clear goal: “to be the
best Scottish law firm in the world.”
And that’s exactly what WLG was
looking for when it invited the
firm to become its new member
for Scotland and admitted it to
membership last autumn.
With 500 employees, including 60
partners, Burness Paull is “unique
in having full commercial offerings
in the three main Scottish business
cities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and
Glasgow,” notes Chambers and
Partners in its United Kingdom
guide. While priding itself on
working for many of the country’s
leading companies, 40% of the
firm’s revenues are derived from
international work. In the past
year, Burness Paull has worked on
deals totalling over GBP 10 billion
in more than 60 jurisdictions.
Firm chair Philip Rodney and
corporate head Peter Lawson
are WLG Key Contacts and
look forward to meeting WLG
colleagues in Warsaw.
For more information, visit
www.burnesspaull.com.
Singapore: WongPartnership
LLP
Singapore’s premier law firm,
WongPartnership, was the third
new member to be admitted to the
WLG last fall. Founded in 1992,
the firm has achieved dynamic
growth with nearly 300 fee-earners
covering every major area of
practice. WongPartnership has
also consistently earned numerous
accolades in recent years from
Chambers and Partners, the
International Financial Law Review,
Financial Times, The Asian Lawyer
and Asia Legal Business, among
others – both “Singapore Firm of
the Year” awards as well as several
more for major M&A and corporate
finance deals, and for corporate
citizenship and gender diversity.
WLG Key Contact Partners for
WongPartnership are managing
partner Wai King Ng and
partners Andre Manian and
Andrew Ang, who will all attend
the Spring Conference in Warsaw.
For more information, visit
www.wongpartnership.com.
After the enthusiastic votes
to admit the three firms on
September 17, President Swee-
Kee Ng welcomed them to the
organization, noting that the
admission of each new member
was another testament to the
WLG’s singular focus on member
quality since its founding in 1988.
“We are delighted to gain three
such distinguished firms, each
an undisputed leader in your own
national markets and beyond, as
our newest members,” he said.
“Your ability to serve the clients
of all of your fellow WLG member
firms comprehensively, efficiently
and effectively whenever the need
arises adds significantly to our
unparalleled global offering of tried
and trusted, full-service law firms.”
New WLG Staff Team
Off to Strong Start
As World Law Group President
Swee-Kee Ng explained in
communication to members
in February, the organization’s
growth and the related increase in
member-service needs, as well as
the WLG’s expanding programs,
services and events prompted a
review of the WLG organization
and its staffing needs last year. That
review resulted in a reorganization
and changes to the responsibilities
of the WLG’s small staff team.
A few months later, while team
members are still settling into their
new roles and responsibilities,
the changes appear to have been
smooth to most members.
Under the day-to-day leadership of
Beth Castro, appointed in February
to the new role of Executive
Director, operations have been kept
humming. Beth, who joined WLG
Enrique Bruchou and Ignacio Minorini Lima
Philip Rodney and Peter Lawson
Wai King Ng, Andre Manian and Andrew Ang

8. 8 Connections
in 2002 as our
second full-time
employee and
who has served
as Director of
Group Services
for the past
several years,
continues to
work closely
with the WLG President, Board and
other members of the Staff Team
to manage finances, employees,
member programs, services and
events (including our growing
number of conferences) and other
major activities. Beth will
continue to report to the WLG
President and Board, and will
also continue to support WLG’s
Membership Committee,
currently chaired by David Kay
of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.
Members can reach Beth at
bcastro@theworldlawgroup.com.
Many Key Contact
Partners, member
firm marketing
and business
development
professionals and
other contacts
have already
“met” Hanna
Shea, WLG’s
Manager, Communications &
Network Development. She’s spent
a significant amount of time since
joining the organization in February
contacting WLG members to
introduce herself and to learn about
their firms and ideas. Hanna brings
more than 10 years of experience
in legal marketing, business
development and event management
with Holland & Hart and Jackson
Lewis in Denver, Colorado, where
she currently resides, and Morrison
& Foerster in New York.
Hanna is assuming many of
the responsibilities carried out
by Shelley Boyes, Director of
Marketing & Communications,
who will leave WLG after 11+ years
on June 30. (She’s been working
on a part-time basis to help with
the transition, and will make a
formal farewell at the WLG’s Spring
Conference in Warsaw.)
While working with WLG practice
and industry groups, managing
member communications,
supporting the WLG Business
Development Committee and
other mandates, Hanna reports
to Beth on a day-to-day basis,
with a “dotted line” reporting
relationship to the WLG President.
Delegates attending the 2017
Spring Conference in Warsaw
will be able to meet Hanna in
person. Contact her at
hshea@theworldlawgroup.com.
Keelin Mayer has
been stepping
enthusiastically
into her new
role as Manager,
Technology
& Member
Services. Many
readers will be
aware that since Keelin joined
WLG in 2011 as Administrative &
Online Coordinator, she has taken
on much of the responsibility for
the development and operations of
our digital platform, including our
public website, members-only site,
events site, content management
system and mobile apps, as well
as liaising with our technology
vendors/providers.
Keelin has also assumed more
responsibility for WLG’s initiatives
to engage younger lawyers,
including our social media
programs, the IEP and Internship
Program, and TheHub@WLG, as
well as many other new tasks.
She too will report to Beth on
a daily basis with dotted-line
reporting to the WLG President,
and will continue to work closely
with other members of the WLG
staff team. Continue to contact
Keelin on all matters relating to
the WLG’s digital platform at
kmayer@theworldlawgroup.com.
Member Firm Marketing/
Development Pros
Meet Up
Delegates from three WLG member
firms arranged to get together
and get acquainted during the
2017 Legal Marketing Association
Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
in March. Bottom row, left to right:
Katherine Nativi (Arias Law);
Jessica Johnson (Miller & Martin);
Adriana Chacon (Arias Law). Top
row, left to right: Regina Llamosas
Moran (Santamarina y Steta); Lori
Pilon (Miller & Martin); Melissa
Montalvo (Arias Law); Silvia Garcia
G. (Santamarina y Steta).
Hanna Shea
Keelin Mayer
Beth Castro

9. 9Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
SUCCESS
STORIES
Bae, Kim & Lee and
Greenberg Traurig Advise
on Korean IPO Listing
by America’s Englewood
Lab, Inc.
Bae, Kim & Lee advised New Jersey-
based corporation Englewood Lab,
Inc. (EWI) on its successful IPO and
its listing on the KOSDAQ Market
Division of the Korea Exchange
(KRX). Greenberg Traurig acted as
U.S. counsel for the deal.
The issuer, an innovator in the
skin care ODM and OEM industry,
successfully listed on the KOSDAQ
Market of the Korea Exchange on
October 14, 2016, raising KRW 25.2
billion by offering 4,200,000 Korean
Depositary Receipts (KDRs) on the
KRX. The first day closing price was
KRW 7,300 – 122% of the offering
price of KRW 6,000, marking a
rare event in the current economy.
The offering was made in reliance
on Regulation S under the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
BKL advised on and led all legal
aspects of the IPO, contributing to
establishing the legal foundation
enabling EWI to list on the KRX,
including (i) advising on structuring
and other corporate matters relating
to the IPO and listing, including
the pre-IPO restructuring and
other corporate organizational
matters of the issuer to meet the
KRX listing eligibility requirements
and standards, (ii) reviewing and
negotiating various agreements,
including the firm commitment
underwriting agreement,
(iii) leading, overseeing and
performing legal due diligence
for the IPO, (iv) reviewing and
preparing materials and documents
such as the securities registration
statement relating to listing on the
KRX, (v) negotiating, coordinating
and working with Greenberg
Traurig, (vi) providing legal advice
relating to the subscription and
sale generally, (vii) issuing a legal
opinion, and (viii) working with the
Korean regulators and authorities
relating to the IPO and listing.
EWI became the third U.S. company
to list on the KRX, and EWI’s Korean
IPO marked the return of U.S.
issuers to the KRX after more than
three years, since Access Bio, Inc.’s
listing on the KRX in 2013, a major
KRX listing on which BKL’s IPO
team also advised.
Bech-Bruun and Taylor
Wessing Advise Nordex
Group on Acquisition
The Nordex Group has acquired SSP
Technology A/S, a developer and
manufacturer of rotor blade moulds
and the holder of numerous patents
for the production processes for
this component. The acquisition
includes IP rights, around 70
employees and facilities with a floor
area of some 10,000 square metres
in Denmark.
Bech-Bruun and Taylor Wessing
advised the Nordex Group on the
acquisition of SSP Technology
A/S. Both law firms have worked
together with Nordex before.
With this transaction, Nordex
aims to reinforce its technological
position in the development of even
larger and more efficient turbines.
Looking forward, the greater
integration of mould and prototype
engineering will allow Nordex
to respond more flexibly to fast-
changing market conditions.
Nordex Group’s legal advisors from
Bech-Bruun were M&A partner
Jakob Oestervang and associate
Tejs Dyrvig Ernst, both of the Århus
office. Taylor Wessing partner
Dr. Carsten Schulz advised from
Hamburg.
MinterEllison Taps AZB
and Chandler to Assist
with Acquisition
MinterEllison has collaborated
with WLG member firms in Asia to
assist Japan’s Kajima Corporation
in acquiring a majority equity stake
in construction group Cockram
Construction.
Acting as legal counsel for Kajima,
MinterEllison was assisted by AZB
& Partners in India and Chandler
MHM Ltd. in Thailand, who
advised on local law aspects of the
transaction.
Cockram Construction is a
privately owned, multidisciplinary
construction services company,
which operates in Australia, New
Zealand, the United States, Hong
Kong, mainland China, Malaysia,
India and Thailand. Tokyo-based
Kajima is one of Japan’s “Big Five”
builders.
Kajima’s investment in Cockram
is expected to ultimately lead
to a merger between Cockram’s
Australian business and Icon
Construction Group, an Australian
residential and commercial builder
in which Kajima also holds a
strategic investment. The merged
entity is expected to generate
annual revenue of AUD 2 billion.

10. 10 Connections
Setterwalls and Schjødt
Team Up on Cross-
Border Merger
The April 2017 merger between
Rederi AB Soya and Wallenius
Lines AB with Wilh. Wilhelmsen
Holding ASA and Wilh. Wilhelmsen
ASA, in which the assets of the
Wallenius Group were assumed by
Wilh. Wilhemsen ASA, will create a
world-leading shipping and logistics
platform.
Wilh. Wilhemsen ASA, a company
listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange,
is paying a merger consideration
consisting of approximately
200 million new shares with an
estimated net value of SEK 8 billion
(approximately USD 887 million).
The Setterwalls team, which
included partners Åke Fors and
Håkan Fohlin, acted as lead legal
advisors for Soya and Wallenius
Lines, and was assisted in Norway
by Schjødt’s Erling Christiansen,
among others.
CMS Germany and
Norway’s Schjødt Advise
Hexagon Composites on
Acquisition
CMS Germany and Schjødt advised
Hexagon Composites ASA on
the acquisition of all shares in
xperion Energy & Environment
GmbH from AVANCO GmbH.
Hexagon Composites ASA is a
listed Norwegian manufacturer of
composite pressure cylinders for
gases and alternative energy, such
as hydrogen.
Hexagon and AVANCO will jointly
have a strong position in the future
market for hydrogen technology
used in cars, buses and trains.
Bae, Kim & Lee and
Makarim & Taira S. Work
on Joint Venture
A Korean fund established by
Dominus Investment entered into a
Korean joint venture with a Korean
company and fund investors to
invest in Indonesia-based hotel and
resorts group, PT Bukit Ulu Watu
Villa Tbk (BUVA), by acquiring
newly issued shares and existing
shares of BUVA through a Hong
Kong SPC. The investment was
made using the most tax-efficient
structure available based on legal
and tax analyses conducted in three
jurisdictions – Korea, Hong Kong
and Indonesia. The investment
required a comprehensive review of
legal and tax risks associated with
overseas investment by a Korean
private equity fund in partnership
with a Korean company and various
pension fund investors, compliance
with Indonesian local listing and
public filing regulations, and other
multi-jurisdictional compliance.
BKL was the lead advisor, involved
in the negotiation and execution
of transaction documents, and
review of tax issues in coordination
with local tax advisors. Makarim
& Taira S. acted as local counsel
advising in Indonesian law matters,
including due diligence.
Arnold & Porter Kaye
Scholer Referral Leads
MinterEllison to Mandate
on AUD 1 Billion Project
In early 2016, Darren Skinner
at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
introduced MinterEllison to
Albemarle, a leading specialty
chemicals company. The initial
introduction related to governance
advice concerning a joint venture
based in Australia. Since the initial
introduction MinterEllison has been
assisting Albemarle with a number
of Australian matters.
Recently, Albemarle initiated a
project to expand its Australian
lithium mining joint venture
– the world’s largest hard-rock
spodumene (lithium) mine and
concentrate production facilities in
Western Australia. MinterEllison’s
Corporate, Energy & Resources, Real
Estate, Environment and Planning
Divisions in Melbourne, Brisbane
and Perth have been assisting
Albemarle with this substantial
project. With MinterEllison’s
assistance, Albemarle recently
completed negotiating a concession
with the State of Western Australia
to assist in the expansion project.
If the project proceeds, it is expected
to have an end value of over AUD 1
billion.
Have a Success Story or
Client Testimonial?
The most important kind of news
WLG member firms can send us is
about a “Success Story” (a matter on
which two or more member firms
have collaborated) – or a testimonial
from the client involved.
Please email Communications
& Network Development
Manager Hanna Shea at
hshea@theworldlawgroup.com
with any Success Story, testimonial
or similar news. We’ll follow up
for more information or clarification
if required.

11. 11Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
WLG MEMBER
PROFILE
Close-Up on Sołtysiński
Kawecki & Szlęzak:
Our Spring Conference
Host Firm
Some readers will remember
witnessing via television the
uprisings against the Communist
regime in Poland throughout the
1970s, which culminated in 1980
with work stoppages at the Gdańsk
Shipyard, led by electrician-turned-
activist Lech Wałęsa.
This action and similar protests
around the country brought
Poland’s economy to a standstill,
until the signing of the Gdańsk
Agreement and similar ones
between protesting workers
and government. Following the
successful resolution of the largest
labour confrontation in communist
Poland’s history, the new national
union movement “Solidarity”
swept the country. But it was to be
another 10 years of repression and
political maneuvering before Lech
Wałęsa became the first popularly
elected President in December 1990.
Poland’s first free parliamentary
election was held in 1991.
June of the same year saw the
formation of Sołtysiński Kawecki &
Szlęzak, familiarly known as SK&S.
Its early and continued growth has
been due, to a significant degree,
to its founders’ assumptions
regarding the direction in which
the Polish legal services market
would develop as the country
embraced change, including a more
liberal, outward-looking economy.
Professor Stanislaw Sołtysiński,
Dr. Andrzej W. Kawecki, Professor
Andrzej Szajkowski and Dr. Andrzej
Szlęzak believed this transition
would result in a growing demand
for comprehensive, professional
legal services, as the traditional
sole-practitioner offices would
not be able to meet increasingly
sophisticated business demands.
And so it went. After the fall of
communism, the government policy
of guaranteed full employment
ended, and many large, unprofitable
state enterprises were closed or
restructured. Among new economic
policies adopted were measures
designed to encourage foreign
investment. Fledgling business
law firms such as SK&S grew
with the need for legal assistance
with ownership transformations,
and new national and foreign
investments.
(The country had also centred
its sights early on becoming part
of the European Union and was
admitted in 2004. Ten years later,
former Polish Prime Minister
Donald Tusk became President of
the European Council, and with his
re-election in March, he will preside
over negotiations over the United
Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU
and subsequent trade talks.)
After its own 1991 start in Warsaw,
growth was sure and steady for
SK&S. It opened its first branch
office in Poznań in 1997, which
significantly enhanced the firm’s
ability to serve clients along the
Polish-German border. In January
1999, it opened another branch
office in Katowice, Silesia, in south-
central Poland. In 2006, another
branch office opened in Wrocław.
Today, more than a quarter-
century after its founding (the firm
celebrated its 25th anniversary in
2016 with festivities including a
400-guest gala held at the National
Museum in Warsaw), SK&S is
universally acknowledged as one
of the premier law firms in Poland
with over 125 lawyers working in its
four offices across the country.
In addition to an impressive roster
of domestic clients, SK&S has acted
locally for leading multinationals
such as Citi, GE Capital, Goodyear,
Google, Microsoft, Intel, Deutsche
Bahn, Henkel and UPS.
Varied Practice Strengths
The firm’s well-regarded, full-
service offerings are part of its
From left to right Tomasz Kanski, Rudolf Ostrihansky, and Robert Gawałkiewicz of SK&S.

12. 12 Connections
appeal for both domestic and
international clients. For example,
its Banking and Finance, Capital
Markets, Corporate and M&A,
Energy and Infrastructure
practices are consistently ranked
among top-tier firms by leading
market-watchers such as Chambers
and Partners, Legal 500 and the
International Financial Law Review.
Its much-lauded IP department
is one of the largest and leading
practices in Poland, with 19
lawyers, including six partners and
of counsels. SK&S was also one of
the first Polish law firms to create
a separate tax practice, which has
grown to a dozen lawyers and is
now one of the largest tax teams
among law firms in the country.
SK&S is also noted for its dispute
resolution strengths. Its sizeable
litigation practice currently
handles most of the country’s
major infrastructure disputes. Its
employment law department is the
largest in Poland as is its white-
collar fraud and investigation
practice, where is has developed
significant experience in internal
investigations. Financial regulation
and restructuring work are two
more strengths.
To list just a few of its recent
mandates, SK&S:
• Is advising China Security &
Fire Co. Ltd., a Shanghai Stock
Exchange-listed company, in
signing the preliminary share-
purchase agreement with a
company controlled by the
Value4Capital (V4C) private
equity fund, related to the
acquisition of Konsalnet Holding
S.A. and its subsidiaries (one
of Poland’s largest security
firms). The transaction value is
approximately EUR 110 million;
• Advised Uniwheels Holding
(Malta) Ltd. (“UHM”) in a
transaction involving the sale
of a majority block of shares in
the Germany-based, Warsaw
Stock Exchange-listed company,
Uniwheels A.G., to the American
corporation Superior Industries
International. Uniwheels is a
leading producer of aluminum
wheel rims in the European
market, and one of the largest
suppliers of wheel rims to car
Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak’s 25th anniversary gala in 2016 at the National Museum in Warsaw.

13. 13Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
manufacturers in Europe.
Superior is the largest producer
of aluminum wheels for
passenger cars and small delivery
vans in North America, and is
listed on the New York Stock
Exchange. SK&S advised UHM
in the transaction, including
regulatory obligations related to
the sale of the controlling block
of shares in Uniwheels as well as
in preparation of the agreement
with Superior. The value of the
transaction (100% of the shares)
is over PLN 2.8 billion;
• Advised U.S.-based Mohawk
Industries Inc. in a transaction
involving the takeover of
Polcolorit S.A., a company
listed on the Warsaw Stock
Exchange and the oldest private
firm producing ceramic tiles
in Poland. Mohawk is a leading
global producer and distributor
of high quality floors, including
ceramic tiles. Mohawk,
headquartered in Calhoun,
Georgia, USA, is listed on the
New York Stock Exchange and
is on the Fortune 500 list of the
largest corporations. It employs
over 34,000 workers worldwide.
SK&S advised Mohawk in all
aspects of the transaction.
Since being admitted as a member
of World Law Group at the 2013
Spring Conference in Moscow,
SK&S has also worked on several
matters with other WLG members,
such as:
• The Goodmans LLP-led
acquisition of Toronto-based
ABC Group, Inc. – one of the
world’s leading automotive
suppliers of thermoplastic
components and systems with
36 locations throughout North
America, South America, Europe
and Asia – by an affiliate of
Cerberus Capital Management,
L.P. (Cerberus), a leading global
private investment firm last year;
and
• Assisting Santamarina y Steta
and its Mexican conglomerate
client, Grupo Industrial Saltillo,
S.A.B. de C.V., to successfully
complete a tender offer to
acquire all of the issued
and outstanding shares of a
Luxembourg company listed on
the Polish Stock Exchange, with
operations in Poland, Spain and
the Czech Republic.
Ready to Welcome WLG
Delegates
SK&S WLG Key Contact Partners
Dr. Rudolf Ostrihansky and
Tomasz Kański, along with Robert
Gawałkiewicz (who replaced
Rudolf as Managing Partner
on January 1) and other legal
professionals and staff, have been
working energetically for months
on preparations to welcome WLG
conference delegates and guests
to Warsaw.
When proposing Warsaw for the
WLG Spring Conference, Rudolf
explained that SK&S wanted, first
of all, to provide WLG members
with the possibility to learn
more about Poland and Warsaw.
“Warsaw epitomizes Poland’s
creativity, resilience and ability to
reinvent itself,” Rudolf said.
He noted that Warsaw has been
the capital of Poland (despite a
100+ years’ hiatus due to Poland’s
partitioning at the end of the 18th
century) since the beginning of the
17th century, after King Sigismund
III Waza (of Swedish origin)
decided to move his main royal
residence from Kracow to Warsaw.
“It has a vivid political and
cultural history as a city where
influences of Western and Eastern
European culture have always
crossed,” Rudolf continued. “Here,
Poles traditionally elected their
kings, and also adopted the first
written constitution in Europe
in 1791. But it is also the city of
Frederic Chopin’s and Marie
Skłodowska-Curie’s youth. Almost
entirely destroyed during World
War II, Warsaw emerged like a
Phoenix from the ashes and is
today, more than ever, a vibrant
and thriving city.”
When asked to comment on SK&S’s
experience as a WLG member firm
since it joined the alliance in 2013,
he observed:
“Considering the changing
business environment,
globalization, the importance of
access to information and – most
importantly for an independent law
firm – networking opportunities,
we need to constantly build and
maintain relationships. We are
convinced that being a part of
World Law Group is one of the ways
leading to that objective. We very
much appreciate having joined this
exclusive association and we are
convinced it is a good professional
step for Sołtysinski Kawecki &
Szlezak. We are very impressed
with the current shape and size of
this organization.”
Learn more about SK&S at
www.skslegal.pl.

14. 14 Connections
MAJOR
MATTERS
Goodmans Advises
Spectra Energy on $37
Billion Merger with
Enbridge
On February 27, 2017, Enbridge
Inc. completed its stock-for-
stock merger to acquire all of
the outstanding common stock
of Spectra Energy Corp for
approximately CAD 37 billion. This
transaction is the largest foreign
acquisition ever completed by a
Canadian company and resulted
in Enbridge becoming the largest
energy infrastructure company in
North America with an enterprise
value of approximately CAD 166
billion (USD 126 billion).
According to Thomson Reuters’
Global M&A Legal Advisory Review
for the full year of 2016, the
Spectra Energy/Enbridge deal is
ranked #7 in the Top 15 Worldwide
Announced Deals and #6 in the
Top 10 U.S. Announced Deals.
This merger combines Enbridge’s
liquid-weighted midstream assets
located primarily in western
Canada and the U.S. Midwest with
Spectra’s network of primarily
gas-related midstream assets
in the U.S. North, Gulf Coast
and Midwest, and the Canadian
province of British Columbia.
Enbridge is North America’s
premier energy infrastructure
company with strategic business
platforms that include an extensive
network of crude oil, liquids and
natural gas pipelines, regulated
natural gas distribution utilities
and renewable power generation.
The Goodmans team was led by
Robert Vaux and included Jamie
van Diepen (Corporate), Mitchell
Sherman and Carrie Smit (Tax),
John Alton (Pensions and Benefits),
Susan Garvie (Employment),
Calvin Goldman and Richard
Annan (Competition), Maureen
Berry (Executive Compensation)
and Peter Ruby (Regulatory).
Mason Hayes & Curran
Acts for Activision
Blizzard on Major U.S.
Acquisition
Dublin-based Mason Hayes &
Curran acted as joint-lead counsel
for Activision Blizzard, Inc. on
its USD 5.9 billion offer for King
Digital Entertainment plc by way of
a scheme of arrangement. This deal
was the largest ever acquisition of
a gaming company under the Irish
Takeover Rules.
As King (NYSE listed) is an Irish
incorporated company, the
transaction was subject to the Irish
Takeover Rules and the jurisdiction
of the Irish Takeover Panel, and
the transaction documents
were governed by Irish law. The
transaction was being effected
by means of a statutory scheme
of arrangement under the Irish
Companies Act 2014.
The transaction will enable
Activision Blizzard, Inc., which
already owns many of the biggest
franchises in the games industry,
to cement a leadership role in the
mobile video game industry.
Corporate partner Justin McKenna
led the Mason Hayes team on the
transaction.
CMS Advises EnBW on
Build of North Sea Wind
Farm with Canada’s
Enbridge
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg
AG, in partnership with Canadian
energy infrastructure company
Enbridge Inc., is acquiring 49.9%
of the shares in EnBW Hohe See,
a major wind farm project led by
the remaining 50.1%. The two
shareholders will implement and
finance the 500MW project jointly.
Comprising 71 wind turbines and
a total investment of around
EUR 1.8 billion, EnBW Hohe See
is currently the largest German
offshore wind farm project in the
construction phase.
A CMS team advised EnBW on
all legal aspects of structuring the
project, selecting the co-investor
and on the negotiations with
Enbridge.
Arnold & Porter Kaye
Scholer Advises Belize
Bond Holders on Debt
Restructuring
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
advised the Belize Bond Holders’
Committee in the negotiation of
a restructuring of Belize’s USD
526.5 million Bonds due 2038,
which closed on March 21, 2017.
The transaction demonstrated
the utility of a robust creditor
engagement clause in sovereign
bonds, a clause which the firm
negotiated for inclusion in the

15. 15Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
Belize’s Bonds at the time of its
prior restructuring in 2013.
The Arnold & Porter Kaye
Scholer team was led by partner
Whitney Debevoise and included
associates Carlos Pelaez and Brian
Bombassaro.
The restructuring was
accomplished by means of a
consent solicitation in lieu of an
exchange offer. This approach was
made possible by the collective
action clause included in Belize’s
bond in the 2013 restructuring,
also led by Whitney Debevoise. The
negotiation took only five months,
due to the utilization of the creditor
engagement clause inserted in
Belize’s bond in 2013 and use of the
consent solicitation procedure.
The Belize transaction also
contains innovations for a
sovereign restructuring done
without the International Monetary
Fund. A significant innovation was
the inclusion of commitments by
the sovereign issuer with respect
to fiscal adjustment reflected in
an unwind clause if the National
Assembly of Belize does not
enact a public-sector budget that
includes fiscal measures projected
to produce a fiscal consolidation
for the 2017/2018 fiscal year equal
to 3.0% of GDP (in comparison
with the Government’s fiscal
performance for the fiscal year
that commenced on April 1, 2016).
A second innovation was the
inclusion of commitments to seek
a fiscal surplus of 2.0% of GDP in
the next three fiscal years, with
consequences for failure to achieve
such a surplus.
This deal is also precedent-setting
for sovereign debt restructuring
policy. It demonstrates that creditor
engagement clauses work and can
make a significant contribution to
a faster restructuring that saves
resources for the country and
for bondholders as opposed to a
prolonged restructuring.
Taylor Wessing Advises
XING on Takeover of
LinkedIn by Microsoft
Taylor Wessing represented
XING AG, operator of the leading
professional network in the
German-speaking countries, in
the context of the European
merger control proceeding in
regards to Microsoft’s acquisition
of LinkedIn. Although the
European Commission approved
the proposed takeover under the
EU Merger Control Regulation,
this was done on certain
conditions, unlike in earlier
comparable Internet transactions
such as Facebook/WhatsApp or
Microsoft/Skype.
The approval imposes on Microsoft
a number of obligations in order to
protect the competition between
professional social networks
(career networks) in Europe. The
Hamburg-based XING AG is one of
the greatest beneficiaries of those
obligations. XING AG operates the
leading professional network in the
German-speaking countries and
has more than 11 million members
in that region.
The European Commission
was concerned, in particular,
that Microsoft might preinstall
LinkedIn on its Windows PCs and
integrate LinkedIn into Microsoft
Office so that the user databases
of Microsoft and LinkedIn
would be interlinked. Moreover,
the Commission saw a risk of
Microsoft denying the competitors
of LinkedIn access to Microsoft
application programming
interfaces required to ensure
interoperability with Microsoft
products as well as access to user
data stored in the Microsoft Cloud.
According to the Commission,
such measures would have
impeded new market entries, thus
disadvantaging competitors
of LinkedIn.
In order to eliminate the
Commission’s competitive
concerns, Microsoft must, in
future, make sure, among other
things, that PC manufacturers
and dealers are not forced to
install LinkedIn on Windows and
that the competitors of LinkedIn
can rely on interoperability with
Microsoft products and are granted
access to the software developer
portal “Microsoft Graph”. Those
obligations will apply throughout
the European Economic Area for
a period of five years and will be
monitored by a trustee.
In parallel, Taylor Wessing
advised XING in bilateral contract
negotiations with Microsoft, with
the result that XING can continue
to rely on a level playing field,
including interoperability with
Microsoft products.
The Taylor Wessing team in
Hamburg who worked with
XING General Counsel Kai K.
Hollensteiner were Competition/
Merger Control partner Dr. Marco

16. 16 Connections
Hartmann-Rüppel, Data Privacy/
IT partner Dr. Tobias Schelinski
and Competition/Merger Control
associate Dr. Stefan Horn.
Vaish Associates
Counsels Idea Cellular in
Record-Setting Merger
with Vodafone India
In the largest deal in India’s
telecoms sector to date, Vodafone
India Limited (VIL) and its
subsidiary Vodafone Mobile
Services Limited (VMSL) will
merge into Idea Cellular Limited
(ICL) through a scheme of
amalgamation.
The transaction is subject to
various approvals of shareholders,
creditors, governmental authorities
like the Securities & Exchange
Board of India, stock exchanges,
the Competition Commission
of India and others. Upon the
proposed deal going into effect,
the entire cellular mobile
telecommunication business of
VIL and VMSL (other than VIL’s
investment into Indus Towers
Limited, its international network
assets and information technology
platforms) will vest into ICL.
Upon closing of the transaction,
promoters of Vodafone will hold
45.1% of the merged entity and
promoters of ICL will hold 26% of
the merged entity with balance to
be held by public shareholders.
Vaish Associates acted as lead
transactional legal counsel to ICL
and Aditya Birla Group (ABG), and
advised on all aspects relating to
the combination of the respective
cellular mobile telecommunication
business of Vodafone India into
Idea. The work involved drafting,
negotiating and finalizing key
transactional documents including
the implementation agreement,
merger scheme, shareholders
agreement, recharge agreement,
brand agreements and other
transactional documents. The
project scope also involved
formation of strategies for
the combination, transaction
structuring, regulatory advisory
including securities law advisory,
telecom M&A advisory and
negotiations with domestic and
international legal counsels of
Vodafone group.
Bomi Daruwala led the Vaish team,
which included principal associates
Krishna Kishore, Amitjivan Joshi
and Yatin Narang.
PLMJ Advises Ardian
on Acquisition of
Ascendi Assets
PLMJ provided legal advice to
Ardian Infrastructure, a private
investment fund, on the acquisition
of shareholdings held by the
Ascendi Group.
Through this deal, the Ardian
Group acquired the whole of the
share capital of the companies
Ascendi PT and Ascendi PT II. In
turn, these companies hold five
motorway concessions: Ascendi
Greater Lisbon, Ascendi Costa de
Prata, Ascendi Beira Litoral and
Beira Alta, Ascendi Norte, and
Ascendi Greater Porto. In the
same transaction, the Ardian
Group also acquired three service
and maintenance companies
that are instrumental to these
concessions, and a reference
shareholding in Via Verde.
The transaction may also include
the acquisition of three other
motorway concessions.
Ardian manages one of the
world’s largest investment funds
and is the largest in Europe with
approximately EUR 60 million
under management.
The PLMJ team was led by partner
Diogo Perestrelo, who heads
PLMJ M&A and partner André
Figueiredo, who heads PLMJ
Capital Markets, and included Elsa
Pizarro Pardal, of counsel with
PLMJ M&A, Marisa Larguinho,
a senior associate in the PLMJ
Capital Markets team, and
Guilherme Seabra Galante, an
associate from PLMJ M&A.
Guyer & Regules Advises
on Trio of Renewable
Energy Deals
The WLG’s member in Uruguay
has been involved in a number of
transactions in the renewables
sector in recent months. Among
these are:
• Advising Deutsche Bank, Intesa
Sanpaolo and Cordiant on the
refinancing of a construction
loan for Vientos de Pastorale
S.A up to a total of USD 92
million. The firm advised on all
Uruguayan law matters related to
the payoff and the release of the
Uruguayan security package.
• Advising Grupo Eurnekian’s
subsidiary Corporación
America, in the sale of a 90%
stake of the Carapé wind farm
project located in Maldonado,
Uruguay to Saeta Yield S.A. The
deal value was USD 65 million.
(Spanish construction company

17. 17Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
Constructora San José sold
the remaining 10% to SAETA,
which takes over Carapé I and
the Carapé II, the wind farms
that purpose-built companies
Fingano and Vengano operated.)
• Representing Fotowatio
Renewable Ventures (FRV) in the
sale of its Uruguayan subsidiary
– Jacinta Solar Farm SRL –
owner of a solar farm project in
Uruguay, to Invenergy Group.
Located in Salto in northern
Uruguay, the 65-megawatt solar
plant was the first solar power
purchase agreement (PPA)
signed with the Uruguayan
state-owned electric company
UTE. It was also the first to
become operational when it
began supplying electricity to the
national grid in October 2015.
Cuatrecasas Advises
Caixabank on BPI
Takeover
In February, Spain’s Caixabank
successfully completed the
takeover of Portugal’s second-
largest listed lender, Banco BPI,
paying approximately EUR 645
million euros (USD 690 million) to
raise its stake to 84.5% from 45%.
Cuatrecasas advised CaixaBank
on the BPI takeover bid process.
CaixaBank is a Spanish financial
services company owned by the
Catalan savings bank La Caixa.
Headquartered in Barcelona, the
company consists of the universal
banking and insurance activities
of the La Caixa group, along
with the group’s stakes in the
oil and gas firm Repsol YPF, the
telecommunications company
Telefónica and its holdings in
several other financial institutions.
It is Spain’s third-largest lender
by market and has the most
extensive branch network in the
Spanish market.
Locke Lord
Represents Hibernia
NGS in Share Sale
A team of Locke Lord lawyers
represented Hibernia NGS
Limited, a leading provider of
global, high-speed network
connectivity solutions and owner
of terrestrial and sub-sea fibre
assets, in the sale of all of its shares
to GTT Communications, Inc. for
USD 600 million.
GTT Communications, Inc. is the
leading global cloud networking
provider to multinational clients.
Prior to this sale, Locke Lord
represented Hibernia NGS Limited
in multiple acquisitions in Europe,
including one in which Setterwalls,
the WLG’s member for Sweden,
provided local advice.
MEMBER FIRM
NEWSMember Firms Make
Changes for Growth
Several WLG member firms have
gone through significant changes
recently, including mergers, splits
and rebrands – Arias Law in Costa
Rica, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
in the U.S., CMS in Europe and
Andrews Kurth Kenyon in Texas.
Costa Rica Member Re-Brands
Central America is now getting
to know Arias Law – and WLG
members should too. That’s the
new name taken on by our Costa
Rican member after the Muňoz
side of the firm (formerly known
as Arias & Muňoz) decamped to
become a member of the Dentons
network.
Arias remains unique in Central
America, as it operates as a single
firm rather than an alliance or
network, and currently has seven
fully integrated offices in six
countries: Guatemala, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
and Panama. It is marking its 75th
anniversary in 2017.
Key Contact Partner Vicente
Lines, who has represented the
firm at the past few WLG semi-
annual conferences, will continue
in this role. Vicente said his firm is
delighted to be continuing as the
WLG’s member in Costa
Rica, and all of the firm’s offices
are primed and ready to assist
other WLG members and their
clients. In addition, Arias Law is
greatly looking forward to hosting
the WLG’s 2018 Spring
Conference. Contact Vicente at
vlines@ariaslaw.co.cr and learn
more at www.ariaslaw.com/en.
Andrews Kurth Marks 114 Years
with Kenyon & Kenyon Merger
Last September – in the same
month that Andrews Kurth
celebrated its 114th anniversary
and hosted the WLG’s 2016 Fall
Conference – 55 lawyers joined
the firm from Kenyon & Kenyon, a
storied intellectual property and
technology law firm.

18. 18 Connections
The lawyers from Kenyon add
significant patent, trademark and
copyright litigation, counseling
and prosecution experience to the
firm’s already expansive practice
in those areas. It also expands the
firm’s geographic footprint with
the addition of a Silicon Valley
presence in Palo Alto, California,
one of the country’s hubs for
technology innovation, intellectual
property litigation, venture capital
and emerging company work.
“The Kenyon firm, which was
founded in 1879, has long been
recognized as a top tier intellectual
property and technology boutique,”
said Bob Jewell, who serves as
the managing partner for the
firm. “That longevity was a strong
indication that we share a similar
culture and core values with the
lawyers who have joined us. The
addition of these lawyers improves
our ability to advise clients in
sophisticated transactions and
restructurings, high-stakes dispute
resolution and complex regulatory
matters, both domestically and
internationally.”
To carry on the Kenyon tradition,
the firm legally changed its name
to Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP.
“We are excited to have joined
a firm with such an exceptional
reputation and global reach,”
said Edward Colbert, who served
as Kenyon & Kenyon’s managing
partner and who now serves
on the firm’s Policy Committee
and as global co-chair of the
firm’s intellectual property and
technology practice. “Just as
important, this affiliation gives
our long-time clients access to a
broader array of resources and a
deep bench of talented attorneys.”
Arnold & Porter and Kaye
Scholer Merger Effective
January 1
The World Law Group’s long-time
member for the U.S. District of
Colombia became Arnold & Porter
Kaye Scholer on January 1, 2017,
when the D.C. firm’s combination
with New York-based Kaye Scholer
went into effect.
The merger was announced last
November. Today, the combined
firm has approximately 1,000
lawyers across nine domestic and
four international offices. In its
largest offices, the firm will have
approximately 400 lawyers in
Washington, DC and 325 lawyers
in New York.
As Michael B. Solow, managing
partner at Kaye Scholer, said
when the merger was announced:
“This combination enhances our
ability to anticipate and address
our clients’ most significant and
complex legal matters and will
result in service offerings that are
among the broadest and deepest
in the two key US legal markets—
New York and Washington,
DC. The combination will also
maximize our collective ability
throughout our platform to provide
sophisticated legal counsel and
strategic guidance to public and
private entities on litigation,
transactional, and corporate
governance matters.”
Richard M. Alexander, now chair
of the combined firm said: “The
collective talents and financial
resources of the new firm will
allow us to continue to deliver to
clients the sophisticated counsel
and service that they expect, while
creating substantial economies
of scale that will accelerate
our investments in talent and
technologies and enable us to
pursue innovation in the efficient
delivery of legal services.”
Alexander said that “the
combination will allow us to
stay true to the shared values of
both firms. We will be one of the
world’s leading pro bono law firms,
continue to maintain a collegial
work environment, and foster a
consensus-based culture with
an unyielding commitment to
diversity and inclusiveness.”
CMS UK Merger Explained
The merger between London-based
CMS Cameron McKenna (CMS UK),
Nabarro and Olswang announced
last fall will have a relatively minor
impact on the five CMS firms that
are WLG members: CMS DeBacker
in Belgium, CMS Hasche Sigle in
Germany, CMS Netherlands, CMS
Reich-Rohrwig Hainz in Austria
and CMS Russia.
While several European CMS
offices will absorb some of the
lawyers and staff from local offices
of the merger partners, the biggest
growth will be to CMS UK.
The merger, which was due to
complete on May 1, 2017, will be
the largest merger ever in the UK
legal services market. Nabarro and
Olswang will join the CMS UK LLP
partnership. Overall, CMS will
become the world’s sixth largest
law firm by lawyer headcount.
CMS was established in 1999 by
City-based Cameron McKenna

19. 19Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
and independent practices from
Austria, Belgium, Germany and
the Netherlands (all early WLG
members), and has grown over
the years with the addition of
other firms, such as CMS Russia in
Moscow, another WLG member.
While many recent major cross-
border firm combinations have
utilized the Swiss verein – a holding
structure that allows member
firms to join forces yet retain their
existing forms (e.g., Dentons, DLA
Piper, Hogan Lovells, King & Wood
Mallesons, Norton Rose Fulbright),
CMS is unique structurally since it
operates as a European Economic
Interest Grouping (EEIG). EEIGs
do not separate out members’
liabilities, but are otherwise similar
to vereins.
CMS is also more integrated than
an alliance network, like WLG.
For example, as well as tightly
managed shared branding, it has a
number of centralized managerial
and operational functions, a single
constitution and governance
structure, and a global executive
committee that determines firm-
wide budgets and strategy. It also
has a combined practice and sector
group structure that runs across
each of the 10 firms, with single
leaders at a global – rather than
regional or member – level.
Otherwise, each member firm is
granted almost complete autonomy
to run its own business and
control aspects such as finances
and staffing.
The new firm will trade as CMS,
and the name of the UK LLP will be
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro
Olswang LLP.
(This article includes information
from recent articles published
by The Financial Times and
legalweek.com.)
WongPartnership Leader
Wins Prestigious Award
Alvin Yeo, chair and senior
partner of new WLG member
WongPartnership, was lauded for
his “Outstanding Contribution
to the Legal Profession” at the
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2017 award
ceremony in Singapore in March.
The prestigious award is given to
only two recipients each year in
recognition of exceptional work in
their respective fields, continued
contribution to the Asian legal
arena and those who “have had
a significant and lasting impact
on their market and who are
outstanding lawyers in their own
areas of practice”.
Mr. Yeo is widely regarded as
Singapore’s foremost arbitration
counsel in the field of investor-
state disputes and international
commercial arbitration. He has
acted for and advised international
clients in complex, cross-border
disputes and multi-jurisdictional
enforcement proceedings. His
extensive experience also covers
financial disputes, contentious
investigations, insolvency and
restructuring, and financial
services regulatory matters,
including corporate fraud, anti-
money laundering and insider
trading.
In particular, Chambers lauded
Mr. Yeo for providing leadership
in proceedings at both Singapore’s
and the International Chamber of
Commerce’s arbitration centres
(SIAC and ICC respectively) and
noted he is “an excellent strategist
as well as a first-rate litigator”
who is “deeply impressive” and an
“extremely capable individual”.
In accepting the award, Mr Yeo
said: “This would not have been
possible without the unwavering
support of our clients and my
colleagues over the past 25 years,”
and noted that WongPartnership
is celebrating its Silver Jubilee in
2017. “So this (award) is a fitting
testament to the growth and
success of WongPartnership in the
Asia-Pacific legal landscape.”
WongPartnership’s Alvin Yeo

20. 20 Connections
MEMBER
NEWS
ROUNDUP
ANDREWS KURTH KENYON is
the recipient of the University of
Houston Law Center’s “2017 Law
Gala Award”. The firm is the first
law firm to receive the award.
The Law Gala Award is given to
recognize those who have shown
exemplary support of the Law Gala
and Auction, as well as the Law
Center in general. Andrews Kurth
Kenyon was chosen specifically
because of the tremendous level of
support the firm has provided to
numerous areas of the Law Center
over the years.
ANDREWS KURTH KENYON has
been recognized as a leading U.S.
firm in every major energy category
in Chambers Global 2017. This
year’s directory notes the firm’s
experience across a broad range of
practices, including: Energy: Oil
& Gas (Regulatory & Litigation);
Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional);
Projects: Oil & Gas; and Projects:
Renewables & Alternative Energy.
Eight of the firm’s lawyers were also
ranked in the 2017 directory.
ARNOLD & PORTER KAYE
SCHOLER has been ranked by the
Bloomberg Government information
platform as a “Top Performing
Lobbying/Law Firm” of 2016. Due to
Bloomberg Government’s rigorous
criteria, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
is one of just four firms to qualify
for ranking. More than 1,700 firms
were measured by key business
performance metrics including
growth, customer satisfaction,
and profitability to determine firm
performance.
Following ARNOLD & PORTER
KAYE SCHOLER’S recognition as a
“Top 10 Firm” in the Life Sciences
Law Firm Index by Lake Whillans,
Above the Law and MedCity
News, MedCity News featured
Life Sciences and Healthcare
Regulatory co-chairs Daniel
Kracov and Allison Shuren and
transactional life sciences partner
Aaron Gardner in its article,
“Newly United Arnold & Porter
Kaye Scholer Surveys Changed Life
Sciences Deal Environment.” In
the article, the partners discuss the
firm’s unique, post-combination
life sciences practice, the industry’s
overall deal-making outlook
and the Trump Administration’s
potential industry impact.
As noted on Page 4, BAE, KIM &
LEE claimed the top accolade at
The Asia Legal Awards 2017 held
on February 22, 2017 at the Four
Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong,
winning the ultimate “Asian Law
Firm of the Year” award. The fourth
annual awards ceremony held
by global legal news publisher,
American Lawyer Media,
recognized stellar achievements
of law firms and lawyers in Asia
across key practice areas with
a particular focus on complex
cross-border acquisitions, multi-
jurisdictional disputes and
regulatory solutions with both
local and global applicability. BKL
scooped this highly coveted award
for advising on mega deals worth
trillions of Korean won, as well as
high-profile IPO cases and project
finance transactions.
BAHAS, GRAMATIDIS &
PARTNERS has opened a
consultancy office in Nicosia,
Cyprus. Justitia Advisory Ltd has
been set up to assist Greek and
foreign clients in matters relating
to Cyprus law, as well as to provide
guidance in navigating the Cyprus
public administration.
CMS has published the 2017
edition of its European M&A Study,
in which it analyzes more than
3,200 transactions advised by
CMS (including 443 transactions
of 2016). The report suggests that,
as a general trend, it appears that
buyers have less appetite to accept
risks due to Brexit and the spring
elections in France. However, the
number of transactions remains at
a high level showing that sellers are
keen to come to terms before the
climate may change significantly.
CMS has signed an agreement
with Canada’s Kira Systems for the
use of its Kira machine learning
software. The software uses
artificial intelligence to identify,
analyze and extract clauses and
other information from contracts
and other types of documents. This
tool includes integrated machine
learning models for transactional
application, and can be trained by
CMS to handle reviews in a variety
of practice areas. In particular, the
tool can identify different clauses
across a large volume of contracts
with a high degree of accuracy.

21. 21Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
CUATRECASAS is celebrating
its first century of providing
professional legal services
in 2017 and recently held a
commemorative event at its new
offices in Barcelona. The event
was presided over by His Majesty
King Felipe VI and gathered
together government figures,
such as the Vice President of the
Spanish Government, institutional
representatives, prominent
members of the community and
clients who have worked with
the firm throughout its history.
Cuatrecasas has also planned
several other activities to mark its
centenary in a year that also sees
the implementation of the firm’s
recently approved strategic plan.
CUATRECASAS marked another
milestone recently when the firm
moved into its new Barcelona office
to 22@, the city’s purpose-built
business and innovation district.
The 20,000-square metre complex,
located at Avenida Diagonal 191,
will accommodate the entire
Barcelona team, consisting of 650
professionals. The office includes
a wide variety of spaces equipped
with the latest technology to
promote a more collaborative work
environment that is more closely
connected to clients. It features 20+
meeting rooms and an auditorium
with capacity for 200+ people. It
also has a restaurant, cafeteria,
fitness center, wellness area and car
park. Lawyers from member firms
attending the 2017 International
Trademark Association Conference
(INTA) will be among the first
guests to see Cuatrecasas’ new digs
on May 24, when the firm hosts
the annual WLG breakfast held for
INTA conference attendees.
Mergermarket, Bloomberg
Business and Thomson Reuters
have published their M&A league
tables, all of which position
CUATRECASAS, for the fourth
consecutive year, as leader on the
Iberian market and in Spain by
deal volume. In terms of market
share, Cuatrecasas is the most
active law firm on the Iberian
market, having represented
over 11% of the business activity
recorded by Mergermarket and
13.5% recorded by Bloomberg.
DAVIES WARD PHILLIPS &
VINEBERG announced in
December that Philippe Johnson, a
member of the firm’s Management
Committee, will be appointed as
managing partner of the firm’s
Montréal office effective June 1,
2017. Philippe will succeed Pierre-
André Themens who will retire
as MP at the end of May, after 17
years in the role. Pierre-André will
continue to be active as a partner
of the firm. (Both Philippe and
Pierre-André have been active
WLG Key Contact Partners.) In his
new role, Philippe will manage the
lawyers and operations of Davies’
Montréal office and will help to
lead the firm in its continued
dedication to excellence and focus
on its clients’ successes. Philippe
has been a leading lawyer in the
firm’s Corporate/Commercial and
Mergers & Acquisitions practices
for 16 years. He has advised leading
Canadian, U.S. and international
companies on their most important
Canadian investments, mergers
& acquisitions, divestitures,
corporate reorganizations, joint
ventures and other major projects.
GOODMANS LLP has collected
a trophy-case of accolades over
the past few months. In addition
to being recognized for the 15th
year in a row as the only top-tier
restructuring practice in Canada
by Chambers Global 2017, the firm’s
long-standing dominance as the
pre-eminent restructuring and
insolvency group is continued in
Chambers Canada 2017 in which
the group is the only firm to be
ranked #1. Overall, the firm is
ranked in 16 practice areas, 11 of
which are Band 1 and 2 rankings
that include Corporate M&A, Class
Actions (Defence), Corporate
Commercial Ontario, Dispute
Resolution Ontario, Intellectual
Property, Private Equity, Real
Estate Nationwide, Real Estate
Ontario, REITs, Restructuring,
Tax and Telecoms, Media &
Broadcasting. In addition, The
Legal 500 Canada 2017 edition
recognized Goodmans in 14
categories with Band 1 rankings in
Capital Markets, Corporate/M&A,
Real Estate and Restructuring and
Insolvency (where it has also been
ranked the sole #1 restructuring
team since the first edition).
Singularity University, a global
learning and innovation
community using exponential
Philippe Johnson

22. 22 Connections
technologies to solve the world’s
biggest challenges, recently
announced its inaugural
SingularityU Canada Summit.
SU was founded to inspire and
educate leaders and entrepreneurs
to leverage rapidly accelerating
technologies such as artificial
intelligence, nanotechnology,
robotics and synthetic biology to
unlock solutions that can positively
impact billions of lives. “The
SingularityU Canada Summit
will inspire Canadian businesses
to lead in the transformation
and growth of a globally
competitive, clean economy
through exponential technologies.
As a founding member,
GOODMANS LLP is thrilled to
help Canadian businesses to
better understand and profit from
these opportunities,” said partner
Richard Corley.
GOWLING WLG picked up the
top spot at The Lawyer European
Awards in the “Global Strategic
Initiative of the Year” category.
The shortlist recognized those
firms which have worked on
initiatives with significant
global aspects, be that strategic
expansion or streamlining
international operations,
processes and practices. The
judges selected firms they believe
have demonstrated global
excellence that has set them apart
from the rest of the legal industry.
LOCKE LORD received a 100%
rating in the 2017 Corporate
Equality Index (CEI) administered
by the Human Rights Campaign
Foundation, up five points from
the previous year. This annual
report designated Locke Lord
as a “Best Place to Work for
LGBT Equality.”
LOCKE LORD placed 15th in the
Private Equity League Tables in the
overall “US Buyouts by Deal Count”
list. Locke Lord was credited with
14 deals in this league table by
Mergermarket’s standards.
MASON HAYES & CURRAN
recorded turnover of EUR 77
million last year, an increase of 7%
on 2015. This growth was driven
by strong levels of business across
a number of areas, notably in
dispute resolution, real estate work
and corporate advisory services,
the firm reported. The Dublin-
based firm also continued its
international expansion last year,
opening in San Francisco, where
technology partner Oisín Tobin
leads the practice. In addition,
Mason Hayes & Curran appointed
corporate partners Graeme Bell
and David Mangan as heads of
the London and New York offices
respectively.
For a number of years, MASON
HAYES & CURRAN has been
involved in efforts to promote
the use of plain English, both
as part of its Corporate Social
Responsibility program and as a
key attribute of the firm’s client
service methodology. Recently,
the firm announced the launch
of a new booklet titled, Plain
English and the Law: The Legal
Consequences of Clear and Unclear
Communication. Published in
partnership with Ireland’s National
Adult Literacy Agency, the booklet
shows how plain English can
save companies time and money
by avoiding unnecessary legal
costs. To download the booklet,
visit: https://mediahq.com/story/
nala/172099/new-booklet-shows-
how-unclear-communication-can-
lead-to-costly-court-cases.html
MINTERELLISON received a
triple accolade in the peer-review
publication Best Lawyers in
Australia 2018. (Editor’s note: Yes,
Best Lawyers does seem to be a year
ahead of the rest of the world.) The
firm received the highest number
of individual lawyer rankings,
with 190 lawyers named as star
performers; it was recognized
as “2018 Law Firm of the Year for
Labour & Employment Law” and
for the first time it come out on top
as “2018 Law Firm of the Year for
Tax Law”.
MINTERELLISON has released
its Perspectives on Cyber Risk
Report 2017. Specialist technology
partner Paul Kallenbach said
the report’s findings show that
Australian companies are being
too slow to take the necessary
action to mitigate and manage
that risk. “Some of the most
devastating cyber incidents yet
have occurred in the 12 months
since our last survey. Every kind
of organization – government,
state-owned enterprises, public
and private companies, and not-
for-profits – has been affected
and it’s clear that no-one and no
industry is immune,” he said.
The report highlights the need to
embed cyber resilience in every
organisation, yet key findings
suggest this isn’t happening. In
surveying company Boards for
the report, 44% of organizations
responded that their Board is
only briefed on cyber security

23. 23Issue 75 | Q1/Q2 2017
issues annually or on an ad hoc
basis, while 13% of organizations
said that the Board received no
briefings at all. In the CIO survey,
only 52% of respondents indicated
their organizations had increased
their expenditure on IT security
over the previous 12 months and
that shows little change to the 2016
Report findings. WLG members
can access a copy of the 2017
report at: www.minterellison.
com/files/Uploads/Documents/
Publications/Reports%20Guides/
CyberReport2017%20v2.pdf
SCHJØDT ended 2016 with the
highest volume of recorded deals
among Norwegian law firms,
according to Mergermarket – for
the seventh year in a row. With 62
recorded deals in 2016, Schjødt’s
dominance as the leading firm
in Norway is highlighted by
the fact that the second-place
finisher ended the year with only
46 transactions. With the largest
practice in public and private
M&A in Norway, Schjødt acts
regularly for major Norwegian and
international corporations, private
equity sponsors, investors and
financial advisors.
In a similar vein, Chambers
and Partners has recognized
SCHJØDT’S Erling Christiansen
as a “Senior Statesman” in
both Capital Markets and
Corporate/M&A. In the former
area, Chambers describes Erling
(who has also served as a long-
time WLG Key Contact Partner for
Schjødt) as “a well-known figure
in the market” with a “wealth of
experience in transactions and
public M&A”. The publisher defines
a “Senior Statesman” as “A lawyer
who no longer works hands-on
with the same intensity but who,
by virtue of close links with major
clients, remains pivotal to the
firm’s success.”
SYCIP SALAZAR HERNANDEZ
& GATMAITAN (SyCipLaw)
announced earlier this year
that Hector M. de Leon, Jr.
has been elected as the firm’s
managing partner. Hector joined
SyCipLaw in 1988 and has been
a member of the firm’s Executive
Committee since 2014. His
practice focuses on corporate
and commercial matters, with
emphasis on equity investments,
mergers and acquisitions, project
development and finance, and
similar commercial transactions.
Together with the other lawyers
of the firm, Hector has worked
on some of the biggest M&A
transactions in the Philippines,
several of which were awarded or
nominated as “Deal of the Year” by
international publications. Hector
has authored or co-authored
books and articles on, among
others, commercial law and civil
law. He is a fellow of the Institute
of Corporate Directors and a
member of the Tax Management
Association of the Philippines. He
is also a professorial lecturer at
the University of the Philippines
College of Law.
SYCIPLAW swept the first-ever
Philippine Law Awards sponsored
by Asia Legal Business late last year.
Among other awards taken home
by the firm were “Philippine Law
Firm of the Year”, “Arbitration Law
Firm of the Year”, and “Banking
and Financial Services Law Firm of
the Year”. The awards pay tribute
to the outstanding performance
of private practitioners and in-
house teams that have significantly
contributed to the evolving legal
landscape of the region.
WONGPARTNERSHIP has achieved
the rare feat of being the only
Singapore law firm to have been
awarded top-tier rankings by The
Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2017 in major
transactional practices – Corporate
and M&A, Capital Markets, and
Banking & Finance as well as
Dispute Resolution – in the last 10
years, affirming WongPartnership’s
twin strengths in both transactional
and contentious matters. In total,
the firm is ranked across 22 practice
areas in Singapore and regionally,
with top-tier rankings also in
Financial Services Regulatory,
Construction, Private Wealth,
Projects and Energy, Real Estate,
Restructuring & Insolvency and Tax.
Erling Christiansen
Hector M. de Leon, Jr.

24. 24 Connections
WLG Connections is published three times a year for the benefit of its members by the World Law Group®, a network of leading independent law firms located
in most of the world’s major commercial centres. Nothing in this newsletter should be considered as the rendering of legal advice and all readers, intended or
otherwise, are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. All of the contents in this newsletter, in any form, are intended for educational
and informational purposes only. All contents are protected by copyright owned by the World Law Group, its member firms or individual authors mentioned within.
For more information, contact: World Law Group, One Metro Center, 700 12th Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005, U.S.A. or Editor Shelley Boyes at
sboyes@theworldlawgroup.com
International Fiscal Association: Reception for
WLG Attendees
Madrid, Spain
Hosted by Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira
September 27, 2016
WLG Committee, Practice/Industry Group Meetings:
A list of upcoming meetings of the WLG Business
Development Committee and our global practice and
industry groups is always available on the Members’
Centre on www.theworldlawgroup.com.
All lawyers and professionals who have a valid email
address at any WLG member firm can self-register for
access to the Members’ Centre via the “Member Login”
link on our website home page. If you have forgotten
your password, simply use the automated password
reminder also found by clicking “Member Login” on
the home page. If you need assistance, please contact
Keelin Mayer at kmayer@theworldlawgroup.com,
Hanna Shea at hshea@theworldlawgroup.com or
Beth Castro at bcastro@theworldlawgroup.com.
Other WLG Events:
2017 INTA WLG Breakfast
Barcelona, Spain
May 24, 2017
Hosted by Cuatrecasas
For professionals from WLG member firms attending
the 2017 International Trademarks Association
Conference
2017 WLG IFA Reception
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
August 30, 2017
Hosted by TozziniFreire
For professionals from WLG member firms attending
the 2017 International Fiscal Association Congress
2017 WLG EMEA Regional Conference
Tel Aviv, Israel
September 10 - 11, 2017
Hosted by Herzog, Fox & Neeman
2017 Fall Semi-Annual Conference
Shanghai, China
October 5 - 7, 2017
Hosted by Zhong Lun Law Firm
2018 Spring Semi-Annual Conference
Costa Rica
April 26 - 28, 2018 (TBC)
Hosted by Arias Law
MEETING
PLACESUpcoming WLG Conferences