Rousing the bear – Russian counsel force to hunt in new places

Posted on | International Russia |
Rousing the bear – Russian counsel force to hunt in new places

Russia’s propensity for volatility is infamous. Since its revolution 100 years ago, it has lived through events that the Soviet Union’s founders would never have imagined. Today, amid heightened geopolitical tensions, it continues to face huge uncertainty. But its law firms are adamant that it will continue to provide solid revenues. ‘Reports of Russia’s decline …

Continue reading “Rousing the bear – Russian counsel force to hunt in new places”

The Scottish play – amid uncertain times English law firms keep crossing the border

Posted on | Analysis |
The Scottish play – amid uncertain times English law firms keep crossing the border

Neither political nor economic uncertainty in Scotland is dampening enthusiasm for law firm tie-ups across the border With a listless economy, an oil and gas industry decimated by low commodity prices, and uncertainty over its future relationship with the EU and the rest of the UK, Scotland is lacking both clarity and optimism over its …

Continue reading “The Scottish play – amid uncertain times English law firms keep crossing the border”

Holding steady – A turbulent Middle East market separates the committed from the faint-hearted

Posted on | Middle East |
Holding steady – A turbulent Middle East market separates the committed from the faint-hearted

Emerging markets are by nature volatile, frequently impacted by events such as political instability, civil unrest, corruption and other economic forces. The extremes of growth and decline could hardly be more apparent than in the Middle East, where the collapse in oil prices has prompted a great deal of soul searching. Saudi Arabia, for example, …

Continue reading “Holding steady – A turbulent Middle East market separates the committed from the faint-hearted”

In the game – Israeli law firms embrace risks to secure the tech icons of tomorrow

Posted on | Israel |
In the game – Israeli law firms embrace risks to secure the tech icons of tomorrow

Every Thursday at 6pm, Yair Geva, co-head of Herzog Fox & Neeman (HFN)’s high-tech department, drinks a beer on the rooftop of a client’s office in central Tel Aviv. The weekly drink, which started seven years ago when he returned to Israel from New York, is a routine that is borne out of professional commitment …

Continue reading “In the game – Israeli law firms embrace risks to secure the tech icons of tomorrow”

Trusts and estates disputes – Back on board

Posted on | Analysis |
Trusts and estates disputes – Back on board

With high-profile trust and estates disputes providing a rich diet to private client specialists for some time, City firms have recently made the push to get in on the act. If the mass retreat of City firms from private client work in the 1980s and 1990s looked like folly when Mishcon de Reya, Forsters and …

Continue reading “Trusts and estates disputes – Back on board”

Running on empty – how to survive in the Middle East in the era of cheap oil

Posted on | Middle East |
Running on empty – how to survive in the Middle East in the era of cheap oil

Oil price volatility is a fact of life in the Middle East. At below or around $40 a barrel, the region has been dealt a hard dose of realism. Developing economic models that rely less on oil and gas revenues is now the order of the day, while national governments have had to rein in …

Continue reading “Running on empty – how to survive in the Middle East in the era of cheap oil”

Value range – as the money pours in, can Israel takes its high-growth stars global?

Posted on | Israel |
Value range – as the money pours in, can Israel takes its high-growth stars global?

Israel’s regional tensions contrast with optimistic hopes for foreign investment and a burgeoning economy. While war still rages over the border in nearby Syria, Israel’s start-up and hi-tech sector is flourishing. In addition, its nascent natural gas industry finally looks primed for substantial development. Life is good in Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv, says Barry …

Continue reading “Value range – as the money pours in, can Israel takes its high-growth stars global?”

The bigger short – third party funding bets on new markets and models

Posted on | Analysis |
The bigger short – third party funding bets on new markets and models

Historically confined to David vs Goliath claims, a new band of dispute funders are pushing the model into new frontiers. How far can they go? Hedge fund methodology – the process of using hard numbers to make statistical predictions – is not part of a dispute lawyer’s traditional armoury. Yet the same kind of financial …

Continue reading “The bigger short – third party funding bets on new markets and models”