Law firm highlights

DLA Piper has launched a series of legal clinics to be rolled out in Kuwait for civil society organisations (CSOs), advising them on legal information to assist their operations in the country. The clinics are part of a capacity building project designed in partnership with The en.v Initiative (en.v), a Kuwait-based organisation dedicated to the promotion of social responsibility in the Arab world. The project began with a workshop in February 2014 where DLA Piper lawyers provided 20 Kuwaiti CSOs with an overview of the charity law in Kuwait. The second stage of the project involves pro bono legal clinics running in May and June 2014. The project was developed as part of the Support for Training, Advocacy and Networking for Development (STAND) program implemented by en.v and funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).  The overall aim of the capacity building project is to support the development of civil society in Kuwait by providing pro bono legal guidance on corporate governance, planning and legal regulations. The initiative forms part of the firm's wider programme of corporate responsibility, of which pro bono work is a key focus. 

Eversheds continues to expand its operations in Africa by joining forces with leading Durban based law firm Knight Turner. The affiliation will see the independent Durban firm re-brand as Eversheds KZN with a dramatically expanded scope and reach of its product offering, while retaining its reputation for personalised service.The move follows the formation of Eversheds’ Pan-African strategy, which since 2013 saw the firm tie up with Mahons Attorneys in South Africa, giving the firm bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Louis in Mauritius. Eversheds was also joined by El Heni in Tunisia, which now practises as Eversheds El Heni in Tunis and also by Eversheds CWA Morocco with offices in Casablanca and Tangier.

Clifford Chance announced that its annual Access to Justice Award is open for entries till July 6, 2014. Theaward, now in its fifth year, recognises and supports the work of charitable organisations that promote access to justice, with the winner receiving a donation of money and time from the Clifford Chance Foundation.Award submissions are sought fromnot-for-profit organisations that help individuals, groups or communities preserve or secure their rights to the basic necessities of life.  The winning entry, decided by a panel of judges, will receive a donation of £50,000 and up to 500 hours of pro bono volunteering from Clifford Chance lawyers and business services staff over 18 months.  The judges include senior in-house legal advisors from global corporations, as well as representatives from NGOs.

Dechert’s Middle East Financial Services Team hosted an Alternative & Hedge Fund Workshop on June 12, 2014, supported by insights from leading industry experts Ernst & Young, Citco and CCL Compliance. The workshop brought together 50 industry experts from the field of fund management at the DIFC Centre of Excellence to participate in a discussion focused on the legal, tax and compliance aspects of setting up and running funds in Dubai. The key speaker was Jacques Visser, national partner at Dechert, who provided an overview of key establishment considerations, typical fund structures as well as examples of best practice and current trends. Other speakers included Stijn Janssen, partner, International Tax Services at Ernst & Young, who focused on taxation issues arising during the fund structuring process. Luc de Vet, managing director of Citco Fund Services in Luxembourg, gave an overview of relevant regulations that fund administrators and depositaries need to deal with, such as AIFMD and FATCA, and their impact on the fund industry globally. Clare Curtis, a director at CCL Compliance in the DIFC, stressed the importance of having the right monitoring program in place to comply with regional and global regulatory requirements.

Jacques Visser