Country Focus Archive

Ireland Focus South africa
MY FIRST day as an articled clerk at London Bridge in 1973 saw my principal, the distinguished civil liberties lawyer, Ben Benberg, hand me a civil litigation file with the soon to be familiar words “I want you to look at that, see what we can do to help”.

Contents:

Tread lightly: South Africa's robust environmental regulatory environment
Excessive pricing - the decision of the Competition Tribunal in the Mittal Steel Case
Deal protection in the South African public to private environment
Leveraged finance in South Africa
Investment in the mining industry: key considerations
The mergers and acquisitions market in South Africa
Overview of Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa
The gateway to Africa - open for business
South Africa: built on firm foundations and built to last
Exciting investment opportunities lie ahead in South Africa
Review – South African Airways
Review – Michelangelo Hotel, Johannesburg

Channel Islands Focus Channel Islands
One of the features of the offshore finance industry in recent times has been the growing importance for jurisdictions to demonstrate their ability to innovate, without neglecting either high regulatory standards or their service capabilities.

Contents:

Jersey finance industry: keeping ahead of the competition
Recent developments in Jersey funds
The growing attraction of the CISX
CISX – An international exchange
Guernsey: The forefront of international finance centres
Permanent-capital vehicles – here to stay
Proposed amendment of Guernsey Company Law
Recent developments in Guernsey funds
Review – Club Hotel and Spa

Ireland Focus
The Ireland Managing Partner country report delves in-depth into a booming economy that has been transformed in recent years - both in terms of corporate activity and infrastructure project. For the country's legal profession, this business growth has created a wealth of opportunities on a national and international scale.

Contents:

Ireland's economic turnaround
Ireland's energy futire - a beacon of hope
Developments in Irish media law
Improved regime for regulated property funds in Ireland
The Commercial Court in Ireland
Securing Ireland's future - the challenge that lies ahead
Review - The Merrion

Cayman Islands and the Bahamas
Both the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas have faced testing times in recent years, as international sources such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) have pressed offshore jurisdictions for greater financial transparency and tax-information collection and exchange. This country report assesses the challenges both jurisdictions have faced and asks why the future of business in the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas looks promising.

Contents

Overview: Obstacles and opportunities
Stikeman Elliot LLP - Cover story: Bahamas and Cayman.
Bahamas Financial Services Board - Bahamas overview: Setting the standard
Sidley Austin LLP - Cayman Islands overview: Leadership, stability and resilience
Myers & Alberga - Tax competition: An era of mixed messages
Quin & Hampson - Hedge fund regulation in the Cayman Islands
Campbells - Hastings Bass in the Cayman Islands
Appleby Spurling Hunter - Offshore hedge funds: Branching out
McKinney Bancroft & Hughes - Flexible, private-wealth management
Lennox Paton - Foundations attract high net-worth clients
Graham Thompson & Co. - Public-private partnership: A marriage that works
Callenders & Co. - Bahamian-style trust defence

Middle East Focus
It is with great pleasure that I am able to introduce to you a new feature of Managing Partner magazine: our international-focus country reports. We would also like to welcome Anna Head, who joins the Managing Partner team from In Brief, and will head up the country reports into 2006.

Contents

Richards Butler -LLP Investment options in the UAE
Norton Rose - The regulatory approach to Takaful in Bahrain
Kennedys - Construction in Dubai and the UAE: exciting times
Holman Fenwick and Willan - Property prospects in Dubai
Clyde & Co - Commercial Agencies Law
Dubai International Financial Centre Courts - Arbitration in the Middle East
Bahrain Financial Services Development Bureau - Investing in the future of finance
Middle East Association - Trading opportunities in the Gulf

Canada Focus
It is with great pleasure that I am able to introduce to you a new feature of Managing Partner magazine: our international-focus country reports. We would also like to welcome Anna Head, who joins the Managing Partner team from In Brief, and will head up the country reports into 2006.

Contents:

Competition and change: The Canadian legal landscape
Bennett Jones LLP - Fighting fraud across borders
Bennett Jones LLP - Putting partnerships first
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - Bank mergers
Deeth Williams Wall - Intellectual property laws
Deeth Williams Wall - Taming the internet
Gowlings - Lighting the way?
Ogilvy Renault - Cross-border spin-offs (Canadian tax implications)

South Africa Focus
South Africa is on the move. As the largest economy in Africa and with forecast GDP growth of nine per cent, it is the gateway to the continent. Its unique and strategic position has, of course, been boosted by winning the bid to host the World Cup in 2010. The end result is that confidence is growing both inside the country and among foreign investors.

Contents:

Transformation and growth: The South African legal landscape
Overview: The road ahead
Overview: Gateway to Africa
Africa's platform for growth
An economic powerhouse
Bowman Gilfillan Attorneys - Foreign-owned companies and BEE
Brink Cohen le Roux Inc - Corporate law reform: A delicate balance
Deneys Reitz - Taming thin capitalisation
Edward Nathan - Alternative energy sources
Edward Nathan - Beware, your restraint of trade clause may be anti-competitive
Routledge Modise Moss Morris - The changing face of dispute resolution
Sonnenberg Hoffmann Galombik - Harmonisation of company law
Webber Wentzel Bowens - Oil and gas exploration
Webber Wentzel Bowens - South Africa attracts foreign direct investment
Webber Wentzel Bowens - South Africa's tonnage tax gains momentum
Werksmans Inc - Licensing and regulation in the communications sector