2016 AI Legal awards

Smarter, Harder, and More Efficient We invited Nicholas Giove, Partner at Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP’s New York office, to provide us with a fascinating overview of the company and how it navigates the ever evolving IP market.

www.acquisition-intl.com

Welcome to the 2016 Legal Awards The legal environment is a fast paced and exciting market, with increased competition and technological advances providing a raft of challenges for many legal practices over the last twelve months.

Political and economic issues have also affected the markets globally, and lawyers are increasingly having to adapt to ever evolving legislation and regulation.

In addition, as the market becomes increasingly global the rise in cross-border issues means legal professionals are having to constantly update their skills.

Contents 4. Frommer, Lawrence, & Haug, L.L.P. has won Best Patent Infringement Litigator - New York 6. The American International Group has won Best in Reinsurance Dispute Resolution 2016 - New York 8. Affärsadvokaterna i Sverige AB has won Best Commercial Law Firm - Sweden 10. Bond Solon Training Ltd. has won Best for Expert Witness Training - UK 12. Faber & Allin Inc. Attorneys has won Best Personal Injury Litigation Firm - South Africa 14. Griffith Hack has won Most Innovative IP Law Firm - Australia & Award for Excellence in IP Economics - Australia 16. Maggie Sargent & Associates has won Best Expert Witness Evidence Provider - Midlands 18. Mitnick Law Office LLC has won Best Mass Tort Claims Resolution Practice - Eastern USA 20. NSIP Law has won Best Full-Service IP Law Firm - Washington DC & Recognised Leader in Patent Prosecution - Washington DC 22. Pro-Link GLOBAL Visa & Immigration Services has won Global Migration Legal Consultancy of the Year - USA 24. Rosenbaum IP has won Best for IP Asset Development - USA 26. Schmelz Rechtsanwälte has won Family Law Firm of the Year 2016 & Best Real Estate Boutique - Austria 28. Soteris Pittas & Co LLC has won Best in Admiralty Law - Cyprus & Award for Excellence in Corporate & Commercial Law - Cyprus 30. Steinman & Rodgers LLP has won Best International Anti-Corruption Law Firm - Washington DC 32. Viseu Advogados has won Best Civil Litigation Firm - Brazil & Excellence Award for Consumer Law 34. Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto has won Best for Cross-Border Transactions Law - Indonesia & Best Energy & Natural Resources Attorney - Indonesia 35. Arias, Meurinne y Rodriguez, S.C. has won Best for Anti-Trust Litigation - Mexico 36. Banasinski & Associates has won Best Family Law Firm - Ontario 37. Beijing Globe - Law Firm has won Best in Environmental Law - China & Best IP Attorney - China 38. Caroline Rule has won Best for Civil Tax Matters - New York & Most Feared in White Collar Criminal Investigations - New York 39. Da Vinci Partners LLC has won Best IP Law Firm - Switzerland 40. Donna J. Jackson has won Best Estate Planner - Oklahoma 41. Donnery & Co Solicitors has won Award for Excellence in Family Law - Ireland 42. Elijah Ltd has won Best for Computer Forensics & Expert Testimony Services - USA 43. Equal Justice Ltd. has won Best Discrimination Law Firm - UK 44. Franklins Solicitors LLP has won Commercial Lawyer of the Year - Midlands 45. Immigration Solutions has won Best Immigration Attorney - Massachusetts & AI Excellence Award for Employment-Based Immigration Visas 46. JC Kling has won Auditing & Tax Consultancy of the Year - Germany & Tax Advisor of the Year - Germany 47. Keith A. Mitchell has won Best for White Collar Criminal Law - UK 48. Kelcey & Hall Solicitors and Advocates has won Best Criminal Law Firm - South West 49. Klein Lawyers LLP has won Best Personal Injury Law Firm - British Columbia & Excellence Award for Class Action Litigation 50. Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board has won Best Legal Professional Oversight Organisation - USA 51. Lubis Ganie Surowidjojo has won Most Innovative Full-Service Law Firm - Indonesia & Recognised Leader in Business Law - Indonesia 52. M.Meilak and Associates has won Tax Consultant of the Year - Malta 53. Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR has won Best European Patent Law Firm - Germany & Excellence Award for German Patent Law 54. Schlee IP International has won Best International Patent Law Firm - California 55. Senat Management Consultancy FZC has won Best International Management Consultants – UAE 56. Seyfarth Shaw LLP has won Most Renowned International Law Firm & Best Construction ADR Attorney 2016 - Washington DC 57. Stephen William Bartlet-Jones has won Best for Family Property Disputes - UK 58. Tracy Jong Law Firm has won Best for Liqour Licence Law - New York & Recognised Leader in US Patent Applications 2016 59. Trojan Law Offices has won Best Medical Device Patent Attorney - California 60. Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP has won Banking Litigator of the Year - UK 61. Walker Morris Trustees Ltd. has won Best for Financial Regulation Law - UK & Most Client-Focussed Law Firm - London 62. Zyda Law has won Best Environmental Law Boutique - UK

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Best Patent Infringement Litigator - New York Company: Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP Name: Nicholas F. Giove Email: ngiove@flhlaw.com Web: www.flhlaw.com Address: 745 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10151 Telephone: 212-588-0800

Frommer, Lawrence, & Haug, LLP Frommer Lawrence and Haug LLP (FLH) offers a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to all intellectual property based issues. We invited Nicholas Giove, Partner at the firm’s New York office, to provide us with an overview of the firm and how it navigates the ever evolving IP market.

Founded in 1997, FLH is a full-service law firm that uses its extensive scientific expertise to provide integrated multidisciplinary legal services for life science and technology companies.

Nicholas explains the firm’s innovative structure and talks us through his own practice areas.

“FLH is a full-service law firm with more than 130 attorneys, scientific advisors, and support staff in offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Our structure and technical expertise allow us to address client issues through a fully-integrated multidisciplinary approach. The merging of our specialties, which include intellectual property procurement, enforcement, and strategy; commercial litigation; investigation, compliance, and risk mitigation services; transactions; and antitrust and FDA regulatory compliance and enforcement,

ensures that we deliver efficient, comprehensive, and seamless service to our clients.”

Nicholas’ practice focuses on complex patent infringement litigation across a broad range of technologies, with a focus on pharmaceutical patent infringement actions on behalf of innovator clients and patent holders. “My experience spans a wide array of drugs (corticosteroids, psychostimulants, bronchodilators, antiepileptics); delivery systems (topical lotions and sprays, instant and modifiedrelease oral dosage forms, transdermal patches, inhalation solutions); and diseases/disorders (ADHD, psoriasis, COPD, epilepsy, ulcerative colitis). I also routinely counsel clients in related practice areas, including IP due diligence, patent prosecution, post-grant reviews before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and antitrust and consumer protection law.”

Positioning itself at the forefront of the intellectual property community has allowed FLH to work with clients in diverse technological fields. Whether representing well-known companies, such as Porsche, Sony or Shire Pharmaceuticals, or startups, entrepreneurs, and individual inventors, FLH understands its clients’ specific business needs, and tailors its approach to meet those needs in a high quality, cost-effective manner. FLH’s partnerships with law firms in other countries, including Germany, China, and Japan, allow it to address its clients’ IP issues from a global perspective.

This collaborative approach extends beyond FLH’s approach to client matters to the firm’s internal practices, as Nicholas outlines. “The culture of FLH is, first and foremost, collaborative. Each attorney in our firm routinely draws on the expertise of colleagues with particular technical or legal specialties. All FLH attorneys also understand that positive outcomes result from working smarter, harder, and more efficiently than our competition.

Our shared work ethic ensures that our clients receive the highest quality work product and the best possible value for their legal service dollar.”

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Frommer, Lawrence, & Haug, LLP

With advanced technical degrees in complex fields ranging from molecular genetics and pharmacology to engineering and computer sciences, the professionals at FLH are able to take an active and leading role in staying on top of the ever-evolving landscape of technological innovation.

Nicholas describes the firm’s hiring process and how it helps ensure that FLH always offers clients the highest level of expertise and service. “In order to ensure the continued success of our firm, we hire first-year associates through an extensive

on-campus interview program coupled with participation in major regional employment events.

We attract quality law school graduates and lateral associates by offering compensation packages that are among the most generous in the legal industry.

Our associates receive intense practical training and mentoring and we emphasize that, for junior attorneys, responsibilities are assigned on a merit basis, with less of a rigid emphasis on seniority. If associates demonstrate the initiative, desire, and ability to take on a particular project, they will be given that opportunity much earlier in their careers than their counterparts at other law firms.”

Overall, Nicholas believes that growth is critical to the success of the firm and as such this will be its focus moving forward.

“Ultimately, growth is essential. Firms that remain stagnant invariably have difficulty adapting to legal, regulatory, and commercial changes in the industries that we service. FLH will continue to adapt to increased competition for clients and tighter corporate legal budgets by leveraging our legal and technical expertise in complex patent litigation, antitrust litigation, and commercial litigation to continue expanding into complementary service areas.”

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American International Group

Best in Reinsurance Dispute Resolution 2016 - New York Company: American International Group, Inc. Web: www.aig.com

American International Group American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. We profile the firm and explore the secrets behind its success.

Founded in 1919, today AIG provides a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement products and other financial services to customers in more than 100 countries and jurisdictions. The group’s diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement security.

Strong leadership is central to the firm’s success, and as such AIG’s Global Legal, Compliance, Regulatory and Government Affairs (GLCR) department is led

by Peter Solmssen, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, and AIG’s Reinsurance Legal team within GLCR is led by Jeff Burman, Chief Reinsurance Legal Officer, under the supervision of Eric Kobrick, General Counsel – Insurance. AIG Reinsurance Legal provides legal counsel to the Company in connection with internal and external reinsurance transactions.

AIG’s Reinsurance Legal Dispute Resolution Unit, led by Patricia Fox, Deputy Chief Reinsurance Legal Officer, has worldwide and company-wide responsibility for disputes involving reinsurance owed to, or not validly owed by AIG companies. In this capacity, the group is responsible for initiating or responding to legal proceedings and for the conduct of those proceedings, including the selection and oversight of outside counsel, and the appointment of arbitrators and expert witnesses as needed.

Additionally, the group also provides pre-litigation counselling on claim-specific and recurring issues, with the goal of reducing future disputes.

The legal team is made up of talented, experienced and dedicated reinsurance attorneys with deep ties to the reinsurance community. The group is able to attract its talented and dedicated team due to the unique mix of opportunities for continued active involvement in litigation and close client relationships, and involvement in advancing client goals in a broader sense. The team leverages its industry ties where possible to resolve disputes without the need for formal proceedings, and to advance the Company’s interest in fair and costeffective resolution of disputes. And where formal

proceedings are necessary, the team is actively involved in the strategy and presentation of the case.

Consistent with the AIG culture, the Reinsurance Dispute Unit has a wealth of in-house experts to collaborate with at both the broader legal level within the Company, and at the business level.

One of the industry-wide challenges for in-house litigation counsel is to reduce legal spend while still providing clients with quality legal services. With its experienced bench of attorneys and non-attorney professionals, AIG’s Reinsurance Legal dispute resolution team is able to reduce legal spend by resolving many matters without the need for outside counsel, by partnering with outside counsel in matters where outside counsel is retained, and by aggressively seeking alternative fee arrangements to align AIG’s interests with its partner law firms.

Whether it relates to the resolution of a reinsurance dispute or the cost to reach that resolution, the dispute team acts with regard for the responsibility it has to ensure that its client’s money is spent wisely.

The Reinsurance Dispute Resolution Unit is incredibly honoured to receive this award, which it owes to the tremendous talent of the team and the support the team receives from its senior leadership, the broader organization and the business functions the team partners with. These partners in the business include the reinsurance collections, placement and finance groups and the underwriting and claims groups. Whether it is in collecting balances owed to the Company while acting with due regard to the Company’s valued reinsurance relationships, or working to minimize future risk, the members of the Dispute Resolution Unit work in close partnership with their valued business colleagues within AIG. Looking to the future, the excitement ahead for the Unit is two-fold. First is the privilege of working at a company that values integrity and the diversity of perspectives that come from all places and people within the organization. Second is the recognition that AIG provides an important service to its customers around the world, and does so in a constant pursuit of being its clients’ most valued insurer.

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Affärsadvokaterna i Sverige AB

Best Commercial Law Firm - Sweden

Affärsadvokaterna i Sverige AB Company: Affärsadvokaterna i Sverige AB Web: http:// affarsadvokaternasverige.se Email: info@ affarsadvokaternasverige.se

Affärsadvokaterna i Sverige AB is the modern commercial law specialist drawing on the experience of Founding Partner Mattias Lindberg. We profile the firm and Mattias to explore how it has come to the success it enjoys today.

Affãrsadvokaterna is a modern firm focused on commercial law. The firm assist middle sized and large Swedish and international corporations with advise, contract drafting and negotiations, mainly in regards to strategic agreements and outsourcing, dispute resolutions, procurements and privacy law issues. Affärsadvokaterna has wide-ranging experience of complex and commercially decisive agreements and transactions and are widely acknowledged as possessing all the relevant expertise necessary from a legal, commercial and strategic perspective.

All of the firm’s services draw on the experience and vast industry knowledge of Founder Mattias Lindberg, who has worked for many years as an expert advisor, both as an in-house corporate lawyer and for several well-renowned law offices. The clients appreciate the fact that Mattias combines his commitment and dedication with an in-depth understanding of the commercial and technical conditions of the industry. He has represented clients in a large number of disputes and is also a highly regarded public speaker, who is regularly invited to speak on various aspects of commercial law.

“All companies will at some point face challenges that require qualified advice from an experienced commercial lawyer. The solutions should be suited to the company’s reality and should be applicable in the specific situation that has arisen. The need to quickly get hold of information that is not just correct, but which can also be used commercially within one’s own organisation is constantly increasing. Commercial advice should therefore be practical, and not just theoretical”, says Mattias Lindberg, Founding Partner at Affärsadvokaterna.

In order to meet these needs, Affärsadvokaterna offer qualified legal advice on all legal and commercial issues that arise in a company’s ongoing operations. Recent cases the firm has undertaken involve outsourcing, data protection and privacy law and dispute resolution, as the practice seek to expand their experience in these areas, which are becoming increasingly important

as digitalisation continues to be a key area of growth throughout the corporate landscape.

The firm has a wealth of experience of analysing and implementing business-critical processes for the handling of personal data. The firm is appreciated by clients for its ability to provide companies with tools, in the form of both projects and internal training, so that the clients can analyse and continuously improve the processes that should be used in the challenge of cost-effectively complying with laws and regulations. The firm is assisting clients in updating policy documents and conducting integrity analysis when taking important business decisions with regards to privacy issues. The firm has very high focus on integrity analysis within the healthcare sector and for cloud services and is assisting both existing and new clients in regards to the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation.

Mattias Lindberg is appreciated for his ability to understand the client’s overall, strategic project goals, in other words his ability to see the big picture.

Over recent years Mattias Lindberg has been recommended in Legal 500 (2014-2016) since he is ‘a great negotiator and tactician’. His comprehensive knowledge has also led to Chambers ranking Mattias Lindberg as a Leading Individual in his field for the past four years and in 2016 Chambers stated that Mattias Lindberg ”is experienced in offering advice on IT law, privacy law and outsourcing. Also has expertise in representing clients in litigation.

Clients appreciate his “way of solving complicated legal questions in a hard, fact-oriented way while keeping a socially friendly communication””.

Affärsadvokaterna is also ranked as a “Leading Firm” within its field in Legal 500 and motivated this by stating that “At Affärsadvokaterna i Sverige AB, clients consider practice head Mattias Lindberg’s knowledge of data protection laws and EU directives to be ‘outstanding’”. Moving forward the firm will seek to build upon these achievements and continue to support a wide range of clients with all their commercial law needs from a legal, commercial and strategic perspective.

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Mark Solon, Founder of Bond Solon, Chairman Wilmington Legal 10 Acquisition International - Legal Awards 2016

Bond Solon Training Ltd.

Best for Expert Witness Training - UK Company: Bond Solon Name: Piers Lawson, Managing Director Email: piers.lawson@ bondsolon.com Web: www.bondsolon.com Address: 6-14 Underwood Street, N17JQ Phone: 020 7549 2549

Bond Solon Training Ltd. Bond Solon is the UK’s leading Expert Witness training company and since 1992 have trained tens of thousands of expert witnesses. Managing Director Piers Lawson talks us through how the firm has developed its innovative range of programmes to support non-lawyers who are involved in the legal system in the UK and worldwide.

Bond Solon was established 25 years ago when founder, Mark Solon, identified the need for Expert Witnesses to have training, having seen on many occasions the poor performances of Experts giving evidence. Prior to the firm’s inception, formal Expert Witness Training did not exist, as Piers explains.

to building a trusted and ongoing relationship with our clients by delivering on our promises and making every aspect of the interaction with our clients a supportive and positive experience. We listen to our clients in order to understand what training would meet their needs.”

“In the early 1990’s, the legal market was sceptical of Expert Witness training. Despite this, and particularly since the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules 1999, we have successfully established Expert Witness training as a pre-requisite to undertake the role of an expert witness. Over the years, we have trained many of the UK’s leading Experts and have been at the forefront of improving the standards of expert witness evidence in the UK. We have developed a wide range of knowledge and skills based training courses, conferences and qualifications that enable experts to produce useful court compliant evidence. Mark Solon says: “In 2001 we developed the first University Certified programme for Experts in conjunction with Cardiff University Law School, one of the UK’s top law schools. The Cardiff University Bond Solon (CUBS) Expert Witness certificate is now recognised as the gold standard in Expert Witness training. We provide lifelong learning support for our expert witness clients and regularly keep them current with new law, cases and regulations. We were the first to organise an annual expert witness conference that is now in its twenty-second year. Around 400 attend to hear senior figures in the law and expert witness world.”

Looking to the future of the legal training market, technological innovations will lead to more standardised solutions for the delivery of legal processes. It is said that Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) will become a huge area with enormous potential to meet the needs of the legal system and its users, and as such, in his concluding comments, Mark outlines the importance of Bond Solon remaining at the forefront of innovation in the market and working to ensure that it provides solutions which meet the evolving needs of clients.

Clients are exclusively expert witnesses who need to provide independent opinion evidence to assist the courts, and the fields they cover are varied covering many sectors. They come with a variety of academic and professional backgrounds and a wide range of skills and experience. This means that Bond Solon has to work hard to ensure that they provide every client with the solution which meets their needs. Piers continues: “At Bond Solon is a client focused organisation and we aim to provide a premium experience. We are committed

“Technology is changing the face of the legal profession and the English Legal System as well as affecting the training arena. Technology has also changed the way our clients learn. This rapid pace of technological change presents a clear challenge and opportunity for us. We need to constantly make sure that our services remain relevant and valued as well as using the latest technological trends to deliver our products.

“Therefore going forward we will be working to ensure that our service offering is at the forefront of industry innovation, increasing our use of developing technologies. As such we will be developing courses to enable experts to continue to perform in line with the development of ODR technology. We are currently developing the National Register of University Certified Expert Witnesses to provide instructing parties with unique access to an extensive list of experts who have all been formally trained, assessed and deemed competent to act as an expert witness. Piers ends: “Alongside this, we are now looking to take our products and systems abroad where the English Legal System operates. This will provide us many exciting opportunities.”

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Best Personal Injury Litigation Firm - South Africa Company: Faber & Allin Inc. Attorneys Name: Eureka Zandberg Email: eureka@faberallin.co.za Web: www.faberallin.co.za Address: 1st Floor, Block 1, 3 Anerley Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa Telephone: +27 11 0259440

Faber & Allin Inc. Attorneys Faber & Allin Inc. is a general legal practice with a specialist focus on litigation, particularly personal injury litigation. Owner, Director and Attorney Eureka Zandberg provides us with an absorbing overview of the company and how she is driving the firm towards worldwide expansion.

Faber & Allin Inc. is a boutique firm where clients, who range from individuals through to corporate clients both locally and outside the Republic of South Africa, are provided with a personalised service. This is of particular importance to Eureka, who talks us through her approach to client service and how, through her leadership, the company has gained a reputation for the very highest standard of client support.

“Taking pride in what we do defines our results and drives our enthusiasm and passion for the law and marks my firm out as being the best option for our clients.”

“Client service is fundamental to the success of any business and is a core cultural value at Faber & Allin Inc. As a business leader I identify reliability and accountability across all staff levels as key components to customer service and encourage regular client service training and evaluation within the firm to ensure my staff are providing the very highest standard of client care.

“Therefore I am confident that continued superior customer service would result in long-term sustainability of returning clients, thereby increasing revenue in addition to enabling new client referrals, creating further opportunities for growth.”

Currently one of the key challenges for the legal industry remains emerging technologies in law firms and businesses are tasked with balancing the need to adapt and integrate technology across their practices to stay beside such emerging developments, against the legislative and regulatory confines vis-à-vis the protection and management of personal information and data.

Demand in business practices is also moving the legal industry towards a fixed-cost module versus the traditional ‘billable hours’, and law firms are required to be more flexible in their business

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approach by doing more for less through improved service delivery and productivity, although Eureka believes that despite these challenges and the ever evolving market, constantly striving for excellence is what differentiates Faber & Allin Inc. from its competition.

“Taking pride in what we do defines our results and drives our enthusiasm and passion for the law and marks my firm out as being the best option for our clients. Strong leadership, focused on multilevel staff involvement and client satisfaction, drives Faber & Allin Inc. and we are committed to providing new services and to implement new models of service delivery by driving efficiency through technology and innovation. The prevailing perception of law is that it is monotonous and dull, however, the legal landscape constantly evolves, requiring creative and innovative thought processes and solutions to meet client demands.

“As part of this we recently introduced a ‘client portal’, which gives clients direct access to the firm’s attorneys, as well as anytime access to essential billing data. Business efficiency remains fundamental in achieving an advantage over competitors and peers, and therefore increased staff productivity and efficiency combined with continual strategies to reduce the cost of doing business are fundamental goals of the firm.”

Although the firm has diversified its areas of practice to include Intellectual Property Law, as well as Corporate and Commercial Law, Faber & Allin Inc. has established itself as a prominent participant in the litigation arena, and it is this dedication to providing an excellent level of service and expertise that will drive the firm’s continued growth, as Eureka is eager to state as she explains the firm’s future plans for expansion.

“Looking to the future, I aspire to establish the firm’s physical presence beyond South Africa in my endeavour to offer a global service. I envision achieving my future business plans through strategic alliances and affiliations, and look forward to the opportunities this growth will bring.”

Faber & Allin Inc. Attorneys

“Faber & Allin Inc. has established itself as a prominent participant in the litigation arena.

Our litigation efforts have proudly featured in the law reports, most notably a landmark judgment, which effectively extended the common law of South Africa�.

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Most Innovative IP Law Firm - Australia & Award for Excellence in IP Economics - Australia Company: Griffith Hack Name: Tim Heberden, IP Economics Director Email: tim.heberden@griffithhack.com Web: www.griffithhack.com Address: Level 29, 100 Miller Street, North Sydney, Australia Telephone: +61 2 9925 5919 & +61 405 121 820

Griffith Hack Griffith Hack is a full service IP firm based in Australia. We invited IP Economics Director Tim Heberden to provide us with an absorbing outline of the importance of IP in today’s market and how his firm can help maximise the value that it generates.

Griffith Hack combines a myriad of vital skills across the technology, legal and financial sectors to ensure the clients receive the very best service possible which exactly meets their needs. One key service which the firm provides is IP Economics, and their award for excellence in this area mirrors the response of clients to a portfolio of services that includes IP valuation, patent analytics, IP monetisation, and value-based strategy for technology, brands and innovation, as Tim is eager to highlight.

“Understanding the current and potential value of IP enables organisations to develop value maximising strategies.”

“Here at Griffith Hack we provide a wide range of services for a wide variety of clients. In the context of transactions, we support sellers by providing reports which quantify the commercial strength of IP assets, gauge the associated risks, and express an opinion on IP value. This substantiates a negotiating range and enables sellers to articulate the value of their intangible assets.

“For buyers, value-based IP due diligence helps investors ‘kick the tyres’ of intangible assets, by gauging their earnings potential and risk.

Additionally, for licensors, we offer tech and brand ratings and economic analysis support the negotiation of royalty rates and other licensing terms.

“Finally, for debt providers, our IP Ratings and valuations enhance decisions regarding appropriate levels and pricing of lending.”

This selection of services is particularly vital as during the last year, the practice has noticed increasing boardroom interest in the extent to

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which technology, brands and know-how underpins enterprise value. Tim believes this is a sign that the companies are gaining a greater understanding of the value and importance of IP. “Fundamentally we live in an age of intellectual capital. Intangible assets represent 85% of the value of NASDAQ listed companies, and over half of the value of other leading stock exchanges. IP-centric assets are pivotal to the value of all organisations.

Yet despite these facts most boards have little visibility of the strength and value of these assets.

This is nonsensical as poor metrics compromises a board’s ability to mitigate value at risk and evaluate corporate strategy.”

As such, whether evaluating a corporate transaction or considering the adequacy of board reporting, Griffith Hack recommend that clients consider a variety of factors, including; Value at risk: • What is the dollar value of technology, brands and other intangible assets, and how big a contribution does each make to enterprise value?

• How well protected are these intangible assets?

• What measures are used to provide early warning of erosion in IP value?

• What are the reasons for any changes in IP value in the last financial period?

Alongside this, upside potential needs to be viewed in terms of: • How are opportunities to leverage value through IP identified and quantified?

• How much IP value is forecast to be generated by the strategic plan?

• How has the level of IP investment been determined, and what is the expected return on investment?

“Understanding the current and potential value of technology, brands and content enables organisations to develop value maximising strategies, set appropriate budgets and track the return on investment”, Tim adds.

Griffith Hack

Although based in Australia, Griffith Hack has an international client base of blue-chip IP owners, start-ups, investment banks, private equity firms, tech transfer offices and government agencies, and moving forward the firm will continue to provide the very highest standard of service to these clients moving forward as it aims to develop its service offering to develop around the ever evolving IP market and continue to build upon its current success.

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Best Expert Witness Evidence Provider - Midlands Company: Maggie Sargent & Associates Address: Darlingscott Farm, Darlingscott, Warwickshire, CV36 4PN Phone: 01608 682500 Fax: 01608 682372 Email: office@ maggiesargent.co.uk Web: www.maggiesargent.co.uk

Maggie Sargent & Associates Maggie Sargent & Associates provide expert witness reports in catastrophic and serious injury cases.We profile the firm and invite Founder Maggie Sargent to help us explore the techniques it employs in order to provide the highest possible quality of service to its clients.

Established in 1986 by Maggie and John Sargent, Maggie Sargent & Associates have built up an unrivalled reputation over the past 30 years.Over this time the firm has worked with clients with complex needs and all expert witnesses are highly experienced in the management of their conditions.

Specialist areas the firm covers include (but are not limited to) brain injuries; spinal injuries ;complex orthopaedic injuries ;specialist nursing ; palliative care; and liability reports on nursing care.

“Our team of over 25 Expert Witnesses comprise of, nurses, occupational therapist, physiotherapists and vocational specialists .”

“Our team of over 25 Expert Witnesses comprise of, nurses, occupational therapist,physiotherapists and vocational specialists who provide quantum and liability reports for solicitors, Government bodies and private individuals,” Maggie proudly states as she outlines how the firm works to ensure that clients with serious injuries receive the very highest level of support whilst working with her firm. “We have also been instructed by the CICA and Foreign Government Agencies and have received several hundred joint instructions. We provide expert evidence on the additional costs of caring for clients with acquired brain injury , spinal injury and other physical disabilities for both personal injury and clinical negligence claims. We also provide liability reports on nursing care .Each report is carefully compiled to provide individual assessments and we maintain strict quality controls ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service.”

The firm are able to provide reports that are objective, independent, robust, and fully CPR compliant following a home visit. Their team of

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experts will visit clients nationwide during the day, in the evenings, or at weekends for the client’s convenience, and can also provide desk-top reports. Alongside their expert witness reports Maggie Sargent & Associates also offer regular inhouse training days throughout the year.

Maggie herself began her career as a Registered General Nurse, having trained at St Thomas’s Hospital, London – and over 30 years she has built considerable experience in providing expert evidence on the costs of caring for clients with catastrophic injuries. The cases she has covered include both personal injury and clinical negligence claims.

She gained her in-depth knowledge in caring for patients in her role as Nursing Director for International Care Limited (a division of International Hospital Group Limited) and by working closely with the highly respected Winifred Smalley MBE of the British Nursing Association.

During her career, Maggie a recognised leading care expert has published papers on many aspects of Brain Injury Case Management in the community.

She is the specialist contributor author on the chapter on expert care and case management in the APIL guide to catastrophic injuries and lectures at seminars across the country on costs of care both in the public and private sectors.

She has held a number of positions and directorships in this specialised field: Nursing Adviser on the advisory board for Headway National and a life member. Maggie is also an advanced member of BABICM for clients who have suffered traumatic brain injury and has been a director on the board of CMSUK. In her current role as Principal of Maggie Sargent & Associates, Maggie combines preparing expert witness reports while working as the director of a national care consultancy and case management company that offers case management services

Maggie Sargent & Associates

for clients with profound disability.

Alongside this, Maggie Sargent is a founding trustee of Shipston Home Nursing and a trustee of Ski 2 Freedom. She is also the coordinator for the Bristol/Bath, and Oxford groups of The Silver Lining a charity providing social opportunities and challenges for clients with brain injury Looking to the future, Maggie Sargent & Associates is currently seeking new members for its expert team as it seeks to expand its reach and continue to provide clients with the same quality, experience based service which it has come to be renowned for. Expert witness are a key aspect of our legal system, and the firm are keen to provide only the most skilled, experienced staff to their clients. Recent new additions to the firm include Su Chantry, a Vocational Rehabilitation expert and Queen’s Nurse, whose expertise and knowledge will be used to provide clients with quantum vocational expert reports.

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Mitnick Law Office LLC

Best Mass Tort Claims Resolution Practice - Eastern USA Company: Mitnick Law Office LLC Address: 35 Kings Highway East, Second Floor East, Haddonfield, New Jersey 08033 Phone: 856.427.9000 Fax: 856.427.0360 Email: craig@mitnicklegal.com Web: www.mitnicklawoffice.com

Mitnick Law Office LLC Mitnick Law Office is a Litigation and Claim Resolution Firm that has developed its’ practice based on the understanding that different clients have different needs. We profile the firm and explore the services it provides.

Mitnick Law Office provides representation to clients considering instituting new litigation, becoming involved with active litigation, or who are entitled to benefits given their inclusion in a current mass tort or class action settlement.

The firm specializes in the areas of complex civil and criminal litigation, focusing on injury claims, mass tort actions, class action suits, right of privacy violations and other matters where an individual or group of individuals has sustained substantial injury due to the improper or illegal conduct of another.

“the firm’s continued focus will be on providing clients with the highest possible level of service whilst continuing to drive change in the wider legal market.”

Overseen by its’ managing partner, Attorney Craig Mitnick, the firm draws on his vast expertise and industry knowledge. With over 25 years of trial experience, Mitnick has a long history of successful verdicts and settlements in multiple high profile cases. This litigation experience in conjunction with his national broadcasting career led to his representation of over 1400 retired NFL players in the “NFL concussion litigation”. Mr. Mitnick has been recognized as one of the top 100 trial attorneys in the country by “The National Trial Lawyers”.

The firm has been in the forefront of developing creative theories of liability and creative approaches to representation that have resulted in positive outcomes for hundreds of clients nationwide. The practice is guided upon the belief that justice, passion, and equality apply to all individuals and not just select persons. The firm concentrates its’ practice in the area of complex litigation and focuses on maximizing financial awards for those who are entitled to compensation.

As such moving forward the firm’s continued focus will be on providing clients with the highest possible level of service whilst continuing to drive change in the wider legal market.

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Best Full-Service IP Law Firm - Washington DC & Recognised Leader in Patent Prosecution - Washington DC Company: NSIP Law Name: Charles Y. Park, Managing Partner Email: info@nsiplaw.com Web: www.nsiplaw.com Address: 1120 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 304, Washington, D.C. 20036 Telephone: 202-429-0020

NSIP Law NSIP Law is a full-service intellectual property law firm based in Washington, D.C. providing world-class patent, design, trademark, copyright and litigation services to an international clientele, ranging from brand-name multi-national corporations to small individual inventors and businesses. We spoke to the firm’s founder and Managing Partner, Charles Y. Park, who provided insight into the firm’s approach to client service and the keys to the firm’s rapid success.

NSIP Law was founded in 2007 by a small group of like-minded attorneys who wished to better serve the needs of our clients in ways that were not being met by existing practice models in law firms and corporate legal departments. Our intellectual property attorneys, then and now, are drawn from corporate IP departments, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, major international law firms, IP boutiques, and engineering or technical assignments in a broad array of industries.

“Looking to the future, we are eager to have the opportunity to share NSIP Law’s substantial knowledge and expertise with new clients around the world.”

The diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of our attorneys sets our practice apart from other law firms. The wide range of professional experience demonstrated by NSIP’s practitioners enables our firm to understand the needs and perspectives of each of our clients, regardless of their size and experience in intellectual property matters. Very often, we have been in the shoes of our clients.

The dynamic range of our clientele and practitioners provides our firm with unique insight into the issues presented by developing and managing a diverse portfolio of intellectual property rights which is often global in scale and focus. As every client has different needs and goals for intellectual property protection, we tailor our team, practices and approach to meet each client’s IP culture. We also nurture and strengthen that culture by undertaking a consistent practice of sharing information, knowledge and experience with our clients. This

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serves to strengthen each client’s business and thereby enable them to develop their own best practices, increase their standards for IP protection and gain a full understanding of the sometimes complex nature of intellectual property protection.

Through this unfailing transparency, NSIP develops deep and long-standing relationships with our clients which are true partnerships not duplicated by other law firms. Our approach has further allowed us the privilege of beginning relationships with many new clients, and to contribute to their success, as well.

NSIP Law’s firm culture focuses on three core values: excellence, cost effectiveness, and commitment. We strive to consistently deliver excellence by providing the highest quality of service to our clients, which applies the technical and legal expertise of our professionals in order to present the best practical solutions to meet our clients’ needs. To achieve this we never lose sight of the need to be highly efficient and cost-effective in serving our clients, without sacrificing the quality and sophistication of our services and solutions. Our high standards are achieved through a commitment to unsurpassed loyalty, professionalism and dedication in all client engagements.

NSIP Law ensures high quality service, innovative solutions and effective results by recruiting the best and most experienced attorneys and professionals.

All legal and administrative personnel have highly diverse expertise in electronics and electrical engineering, design, computer science, biology and biotechnology, mechanical engineering and materials science, the practices and procedures of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and litigation and trial practice in U.S. courts and administrative agencies. Our firm encourages and empowers every member of the team to exercise the greatest level of care and creativity in each matter that is entrusted to them.

NSIP Law

As a result of exceptional hiring, management, and mentoring practices, NSIP Law has demonstrated consistent and significant growth, and has received recognition as one of the best and most effective intellectual property law firms in the United States. We are therefore both highly gratified and deeply humbled by the recognition of Acquisitions International with the prestigious 2016 Legal Award as the best full-service law firm and a recognized leader in patent prosecution.

NSIP Law’s rapid growth has been achieved during a period of great change in the field of intellectual property law. For many decades, the trend had been to consolidate intellectual property groups within large, multi-national law firms. However, with the rapid globalization of trade, and the intendant need to protect patented inventions, designs, trademarks and copyrights across borders in order to secure markets, this trend has reversed. Smaller, dedicated IP boutique firms, such as NSIP Law, have proven to be nimble, adaptive and entrepreneurial in managing client portfolios consisting of patent, design, trademark and copyrights that may be registered anywhere in the world, because they possess the highlyconcentrated technical and legal expertise that clients need and demand.

Although our core expertise lies in protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights in the United States, NSIP Law regularly assists clients with protecting and enforcing those same rights anywhere in the world through our global network of associate law firms who provide particular regional or country expertise. As a result, we are uniquely capable of working with clients to formulate and execute a comprehensive, intellectual-propertybased global brand management strategy which seeks to patent their important inventions; register or patent the ornamental designs of their critical products; select, clear and register their trademarks and copyrights; and enforce those rights in the courts and federal administrative agencies of the United States, as well as the courts and administrative agencies in any country where our clients do business through our network of local law firms.

Looking to the future, we are eager to have the opportunity to share NSIP Law’s substantial knowledge and expertise with new clients around the world to help them succeed in achieving their goals in these exciting and challenging times.

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Global Migration Legal Consultancy of the Year - USA

Pro-Link GLOBAL Visa & Immigration Services Company: Pro-Link GLOBAL Name: Andrea Elliott Email: sandi.seaman@ pro-linkglobal.com Web: http://pro-linkglobal.com/ Address: 1813 Manatee Avenue West Bradenton, FL USA Telephone: +1 941-794-6461

Pro-Link GLOBAL is the world’s leading corporate global immigration provider, with more than 1,800 professionals operating in over 170 key destinations worldwide. They arm their clients with quick solutions, integrated technology, complimentary consultation and education to successfully manage their global mobility programs and improve the overall employee experience. Their comprehensive immigration program reduces immigration compliance risk, implements standard processes and provides consistent user experiences. They listen to their clients and actively collaborate across functions to provide ready solutions and positive results. Andrea Elliott, Founder and CEO, told us more about the services that they offer.

Pro-Link GLOBAL’s clients are multi-national corporations, operating in a vast array of industries including defence contractors, manufacturing, communications, security systems, aviation, relocation, computer software and hardware, agricultural and dairy, contract research organization (CRO), drug development, and healthcare and pharmaceutical development.

Andrea is proud that they are able to provide their clients with services such as global work permits, document services, passport and business visas, compliance consulting and audit representation, amongst other services, and are able to support their clients through numerous challenges.

“Within the global immigration industry, we are known as innovators, and offer a range of pioneering technological solutions to support our clients.”

“The biggest challenge for our clients is that immigration law is constantly changing; with these significant challenges comes an opportunity for us to educate our clients and explain why these changes are made. We provide our clients with complimentary e-newsletters, podcasts and webinars on changes to the immigration process, as well as countless one-on-one phone calls and stakeholder meetings. Our clients have been thrilled with the leadership we take in owning solutions that impact their overall business priorities. Our global organizational structure and deep-rooted authentic

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relationships drive successful outcomes for our clients and their employees.

“Within the global immigration industry, we are known as innovators, and offer a range of pioneering technological solutions to support our clients. For example, our Global Immigration Management System (GIMS), has a state-of-the-art security system that ensures data is never compromised.

Protection, availability and privacy of our client’s data is crucial to the operation of our business. Our GIMS devotes a significant amount of resources solely toward developing new techniques to counter viruses, worms and hackers, and as such provides the most secure data protection system on the market. All data is 256 bit SSL encrypted in transit and at rest.”

The main goal of Pro-Link GLOBAL is to keep their clients compliant with all aspects of immigrationrelated regulations and laws, whilst ensuring the process runs smoothly every time. Their state-ofthe-art system oversees the immigration process in both the home and the host country, which means that all necessary documents are obtained, eliminating the risk of non-compliance. Andrea was also keen another of their services.

“Another key service we offer is Visa-LINK, an online external visa tool, offered free of charge to our clients, enabling visa assessment with immediate response based on current visa regulations, that is maintained and updated daily to ensure complete accuracy.

“The service is also offered in an extended form, Travel-LINK, which is a mobile web-based

Pro-Link GLOBAL Visa & Immigration Services

application designed for use on any application, including iPad, Android, Blackberry and iPhone.

The app is available for a licensing fee, and includes the features of Visa-Link with a number of additional capabilities, including the ability to instantly determine if an employee needs a Work Permit or Business Visa. Additionally, the system will track the employee’s days in country.

The program proactively mitigates immigration compliance risks associated with international cross-border travellers.

“All of these technological offerings are designed to better support our clients, and this approach extends beyond our service offering, right into our corporate culture. We use ‘Follow the Sun’ methodology to provide 24/7 case processing, ensuring clients are never without support. The process involves all team members accessing client specific case notes in the same data platform, meaning that should an issue arise after hours in APAC, an EMEA manager would be able to immediately provide support and seamless assistance. Our truly global working style encourages our diverse employees to collaborate across borders to meet our clients’ needs.”

Pro-Link GLOBAL’s approach to clients is about always aiming to delight them. They listen to their clients and tailor their approach to exceed the needs that have been stated. They have found that the most relevant and vital areas to focus on when it comes to providing the best possible service is to keep the human element in the service, and to not forget that there are people behind every service offered.

“Globally, we are keen to grow in the Asia Pacific region, which we see as a key growth area. At the beginning of this year, we opened a new office in Australia and have just opened a new office in Delhi, India. Moving forward, we are eager to capitalise on the opportunities this new venture will bring. We are also expanding our corporate world headquarters in the U.S. to better support our clients’ growth.”

“We make sure that our clients are kept informed, as we have learned that an educated client is a happy client, so keeping them up to date with immigration relation changes on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis is critical. We focus on building long lasting meaningful relationships, and want to ensure that our clients see us as partners, not a vendor or service provider, and like to end our day knowing that our clients are happy, feel supported, and that any issues are resolved.

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Best for IP Asset Development - USA Company: Rosenbaum IP, P.C. Name: David G. Rosenbaum Email: drosenbaum@ RosenbaumIP.com Web: www.RosenbaumIP.com Address: 1480 Techny Road, Northbrook, Illinois 60062 USA Telephone: +1-847-770-6000

Rosenbaum IP Rosenbaum IP is an Illinois based legal practice focusing on intellectual property support for a range of clients, with a focus on life sciences and technology firms. We invited Founder David Rosenbaum to tell us more.

Founded in 1988, Rosenbaum IP combines professional legal skills with technology experience to focus and position IP portfolios that assist their client’s in achieving their business outcomes.

David is eager to outline the firm’s focuses and the techniques it employs to ensure that clients receive the very highest standard of service.

“With particular expertise in the life sciences and Internet-based technologies, here at Rosenbaum IP we provide a full spectrum of intellectual property legal services in a wide array of fields from biotechnology to semiconductor processing.

Our clients are typically post-Series A prerevenue companies, and also include established commercial companies, universities and research institutions.

“We are humbled by the faith and trust of our clients and our peers that this award represents.”

“Our overarching philosophy is to establish and maintain coherence between the outcomes that are required by our clients’ objectives and the overall intellectual property strategy that we have in place.

This philosophy necessitates obtaining a clear understanding of the client’s needed outcomes, any constraints on achieving those outcomes, settling unequivocal expectations and establishing milestones to measure when those outcomes are achieved. In light of this philosophy, we have made it our overall mission to develop and safeguard intellectual property assets throughout our clients’ lifecycle, whilst consistently ensuring alignment between the intellectual property assets and their required commercial outcomes.”

The greatest challenge that Rosenbaum IP has faced in this year has also provided them with their greatest opportunity, as David explains.

“The increasing commoditization of intellectual property assets has led to a split in the market of

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intellectual property legal services into two submarkets: commodity-driven services and valuedriven services. Since its inception, our firm’s culture has been founded upon a set of ‘Above the Line Principles, which are in place in order to help us deliver in both of these sub-markets.

The first of these is accountability; we encourage our staff to ‘see it, own it, solve it, do it’, so as to become part of the solution to any problem that our client’s may be facing. We believe in having the utmost respect for our clients and demonstrate this through our high quality customer service; we are always asking ourselves, ‘what else can I do?’, ‘what can I do better?’, and ‘what coaching can I receive so that I can do this to a higher standard?’ to maintain this standard. We reject the ‘average’, as this is not what we want for our firm – we insist on outstanding. These Above the Line Principles guide how we conduct ourselves, both within and without the Firm, and particularly, how we conduct ourselves with our clients.

“As a business we are patent-centric and specialize in IP portfolio value building through patenting activity in coordination with trade secret protection. Trademark and copyright protection as well as unfair competition issues are addressed as part of the overall IP portfolio and to prepare the portfolio for client entry or expansion within commercial markets. Our enforcement practice has considerable expertise in licensing, dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration and litigation, both domestically and internationally.”

David believes that all of the staff at Rosenbaum IP are privileged to work in the intellectual property sector of the legal profession. He thinks that it is intensely gratifying to participate in their client’s innovation and growth, and to have a small role in the delivery of new technologies in the marketplace that enhance the quality of life.

“It is a great honor to receive the recognition of our role in the sector that is reflected by this award. We are humbled by the faith and trust of our clients and our peers that this award represents. We owe our success to our clients and our staff, who consistently motivate us every day, and I believe that our success is achieved by operating consistently with our clearly stated Above the Line Principles,

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which serve to establish and maintain trust with clients. Trust is crafted through consistently applied transparency and communication. We accomplish this by leveraging our internal systems and processes to ensure that we have multiple points of communication with each client that keeps them fully informed of the progress of the representation, and deliver what we have committed to deliver at a cost that we committed to charging.”

“Looking to the future, industry changes will have an impact on our firm and will shape our future. Our firm, like all IP firms, is witnessing and participating in a generational evolution of the Intellectual Property field. The role of “big data” is at the beginning of both definition and utilization.

We are working to integrate analytic tools into our information delivery and strategic portfolio building in a manner that delivers even greater value and actionable information to our clients.

“As technology continues to permeate human endeavours, the role of Intellectual Property is becoming an even more significant aspect of business as well as social, economic, governmental effect and policy. I expect our firm to continue to grow and evolve in concert with the changes in the IP field and in alignment with our clients in a manner that ensures we consistently maximize the valuefocused service we deliver to our clients.”

Looking ahead, David believes that the myriad of changes affecting the wider IP market will provide a number of exciting opportunities for his firm.

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Schmelz Rechtsanwälte

Family Law Firm of the Year 2016 & Best Real Estate Boutique - Austria Company: Schmelz Rechtsanwälte GesbR Name: Mag. Dorian Schmelz, Mag. Eva Schmelz Email: office@rechtampunkt.at Web: www.rechtampunkt.at Address: 3400 Klosterneuburg, Stadtplatz 4 Telephone: +43 2243 32 744

Schmelz Rechtsanwälte Schmelz Rechtsanwälte GesbR is an Austria based legal firm whose practice areas are real estate law, family law and commercial and corporate law. We invited Dorian Schmelz to tell us more.

Schmelz Rechtsanwälte GesbR advise on a variety of situations including contract law, media and copyright law, law of succession, law relating retirement homes, labour law and health care law.

Dorian talks us through the firm’s workload and how it aims to provide clients with the highest possible level of support and advice.

“The team here at Schmelz Rechtsanwälte GesbR consists of two lawyers, one associate, one paralegals and two assistants. Our clients are small and medium-sized companies as well as private customers. We offer the best possible legal counselling and personal support with legal expertise to our clients.

“To achieve this it is my belief that good contact and understanding with the client is really important. As a good lawyer you have to know and understand

“The most rewarding aspect of working in the legal profession are the emotional rewards you get when you assist people achieve a positive outcome for their problem.”

corporate law to issues before the Civil Court or Criminal Court is particularly fulfilling, and it is this that drives the firm to excellence.

Within the wider legal market there is a great deal of change currently, and one of the most significant developments of legal profession is an increase of competition. The number of lawyers admitted to BAR in Austria is rising from year to year, whereas attorneys’ privilege of rank is rather old-fashioned and provides of a restrictive advertising law. This stiff competition means that firms have to adapt in order to survive, which Dorian insists will be Schmelz Rechtsanwälte GesbR’s focus going forward, as it seeks to build upon its current achievements whilst retaining its high standard of quality.

“Our focus moving forward will be to further establish ourselves in the market and grow as a business. Healthy growth is vital for the future success of our business, as we need to maintain our high standards whilst ensuring that we move into new areas which meet our clients ever evolving needs.”

the needs of your client. Personal support is a key factor and sometimes missed out in other law firms, which is why we have made it a firm focus.”

According to Dorian it is the firm’s small size and dedication to client support which sets it apart from its competition.

“As a small but smart and fine law boutique with a lot of experience the most important difference between our competitors and peers are our direct and casual contact with our clients, the personal support and the flexibility offer.”

The most rewarding aspect of working in the legal profession are the emotional rewards you get when you assist people achieve a positive outcome for their problem, according to Dorian. Also to have the opportunity to solve intellectual challenges from for example complex issues of real estate law or

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Soteris Pittas & Co LLC

Best in Admiralty Law - Cyprus & Award for Excellence in Corporate & Commercial Law - Cyprus Company: Soteris Pittas & Co LLC Web: http://pittaslegal.com/en/ Address: Chrysanthou Mylona 10, Magnum House, 3030 Limassol - Cyprus Telephone: +357 25 028460

Soteris Pittas & Co LLC Soteris Pittas & Co LLC is a boutique law firm, focusing on those areas of law relating to business activity, and is dedicated to providing its clients with outstanding and highly personalised legal representation.

The lawyers and associates of Soteris Pittas & Co LLC, with their combined skill-sets and knowledge, can provide comprehensive legal solutions according to the clients’ particular business needs, alongside their requirements and objectives. They are committed to representing their clients at all stages of disputes, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation, in order to secure the right compensation and legal vindication.

of shipping law, advising on matters, ranging from cargo claims, to marine casualties, and from admiralty processes, to insurance law.

The Lawyers of the Firm have acted in every area of shipping business. The firm’s clients include shipowners and charterers, P & I Clubs, Shipyards, ship and bunker supply companies, ship and chartering brokers, freight forwarders, hull and cargo insurers, marine engineering companies, salvors etc.

Soteris Pittas & Co’s corporate and M&A departments provide fully-fledged support, ranging from assisting with the formation of companies world-wide, to legal support in the most complex of corporate, commercial and finance transactions.

The firm has close links and strong associations with reputable audit firms, private equity managers and fiduciaries in Cyprus, Russia and the former CIS countries.

All work undertaken by the firm, is partner-led, with lawyers from the respective departments, who are involved in the core areas of the law, ensuring clients receive the very highest of service.

Overall, Soteris Pittas & Co pride themselves on their ability to respond to clients quickly and attentively. They have found that this approach can make all the difference in this fast paced industry.

“The firm would like to thank their clients for selecting Soteris Pittas & Co to represent them, and we will continue to work hard to provide them with top quality legal representation with the personal touch characteristic of a boutique law firm.”

The firm would like to thank their clients for selecting Soteris Pittas & Co to represent them, and we will continue to work hard to provide them with top quality legal representation with the personal touch characteristic of a boutique law firm. They could not have achieved the business level that they have without hard work, and are exceptionally pleased to have been awarded both the ‘Best in Admiralty Law – Cyprus’ and ‘Award for Excellence in Corporate and Commercial Law’ in the 2016 AI Legal Awards.

The Firm’s Partners and Associates have more than 20 years of vital industry experience, and over the years have gained considerable exposure in both contentions and non-conventions aspects,

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Best International Anti-Corruption Law Firm - Washington DC Company: Steinman & Rodgers LLP Name: Brooke D. Rodgers Email: brodgers@ steinmanrodgers.com Web: www.steinmanrodgers.com Address: 5630 Connecticut Ave NW, Second Floor Washington, DC 20015 USA Telephone: +1(202)558-9360

Steinman & Rodgers LLP Steinman & Rodgers LLP is an internationally-recognized boutique law firm specializing in cross-border anticorruption matters, particularly the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). We invited Managing Partner and Majority Owner Brooke Rodgers to tell us more.

With almost five decades of combined experience in anticorruption work, S&R helps leading multinational companies navigate the world’s most challenging markets while steering clear of costly FCPA violations.

This is particularly vital in the current climate as FCPA compliance has never been more important.

In the last year, the U.S. government doubled the number of FCPA prosecutors, and the FBI more than quadrupled the number of agents focused on international corruption. FCPA fines and penalties imposed already in 2016 have surpassed $1 Billion, making it a record-setting year. To avoid FCPA violations without jeopardizing commercial operations, multinational companies require seasoned experts to help develop and maintain compliant business development mechanisms,

“We have demonstrated that a firm does not have to compromise on any of these goals, but instead, can accomplish all three simultaneously.” internal procedures, and cross-border relationships.

S&R does not dabble in anticorruption – it’s all we do.

In contrast to most leading anticorruption practices, S&R is dedicated primarily to compliance counselling, helping clients avoid violations altogether. Rather than stepping in to investigate crises or in response to problems on an episodic basis, S&R’s attorneys support our clients on a regular, on-going basis. “We are architects of compliance infrastructure, builders of bespoke processes, and preservers of reputation”, Brooke states. “Clients engage S&R to support, maintain, and improve their compliance operations and efficiency, to conduct risk assessments of their international operations, and to devise legitimate routes to market and contractual mechanisms in risky territories and challenging markets. As a

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boutique, S&R has a unique capability to be nimble, responsive, creative, efficient, and cost effective.”

As trusted business advisors, S&R’s lawyers help clients avoid corruption-related violations while achieving their business goals.

S&R’s focus on compliance, rather than on investigations, allows the firm to cultivate and maintain long-term relationships with clients, getting to know their legal and business teams, their products and services, their individual risk tolerances, and their core values. Consequently, neither S&R’s team nor its clients face a learning curve when issues arise.

Never treating anticorruption compliance as an academic exercise, the firm know that companies must balance their compliance obligations with the need to get business done. The company does not believe that compliance means saying “no” to all risks, instead considering itself a firm of business lawyers – that means helping clients navigate compliance challenges and develop sound responses to those challenges in order to fulfill their broader business goals.

S&R’s lawyers were seasoned in some of the significantly larger law firms that dominate its market, but our status as a boutique allows us to provide our expertise at extremely competitive rates and the flexibility to offer alternative billing arrangements, particularly including fixed fees and retainers. These competitive rates and billing mechanisms boost clients’ ability derive value from their legal and compliance budgets and enhance budget predictability, as Brooke outlines.

“The combination of our expertise, our high-value service, our focus on understanding both business and compliance needs, and our adaptability to fulfil clients’ unique needs has allowed us to cultivate a client list that would typically be associated with a mega-firm. Our clients include four of the ten largest U.S. defense contractors, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft, the global leading lessor of rail cars, a top five U.K. defense company, the distiller of one of America’s most iconic whiskeys, and one of the largest hedge funds in the United States.”

Steinman & Rodgers LLP

In addition to being one of the nation’s leading anticorruption practices, Steinman & Rodgers is dedicated to promoting the success of women in the legal profession. The firm itself was the vision of Managing Partner and Majority Owner, Brooke Rodgers. Ms. Rodgers set out to establish a firm that would not only be a leading FCPA practice but also a place where female practitioners flourish and enjoy opportunities that they often cannot find elsewhere in the legal profession.

Ms. Rodgers’ intention and the core values she shaped at Steinman & Rodgers are conclusive evidence that a firm can be recognized as expert in its field, represent leading clients, and also be committed to promoting the careers of women.

“We have demonstrated that a firm does not have to compromise on any of these goals, but instead, can accomplish all three simultaneously”, Brooke proudly adds. “Our commitment to gender equality, and the fact that the majority of our attorneys are women, help our clients satisfy the American Bar Association’s Resolution 113, which encourages companies to consider diversity when engaging outside counsel.”

Fundamentally, S&R enjoys a number of distinctions which highlight the firm’s excellence and dedication, including being recognized in several publications as one of nation’s leading boutique law firms.

The firm was named by ACQ as International Anti-Corruption Law Firm of the Year in 2016.

Bill Steinman has served as a board member of TRACE International, has been as a delegate to the World Justice Forum, and is a contributing editor to the FCPA Blog. Ms. Rodgers was named in ACQ’s annual Global Awards as Regulatory Lawyer of the Year for both 2015 and 2016, and her work has been recognized by the international organization, Women in Compliance.

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Viseu Castro Cunha Oricchio Advogados

Best Civil Litigation Firm - Brazil & Excellence Award for Consumer Law Company: Viseu Advogados Name: Ricardo Martins Motta - Partner Email: rmotta@viseu.com.br Web: www.viseu.com.br Address: Rua Funchal, 263, 10º andar 04551-060 Vila Olímpia São Paulo SP - Brazil Telephone: 55 11 3185 0122

Viseu Advogados Viseu Advogados is a Brazilian independent, full-service law firm specialized in multi-disciplinary deals, offering strategic support for foreign clients to better deal with the Brazilian legal environment. We invited Partner Ricardo Martins Motta to talk us through the firm’s work in these areas.

With over 22 years of experience in the legal industry Viseu Advogados is able to offer clients the very highest standard of service through its dedicated practitioners, which now number of 180.

Ricardo, who has been responsible Consumer Law practice at Viseu Advogados for around seven years, outlines the firm’s approach to clients and its service offering, particularly within his department’s area.

“Ultimately, it is the firm’s vast experience across the legal sector that differentiates it.”

“Viseu Advogados is the ideal strategic partner for resolving legal issues of medium and large companies in Brazil and abroad. The firm treats each matter as if it were unique. The office is able to solve highly complex issues in a proactive, customized and innovative way. It has a team of excellent technical training, with a total customer orientation.

“Our Consumer Law services include: counselling on the implementation of all kinds of recall; advice on matters involving liability, trade practices and contractual protection through legal opinions; consumer contracts; as well as representation in individual and collective judicial actions involving consumer matters, including civil public actions and collective actions brought by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, consumer associations and other lawful parties.

Client support is a crucial part of the firm’s service offering, and as such the firm has a dedicated team, as Ricardo is proud to explain.

“Viseu Advogados believe that providing training, challenge and recognition we can attract the best people. For instance, the firm’s consumer law team has a sound academic and professional background and are highly qualified to offer clients strategic support in all matters related to consumer relations legislation. The team is acting in high profile and very complex cases, representing the most diverse segments of industry, commerce and services, such as the tourism, construction, food, financial, chemical and other sectors, our lawyers provide services on the preventive, advisory and litigation fronts in conflicts between suppliers, consumers and consumer protection and monitoring agencies involving product liability. Also, the team is supporting our clients with specific consumer relations issues faced in the e-commerce, digital and mobile environments, what is also preparing them for the future.”

Ultimately, it is the firm’s vast experience across the legal sector that differentiates it, as Ricardo outlines.

“Viseu Advogados is able to advise clients in any industry on issues involving any practice area, by developing deep knowledge of their businesses and close ties to their strategic decisions, especially when they face challenging scenarios added to legal matters.”

“Fundamentally, we believe that quality relationships guarantee quality results. Therefore, we invest in training the best talent and organizational climate in order to maintain long-term partnerships with our clients.”

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Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto

Best for Cross-Border Transactions Law - Indonesia & Best Energy & Natural Resources Attorney - Indonesia Company: AKHH Lawyers Name: Andy Kelana Web: www.akhh.com

Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto (AKHH) is a dynamic general practice Indonesian law firm with extensive experience in cross-border and transnational transactions. We invited Founding Partner Andy Kelana to tell us more.

Adnan Kelana Haryanto & Hermanto (AKHH) is one of Indonesia’s premier independent law firms with offices in Jakarta and Batam Island. Each of the founding partners has been practicing law for over twenty (20) years and is well-known in their areas of practice or specialties. Founding partner, Helena Adnan specializes in banking and finance and is an active member of the Association of Capital Market Lawyers. Andy Kelana’s area of legal expertise includes telecommunication, infrastructure, natural

“As legal professionals, lawyers are problem solvers as well as innovators, willing and able to assume new responsibilities, tackle and rise to new challenges, master new technology and navigate an evolving legal system.”

resources/energy and M&A practices. Stefanus Haryanto’s reputation as one of Indonesia’s leading attorney in dispute settlements, litigation, competition law, insurances and environmental law is well known and respected.

In his opening comments Andy is keen to outline the firm’s core focus and how it aims to always provide the very best possible service to clients.

“As a young and dynamic general legal practice we offer a full spectrum of legal services to our clients.

However, our core business revolves around infrastructure, energy and natural resources projects or assets. In recent years, the global and domestic economic conditions have been challenging, coupled with the rapid expansion of international law firms in collaboration or association with domestic legal firms have saturated the Indonesian Legal Market. Our focus on the client’s individual needs and flexibility with work structure and associated fee thus provide an individualized value-added solution to our client lending a competitive edge over and above our competitors.”

The legal profession has experience tremendous growth in the last few years which has provide a broad range of legal opportunities for AKHH. Globalization of the legal profession has afforded the firm the opportunity to serve international clients through cross border collaboration/association with foreign law firms. It is growth and gaining new experience which will be the focus for the firm going forward, as Andy concludes.

“Overall the legal profession in Indonesia is continuously changing and evolving, bringing new challenges and rewards. As legal professionals, lawyers are problem solvers as well as innovators, willing and able to assume new responsibilities, tackle and rise to new challenges, master new technology and navigate an evolving legal system.

This dynamic landscape provides a fulfilling work experience and career opportunities for Indonesian lawyers as well as foreign counsels working in Indonesia.”

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Arias, Meurinne y Rodriguez, S.C.

Best for Anti-Trust Litigation - Mexico Company: Arias, Meurinne y Rodríguez, S.C Address: Prol. Paseo de la Reforma #1236, 5o Piso, Col. Desarrollo Santa Fe, Del. Cuajimalpa, México, D.F. 05348 Telephone: 525552805240 Email: amyr@amy.com.mx Web: www.amyr.com.mx

Arias, Meurinne y Rodríguez, S.C Arias, Meurinne y Rodríguez, S.C. is a Mexico based legal practice specialising in tax law. We invited Pedro Arias to talk us through the firm and its service offering.

Operating a team of 18 staff, all of whom are committed to providing innovative and dynamic tax solutions, it is no wonder that Arias, Meurinne y Rodríguez is considered one of the premier litigation law firms in Mexico. The firm, which also offers counselling and litigating in Administrative Matters, such as Anti-Trust matters and Telecommunications, has excelled in these areas over the past ten years, as it seeks to build upon its reputation for excellence in tax law.

The Law Firm’s Tax, Administrative and Constitutional litigation practice, is built around four partners each of them with at least 20 years of experience in Court and who personally develop and implement the best possible legal strategies in order to increase our Clients possibilities of success. Pedro discusses the practice’s strengths in this area and how it aims to always provide the very highest standard of service to clients.

“At Arias, Meurinne y Rodríguez we provide original, straightforward and solid solutions to the most complex litigation and consultation problems regarding tax, administrative and constitutional law trusted to us by our international and national clientele.

“Since the Firm participates in an average of 500 plus high-profile tax, administrative and constitutional cases every year, some of them making even headline news, we have accumulated the experience to deal with the widest array of problems, excelling in matters that involve international tax issues, such as double taxation conventions and national provisions with international effect. We make it our business to understand the business of each of our clients, their goals and needs, tailoring individual solutions for each one of them.”

Looking to the future, Pedro Arias believes that the future looks bright for the firm, which is keen to grow its other practice areas and build upon its current achievements.

“Moving forward, Arias, Meurinne y Rodríguez is keen to expand into new practice areas and grow our knowledge and experience, whilst at the same time continuing to provide the same high level of service in the tax space, for which we have become renowned.”

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Banasinski & Associates

Best Family Law Firm - Ontario

Banasinski & Associates Company Name: Banasinski & Associates o/a Dad Law Name: Marcel Banasinski Website: www.dadlaw.ca Email: marcel@dadlaw.ca Address (Head Office): 501-77 City Centre Drive, East Tower Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, L5B 1M5 Telephone: 905-949-0029 Fax: 905-949-0099

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Founded in 2002 by Marcel Banasinski, Banasinski & Associates, o/a Dad Law, is dedicated to helping men overcome the unique challenges they encounter in family law and divorce matters. Men often feel they are fighting a losing battle during the divorce process; this does not need to be the case, as Dad Law fights to ensure every client obtains a fair and reasonable outcome, one that they can feel comfortable with.

For over a decade, Banasinski & Associates have been the premier experts regarding divorce and family law for men in Ontario. They are known worldwide for their pioneering and innovative approach in protecting the rights of men and fathers in divorce and family law, and they are consistently evolving or adapting to the changing roles that men and fathers face in these areas. Banasinski & Associates’ experience in representing men and fathers sets them apart from other family law firms.

their legal rights are being protected at all times.

Going through a separation or divorce can be an emotional and complicated experience. The lawyers of Banasinski & Associates have the expertise and experience to help their clients with all aspects of divorce and family law, and can help men navigate the complex legal and emotional issues involved.

Whilst striving to be at the forefront of legal developments with respect to protecting the rights of men and fathers in the changing legal landscape, Banasinski & Associates remain proactive in dealing with clients and their issues in a timely and constructive manner. Their approach is always focussed on their client’s best interests in resolving outstanding issues. Banasinski & Associates are dedicated to protecting their client’s rights to achieve a fair and reasonable result for their clients by settling their outstanding issues when possible, or by fighting for their client’s rights in court when necessary. They have appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Banasinski & Associates understand that during this complicated time, men often feel confronted by insurmountable obstacles. They work hard to provide the practical legal advice needed to move through the process and emerge self-assured on the other side. They provide their clients with the best legal representation possible to ensure that

Men and fathers involved in the separation process, whether at the outset, in the middle, or towards the end, and whether in a court action or engaged in out-of-court negotiations, should retain a family law firm that specializes in the unique issues and circumstances facing them. Dad Law is such a law firm.

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Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm

Best in Environmental Law - China & Best IP Attorney - China Company: Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm Address: 9/F, Building C, Parkview Green FangCaoDi, No.9, Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang District, 100020, Beijing, China Phone: (8610) 8451-2800 Fax：(8610)8451-2790 E-mail: globeBJ@globe-law.com Website: www.globe-law.com

Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm is a comprehensive large-scale partnership law firm operating from offices across China. We profile the firm and explore the services it provides.

Established in 1985 as one of the PRC’s earliest patent agencies, throughout its 25-year history, Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm has developed into a comprehensive large-scale law firm, with both domestic and foreign clients, and whose practice areas cover corporate, securities, foreign investment, intellectual property, hi-tech projects, international trade and anti-dumping, real estate, finance, banking, taxation, litigation and arbitration, translation and witness services, and general legal counseling. Clients are guaranteed highly efficient, high-quality, and multi-area specialized services when they work with Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm.

Lawyers at the firm remain at the cutting edge of legal practice by drawing upon international law and concepts found in legal profession, in order to constantly move towards building a top international law firm. With over 100 lawyers and paralegals, the firm is in a strong position to support clients. All of its lawyers have graduated from top-tier law schools, both in China and overseas, and more than 80% of them have LLMs or PhD at Law Degrees.

Many lawyers at the firm have over 10 years of practical experience, or serve as senior researchers of law, professors, tutors of graduates, or arbitrators of various organisations, including CIETAC, Beijing

Arbitration Commission, Guangzhou Arbitration Commission, Haikou Arbitration Commission, Xi’an Arbitration Commission, Huhehot Arbitration Commission or Yantai Arbitration Commission, etc. They are also well-known domestically and internationally in areas such as investment, IP, finance, banking, securities, taxation, real estate, corporate, international trade, admiralty, investigation, and criminal law, etc. In addition to Chinese, Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm’s lawyers are proficient in English, Russian, and Korean.

This is the team that will provide clients with multidisciplinary, accurate and efficient legal services to meet their various needs.

Looking ahead, Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm’s future as a top international law firm is bright.

China’s legal and social reforms, as well as its opening to the outside world, place Globe-Law in a position to be a leader of the legal profession in China. The firm’s lawyers are a responsible, diligent, and united group, and Globe-Law’s abundant practical experiences and social resources which have accumulated over 25 years, and along with its dedication to the international law management concept, reinforce Beijing Globe-Law Law Firm’s position as an international, comprehensive, and large-scale partnership law firm.

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Caroline Rule

Caroline Rule

Best for Civil Tax Matters - New York & Most Feared in White Collar Criminal Investigations - New York

Name: Caroline Rule

Caroline Rule Caroline Rule is a vigorous and determined advocate for her clients, many of whom face white collar criminal investigations and/or prosecutions, or civil tax audits and investigations. She talks us through her role in her own words.

Caroline Rule is a Partner at Kostelanetz & Fink, LLP and has been recognized by “New York Super Lawyers” since 2011. Here she describes her work and her passion for providing the very highest standards of client support.

“I pride myself on being a vigorous and determined advocate for my clients, many of whom find themselves going through one of the darkest periods in their lives, facing a white collar criminal investigation and/or prosecution, or a civil tax audit and/or investigation that could leave them in dire financial straits. I strongly sympathize with the plights in which my clients find themselves; and I believe that it is incumbent on me to do my utmost to obtain the best possible outcome for them. My goal is always, first and foremost, to help my clients, whether individuals or corporations, to defeat allegations of fraud in order to preserve their reputations and, in the case of individuals, their careers.

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“I represent clients facing criminal charges of alleged tax fraud and tax evasion, failure to file tax returns, bank fraud, health care fraud, moneylaundering, and other white collar crimes. I also regularly defend individuals and corporations who are under investigation by a variety of federal and state governmental and regulatory agencies, and prosecutors’ offices around the country.

“I also successfully represent clients in civil tax matters, including sensitive audits by the IRS and state tax authorities, civil ‘tax shelter’ matters, matters involving failure to report offshore assets, matters where clients seek abatement of penalties, and residency issues, as well as representing clients in investigations by the New York City Business Integrity Commission.”

Looking ahead, Caroline is eager to continue to provide the highest possible quality support and advice to her clients.

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Da Vinci Partners LLC

Best IP Law Firm - Switzerland Firm: Da Vinci Partners LLC Address: Rathausgasse 1, CH-9320 Arbon, Switzerland Phone: +4171 230 1000 Fax: +4171 230 1001 Web: www.davincipartners.com

Da Vinci Partners LLC Da Vinci Partners LLC is an established Swiss-based firm licensed to represent global innovators in key markets around the World. We invited managing attorney John Moetteli to tell us more about the firm and the practice areas it operates in.

Being US, European and international patent attorneys operating through a Swiss-based firm, Da Vinci Partners are able to represent essentially any client regardless of their country of domicile before the US and Swiss Patent and Trademark Office, as well as the European Patent Office. This versatility is central to the firm’s success, as John is eager to emphasise.

as well as computer law, with particular emphasis on software patenting and licensing. Through our vast industry experience we are able to help clients procure patent protection in a wide variety of technical fields, including computer software, mechanics, electronics, medical devices chemistry and biotechnologies.

“Our firm represents clients from start-up ventures to large corporations in a wide range of intellectual property matters involving patent, trademark and copyright procurement, litigation and licensing,

“Fundamentally we owe our success to providing client-oriented, global intellectual property services aimed at ensuring our client’s long term success.

We never suggest services we do not believe the client needs, and we always suggest a route that maximizes the value of our client’s IP portfolio by ensuring that each investment is accompanied by current market and competitive information, thereby helping the client make the appropriate business decision.”

“Fundamentally we owe our success to providing client-oriented, global intellectual property services aimed at ensuring our client’s long term success.”

It is the firm’s dedication to supporting their clients which differentiates it from its competitors, as John explains.

“Our firm name, Da Vinci Partners, highlights our commitment; we partner with the “Da Vincis” of the world to help them succeed in developing a strategically important portfolio of IP properties, and then, once registered, we help them maintain and augment the value of their portfolio by favouring the development of productive IP assets.”

Within the global legal economy, Asia is a market which is currently growing rapidly, and as such there is an ever expanding market for legal services which Da Vinci Partners is eager to capitalise on, as John details in his final comments.

“Overall the future looks bright for us, as we look to grow our Asia practice and add this region to the growing list of countries which we operate in. Asia has become an indispensable part of the Global economy, and so the protection of IP rights there has become critical. As a result, our focus over the coming months and years will be to support clients in the region and provide them with the high quality, expert services for which we enjoy an excellent reputation.”

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Donna J. Jackson & Associates, PLLC Company: Donna J. Jackson & Associates, PLLC Name: Donna J. Jackson Email: donnajacksonlaw@ outlook.com Web: www.okcestatelawyer.com Address: 10404 Vineyard Blvd, Ste E, Oklahoma City, Ok73120 Phone: 405-840-1874

Donna J. Jackson

Best Estate Planner - Oklahoma

Donna J. Jackson Donna J. Jackson & Associates, PLLC is an Oklahoma based legal practice specialising in estate planning, elder law, taxes and probate law.

We invited Founder Donna Jackson to tell us more about the firm and how it has come to achieve its current success.

Encompassing more than 60 years of combined experience in estate planning and probate, Donna J. Jackson & Associates, provides award-winning service to clients. Whilst Donna is honoured to be recognised, she understands that she has not achieved this success alone, and that it the support of her dedicated and professional team which has ensured the success of her practice.

“Here at Donna J. Jackson & Associates my staff and I focus on helping clients find peace of mind and alleviating ‘fear’ in preparing for their future and the future of their families. In order to achieve this both myself and my committed staff focus on helping our clients every step of the way, from establishing the estate planning to helping the family at death or incapacity.

“Being passionate about supporting our clients is crucial, and it is this that drives us to constantly educate ourselves in order to always provide the very highest level of support and advice to every one of our clients.”

This constant education is of vital importance, as the legal industry is ever evolving. Within the estate planning market in particular the focus currently is not driven by estate taxes anymore, but instead on providing care for the client when they get sick and to the family when the client passes away.

As such, looking to the future, Donna is keen to continue to build upon the firm’s, and her own personal, success and continue to grow her knowledge base so as to stay up to date with the latest industry developments across her various practice areas.

“Moving forward I am volunteering more with National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the American Bar Association, and am planning some seminars for the future in order to raise my profile and increase my knowledge and experience in this practice area.”

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Donnery & Co Solicitors

Award for Excellence in Family Law - Ireland Name: Elizaveta Donnery Company: Donnery & Co solicitors Address: 57 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3, Ireland Email: info@dtsolicitors.ie; elizavetadonnery@gmail.com Website: www.dtsolicitors.ie Phone: +353 1 853 7301

Donnery & Co Solicitors Donnery & Co solicitors is an Irish law firm, established by Elizaveta Donnery, a Russian speaking solicitor who is qualified and practicing in Ireland. She is also qualified in Russia, and is admitted on the roll of solicitors in England and Wales. Prior to setting up her own practice, she worked as a solicitor in the largest Irish corporate law firm, and is a council member of the Irish Russian Business Association, and holder of a Law Society Diploma in Finance Law. We spoke with her to find out her thoughts on how to run a successful law practice.

Elizaveta is the only solicitor in Ireland with her specific qualifications and experience; she writes a weekly legal column in a newspaper and has appeared on RTE radio and Dublin City FM. She provides a range of legal services in various areas of law, such as family, immigration, commercial,

property, contract, employment and litigation, and her clients range from private individuals to large foreign investors who are interested in various immigrant programmes in Ireland.

“I have been prominent in providing legal advice to foreign clients and investors from Russia, China, etc., which have subsequently benefited the Irish economy. Applying my previous corporate legal experience and knowledge of general practice areas on a daily basis when dealing with my clients is key to ensuring their satisfaction. I deal with complex issues in family law, immigration and other practice areas.

“In my opinion, they key to a successful practice is to be able to develop an individual approach to each client and their needs. This is now especially prevalent with the legal sector, and society in general, where there are massive challenges being faced concerning human rights issues.

“One of my biggest achievements last year included representing a client in a very unique High Court action. In this case, the person, who was over 70 years old and lived in Russia for the majority of his life, was seeking to have his birth registered in Ireland. After years of preparation, we achieved a positive result and the High Court decision was made in our client’s favour.

“My strategy for Donnery & Co, and personal goal, is to work on developing further economic activity and business relationships between Ireland, the UK, Russia and other countries. I aim to continue providing high quality legal advice to all clients who are interested in investing, either in funds or highly skilled workers into the Irish economy, and deal with family law and private law issues at the same time.

I also aim to continue working with the Irish Russian Business Association (IRBA), Enterprise Ireland, Embassies and other organisations in order to achieve the overall goal.”

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Elijah Ltd

Best for Computer Forensics & Expert Testimony Services - USA

Elijah Ltd Company: Elijah Ltd. Name: Andrew Reisman, CEO Email: info@elijaht.com Web: www.elijaht.com Address: HQ – 205 W Wacker Dr Suite 1950, Chicago IL 60606 Phone: 866-ELIJAH-0 / 866-354-5240

Elijah specializes in computer forensics, electronic discovery and data security, offering unique solutions that optimize project management in delivering cutting-edge legal technology solutions. CEO Andrew Reisman talks us through how the firm supports clients with expert consulting, analysis and testimony to address these needs.

Founded in 2003, Elijah® is an industry leader in providing expert computer forensic, electronic discovery and data security solutions. Elijah optimizes project management in all aspects of its services, having developed its proprietary Blade® project management system to facilitate internal workflow and client coordination.

Elijah’s 2016 AI Legal Awards recognition as “Best for Computer Forensics & Expert Testimony Services – USA” represents the culmination of a series of high profile engagements in which Elijah’s testimony regarding digital forensic issues was a key component in its clients’ legal victories. Examples of recent cases in which Elijah successfully has testified regarding computer forensics include data misappropriation, patent infringement, evidence spoliation, computer hacking, business break-ups, academic misconduct and even capital murder.

“Elijah’s 2016 AI Legal Awards recognition as “Best for Computer Forensics & Expert Testimony Services – USA” represents the culmination of a series of high profile engagements in which Elijah’s testimony regarding digital forensic issues was a key component in its clients’ legal victories.”

The firm also focuses a significant portion of its practice on providing computer forensic neutral services, in which Elijah facilitates the efficient resolution of digital disputes between parties. These services include working as forensic neutrals, special masters, eNeutrals and eDiscovery liaisons, all of which can help reduce the cost, risk and duration of litigation.

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Technology is constantly evolving, and Elijah makes it a point to educate the legal and business community regarding how such changes affect their work. Elijah has been particularly focused on smartphones and other mobile devices, promoting awareness of how various artefacts automatically stored on such devices can be instrumental in litigation. Even routine auto accident cases often can benefit from mobile forensic analysis, in which Elijah potentially can identify evidence relating to distracted driving, vehicle location and average speed.

In addition, Elijah also actively participates in developing new technology. In addition to its Blade project management platform, Elijah developed eCollect®, advanced software to help companies quickly identify and react to potential data theft risks.

Elijah’s recognition as “Best for Computer Forensics & Expert Testimony Services – USA” follows on the heels of recent awards, including being named Legal Technology Provider of the Year by the 2016 ACQ5 Global Awards and as the Best Overall E-Discovery Company in the Daily Business Review’s Best of 2015 survey. Elijah’s CEO Andrew Reisman individually was recognized as Legal Technology Gamechanger of the Year by the 2016 ACQ5 Global Awards.

For a free initial consultation contact info@elijaht.com or call 866-354-5240. Elijah has offices throughout the United States, and is headquartered at 205 W. Wacker Dr. Suite 1950, Chicago IL 60606. Additional information can be found at www.elijaht.com

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Equal Justice Ltd.

Best Discrimination Law Firm - UK

Equal Justice Ltd. Equal Justice Ltd solicitors (“EJS”), is a specialist employment law firm of solicitors, which was established by ex-City 10 lawyer, Lawrence Davies, and was designed to provide affordable City quality advice. We profile the firm and its dynamic Founder and explore the secrets behind its success.

Company: Equal Justice Ltd Name: Lawrence Davies LLM, CEO Email: lawrencedavies@ equaljustice.co.uk Web: www.equaljustice.co.uk Address: MFG House, 15 Cambridge Court, 210, Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NJ Phone: 0207-6033200

EJS has pioneered “affordable representation” to better enable our clients to afford the fight for justice. This includes capped fees, pro bono work, discounted hourly rates and no win, no fee agreements. 15% of our work is covered by Home Contents (legal expenses) insurance. Founder Lawrence outlines what sets his firm apart from its competitors.

“Unlike most law firms we try to put into place a costs strategy to underpin the litigation strategy which allows the claimant to run the case to trial without running out of money. 85% of claims settle but 15% do not. Many firms work on a pay as you go basis, with little thought for the future. Their client inevitably runs out of money and then has to represent her/himself at the final hearing. 95% of such litigants-in-person lose their claims. We seek to avoid clients being costed out of justice, because we want to win the case, and for the client to have equal justice.”

Mr Davies has received many accolades and been described as an “Employment law expert” by the Daily Mail, a “Leading Employment lawyer” by the Independent and a “A champion for whistleblowers” by the Sunday Times.

This, alongside the firm’s EJS 95% success rate for workers highlights the firm’s commitment to supporting clients. “We only act for “responsible employers”. We have a 100% win rate for employers,” Lawrence emphases. “We have secured the highest discrimination (injury to feelings) award this Century and a £8.5 million settlement (as well as about £28 million compensation recovered to date).”

The firm’s work this year has included an excellent win by Sasha McLaughlin (senior associate) in a difficult disability discrimination case against the Ministry of Justice and our representing former PC Carol Howard before the Equality and Human Rights Commission (“EHRC”) inquiry. Mr Davies described the resulting EHRC report as a “whitewash” on Channel 4 News in September 2016.

Moving forward, the firm will continue to support clients and provide the very highest standard of service possible. It is also produce free EJ Guides to the law to better assist claimants to achieve justice. The whistle-blowing guide is currently on its website.

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Franklins Solicitors LLP

Commercial Lawyer of the Year - Midlands Company: Franklins Solicitors LLP Name: Andrea Smith Email: andrea.smith@ franklins-sols.co.uk Web: www.franklins-sols.co.uk Address: Franklins Solicitors LLP, 6-8 Castilian Street, Northampton, NN1 1JX Phone: 01604 828225

Franklins Solicitors LLP This award for Best Commercial Lawyer is really important to Andrea and the rest of the Business Services team at Franklins Solicitors LLP. It is recognition such as this that validates the quality of service that they endeavour to provide, serving as a reminder that their client-centred and tailored approach to the practice of commercial law is worthy of nurturing.

Franklins Solicitors pride themselves on their ability to build relationships, to appreciate their clients’ needs, and to tailor their advice and services to ensure the best possible outcome for their clients - whether they be individual shareholders or business partners, small local business owners, or large national and international companies.

A commercial solicitor with 15 years’ experience and an equity partner in the firm, Andrea specialises in mergers, acquisitions and disposals. Her other areas of work are diverse, but include shareholders agreements, share schemes, company re-structures and joint ventures. So far this year, Andrea has led on a number of large commercial deals across a wide range of sectors and industries,

from manufacturing and industry to retail, leisure and care. For example, in May 2016 Andrea acted for Comms Group UK Limited, an experienced and competitive IT and telecommunications company based in Northampton, in the sale of its entire share capital to AdEPT Telecom plc. In order to provide a wide-ranging yet specialised service, Andrea and the business services team work closely with the firm’s commercial property, employment, commercial litigation and intellectual property specialists.

Currently, Andrea is promoting an innovative due diligence service which aims to prepare a business and maximise its value prior to the sale and acquisition process. The service is a unique product that the firm is proud to provide, and which has already received positive feedback from a number of clients that have undertaken this service. Andrea developed this bespoke service to allow clients to engineer their own exit strategy, to maximise their sale price, and to be fully prepared for the full rigours of the sale process, well in advance of a sale. The service continues to embody the firm’s multi-disciplinary and cross-team nature of working by utilising the skills and expertise of specialist lawyers across the firm.

Outside the office, the firm endeavours to support community activities and ventures and to engage in the governance and development of the area. Since 2014 Andrea has sat on the board of directors of Northampton Town Centre Limited, which is responsible for implementing the business plan, vision and objectives for Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District. In so doing, Andrea is an active member of the commercial landscape in the Midlands and connected to the needs, challenges and working practices of businesses and companies in the region.

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Immigration Solutions LLC

Best Immigration Attorney - Massachusetts & AI Excellence Award for Employment-Based Immigration Visas (Green Cards) Company: Immigration Solutions LLC Name: Micol Mion Esq. Address: 585 Boylston Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02116 Tel. 617-536-0584 Fax. 617-217-0757 Email: info@immsolutionsllc.com Web: www.immsolutionsllc.com

Immigration Solutions LLC Immigration Solutions LLC is a Boston based legal practice dedicated to supporting clients with all their visa and immigration needs. We invited Partner and Immigration Attorney Micol Mion to tell us more.

Immigration Solutions LLC enables prospective immigrants and non-immigrants to come, stay and work in the U.S.A. Micol talks us through the firm’s approach and how this sets them apart.

he became a US Citizen through Naturalization. To me that man is still the epitome of the American Dream, and I am proud to have helped him find a permanent home in the United States.”

“At Immigration Solutions LLC our philosophy is rooted in the concepts that each case is unique and important and time is of the essence. We strive to win a client’s trust by effective advice. We provide all employment based services for non-immigrant work issues (E1, E2, E3, H1B, H1C, H3, JI, L, O, P, Q & R) and immigrant issues (EB-1, EB-2, National Interest Waiver, EB-3, EB-4 & EB-5).

Overall, Micol was eager to emphasise the firm’s continued commitment to supporting clients and ensuring that they receive the highest standard of service which meets their needs.

“At Immigration Solutions LLC our philosophy is rooted in the concepts that each case is unique and important and time is of the essence.”

“Ultimately, at Immigration Solutions LLC we understand that dealing with U.S. immigration authorities and processes can be confusing, time consuming and stressful. We strive to make every possible effort to ensure that our clients understand the status of their cases and that their cases are prepared to the best of our abilities to increase the chances of success, which will be our continued focus moving forward.”

“What makes us unique is that all our staff has lived in various countries while growing up and we are thus able to interpret socio-cultural behaviour and communicate fluently in 14 languages (English, Spanish, Portugese, French, Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Czech, Slovak, Italian, Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi & Mandarin). We are no strangers to the immigration system, since we are immigrants too. Our ability to relate to our clients’ experiences and to communicate effectively with them enables us to connect directly to clients and anticipate their needs and concerns. We believe there is no insignificant question and addressing our clients’ concerns is paramount to a successful relationship. Also, we always keep up-to-date with changes in the law and educate our clients of such changes.”

The most rewarding part of her work, according to Micol, is supporting clients and helping them to achieve their aims in life.

“In our work it is so rewarding when a client succeeds in securing the immigration benefit that he or she is seeking. One of my best memories is of a client who I initially helped to obtain an H2 visa to work on a farm field, and I ended up representing him until

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JC Kling

Auditing & Tax Consultancy of the Year - Germany & Tax Advisor of the Year - Germany Company: Dr. Kling Heufelder Address: Fischer Road 11, 67655 Kaiserslautern Phone: +49 (0) 631 36239-0 Fax: +49 (0) 631 36239-10 Email: info@jckling.de

JC Kling Dr. Kling Heufelder is a society comprising charted accountants, lawyers and tax consultants, which covers all the areas of consultation in legal, tax-related and economic environments. We spoke to Founder JanChristopher Kling to find out more.

Offering a wide range of services, Dr. Kling Heufelder works across both the traditional tax and accountancy sectors as well as offering more specific services including asset management, consulting, mediation and coaching, and can thus assist with consultation for the entire scope of business management.

Jan-Christopher outlines the firm’s approach to providing this vast array of services, which focuses on ensuring that clients receive a service tailored to their specific needs.

“The major areas of activity of our company are tax configuration consultation, the accompaniment of tax audits and representation in fiscal court proceedings, the complete support of companies, from foundation, purchase and sale, configuration and succession advice. In this context we of course also carry out due diligence checks.

“Our approach to providing these services revolves around gaining an overall observation of the type of consultation required. It is not only the legal solution or consequence of a case that is presented, but rather a consideration of the overall economy.

In particular, we check the possibility of gaining advantages from the resulting problems and finding a solution without large legal disputes, which leads to the business basis remaining in place, and the clients and their opposing party can continue with their business relationships, which mostly have been in existence for many years.”

As his final comment, Jan-Christopher is eager to explain how the firm differentiates itself from the wider market and showcases what makes Dr. Kling Heufelder the best option for its clients.

Ultimately, what sets us apart from our competitors while in our understanding having the same broad specialist knowledge, but we can act at lower cost and shorter processing times because of our structure. In particular medium sized companies value this ability, that we are not focussed on providing the maximum number of consultation hours, but focus on the goal in order to manage the mandate on the long term and in the best case be a companion and contact person for all legal, financial and tax matters for decades. For this purpose, we have a matrix structure in the company which enables the client to get an appropriate contact partner and further employees in the team who can accordingly act for them.”

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Keith A Mitchell

Keith A Mitchell

Best for White Collar Criminal Law - UK

Keith A Mitchell Name: Keith A Mitchell Email: kam@33cllaw.com Address: 33 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1EN

Keith Mitchell has long been recognised for his expertise in fraud and white collar crime and has been consistently ranked as a leader in his field in all fraud sections of the top legal directories, Chambers UK 2017 and the Legal 500 2016. We invited him to talk us through his work and how he has come to be such a revered expert in this area.

Working in financial law is a highly competitive market, but also a vital one, with clients seeking strong support and advice, often during stressful times. Keith outlines how he works with his clients to ensure that they receive the best possible care and legal support possible.

“Financial crime is a very competitive practice area and many market themselves as specialists who are not. I however, have devoted myself to conducted financial crime cases for some 15 years, exclusively, conducting criminal fraud trials for the defence from start to finish including asset forfeiture restraint and confiscation.

“As such I work diligently to ensure that clients receive the best possible service. Chambers and partners recently stated that I ‘put clients in stressful situations at ease and speaks to them in a style they can readily understand, according to those who instruct him he is very industrious, reassuring, and very articulate in communicating complicated legal concepts.’

“In my view an honest and open approach to a client’s case, from the outset and to the completion of the case, is essential. Developing trust is a huge factor and a personal touch in my view is quintessential, and I personally favour a ‘hands on’ approach when dealing with a case. The Legal 500 2016 recently spoke of me as being ‘an excellent communicator with in depth experience. This in my view is the key to being a successful criminal lawyer.”

Keith’s practice is 33 Chancery Lane, a leading London based legal firm whose team have unrivalled expertise when it comes to financial and white collar crime.

As his concluding comment Keith is eager to emphasise that, overall, it is providing the best possible service to clients which is the best part of his role.

“Working in the legal profession, the most rewarding aspect, without a doubt, is providing a professional, high quality service. Winning is important but it is not everything; working hard to support the client is what counts.”

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Kelcey & Hall Solicitors and Advocates

Best Criminal Law Firm - South West Company: Kelcey and Hall Name: Ian Kelcey Address: 17 Small Street Bristol BS1 1DE and 107 Cheapside London EC2V 6DN Email: ian.kelcey@ kelceyandhall.co.uk Phone: 01179279604 Bristol Office & 02030568842 London Office Web: www.kelceyandhall.co.uk

Kelcey & Hall Solicitors and Advocates Kelcey & Hall offer a comprehensive, proactive and client focused service in the areas of criminal defence, family and relationships, wills and probate. We invited Senior Partner Ian Kelcey to tell us more.

Kelcey and Hall is a firm of solicitors specialising in criminal defence, motoring, and matrimonial law.

Ian is the Partner in charge of the criminal defence team, which has a national reputation having defended in some of the highest profile cases in the country. Ian talks us through his department’s role in greater detail and outlines how it aims to provide clients with the highest possible level of service.

“Here at Kelcey and Hall we support clients in family and children law, acting for high Net Worth Individuals in financial claims. We also represent clients in relation to all areas of criminal defence and fraud as well as bribery and corruption, cybercrime and environmental agency prosecutions.

“Our proactive approach, coupled with a sound knowledge of the law has led our firm to legal excellence and the success and reputation which we enjoy today.”

Staff are crucial for the firm’s success, which includes being top rated both in chambers and in the Legal 500, and as such the practice provides

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a relaxed but challenging working environment for staff with regular in house training seminars so as to ensure consistency of service.

Ultimately, now is a time of great change for the firm, as it seeks to adapt and develop around the ever evolving legal market, and as such the future will be exciting and opportunity laden, as Ian emphasises in his concluding comments.

“Recently Kelcey and Hall have focussed on developing and building the private client side of the Criminal practice and seek to expand even further into defending in the fields of Cyber Crime, Environmental Law prosecutions, as well as Serious Fraud and crime cases, in which we act for clients in relation to Breaches of International sanctions and Bribery and Corruption. We are also fast developing a reputation in the area of Regulatory Law. “The expansion of our London office and developing our reputation for the defence of cybercrime will help us to better support our clients and we look forward to the opportunities this will provide.”

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Klein Lawyers LLP

Best Personal Injury Law Firm - British Columbia & Excellence Award for Class Action Litigation Company: Klein Lawyers Name: David A. Klein Email: info@callkleinlawyers.com Web: www.callkleinlawyers.com Address: 400-1385 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6H3V9 Phone: (604) 800-8888

Klein Lawyers LLP Klein Lawyers are a Vancouver based legal practice specialising in personal injuries and class action law. We invited Partner David Klein to tell us more.

Klein Lawyers is a Canadian law firm with offices in Vancouver and Toronto, supporting clients with a wide variety of personal injury and class action law cases. The personal injury side of the practice focuses on clients who have been injured in car accidents. The class action group has handled a wide range landmark class action cases.

Client service is central to the firm’s success, as David is eager to highlight as he discusses the firm’s approach to ensuring clients receive the very highest standard of support during their time of need.

“Here at Klein Lawyers, client service is vital.

Clients want a lawyer who listens to their problems, provides a range of options for addressing them and then executes a plan for successful resolution.

Our central focus is in identifying and meeting client needs. This is the theme that weaves its way through everything we do.

“By delivering superlative results for our clients day after day, month after month, Klein Lawyers has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of Canada’s leading law firms.

“The most rewarding aspect of our work is knowing that we’ve had a positive impact on our clients’ lives,” David adds proudly. “They come to us at a time of turmoil and uncertainty. Our satisfaction comes from knowing that when the file is concluded, they have been put back onto the road of financial and emotional wellbeing.”

Overall the future is bright for Klein Lawyers as it looks to hire new staff to support the ever growing number of cases it is being offered. Competition in the legal market is strong, and in such a competitive marketplace it is increasingly vital that the firm attracts the very best talent in the industry. Thanks to its reputation for excellence and commitment to client service, there is no doubt that the practice will continue to grow and prosper over the months and years to come.

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Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board

Best Legal Professional Oversight Organization - USA Company: Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board Address: 2800 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 310, Metairie, Louisiana 70002 Phone: (504) 834-1488 or (800) 489-8411 Fax: (504) 834-1449 Web: www.ladb.org

Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board The Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) was the first attorney disciplinary system in America to incorporate the American Bar Association’s Model Rules for Disciplinary Enforcement. Twenty-five years later, we explore how the organization has flourished since inception and continues to service the Louisiana community to this day.

In the late 1980s, complaints against lawyers in Louisiana were escalating. The Louisiana Supreme Court, in a bold move, established the LADB, the first attorney disciplinary system in the nation to incorporate the American Bar Association’s new model rules for lawyer disciplinary enforcement, which created a separate agency to administer lawyer discipline independent of influence from attorneys, bar associations and the public.

The decision paid off, and the LADB celebrated its 25th anniversary last year with a track record of impressive results. Complaints against lawyers

“The bulk of the complaints that are filed are resolved without a formal prosecution.

The LADB is a critical conduit between the legal profession, clients and the public and the agency has had a tremendously positive effect on the image of lawyers in Louisiana.” in Louisiana began to decline soon after the new Board began reviewing and prosecuting complaints.

Since 1990, close to 81,000 complaints against lawyers were opened resulting in approximately 3,100 sanctions being imposed.

“The statistics prove that the Louisiana Supreme Court was absolutely correct to create an independent agency to oversee the conduct of lawyers, said Charles Plattsmier, Chief Disciplinary Counsel. “The bulk of the complaints that are filed are resolved without a formal prosecution.

The LADB is a critical conduit between the legal profession, clients and the public and the agency has had a tremendously positive effect on the image of lawyers in Louisiana.”

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The LADB has gained the trust of the legal community and the public by involving both in the process of administering discipline against lawyers in Louisiana. The board’s membership includes volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer professionals from throughout Louisiana who serve on committees that hear complaints and issue recommendations. This adjudicative function is housed separately from the prosecutorial function.

Decisions and disciplinary actions may be appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court for review.

Today, Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson, along with Associate Justices Greg G. Guidry, Scott J. Crichton, Jeannette Theriot Knoll, Marcus R. Clark, Jefferson D. Hughes, III, and John L. Weimer have praised the agency for its successes and commitment to finding innovative ways to engage the legal community and the public.

The LADB also provides a useful educational function as well. It presents free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars, as well as online CLEs. It is one of the few, if the only agency, offering continuing legal education through online “webisodes.” The True Attorney online web series uses dramatizations of real cases to teach legal ethics in an entertaining way. The series is produced by burgeoning filmmakers Brett Roberts, Michael Rees and Kyle Chase. Roberts is a recent graduate of University of New Orleans. Rees and Chase are currently students at Loyola University.

Visit ladb.org to learn more about the agency, view the True Attorney trailers and subscribe to LADB’s electronic newsletter, “Nota Bene,” which provides periodic updates on ethics, professionalism and Board developments.

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THE LAW ON YOUR SIDE

Lubis Ganie Surowidjojo

Most Innovative Full-Service Law Firm - Indonesia & Recognised Leader in Business Law - Indonesia

Lubis Ganie Surowidjojo Lubis Ganie Surowidjojo (LGS) is an Indonesia based legal firm providing a full range of services to a vast array of clients. Managing Partner Mohamed Idwan Ganie outlines the firm’s services in more detail and explores how it came to achieve its impressive success.

Company: Lubis Ganie Surowidjojo Name: Dr. Mohamed Idwan (‘Kiki’) Ganie Managing Partner Address: Menara Imperium 30th Floor, Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said Kav. 1 Kuningan, Jakarta 12980, Indonesia Phone: +62 21 831-5005, 831-5025 Fax: +62 21 831-5015, 831-5018 Email: ganie@lgslaw.co.id Web: www.lgsonline.com

Among the oldest and largest law firms in Indonesia, LGS operates around 120 lawyers (including partners) in two cities, Jakarta and Surabaya. The firm’s clients include Goldman Sachs, Temasek, Hutchison, Mitsui, Hitachi and the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. Ganie talks us through how the firm has grown in its many years of service and how it aims to ensure clients receive the highest possible quality of service.

“At LGS we try to become increasingly more effective and efficient to fulfil a “value for money” proposition to our clients, and we also committed to the environment. This is the common bond with most of our clients, and is not only lip service but living values which we have proven with our ISO 9001 certification for Total Quality Management and ISO 14001 for Environmental Standards (both accredited and regularly assessed by Lloyds) for over 10 years.”

Moving forward, Ganie is eager to emphasise the firm’s growth strategy, which revolves around retaining the same high standards of service which LGS has come to pride itself on whilst at the same time growing in order to meet their ever changing requirements.

“Overall the future looks bright for LGS as we seek to expand our business as we seek to utilise our size to be better in more fields than any other Indonesian law firm. We will soon have the largest network of branches and affiliated offices in and throughout Indonesia and we look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities this will bring.”

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M.Meilak and Associates

Tax Consultant of the Year - Malta

M.Meilak and Associates Company: M.Meilak and Associates Address: Tower Business Centre, 2nd floor Triq it-Torri, Swatar BRK2014, Malta Phone: +356 21561216 Fax: +356 27561216 Email: contact@mmeilak.com Website: http://mmeilak.com/

M.Meilak and Associates is an accounting firm based in Malta providing tax advisory and accounting services across a variety of different sectors.

We profile the firm and speak to Tax Consultant Malcolm Meilak in order to examine the company’s service offering and how it aims to provide high quality solutions to clients at all times.

As independent advisors, M.Meilak and Associates provide unique insight to clients business needs.

The firm work to help companies and individuals develop and realize their aspirations. Their professional services include preparation of accounts, company formation, corporate finance, tax advice and business management consultation across all sectors.

It is the firm’s belief in building long lasting mutual relationships with their clients that differentiates them from their competitors. As such the firm always put clients first and work in a proactive manner, thus anticipating their needs and ensure that they are met. Malcom explains how this is achieved through the firm’s commitment to constant evolution.

“Here at M.Meilak and Associates we are driven to provide exceptional tax services, delivered in a highly personalized way. We have the experience of the big accounting firms, but without their bulk.

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Therefore, we can move swiftly and confidently in order to manage the tax needs of multinationals, while providing unparalleled results.

“Our vision is to provide exceptional accounting and tax advisory services to our clients by focusing on the needs of the business community. With this in mind we build long lasting relationships, which deliver value and growth to our customers.

“Through our continuous investment in technology we succeed in maintaining high quality standards and are at the forefront in presenting innovative solutions, which assures our clients that we are constantly focused on their needs.”

Ultimately, M.Meilak and Associates believe that there is always room for improvement and always seek to do better, which will be their continued focus for the future as they seek to adapt around the ever changing tax market.

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Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR

Best European Patent Law Firm - Germany & Excellence Award for German Patent Law Company: Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR Name: Dr. Andreas Koch Email: Andreas.Koch@ ip-matters.de Web: www.ip-matters.de Address: Landsbergerstr. 98, 80339 München Phone: +49 89 18947690

Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR is a dynamic, relatively young, but yet very experienced patent attorneys’ office, with a strong technical background across the chemical, pharmaceutical and life science sector. They advise and represent their clients in all areas of European and international intellectual property rights. Their clients are internationally operating pharmaceutical and chemical companies, medium-sized businesses, biotech start-ups and renowned research institutes and universities. We interviewed one of the partners, Dr Andreas Koch, to find out more about this specialist firm.

Besides their commitment to high quality standards and proficiency, Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR also places great emphasis on transparency, trust and direct personal contact with their clients. Asked about this approach, Dr Koch told us that each client is provided with personal contact with a team member in order to best serve their interests.

“The most important step for defining a client service philosophy is to understand the necessities and expectations of your clients, and to repay their trust through loyalty and high quality work. The focus of our employees has always been on our clients, and the representation and defence of their interests.

In this respect, our company culture is truly clientoriented, professional, and serves the individual first and foremost. Regular training measures for our employees and an open exchange of knowledge inside the team helps to maintain our established high standards.

“The international market for patents permanently grows, and this reflects the growing importance that companies attach to intellectual properties.

Thus, maintaining high quality standards and working out the most appropriate strategies to suit a company’s individual situation will be an ongoing challenge for patent attorney offices in the future.

Providing strong technical expertise and excellent understanding of recent developments in patent law is more important than ever, and dealing with the latest legal developments in Europe will be the basis for more complex requirements in this very field.”

Schiweck Weinzierl Koch GbR sets itself apart from competitors by always innovating; they know that innovative ideas from their clients require innovative strategies for protection.

“We have the courage to look beyond traditional structures and to pursue unconventional models for the enforcement of our client’s rights. To us, it is important to always adapt the IP strategies in the best possible way, and to allow our clients to benefit from their own work or investment in a creation to the maximum. Our clients really appreciate this approach.

“It is a time of strong expansion for our team, and in the close future, we intend to extend our range of activities to further technical areas in the field of intellectual property.”

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Schlee IP International

Best International Patent Law Firm - California Company: Schlee IP International, P.C. Name: Alexander R. Schlee Address: 3770 Highland Ave. #203, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, United States Phone: +1 310-545-9851 E-Mail: info@schleeip.com Web: www.schleeip.com

Schlee IP International Based in California, Los Angeles County, Schlee IP International, P.C. (SchleeIP) is a law firm primarily focused on international intellectual property, with a particular emphasis on serving US and German clients.

We invited Founder Alexander Schlee to talk us through the firm and its service offering.

Formed in 2007, SchleeIP supports clients with International Patent Applications (PCT), European Patents, National German Patents and Utility Models, and U.S. Patents. The firm also represents clients in European Trademarks (EUTM), European Registered Community Designs (RCD) applications and US Trademarks. Alexander discusses the firm’s establishment and how far it has come since inception.

“At the beginning of our firm, we initially operated as Viering, Jentschura & Partners (VJP) and then reconfigured into SchleeIP, although we still work in close cooperation with VJP. Having worked in VJP’s head office in Munich, Germany, for 13 years, I founded VJP’s Los Angeles office in 2000 and

“This diverse client base includes companies and law firms of all sizes, and the firm’s dual US and German backgrounds has made SchleeIP an expert in understanding the discrepancies and alignments between various intellectual property systems.” have been the office’s Managing Partner since its inception. The Los Angeles office was reconfigured as a California corporation in January of 2007 becoming Schlee Intellectual Property International P.C., working in association with Viering, Jentschura & Partners.

From our experience, many US clients have a strong market presence in the German market, and vice versa. US clients operating in Germany and vice versa is particularly prominent in California, which is the key U.S. State in research and development. In recognising this unique connection and the correlating demand for intellectual property protection both in the U.S. and Europe, we decided to open our Los Angeles Office.”

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Our diverse client base includes companies and law firms of all sizes, and the firm’s dual US and German backgrounds has made SchleeIP an expert in understanding the discrepancies and alignments between various intellectual property systems. Through its continued association with Viering, Jentschura & Partners (VJP) with its three German offices and three offices on the Asian continent, SchleeIP is easily able to access a broad spectrum of resources in order to provide its clients with quality international representation for all of their intellectual property needs.

Overall, Alexander believes it is his own expertise in the field which allows him to steer the firm to success.

“Fundamentally, being licensed and practicing as a German, European and U.S. Patent Attorney, I have many years of experience in intellectual property rights including domestic and foreign patents, utility models, trademarks and industrial designs. We have been representing numerous clients before various National and International Authorities for more than 25 years and are looking forward to continuing this going forward.”

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Senat Management Consultancy FZC

Best International Management Consultants – UAE Company: Senat MEA Management Consultancy Address: Concord Tower, Office 2714, Dubai Media City Dubai, United Arab Emirates Phone: +971 4425 3533 Fax: +971 4426 7443 Email: info@senat-management.com Web: www.senat-management.com

Senat Management Consultancy FZC Senat MEA Management Consultancy, part of Senat Group, offers European companies the chance to build up their businesses in the Middle-East and to establish a business network in the region. We invited Rena Clute-Simon to tell us more.

With experience in Dubai since 1984, Senat MEA is a competent partner in assisting start-ups, establishing tax efficient corporate structures and helping businesses with mergers and acquisitions, corporate services and expanding their operations towards the Middle East and Asia. Rena talks us through the firm’s service offering and the clients it supports.

“Senat MEA is an international company based in Dubai with a clientele from Europe who are pursuing business in the Middle and Far East and Middle and Far East clients moving towards Europe on a corporate level. International corporate services, management consulting and project management, including the development of start-ups, are the areas we have been and are focusing on. Our client base includes business men and entrepreneurs active in the areas of education, healthcare, IT software and security and personal security.”

Clients require support and advice, and therefore place a great deal of trust in their corporate advisors. Rena outlines how the firm’s experience in the region and client focus help it to forge strong relationships with its clients.

“As a boutique consulting company our network is one of our strong suits and one we are proud of.

Having had a presence in the UAE since 1984 and having a very diverse team, we are able to provide support to our clients in a variety of fields, making connections, where connections need to be made.

“For us, a successful client relationship is based on trust, communication and understanding. We believe in long-standing relationships to provide our clients with the best possible service.”

Moving forward, Rena explains that the firm’s ongoing focus on preparing for any eventuality and ensuring that it is still able to provide the highest possible level of support to clients.

“Looking at the overall situation in the world our plan we want to be prepared for potential recessions effectively, as a firm that values its network and strives to find the best possible solution for our clients.”

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Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Most Renowned International Law Firm & Best Construction ADR Attorney 2016 - Washington DC Company: Seyfarth Shaw LLP Web: www.seyfarth.com

Seyfarth Shaw LLP Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides thoughtful, strategic, practical legal counsel to client companies and legal teams of all sizes. We explore how the firm, and award winner James Newland have both come to achieve the success they enjoy today.

Seyfarth Shaw provides a global reach thanks to its more than 850 attorneys in the U.S., London, Shanghai, Melbourne and Sydney, supporting a wide range of clients with their business and legal needs across a number of areas including litigation, employment, corporate, real estate and employee benefits.

Partner James Newland is a licenced architect and a member of the Construction Practice Group, and as such he focuses on major complex litigation matters involving construction law and design compliance matters and foreign commercial law issues. He has extensive experience achieving client goals in construction matters through litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and claims preparation and defense.

In addition, he also has experience counseling clients on troubled projects, closeout strategies for existing projects, and code and ADA compliance issues. His practice also includes all aspects of dispute resolution, including litigation in federal and state courts, domestic and international arbitration and mediation.

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Throughout his career James has represented both foreign and domestic companies in complex construction law contentious and non-contentious matters related to projects and commercial transactions involving United States, Latin American, Turkish and English companies.

Ultimately Seyfarth Shaw has gained global acclaim for its innovative SeyfarthLean client service model, which incorporates the core principles of Lean Six Sigma to the delivery of legal services, and the firm is always looking to continue to develop new reporting and project management tools for greater transparency and collaboration with its clients.

Therefore, moving forward to goal for both the company and James himself will be to build upon their current success and continue to innovate in order to better serve their clients.

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Stephen Bartlet-Jones

Best for Family Property Disputes - UK Chambers: 1 Pump Court Name: Stephen Bartlet-Jones Email: clerks@ 1pumpcourt.co.uk Web: www.1pumpcourt.co.uk Address: 1 Pump Court Chambers, Elm Court, Temple, London, EC4Y 7AH Phone: 020 7842 7070

Stephen Bartlet-Jones Specialist family-law barrister, arbitrator and mediator Stephen BartletJones offers us an insight into his ingenious alternative to the traditional mediation and court process for family property disputes.

Getting divorced is stressful and expensive enough, without lawyers’ fees and court delays adding to the misery. Since 2012, I have been working on an innovative alternative called Integrated Dispute Resolution.

I.D.R. pairs a mediator and an arbitrator to conduct a single, streamlined process which can achieve a fair, binding outcome within weeks, even where the parties cannot reach agreement. The mediator and arbitrator work from the same papers, and cooperate to minimise reduplication of work. The scheme also works with separating cohabitees and parents, and the mediation can help resolve arrangements for any children. Costs are capped to ensure predictability of spending. I.D.R. works well even if one or both parties are unrepresented.

“my clients will meet their mediator (and where necessary their arbitrator) in a location of their own choosing (in the UK or abroad), and at a time fixed around their other commitments.”

expedited process for turning the arbitral award into a court order, usually without a hearing. It can then be enforced like any court order. Elsewhere in the world, an arbitral award is often easier to enforce than an order of the English court because it can be registered in other jurisdictions under the New York Convention

Oxford-educated Stephen Bartlet-Jones is an experienced family barrister, who was one of the first arbitrators to be appointed by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators under the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators scheme. He is a mediator who has trained on Bar mediation courses. He has also studied forensic accountancy at postgraduate level and appeared in criminal and civil fraud trials, giving him a particular edge in financially complex disputes or those with allegations of hidden or dissipated assets. In recognition of his pro bono work, he has been elected as a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, presented with an Attorney General’s award in the House of Lords, and been invited to both 10 Downing Street and the US Supreme Court.

Litigants spend days of their annual leave sitting in a court waiting room, waiting for a busy judge (who may not be a family specialist) to decide their cases using a “one size fits all” procedure. Proceedings routinely take many months to conclude. By contrast, my clients will meet their mediator (and where necessary their arbitrator) in a location of their own choosing (in the UK or abroad), and at a time fixed around their other commitments. The mediator will help the parties prepare a schedule of agreement and disagreement, and where possible agree a procedure for the arbitrator to resolve those disagreements proportionately.

Unless the parties agree they are redundant, the arbitral process has all the same safeguards as an English court would offer, including a right of appeal to the High Court. In the UK, the High Court has an

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Tracy Jong Law Firm

Best Craft Beverage and Liquor License Attorney – New York Best Alcoholic Beverage Trademark Attorney 2016 Company: Tracy Jong Law Firm Name: Tracy Jong Email: TJong@ TracyJongLawFirm.com Web: www.TracyJongLawFirm.com Address: 2300 Buffalo Rd., Bldg 100A, Rochester, NY 14624 Phone: 585.247.9170

Tracy Jong Law Firm Tracy Jong Law Firm was founded by Tracy Jong 23 years ago and has grown to include both a craft beverage team and a restaurant and bar team. We caught up with her to learn more about the firm and the services she offers.

With an in-depth industry focus, Tracy Jong Law Firm helps craft beverage producers launch and operate successful businesses. Navigating the complex regulatory landscape requires an understanding of both the nuances of the law and the industry, and the practical day to day operations of breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries.

Tracy’s personal trademark and branding experience has been valuable to craft beverage producers in the intensely crowded and competitive marketplace where disputes over names are common. These skills also benefit restaurants and bars who need experienced guidance in an industry known for high failure rates. Ranging from small family businesses to franchises, Tracy Jong Law Firm clients have a high success rate with Tracy Jong as their legal advisor and collaborative partner.

She talks us through her experience and how she aims to support clients by partnering with them and sharing her practical insights and strategies.

“Owning a business can be a scary, lonely place at times. The business owner is steering the ship and expected to have all of the answers. Confidence comes from knowing there is someone just a phone call or email away who has “been there, done that.”

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It also comes from knowing that your mentor has a sense of humour with a no-nonsense and business minded approach to issues. For me, is about helping the business succeed and being both a mentor and a cheerleader when support is needed.

It is about entrepreneurs realizing a dream, creating a legacy and building an asset that produces a revenue stream so they can do what they love.

“Stuffed shirts” don’t work at my firm. Entrepreneurs can expect to find a team that is ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in to get the job done, even when it is a little messy.”

Looking ahead, Tracy plans to continue to support clients through the release of a series of books.

“My plans for the future include finishing several books I am writing to help the industry better understand some of the laws and procedures.

There was not a book out there when I needed one to reference so I decided I would have to write one myself. It seems like so much of this law is “unwritten” and learned by sheer trial and error. I have been carefully recording the know-how and show-how on the why and how to do what we do so I can lessen the learning curve for those that follow in this booming industry.”

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Trojan Law Offices Company: Trojan Law Offices Address: 9250 Wilshire Blvd.

Suite 325, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Phone: 310.777.8399 Fax: 310.777.8348 Web: www.biomedlawyers.com

Trojan Law Offices

Best Medical Device Patent Attorney - California

Trojan Law Offices Trojan Law Offices is a boutique IP law firm based in Beverly Hills.

We profile the firm and explore the services it provides.

In today’s world, advances in science can outstrip the ability of the law to respond to legal and ethical issues raised by new technologies. In the area of intellectual property, advances in biologics, nanotechnology, and medical devices have presented new legal challenges, straining against the limitations of the traditional legal tools employed in patent law. Thus, protecting technological advances on the cutting edge of science and engineering frequently requires legal thinking that is as innovative as the cutting edge inventions themselves.

As such, Trojan Law Offices (TLO®) is uniquely positioned to represent clients seeking protection for their inventions through international patent applications, global trademark applications, and global licensing agreements. Each of the firm’s attorneys bring to the table scientific or engineering training in one or more of the hard sciences to understand both the technical and legal sides of the patent equation.

With 26 years of experience in both obtaining patents and enforcing patents in all federal courts through appeal, TLO® has acquired a depth of understanding of how best to craft patents for maximum impact in court when it counts. Positioned on the edge of the Pacific Rim, the firm represents the emerging spirit of dynamism and innovation that characterizes much of Asia and the biotechnology and medical device industries.

Moving forward, TLO® will remain firmly focused on providing the very highest standards of service with cost effective strategies to serve the firm’s global clientele.

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Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP

Best in Litigation UK -2016 Company: Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP Name: Dee Kundi Email: dkundi@vwv.co.uk Web: www.vwv.co.uk Address: Narrow Quay House, Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA Phone: 0117 925 2020

Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP Veale Wasbrough Vizards’s (VWV) Litigation & Recoveries team, comprising 26 experienced litigation and debt recovery lawyers, work across the firm’s offices in London, Watford, Bristol and Birmingham. The firm, which provides a full range of legal services to commercial and public sector clients, is widely recognised for its dispute resolution work.

The Litigation & Recoveries team, which includes Partner Dee Kundi (the winner of our Best In Debt Recovery Award 2015), advises on a wide range of commercial disputes, including complex commercial and contractual claims, professional negligence, company and partnership disputes, reputation management and debt recovery.

Dee, who leads the firm’s Commercial Debt Recovery team, talks us through the firm and provides an insight into how it came to achieve its current success.

VWV offers a unique combination of specialist expertise, genuine teamwork and client commitment which differentiates us from our competitors. It is our dedication to supporting clients which is of paramount importance, as Dee emphasises.

“We live in an increasingly litigious society and appreciate that disputes can be divisive, disruptive and expensive to resolve. Given the often difficult circumstances in which we are instructed, the team strives to provide consistent, pragmatic and commercial advice to clients. Client commitment and service delivery is something that we are passionate about. We regularly ask, listen and react positively to feedback from our clients.

“Having joined VWV in January 2016, I am delighted that the dedication of the team has been recognised.”

With 380 plus staff based at offices in the heart of four locations, we are able to support clients wherever they are and whatever their legal needs.

Here at VWV, we adopt a commercial approach to everything we do. This means that we are always keen to make sure clients receive the best possible service at a competitive rate. The commerciality

60 Acquisition International - Legal Awards 2016

of the advice that we give our clients goes far beyond simply getting the law right. It focuses on advice which adds value to the clients’ business through a thorough understanding of strategic objectives, sector issues, financial constraints, cost management, competitive pressures and priorities.”

“Having joined VWV in January 2016, I am delighted that the dedication of the team has been recognised.”

Examples of the team’s clients include: EDF Energy, Wincanton, Yankee Candle, Brandon Hire, Britannia Building Society, The Pensions Regulator, a large number of accountancy practices and leading independent schools and universities.

Independent legal directory Chambers & Partners describe the VWV Litigation team as “a team of quality people, providing expert advice”.

VWV Managing Partner Simon Heald added his final comments: “Our Litigation team has built a reputation for offering clear and effective litigation and debt recovery to a wide range of clients. We are delighted to receive this award, which is testament to the team’s hard work and to the high quality service we are committed to providing our clients.

We have recruited three new partners into the team in the last two years and see this as a key area of continued growth for the firm.”

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Walker Morris Trustees Ltd.

Best for Financial Regulation Law - UK & Most Client-Focussed Law Firm - London Company: Walker Morris LLP Name: Andrew Northage Email: andrew.northage@ walkermorris.co.uk Web: www.walkermorris.co.uk Address: Kings Court, 12 King Street, Leeds, LS1 2HL Phone: 0113 283 2500

Walker Morris Trustees Ltd. Walker Morris LLP are a distinctive full service law firm, valued by its clients for consistently delivering excellent results. We invited Partner Andrew Northage, who heads the firm’s Regulatory Team, to tell us more.

Walker Morris LLP is the largest single site law firm outside London, and as such the firm occupies a distinctive position in the legal marketplace, which Andrew is keen to highlight as he discusses his firm’s practice areas.

“Here at Walker Morris LLP we provide specialist commercial advice to a wide range of UK and international clients, across a range of sectors. Our areas of expertise include corporate, commercial, regulatory, construction, planning, real estate,

“Ultimately our success is, at least in part, down to the hard work and commitment of our talented team of lawyers and support staff.”

banking and finance, intellectual property, insolvency, employment and dispute resolution.

“In order to offer tailored services that meet client needs we have focused on investing in highly skilled lawyers who offer specialist skills to a range of sectors, including a number of focused practice areas not usually seen outside London such as financial services, regulatory, food and drink, retail and sport.”

Andrew, who heads the firm’s Regulatory Team, discusses how both the firm and his team support clients to ensure that they receive the very highest standard of service.

“Our key strength is delivering partner-led advice based on understanding our clients’ businesses and the sectors in which they operate, which is possible because we have truly accessible partners assisted by talented and committed solicitors, other fee earners and support staff.

“Specifically in the Regulatory Team we appreciate that sometimes the challenge of dealing with regulatory obligations and regulators can be daunting. We take a straightforward approach with our clients, working with them to achieve clear, cost-effective, viable solutions within commercially acceptable timescales.”

As his final comment Andrew is keen to outline the secrets behind his firm’s success and its aims going forward.

“Ultimately our success is, at least in part, down to the hard work and commitment of our talented team of lawyers and support staff. Our firm has exceptional individuals who thrive when working in multi-specialist teams to deliver first class service to our clients and who continually strive to improve the firm and our offering. We are lucky to work with incredible clients and look forward to further developing and strengthening our working relationships with them in the future.”

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Zyda Law

Best Environmental Law Boutique - UK Company: Zyda Law Address: 60 Cygnet Court, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 9NW Phone:01789 413 949 Email: secretary@zydalaw.com Web: www.zydalaw.com

Zyda Law Zyda Law is a boutique planning and environmental law firm with expertise in navigating regulatory processes to achieve consents and environmental permits for some of the UK’s most contentious infrastructure developments. We spoke to Patricia Eich to learn more.

Zyda Law are a Leading ‘Tier 1’ Legal500 practice specialising in securing planning and development consent for major and nationally significant infrastructure projects. Patricia discusses the firm’s approach and how this has helped both the firm and its clients to succeed.

“At Zyda Law our fresh approach is innovative and industry leading, based on a collaborative project management style. We deliver exceptional legal services by operating in the interests of our client. Our approach is supported by a cloud based project management system that allows access to documents, all secure and available anywhere with an internet connection.

“In the last 10 years, our blue chip client work has enabled infrastructure development worth in excess of £4 billion. This represents not only commercial client objectives, but wider community investment in jobs and local economies.”

Ultimately, Patricia is keen to focus on the firm’s unique approach to service delivery and customer support which ensures that the firm is constantly meeting clients’ needs.

62 Acquisition International - Legal Awards 2016

“Overall, it is our innovative service delivery is one of our features which most attracts our clients.

We do not just offer the usual legal services; we help clients manage their entire project. With our extensive contacts, we bring in experts to form formidable planning teams, and we manage projects from start to finish with our creative cloudbased project management system, Daptiv. With this, everyone involved has uninterrupted and direct access to files, documents, costs and progress updates – all secure and available anywhere with an internet connection.

“Central to our philosophy is the belief that that everybody should have access to first class legal advice and assistance with their planning application or appeal for a predictable cost. We know that legal charges can be a pain. Therefore, we offer a modern, flexible charging structure to suit our clients’ needs, working on a fixed fee basis. Our clients know in advance how much they have to pay and when, with no nasty surprises. This means that our legal 500 expertise is available to the public at a modest and predictable cost.”

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