Continent awards 2017 by Productive Media

WORLDWIDE FINANCIAL ADVISOR

AWARDS MAGAZINE

CONTINENT AWARDS 2017

Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine Continent Awards 2017 Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine is recognised all over the world for our comprehensive awards programs we run, taking votes from countries all over the world to recognise the most prestigious professionals in their specialised areas of practice. The Continent Awards 2017 recognises a select number of leading professional firms around the world working both nationally and internationally in their field of expertise. Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards selects the best professional & financial institutions from around the world and showcases there work ethic and skills within their area of expertise. The Awards Magazine is aimed at not just the large corporations but the smaller companies of the advisory business sector. Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards is currently being read by Lawyers, Advisers, Consultants and corporate executives. We aim to showcase every company individually and to its full potential.

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About LGS In our more than 29 years of service, we have secured our position as the premier Indonesian corporate transaction and commercial litigation law firm. We have over a hundred lawyers and experience representing a diverse range of clients, including domestic and multinational corporations, public and private companies, Government instrumentalities and State Owned Enterprises. We work closely with our clients to understand their problems, determine their needs, and arrive at practical solutions that are both cost-effective and viable over the long term. Representative Clients Adaro Indonesia; American Bureau of Shipping; Astra International; Astratel Nusantara; Bank Mandiri; Charoen Pokphand Indonesia; DBS Bank Ltd; Goldman Sachs; Hitachi; Hutchison (Hong Kong); Indonesia Infrastructure Guarantee Fund; Indonesian State Electricity Company (PLN); Japan Tobacco International Indonesia; Krakatau Steel; Liga Primer Indonesia (LPI); Medco Energi International; Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia; Mitsui & Co., Ltd; Mitsui Banking Corporation; Mitsui Indonesia; Pamapersada Nusantara; Sampoerna Strategic; Sime Darby (Malaysia); Simpson, Spence & Young (SSY); Standard Chartered Bank; Sumitomo; Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited; and Unilever Indonesia. ISO LGS has obtained Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance certifications of ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management systems and ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Management systems to ensure that all aspects of the firm’s operations and the quality of services are on par with the most well managed companies and organizations in the world.

Our Practice Areas • ADR and Arbitration • Antitrust • Bank and Debt Restructuring • Banking and Secured Transactions • Bankruptcy • Capital Markets • Construction • Consumer Protection Defence Litigation • Corporate Finance • Distribution of Goods and Services • E-commerce

Menara Imperium 30th Floor Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 1 Kuningan Jakarta 12980, Indonesia Tel: +62 21 831 5005 Fax: +62 21 831 5015

• Energy • Foreign and Domestic Investment • Forestry and Plantations • General Corporate • Information Technology • Infrastructure • Insurance • Intellectual Property Rights • International Trade • Labour • Maritime and Shipping

lgs@lgslaw.co.id www.lgsonline.com

• Mergers and Acquisitions • Mining, Oil and Gas • Privatization • Project Finance • Property and Real Estate • Refinancing and Bank Lending • Shariah Transactions • Structured Finance • Telecommunications • US Representative Offices and Strategic Investment for Residency

Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine Continent Awards 2017 Afschrift Law Firm of the Year – Belgium Averian Limited Business Advisory Services Firm of the Year – Ireland Deep & Far Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year – Taiwan Demotech Inc Financial Analysis Firm of the Year – USA Douglas Silas Solicitors Education Law Firm of the Year – UK HGF LTD Due Diligence Law Firm of the Year – UK John Harrison & Company Tax Reform Specialists of the Year Kather Augenstein Rechtsanwalte Intellectual Property Law Advisor of the Year Kemp IT Law IT Law Firm of the Year – UK Linklaters Corporate Law Firm of the Year – Belgium Sadis & Goldeberg Overall Law Firm of the Year – USA The Entrepreneur Law Center P.L. Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Business Advisory Services Firm of the Year – Ireland Firm Profile: Averian Global was established in 2008 to meet the needs of clients undergoing organisational or strategic change. The firm has grown organically and through acquisition (most recently Bridgewater Management in Ireland) to become one of the leading consulting firms in Europe and the Middle East offering Strategic, Technical and Solution Consulting to clients of all sizes. Averian Global now helps meet the needs of the world’s largest companies experiencing strategic challenges and undergoing significant business transformation. Since formation, the company has built a client base of successful SME’s, multinational and blue chip clients. Averian has been instrumental in adding significant value to these organisations and has a track record of success across many sectors to include Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Financial Services, Insurance, Utilities and Telecommunications. Our team of experienced and dedicated strategy professionals are chosen for their broad range of skills and are expected to have practical hands on entrepreneurial experience allied with sound academic knowledge. Our consultants have experience in delivering business strategies, transformation and organizational change programs. Through our innovative ‘CSI’ offering (C-Suite Initiatives) we focus on the achievement of business value along with very strong analytical and communication skills which enable us to manage change initiatives to solution delivery. To date we have created initiatives valued at over $1bln for our clients. On our Technical side, we have built specialist SWAT teams – experts in Software Analysis and Testing to ensure clients position only the best and most appropriate solution to meet their needs. Averian has also recently acquired BusinessChallenger.com, an innovative cloud based solution to provide consistent and expert reviews of business documents in order to remove ambiguous or vague requirements within initiatives from the earliest possible stage. This solution is currently in use amongst several Enterprise Support agencies and bodies across Ireland and the UK. At Averian, we understand the link between People, Process and Technology – we build on this and develop practical workable solutions through strategic guidance, business analysis, design, and planning and solution delivery. It is our passion for helping businesses grow that makes Averian the best there is. Areas of Expertise: Our service offerings are as follows –

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Strategy / Business Model Development / CSI – C Suite Initiatives  Technical and Solution Design and Programme Management  SWAT – Software Analysis and Testing  Financial/Accounting Services/ PMO / Test Services  Business Restructuring – Operational, Organisational, Strategic  Business Planning and Feasibility Studies  Training & Business Mentoring

Contact Details: Averian Global – Alan Carey, Chief Executive Limerick Office: Bridgewater House 89 O’Connell Street Limerick, Ireland T: +353 61 512122

Offices in Dublin, London, New York and Dubai

Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year – Taiwan Lu-Fa Tsai earned his LLB and LLM from National Taiwan University, which is the nation’s top university and the most widely-known College of Law in Taiwan. Following graduation, he worked at the CSP law firm, where he gained experiences involving various types of legal cases, including civil cases, criminal cases, administrative cases and I provided services and advice to clients. After he joined Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law, he was encouraged to expand the legal departments of the firm with the goal of helping Deep & Far become a more comprehensive law firm. His areas of expertise include Intellectual Property Law, International Trade Law and Corporation Law.Deep & Far attorneys-at-law was founded in 1992 and is dealing with all phases of laws with a heavy percentage now on the practices in separate or in combination of all aspects of intellectual property rights (IPRs) including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, and/or licensing, counseling, litigation and/or transaction thereof. Nevertheless, company establishment, debt collection, civil or business laws and criminal law are also daily practices of this firm. Deep and Far’s most significant clients are the Hi-Tech companies in the science-based industrial park located at Hsin Chu had ever played the most important role in booming the economy of this country. About one half of them has experiences in seeking patented their techniques, and out of more than 50% of the patent-experienced companies in that park have ever entrusted their IPR works to this firm. Certainly, we must also represent international giants, e.g. InterDigital, MPS, Schott Glas, Toyo Ink, Motorola, Cypress. Contact details Deep & Far Lu-Fa Tsai Tel: 886-2-25856688#900 Fax: 886-2-25989900//886-2-25978989 Add: 13th Fl., 27 Sec. 3, Chung San N. Rd., Taipei, Taiwan Web: www.deepnfar.com.tw Email: lawtsai@deepnfar.com.tw

DEEP & FAR Attorneys-at-Law 13th F1., No. 27, Sec. 3, Chung San N. Rd. Taipei 104, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel: +886-2-2585-6688 Fax: +886-2-25989900/25978989 email@deepnfar.com.tw Deep & Far was founded in 1992 and is one of the largest law firms in this country. The firm is presently focused on the practice in separate or in combination of all aspects of intellectual property rights (IPRs) including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, and/or licensing, counseling, litigation and/ or transaction thereof. Since this firm edges itself into the IPRs field, the firm quickly comes to fame. As an illustration, this firm often is one of the largest sources from which foreign filing orders originate. The fascinating rise of this firm begins from the founder of Deep & Far attorneysat-law, C. F. Tsai, who is the one first patent practitioner in this country who both has technological and law backgrounds and is qualified as a local attorney-at-law. The patent attorneys and patent engineers in this firm normally hold outstanding and advanced degrees and are generally graduated from the top five universities in this country and/or the university in the US. Our prominent staffs are dedicated to provide the best quality service in IPRs. As a proof, about one half of top 100 incorporations in this country have experiences of seeking patented their techniques, but more than one fifth of the top 100 incorporations are/were clients of this firm. Furthermore, Hi-Tech companies in the science-based industrial park located at Hsin Chu play an important role in booming the economy of this country. About one half of which have experiences in seeking patented their techniques, and out of more than 60% of the patent-experienced companies in that park have ever entrusted their IPR works to this firm. We have experienced in seeking IPR-protections for our clients in more than 100 territories all over the world. We have thousands of IPR-cases respectively prosecuted before official Patent Offices of major industrialized countries. This firm not only is the most competent in IPR-related matters in this country but also is very familiar with IPR-practices in major industrialized countries. As a matter of fact, this firm oftentimes tries and makes precedents of new claim-drafting styles. While we might have become wonderfully famed locally with remarkable appreciation and respects, we would like to extend our services for internationalized or quality service-requiring foreign conglomerated giants, corporations or individuals. We strongly believe that we will win more

www.deepnfar.com.tw

Financial Analysis Firm of the Year - USA Demotech, Inc. is a financial analysis firm located in Columbus, Ohio. Since 1985, Demotech has been serving the insurance industry by providing actuarial consulting as well as accurate and proven Financial Stability Ratings® (FSRs) for Property & Casualty insurance companies and Title underwriters. FSRs are a leading indicator of the financial stability of an insurer. In 1989 Demotech became the first insurer rating services in the United States to review and rate independent, regional and specialty insurers based upon the company’s execution of its business model and not its size. The rating process provides an objective baseline as well as insight as to the financial stability of an insurer. Demotech levels the playing field by offering FSRs to insurers of all sizes. Demotech distinguishes itself from other rating services in many ways. Four distinguishing characteristics are the industry experience of our analysts, long tenure of our analysts, our focus on an insurer’s business model rather than its size, and the transparency of our analysis process. In total, our four primary analysts average more than 30 years of progressively responsible insurance experience. Furthermore, the same four primary analysts average more than twenty years of tenure with Demotech. As a result, carriers that contact Demotech can be assured of comparable treatment, institutional memory and consistent outcomes due to the professionalism and tenure of our staff. As noted, our analysts, including myself, are experienced professionals. I am an actuary with forty years of insurance and financial analysis experience. Sharon Romano Petrelli, co-founder of Demotech, has earned the designations of CPCU, AIAF, CCP and ARC. She has served on the board of an insurer as well as the board of governors of the CPCU Society. She has thirty years of insurance experience. Barry J. Koestler, II, Chief Ratings Officer, a Chartered Financial Analyst, has more than twenty years of insurance and financial analysis experience including rate filings, loss and loss adjustment expense reserving and financial analysis. He has coordinated the development and monitoring of FSRs since 1996. Robert M. Warren, CPCU, CPA, Client Services Manager, has served as the chief financial officer of several insurers. His forty years of experience includes more than ten years with Demotech. Although other rating agencies seem fascinated by the size of an insurer and its diversification, neither size nor diversification has kept insurers out of liquidation. In fact, some of the largest insolvencies in the history of insurance were substantial publicly traded carriers that touted their diversification. As such, Demotech focuses on a carrier’s business model and its execution of that model. In 2007 we introduced our Company Classification System to initiate dialogue on business models. A Comment from Joseph Petrelli: “I am the President and Founder of Demotech, Inc. Organized in 1985, Demotech is a Columbus, Ohio based financial analysis company. Demotech reviews and rates more than 420 carriers domiciled in the United States. Our clients include larger, publicly traded carriers as well as regional insurance companies, title underwriters, risk retention groups and specialty insurance markets. Financial Stability Ratings® of A or better are accepted by the secondary mortgage marketplace, virtually all mortgage lenders and an increasing number of umbrella insurance markets, insurance agents errors and omissions insurance carriers, reinsurance carriers and other informed third parties. Prior to forming Demotech, I was employed by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Countryway Insurance and ISO. I am a member in good standing of the Casualty Actuarial Society, American Academy of Actuaries,

The Conference of Consulting Actuaries, and the Society of Actuaries. I graduated from The College of Insurance and have an MBA from The Ohio State University.” In addition to our efforts reviewing and rating insurance carriers, two of our clients during 2015 were the State of Ohio Office of Risk Management and State of Iowa Title Guaranty Division. When these public entities needed experienced, credentialed actuaries to assist them with the pricing and evaluation of their casualty insurance exposure and title guaranty exposure, respectively, our actuaries were the first choice. Recent acknowledgements of our insurer rating capabilities include HUD’s re-affirmation of our acceptance in its Section 232 Handbook and expanding our acceptance to its Section 241(a) program, Fannie Mae Multifamily acceptance of risk retention groups and captive insurers rated A or better, our nomination for Intelligent Insurer’s Global Award – Best Rating Agency (2014 and 2015) and securing the ACQ5 award for US – Niche Financial Analysis Provider – Insurance, two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015. In addition Demotech was nominated for the Rating Agency of the Year at the fall 2015 Reactions North America Gala. We were also honored with the Florida Association for Insurance Reform’s Founder’s Award at its 2015 annual meeting. More recently we secured the Financial Monthly – M&A Awards 2015 – Financial Analysis Firm of the Year – USA and the Corporate Vision – Corporate Excellence Award 2015 – Best Evaluator of US Regional and Specialty Insurers & Sustained Excellence in Insurer Financial Analysis. Our clients operate in an environment dominated by low interest rates and the pressure that places on earnings from an underwriting profit. Emerging coverages, such as cyber liability, data breach, or gap coverages associated with addressing the need to supplement personal automobile insurance policies for commercial use associated with transportation network companies focus our experienced, professional analysts on a collaborative role with clients. Our analysts are well versed in the traditional aspects of insurance and reinsurance. Concurrently, as educated professionals they are comfortable with the development or analysis of creative strategies and products to address emerging consumer needs. Our experienced and credentialed analysts often provided clients with peer review and independent feedback on aspects of the client’s current and future operations. Demotech is focused on continuing to grow and serve our current and our future clients. With a team of experienced, credentialed professionals, we are uniquely positioned to address the current as well as the emerging issues that must be addressed. In May 2016, we will host a seminar addressing the needs of regional and specialty carriers in the important areas of product development, client retention, and the identification and response to emerging issues.

Contact Details: Joseph Petrelli Demotech, Inc. 2715 Tuller Parkway Dublin, Ohio 43017-2310 Main: (800)354-7207 Direct: (614) 526-2160 FAX: (614) 526-2161 JPetrelli@demotech.com www.demotech.com

Law Firm of the Year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Czech Republic The law office GĂ&#x153;RLICH & Co was founded on 1st February 2002. All members of the firm are experienced lawyers possessing outstanding professional expertise in various branches of law. Currently, the firm consists of many lawyers who are supported by a qualified office staff. Besides, on a case to case basis, we would invite for cooperation many other external specialists and free-lance lawyers. This law firm is fully capable of offering legal services to both individuals and legal entities in almost all fields of civil and commercial law, all over the territory of the Czech Republic. We are capable of providing legal services in the Czech and English languages. In the event of cross-border transactions and litigation, this office hires its cooperating international law offices as well as external foreign lawyers. Still, this Law Firm remains a purely Czech legal office free of any financial or other influence exerted by foreign and/or local nationals. This allows the firm to provide its services in compliance with law, professionally and independently. Our law firm focuses mainly on the following areas of law: Civil law, Corporate and business law, Real Estate law, Intellectual property, Labor law and Litigation. Above all we deal with, among the advisory on real estate property transactions (e.g. sale, purchase or lease of apartments and commercial property), drafting all documents relating to real estate financing, drafting all security related documents (mortgages, lien over property and other assets including sets of movable assets, lien over IP or a business or part thereof, security / collateral agreements relating to banking accounts, shares and ownership interests, as well as numerous fiduciary assignments of rights demanded by banks), arranging registration and all other related steps, including advice on governing law. Moreover, we focus on advisory to developers, on investment in real estate, lease and sublease agreements, liens on real estate, creation of easements, building law. Our law firm provides its services at a high professional level, quickly and with complete independence. Two of our key values that help to drive businesses of our clients are flexibility and personal approach that we manage to maintain through the hard work of our young but skilled colleagues who are at all times prepared to offer tailor-made solutions. Within the scope of legal assistance, our law firm provides prevailingly advisory services in selecting the most suitable procedure with a view to clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs, prepares various documents and arranges for the preparation of opinions and legal analyses. The highest level of professionalism that we try to maintain encompasses taking into account forthcoming legal amendments, detailed continuous study of judicature of both the national and European courts. However, while focusing on professionalism we never forget that it goes

hand in hand with a personal approach which ensures that clients can always rely on our services and we provide our best in the shortest possible time with a broad level of transparency and detailed records of our performance.

Scope of Legal Services: Business Transactions Civil Law Intellectual Property Corporate Law and Business Law, Public Procurement Labour Law Real Estate Litigation

Contact details: GĂ&#x153;RLICH & Co Politickych veznu 19 110 00 Prague 1 Czech Republic tel.: +420 222 101 591 Fax: +420 222 101 590 Email: info@akrg.cz Web: www.akrg.cz

Corporate & Commercial Leading Lawyer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thailand SCL Law Group (formerly known as Chavalit Law Group) provides a full range of legal services to serve the needs of clients. We have structured our group of law firms in such a way that general legal work, such as corporate, securities, banking and finance, corporate recovery services, expatriate services, labour, mergers and acquisitions, property, taxation, litigation and arbitration, are handled by Siam City Law Offices (SCL); and intellectual property, information technology and telecommunications work is handled by Chavalit & Associates (CA). Our clients are both domestic companies and multinational corporations. We have worked with law firms in many jurisdictions for cross-border transactions. The firm was started with 4 partners and a number of support staff, totalling 30 people and now after 11 years, our staff count is 100 people with head office in Bangkok and branch office in Hua Hin, along with offices in Myanmar, Loa PDR and Cambodia. Nilobon Tangprasit is one of the founding partners of Siam City Law Offices Limited (SCL Law Group). Prior to the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s establishment, she was a partner and member of the Corporate & Commercial Practice Group of International Legal Counsellors Thailand Ltd. (ILCT) (Russin & Vecchi). Her previous professional experience includes a three-year period as an in-house lawyer with B. Grimm & Co., in addition to successful stints with Siam Yamaha Co., Ltd. and Coopers & Lybrand Associates Ltd. Nilobon Tangprasit is a well-renowned corporate attorney within the Thai legal industry and has headed the Corporate Practice Group of SCL Group since its inception. In a career that has spanned more than 25 years, she has gained extensive expertise in advising and assisting international and Thai corporations, both in the private and public sectors, in the areas of business organisation and structure, foreign business law, investment law, joint ventures, dissolution and liquidation, corporate recovery, M&A, taxes, exchange control laws, share sales and purchases, public offerings and listing and delisting from the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). In addition, Nilobon Tangprasit also has vast litigation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) experience involving general commercial and corporate matters. The Partners and the team manage each and every case in an individual manner. Great emphasis is given to the fine details of each matter. No one case is the same. We always try to understand what our clients want not only immediately but also for the long team goals of our client. This creates the trust and ultimate establishing a long working relationship. Being in the Asean region, often there is much cross boarder transections and client trust us in handling these matters. The fact that we have offices in Myanmar, Lao PDR and Cambodia makes is easier for us to provide values added service to our clients. We have been in the business in this region for over 35 years and with it comes a vast amount of experience and a great deal of knowledge of how business is done in this region and specifically Thailand. This knowledge and expertise is used in assisting our clients in obtaining the best deals in negotiations and in various areas of our practice. We understand what our clients want and we deliver quality service, be it the setting up of a new company or restructuring a company, just as an example. With this amount of experience comes by itself the strong business network that has been established over the years. Some of our partners have over 35 years of working experience. They know who to go for different matters, especially when dealing with Government officials. A few prominent cases are as follows: i. A major deal involving an aerospace supplier/manufacturer based in the USA and a leading premium built-to-measure warehouse, distribution centre and factory developer, both in Thailand and the South East Asia region.

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The closing of a lucrative deal between an industrial packaging container supplier/manufacturer based in Germany; and Thailand’s leading developer of industrial estates, utilities, and power and property solutions. Assisted in a consortium agreement between a prominent utilities management services company, and (undisclosed), a division of a foreign company, the world’s largest supplier of water services; with regard to the purchase of the bid documents on the hire of work via an e-auction system from the local water authority. The result of this is that its name is on the recipient list of the bid documents regarding hire of work with the e-Auction System of PWA. Assisted (undisclosed) on a contract on hire of work for water system supervision, operation and management at Suvarnabhumi Airport with Airports of Thailand PCL (“AOT”).

This year has been a tough year indeed, but we have always been in close contact with our client and have always provided them with top notch quality service. There have been compromises that we have made for our clients. These go towards showing that we value our clients and we are not merely counsels for hire. We go beyond our expectation to provide best value added service and provide the best possible solution to our clients. We as a law firm have always believed in evolving with the times and changes in the legal frame work. A most significant development this year has been the implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC). We as a group have embraced this significant change and gone further to advice clients on not just their needs for Thailand, but the AEC as a whole. Educating the clients of the momentous cooperation and getting them to look beyond just Thailand, and how they can benefit and venture out into the Asean countries. When there is complexity and challenges, or changes we look at how it can work well not just for us as lawyers but also for our clients. Our goals have always been clear for us – always provide service excellence to our clients. In achieving this aim we evolve as a group, we better ourselves in learning and adapting ourselves and our practice group in servicing our clients. We would like to be known as a leading firm, not only in Thailand but a firm with an excellent reputation in the Asean region. Other notable awards to evidence our excellent service are: Asian Women in Business Law Awards in the following categories: 1. Best firm in Thailand; and 2. Best national firm for work/life balance.

Contact Details: Siam City Law Offices Limited Rajanakarn Building, 20th Floor 3 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa Sathorn, Bangkok 10120, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2 6766667-8 Fax: +66 (0) 2 6766188 www.siamcitylaw.com

DRAGONFLY: 300 MILLION YEARS OLD

T-REX: EXTINCT

Nature knows size and survival are independent. Demotech, Inc. has proven that to the insurance industry.

Regional and Specialty insurers are often mistakenly thought of as financially unstable due to their size.

Financial Stability Ratings® offer the following benefits:

Financial Stability Ratings® look beyond the size of an insurer and evaluate solvency using a quantitative model based on insurance fundamentals.

• Acceptance by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD

Innovative thinking, strategic analysis, commitment, insight and on-going involvement with the insurance industry allow us to provide solutions as unique as your company.

• Eliminate Reinsurance Cut-Throughs • Access to Stand-Alone Umbrella Insurance • Premium Financing Available • Errors and Omissions Insolvency Gap Coverage Available • Much more!

Contact us today to learn how Demotech and Financial Stability Ratings® can help insurers level the playing field. Call 800-354-7207 or visit www.Demotech.com/FSRBenefits

Amine Ghellal – Lawyer of the Year – Africa Over the last 25 years, Ghellal & Mekerba has been the trusted legal counsellor of prominent foreign and domestic corporations operating in Algeria. Constant efforts to achieve outstanding performance substantiate Ghellal & Mekerba’s leading law firm status, particularly in the following specialties: investment, commercial, corporate, mining and natural resources, financing and mergers and acquisitions. One of the partners (Amine Ghellal) is also a leading expert in Algeria on law relating to oil and gas, investment and international commerce, financing and project financing, telecommunications, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and international commercial arbitration. Several of our attorneys have corporate experience at high-level posts. This particular feature has allowed our firm to build an extensive professional network and has ensured its thorough understanding of the Algerian, North African and international business environment. Our firm’s key practice areas include but are not limited to: mining and natural resources, investment, privatizations, telecommunications, financing construction, international arbitration, litigation, economic regulation, employment, intellectual and industrial property, insurance, exchange control, customs, environment, health and pharmaceutics. Amine Ghellal, the founding partner of Ghellal & Mekerba, has 44 years of experience and is considered as one of Algeria’s leading law practitioners. He is said to know the Algerian Business framework “like the back of his hand”. He has a wide knowledge of all aspects of Algerian law regarding investment, corporate, financing, exchange control, tax and customs law. He is an international arbitrator and a member of the International Arbitration Institute. He has a perfect knowledge of contractual mechanisms and precautions governing dispute resolution. Dr. Ghellal acts as an arbitrator before the International Chamber of Commerce (CCI) and the Algerian Chamber of Trade and Industry (CACI). He is also currently seen as one of Africa’s leading gas and oil practitioners and regularly advises major international firms on all the intricacies of energy regulation. Dr. Ghellal has counselled the Algerian Ministry of Energy and has also headed Sonatrach’s “International Legal” and “International Negotiation” departments. Between 1979 and 1981, he was Algeria’s legal expert within the OPEC and the OPAEC. Dr. Ghellal is a graduate in both public and private law and in political sciences. He studied in France and obtained a Higher Diploma in Public law with Magna Cum Laude, a Higher Diploma in Political Sciences with Magna Cum Laude and a PhD with Summa Cum Laude and praises of the examination board. He also taught public law, both in France and Algeria, for many years, and has published many articles. Dr. Ghellal is a member of the Algerian Bar Association, a member of the International Bar Association, a member of the International Arbitration Institute (IAI), a correspondent of the World Bank in Algeria, an honoured Member of the International Who’s Who of Professionals and of Project Finance, a member of the International Lawyers Club (Head Office in France), and a member of the International Lawyers Association “Mackrell International” (Head Office in Great Britain). Contact Details: Tel: 213 21 91 42 30 E-mail: contact@ghellal.com

International Employment Law Firm of the Year – Global Seyfarth Shaw LLP is an 850+ lawyer firm with global reach and unparalleled capabilities in international employment law. The firm’s team of specialist international employment lawyers is the largest of its type globally, and its practice is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading practices in the area. All the partners in the international practice are internationally-trained, and each has assisted many of the world’s largest companies with numerous complex and high-profile global employment-related strategic, compliance and transactional projects across a wide range of industries. The team has experience across more than 170 countries, often working on projects covering up to 150 countries at one time. The experience and credentials of Seyfarth’s international practice have led to its reputation as a global leader in the practice of international employment law and have positioned the team as ‘go to’ advisors for large multinational companies requiring strategic employment advice covering their global operations. Key areas of experience and expertise include: •

Structuring and implementing employment related strategic initiatives on a multijurisdictional basis

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Workplace policies and handbooks

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Terminations – individual and large scale reductions in force

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Workplace harassment, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity law matters

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Protection of employers' proprietary and confidential information

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Multi-jurisdictional privacy/data protection and employment law compliance issues

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Employment and contingent workforce arrangements and documentation

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Employment and labour issues arising from international mergers and acquisitions

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International outsourcing arrangements

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International workplace investigations

Seyfarth’s international employment team is located in key global locations and provides a true cross-border expertise. Its unique service model has been developed over a number of years and is very well tested by many of the world’s largest companies. The team’s success is the result of a constant, unrelenting focus on the needs of its clients and a commitment to excellence using the strength of an integrated team-based approach to deliver international employment law services in a creative, innovative and commercial way.

Contact Details Key Contact: Darren Gardner – Chairman, International Practice Firm: Seyfarth Shaw LLP Email: dgardner@seyfarth.com Tel: +1 (415) 544-1018 Website: www.seyfarth.com

Accountants of the Year – Mexico KSI México is a Mexican Company of Certified Public Accountants, and o ne of the best domestic consulting firms. Member of KS International, an association of independent accountancy firms with over 100 offices; we operate in some 50 countries around the world to deal with your international business need. We belong to the PCAOB (Public Co mpany Accounting Oversight Board) , as a corporation to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect the interests of investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate and independent audit reports. KSI México offers a personal service, focused on the growth and success of our clients . We outstand for the quality of our services, offering a complete solution for each client . We provide a wide range of business service to companies in a variety of industries. The firm specializes in corporate finance advice, accounting, tax planning, consultation, and auditing services. The Key to our approach is to build a close relation ship between partner and client. If you are thinking doing business in México, think Ksi México. We help successfully set up and gro w many companies. We can tailor a special propose of your investments. Our commitment is to help your business succeed by keepi ng up-to-date with your affairs and offering a high standard of both commercial and supportive advice. Qualities you will find in a K SI México firm include: 

A real understanding of your business .

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The partners are in tune with your needs and aspirations .

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Regular attention and support from accessible partners .

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Commercial realism in the advice you receive .

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Technically reliable responses to your enquiries .

Additionally, KSI México fir m attach great importance to recruiting and training quality staff. Contact Details: Mr. David Hernández Munguia info@ksi.mx

Entertainment Law Firm of the Year – Germany ARNECKE SIBETH is an independent law firm with 35 partners and more than 100 attorneys at four locations: Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Dresden. It ranks among the top legal service providers in Germany. We offer comprehensive legal services in selected practice areas and sectors. We call this approach focused full service. Our specialists are organised in six strong practice groups which are fully integrated across the locations and are working together closely as a team. ●Corporate / M&A / Tax ●Real Estate ●Public Law ●Employment ●IP/IT/Commercial (with sports + media) ●Transportation / aviation / logistics Our Corporate/M&A Practice is highly valued both domestically and in cross-border transactions. In the area of Real Estate and Construction/Engineering we can boast one of the most successful and largest teams in Germany. Many of our professionals working in the areas of Public Law and IP/IT/Commercial have received multiple awards. We are leading experts in the Law of Transportation, Aviation and Logistics and our TAL practice enjoys high acclaim internationally. We advise multinational groups as well as medium-sized enterprises in various industry sectors, both domestically and in cross border matters. We have an excellent international network. Our carefully selected partners Meritas and Interlaw offer access to first class attorneys in all important legal systems who share our comprehensive approach to legal services and meet the high expectations of our clients. At our firm you will deal with partners directly – throughout the entire project. Teams will be set up in the size as required. We can also handle complex matters with multidisciplinary and well integrated teams. Always under the clear leadership of a partner who keeps a watchful eye on the matter and stays in close contact with the client. We take pride in providing services. It takes more than just legal considerations to find the right entrepreneurial decision. Therefore we offer “more than law”. It is our ambition to take a 360-degree look at the picture and thus to have a clear view of all facets of a topic. Contact Details: ARNECKE SIBETH, FRANKFURT HAMBURGER ALLEE 4 (WESTENDGATE) 60486 FRANKFURT AM MAIN Tel.: +49 69 979885-0 E-Mail: Frankfurt@ArneckeSibeth.com

Tax Law Firm of the Year – Switzerland AFSCHRIFT is a multi-awarded 24 lawyer’s boutique law firm established in Brussels, Antwerp, Geneva, Fribourg, Luxembourg, Madrid, Tel Aviv and Hong Kong. The firm provides personalized consultancy services on the fields of direct and indirect taxation, especially (international) tax optimization and (corporate, estate and real estate) planning, while defending taxpayers in tax and white collar crime cases before the courts; it has participated in the major tax trials of the past 20 years. The firm’s clientele includes individuals, industrial and commercial companies, Luxembourgian, Swiss and Belgian banks, as well as companies established out of Belgium. Due to the partners’ expertise on European tax law, as well as their specific knowledge of Swiss, Belgian, Luxembourgian, Spanish and Israeli tax law, AFSCHRIFT’s lawyers are in position to help companies to achieve the best optimization of their tax situation and individuals to optimize the planning of their estate. Managing partner and founder Thierry Afschrift, professor to the Free University of Brussels, deputy judge to the Court of appeal and referred as “Best Tax Lawyer-Belgium 2009” (World Finance Magazine), he is a member of the Brussels, Antwerp while he is admitted to the Geneva, Madrid, Fribourg and Hong Kong bars. Companies and individuals have to face the three principal problems in Belgium: over-regulation (but not always of optimal quality), constant increase of the State’s powers and, also constant, increase of taxes. In this frame, Afschrift’s role is to help its clients to prepare, efficiently and legally, future operations… and/or to mend existing ones. That means that the crisis did not really touched the firm, except on the field of consultancy on commercial operations, as business have been slowed down by the crisis. No special measures have been taken, nor have changes of the firm’s policy been made. AFSCHRIFT’s lawyers still work in the same manner, trying to always achieve the best results for their clients.

From a business point of view, our goal is to reinforce our position in the Benelux and Switzerland and Luxembourg, where the lawmakers prove themselves of a great creativity on the tax field. The firm will also probably spread its activities in Asia, as the situation in Europe risks to worsen, given the increase of sovereign debts, and the austerity policy followed by the most of the European countries, which will probably result in an new increase of taxes, while the business and labor markets will, in the best of the scenarios, only stabilize. This recession, which will probably touch also the Scandinavian countries, as well as the stagnation of the economic growth, will force a number of European companies to extend their activities in other, more distant, markets.

Contact Details Avenue Louise, 208 1050 BRUSSELS BELGIUM T +32 2 646 46 36 F +32 2 644 38 00

Business Crime Law Firm of the Year - UK Rustem Guardian was founded in 2005 by Managing Partner, Mr. Timur Rustem, after a very successful and high profile career based in the City of London. Just ten years on, Rustem Guardian has established itself as a formidable niche criminal defense law firm in London with a reputation associated with high profile and high complex criminal cases. The firm's reputation means that Timur is regularly invited to comment in the media. Timur Rustem, founder and Managing Partner comments: "We have a small but dedicated team with an enviable reputation for meticulous case preparation and tenacity in defending its clients. We take pride in being a multi-cultural firm with a team of solicitors and paralegals that speak a range of languages. We are a leader in criminal defense work as Rustem Guardian uniquely houses both solicitors and barristers, placing ourselves above other standard practicing law firms. Clients choose Rustem Guardian as the firm is known for its discreet and sensitive approach to what can be complex and life destroying allegations. We appreciate that the law is complex and challenging and we strive to give every client the advice and support they are entitled to. We also recognize that problems can arise at inconvenient times. We are therefore available to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." Mr. Rustem is a highly sought after Serious Crime Solicitor with over twenty years' experience in the City of London and the highest level of media exposure appearing on Sky, the BBC, Channel 5 and ITV to name a few. Mr. Rustem was named ‘Recommended Lawyer, 2014’ by Legal 500 and has many accolades under his belt including the prestigious ‘Super Lawyer’ award. Mr. Rustem is called upon specifically for his focused specialist areas Sexual Offences, Fraud and Appeals and has built a multiaward winning firm which is now one of the top criminal law firms in the UK. Tim built his reputation in Terrorism Law and is often invited to comment in the media on terrorism legislation. Most recently Rustem Guardian was named ‘Niche Terrorism Law Firm of the Year 2014’ by ACQ5. His tenacious and formidable approach was founded in his representation of a defendant in the Airline Bombing (Terrorism) case in 2006, which won him the ‘Lawyer of the Year’, presented at the House of Lords. His legal expertise covers, but is not restricted to:

• Serious Sexual Offences including Historical Sexual Offences, Rape, Sexual Offences Against Children, Child Pornography, Indecent Exposure, Downloading Indecent Images, Voyeurism, Trafficking and Sex Offenders Register • Serious Fraud including VHCC, Boiler Room Fraud, Insurance Fraud, Mortgage Fraud and Money Laundering • Appeals against Conviction and Sentencing • Serious Violent Offences including Murder • Drug trafficking • Terrorism • Private Investigations and Private Prosecutions • Private Immigration • Blackmail • Drug trafficking • Motoring Offences Sexual Offences Since founding Rustem Guardian ten years ago, Mr. Rustem has an unrivalled reputation in representing those accused of the most serious Sexual Offences and is a sought-after legal expert often invited to comment in the media (please see below). Mr. Rustem holds long-term and trusted relationships with his clients, offering them sophisticated, practical and supportive legal advice. His depth of experience means that he is well accustomed with media attention and is well equipped to keep potentially high profile cases out of the public eye. His high success rate coupled with his media profile is recognized; recently Rustem Guardian was awarded ‘Niche Sexual Offences Law Firm of the Year, 2014’ by ACQ5 in conjunction with the ft.com. Fraud Under Mr. Rustem’s leadership, Rustem Guardian was one of few UK criminal law firms awarded prestigious status to deal with VHCC cases. Mr. Rustem was recently awarded the accolade ‘Super Lawyer, 2013’ for his White Collar Fraud work and ‘Business Crime Lawyer of the Year’, 2014 by Lawyer Monthly. Under Mr. Rustem’s leadership of the Fraud department the firm has built a reputation for taking on the most complex of Fraud cases which is widely recognized. Most recently Rustem Guardian was awarded ‘Business Crime Law Firm of the Year 2014’ by Finance Monthly. Appeals Mr. Rustem is quickly establishing Rustem Guardian as the go-to firm for private Appeals as his case load is growing in number and Mr. Rustem is realising more wins. Mr. Rustem is passionate about fighting for justice and believes there are many falsely accused individuals who have been sentenced unjustly, taking on Appeals at any stage. He understands that in these cases it is the wider family and friends that also victims of convictions, and Mr. Rustem approaches cases with the utmost sensitivity and care. Contact Details: Rustem Guardian LLP 5 Chancery Lane 4th floor London EC4A 1BL

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