Anthony Woo and Jenny Zhuang of Kennedys share with us their insights following a momentous judgment in the shipping arena in Hong Kong. For the first time, the meaning of ’control’ in the context of a ship arrest was contemplated by the Hong Kong Courts – paving the way for some much needed clarity for ship owners.
Our cover story takes you through the merits and loopholes of employment legislation in various jurisdictions across the Asia and MENA regions. In addition, Bae Kim & Lee navigate the Korean employment maze and home in on dismissal issues whilst Al Tamimi provide us with an absorbing update on the state of play of employment in the UAE.
We are also excited to showcase the results from our External Counsel of the Year survey - where in-house counsel were asked to weigh in on who they believed to be exceptional external counsel in their own jurisdictions. We bring you the results and more here.
The relationship forged between in-house counsel and their external counterparts is a strong one, and in many cases can determine the volume of work directed their way. From our Representing Corporate Asia & Middle East Survey 2011, we have mined in-house counsel’s votes to reveal the winners of ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL'S External Counsel of the Year accolade.
Increasingly for in-house counsel, the intelligent appointment of an external panel of select legal advisers can significantly reduce the time and money spent on effectively managing risk. It follows then that developing close working relationships with external counsel can go a long way towards explaining value and justifying costs to senior management. External lawyers assist by providing a full suite of legal services, commercially savvy advice and specialist support and know-how. Evangelos Apostolou, Deputy General Counsel of Asia Pacific, Ernst & Young highlights the benefits of establishing an external counsel panel in an age where the role of in-house lawyers is continually evolving.
China is encouraging foreign investment into the pharmaceutical distribution industry by lifting previously entrenched barriers in ‘restricted’ categories in the field. Given that the government is additionally taking steps to reduce drug prices down the distribution chain, foreign manufacturers are electing to cut out the middleman and establish their own distribution business with a view to maxing out on profits. Jack Wang and Ma Ya of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer take us through the government’s efforts to boost foreign investment and consolidate the drug distribution industry in the PRC.
Bringing China’s arbitration rules up to date and in line with international standards has far-reaching advantages, including greater transparency and more scope for choice from the parties’ point of view. Stuart Dutson and Yang Zhao of Eversheds provide an overview of the key changes to the CIETAC Rules (2012) and outline the impact these amendments will have on arbitral proceedings in China.
