Long-Arm Justice: Some unexpected risks of doing international business

January 28, 2021
With increasing financial sanctions imposed on Chinese companies by the US government in recent years, the practice of long-arm justice is ever more relevant for international business. In this article, we will discuss long-arm justice in the US once we have looked at a brief introduction to similar practices historically in China and international institutions like the UN.

The shape of lawyers in the future – T, O or Delta? By Peter Connor

September 23, 2020
Living and working as a lawyer in the US, Asia, Europe and Australia for over 30 years, my legal knowledge and skills were the foundation of my career. But, more than anything, it was a range of non-legal skills and competencies that really helped me to change the way I worked. They allowed me to make more of an impact, enjoy my work more and ultimately be more successful. I’d like to say that it was all part of a master plan, but it wasn’t. It was largely opportunistic and unstructured. I thought to myself that it doesn’t need to be that way for other lawyers. So, in 2015, I decided to form AlternativelyLegal and share my experiences through a program that I initially called Everything But The Law. Back then, only a few people were talking about the importance for lawyers to develop, and to know how to use, non-legal skills such as process improvement, design thinking, business partnering and change management. A lot has changed over the last five years and especially the last twelve months. At a macro level, there has been a general recognition of the importance for all workers to develop what are often referred to as ‘soft skills’.[i] Also, as the World Economic Forum’s Report on the Re-skilling Revolution[ii] highlights, there is a critical and widespread need to re-skill and up-skill to anticipate the advance of technology and adapt to new roles and ways of working. Re-skilling involves learning new skills and competencies for potential new roles and up-skilling involves learning new skills and competencies for career progression within the same role. Does...

Talking to Stephanie Szeto of Peerpoint: Allen & Overy’s Flexible Resourcing Offering

August 14, 2020
Peerpoint’s Asia business head, Stephanie Szeto moved to Hong Kong from San Francisco Bay area in 2008. She has over 15 years’ experience in strategic business roles at top-tier international law firms. With ALSP’s becoming a popular legal services provider, especially during these times of Covid19, In-House Community caught up with her to ask… …What is Peerpoint and what makes it different? Peerpoint is Allen & Overy’s (A&O’s) global flexible resourcing business. We connect the best consultant lawyers in the market with world-leading organisations. We’re a ‘lawyer-led’ business, which means we concentrate on the needs and aspirations of lawyers in their professional lives. We listen carefully to what lawyers are seeking, in terms of experiences, skills, working environments, flexibility and support. Being part of the first magic circle law firm to offer a flexible legal resourcing solution, we bring A&O’s expertise and success in the legal sector to our clients’ interim needs. This means we have years of experience understanding the needs of our clients and the dynamics of successfully matching and integrating consultants into their teams. We value the multi-faceted relationships A&O has with its clients and through Peerpoint we support immediate resourcing needs, as well as the longer term dynamics of evolving and maturing legal functions. Our clients often feedback that Peerpoint is the most consistent platform for consultants with qualified experience to perform at a high level. That rings true on many levels because our consultants offer more than just legal expertise; they bring sound judgement, business acumen, project management, stakeholder management, and other essential skills and qualities to successfully deliver the support needed, genuinely adding...