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Like Deutsche Börse, France’s COB is looking to help stablize stock prices by tightening its rules governing initial public offerings. Laurence Mitrovic, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Paris, looks at the regulators plans and the unfavourable response to them

Clifford Chance will soon offer one-stop legal advice in Tokyo thanks to a joint venture with a local Japanese firm. Just over one year after mergers with US firm Roger & Wells and German firm Pünder, Volhard, Weber & Axster, Clifford Chance is tying up with Japan's Tanaka & Akita. However, this latest deal is hardly likely to overshadow the firm's landmark mergers in the US and Germany. When Tanaka & Akita goes ahead with the joint venture on May 1 it will add 10 lawyers to the 28 Clifford Chance already has in its existing Tokyo office. The joint venture will operate from the existing offices of Clifford Chance and will be known as Clifford Chance and Tanaka & Akita (T&A). Never let it be said that lawyers are afraid of change.

The Commodity Futures Modernization Act will revolutionize the regulation of derivatives trading in the US by loosening the ties on larger market users and allowing the SEC to take part. Philip McBride Johnson of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom reviews the Act

The Bills of Exchange Act (the Act), which regulates the law on bills of exchange, cheques and promissory notes was enacted in 1964. The Bills of Exchange Amendment Act of 2000 amends the Act, mainly for the protection of consumers and also to keep in step with the times.

Christophe Caffard in conjunction with Philip Boys, Lovells, Paris, describes the legal and regulatory environment for online brokers in France

Banks know that losses due to operational risk will cost them. But how much capital should they assign to cover those costs? Richard Bethell-Jones of Denton Wilde Sapte, London, assesses the Basle Committee’s attempts to develop guidelines

In December last year, the European Parliament approved several amendments to the 13th Directive on Company Law concerning Takeover Bids. The amendments include allowing the board to increase the share capital of the company during the period of acceptance, as long as shareholder authorization was received at a general meeting held not earlier than 18 months before the acceptance period began, and extending the duties of the directors to consider employment when giving their opinion on a bid. It is unlikely that either the European Commission or EU governments generally will accept these amendments. At present, the European Council has until April 2001 to finish its second reading of the Takeover Directive. If the amendments are not approved, the process of conciliation will begin, by which the Commission will attempt to broker a compromise. If no compromise is reached, the European Commission will have to start the process again with a new draft.

Allan Leung has replaced Roddy McKean as managing partner of Lovells' Hong Kong office. McKean has returned to the London office, where a group of key partners are plotting to cool Lovells' global expansion.

It was revealed in December that the Neuer Markt is tightening its rules on initial public offerings in response to collapsing technology stocks. This month Markus Pfüller and Christiane Ehrich of Clifford Chance Pünder, Frankfurt, explain the details of the reforms

Proposed multilateral instrument 72-101Smith Lyons Toronto