Search results for

Big six accounting firm Price Waterhouse launched a Russian law firm in early June. The firm, called, snappily, Price Waterhouse Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Law Offices, will be primarily staffed by Russians and in due course managed by Russian lawyer partners. "This is a natural extension of Price Waterhouse's presence in the Russian market," says Emory Kesteloot, the tax and legal partner responsible for coordinating the creation of the law firm. "We expect to be among the top Russian law firms. To this end we have appointed two of the most experienced Western legal specialists to lead and develop the practice as resident partners in Moscow." The two are: Professor WE Butler and Maryann Gashi-Butler.

Half of Denmark’s traditionally small, family-based firms are set to disappear, according to a recent report. Clare Hepburn looks at how lawyers there are meeting the challenges of liberalization

A report on company law commissioned by the Hong Kong government calls for radical streamlining and a move away from British legislative models. By Cally Jordan of Stikeman, Elliott, Hong Kong

The commission considering financial regulation in Australia has recommended a new format for regulation, aimed at boosting financial services competition. By Don Harding of Freehill Hollingdale & Page, Sydney

The first measure in the long-awaited liberalization of Japanese financial markets has been passed. Naoaki Eguchi, Yasushi Murofushi and Jeremy Pitts, of Tokyo Aoyama Law Office – Baker & McKenzie, Tokyo look at the new foreign exchange regime

Auditors' duty of care

The US$400 million financing of the ECK Generating (ECKG) power plant in Kladno, Czech Republic, has reached financial closure. This is the first independent power project in the Czech Republic to be funded on a project finance basis. The financing is structured in Czech koruna, Deutschmarks and dollars.

The Finnish government recently proposed changes to the regulation of the subscription and purchase of shares in real estate funds aimed at creating a more secure and better regulated means of investing in real property. The new legislation would apply to public limited liability companies (referred to in the proposal as 'real estate funds') through which the public can participate in a fund primarily investing in real estate and shares in real estate companies.

The government of Panama has sold a 49% stake in the country's national telephone company, Intel, in central America's first telecoms privatization. UK telecoms company Cable & Wireless paid US$632 million in cash for the stake, beating rival bidder GTE Corporation of Stamford.

Mireille Quirina, chief counsel Europe for Du Pont, talks to Diana Bentley