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New York firms offer poor value for money and are arrogant, according to a new survey. Of the in-house counsel consulted outside New York, 58% said New York firms offer less value for money than other firms. Of all the in-house counsel, 20% expected to use New York firms less; under 3% expected to use them more.

Denton Hall has pulled out of the reported discussions between three London firms on a possible three-way merger. The two other firms, McKenna & Co and Cameron Markby Hewitt, are reported to be continuing their discussions, but other plans may intervene.

International firm Baker & McKenzie opened an office in Japan on November 1. The firm previously operated in Tokyo through an association with Tokyo Aoyama Law Office, but the two have now formed a qualified joint venture.

For the first time, Austria's bar association rules are being called into question and competition is likely to arrive soon. Austrian firms are preparing for mergers to face that competition. By Samantha Wigham

• US firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has appointed partner Douglas Tanner as head of the firm's Hong Kong office. Tanner, who leaves the Los Angeles office to take up the post, specializes in international capital market transactions, acquisitions, joint ventures and investment in Asia. He also has experience in asset securitization transactions and derivative products. He replaces Glenn Gerstell, who returns to the Washington DC office.

A draft Legislative Decree implementing EU Directive 19/94 was submitted in September to Parliament by the Council of Ministers.

US firm Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly will merge with Californian intellectual property (IP) firm Poms, Smith, Lande & Rose on January 1 1997. The new firm will have one of the largest IP practices in the US and hopes to rank in the top 10 firms for trade marks issued. The firm will have 11 offices.

Baker & McKenzie is opening an office in Munich early next year to complement its Frankfurt and Berlin offices. Three partners will manage the office, assisted by three associates. Walter Henle and Stephan Spehl join from the Frankfurt office, which will remain the leading office in Germany. Uwe Steininger, a tax and mergers and acquisitions lawyer, joins the office as partner from Bissman & Partner. Says Nigel Carrington, managing partner at the London office: "Munich is a major German centre, and we are already strong in Frankfurt and Berlin. It is an obvious move for us to make."

The Central Bank of Russia recently issued Instructions giving foreign investors greater scope to invest in rouble-denominated bonds. By Mira Davidovski and Robert Chernoff of Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn, Paris and Moscow

With small home markets, Benelux lawyers have been among the first in Europe to consider cross-border mergers and alliances. Their successes will be a model for others to follow. Paul Lee reports