http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/index.jsp en-us 05/16/2012 Copyright 2008 incisivemedia. All rights reserved. http://www.law.com/service/terms_conditions.shtml http://www.law.com/img/law/international/international_rss.gif http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/index.jsp Partners at Herbert Smith and Australia's Freehills are set to vote on their proposed tie-up next month, with integration planned for Oct. 1. Initially the firms will be financially independent, although the intention is to merge eventually. The proposed deal has prompted Weil Gotshal to reconsider its referral relationship with Freehills. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202553149649 2012-05-11 00:00:00 U.K. Magic Circle firm Linklaters and Australia's Allens Arthur Robinson are entering into an exclusive alliance and will form a series of joint ventures across Asia. Allens Arthur chief executive partner Michael Rose stressed that the deal was not a merger and that both firms wanted to remain independent. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202550012872 2012-04-24 00:00:00 John Tivey, the lead partner in the mining practice at Freehills, is leaving the Australian firm to join White & Case in Hong Kong. Heavy investment in Australia's mining sector from Asia, particularly China, has driven a boom in cross-border mergers and acquisitions activity. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202549457683 2012-04-19 00:00:00 Freshfields has hired two partners for its Asia energy practice. Mark Plenderleith joins the firm's Tokyo office from Milbank. Gavin MacLaren comes over from Allens Arthur's Melbourne office. He will primarily support Freshfields' clients in Southeast Asia; the firm did not specify in which office he will initially practice. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202548849850 2012-04-13 00:00:00 Federal prosecutors in Brazil have charged 17 oil company executives with "crimes against the environment" over an oil leak in the Atlantic Ocean. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202546536455 2012-03-22 00:00:00 Craig Raneberg, the former CFO of Australian law firm Minter Ellison's Adelaide arm, has admitted to stealing A$2.7 million from the firm before fleeing to Thailand. Raneberg, who was arrested when he returned to Sydney to renew his visa, pleaded guilty to making 70 unauthorized transactions over his eight years as Adelaide CFO. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202546360985 2012-03-21 00:00:00 Merger talks with Australia's Freehills, which uses a modified lockstep system tied to individual performance, have led Herbert Smith to review its rigid lockstep structure, in an attempt to better align the two firms' remuneration structures and address criticism that pay for top earners has fallen behind key London rivals. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202545124845 2012-03-12 00:00:00 On Friday an arm of state-owned China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group saw its $2.4 billion offer for Perth-based Extract Resources, owner of the world's fourth-largest uranium deposit, endorsed by Extract's board. Advising on the deal are Australian firms Minter Ellison and Clayton Utz and London-based firm Ashurst. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202544502482 2012-03-06 00:00:00 On the same day Ashurst's merger with Australian firm Blake Dawson became official, Ashurst announced plans to launch a Beijing office with partner Patrick Phua, recruited from the newly minted King & Wood Mallesons. Phua was head of the derivatives, structured finance and banking practice for the former Mallesons Stephen Jaques' Beijing office. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202544115855 2012-03-02 00:00:00 The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced that a new free trade agreement with South Korea will officially take effect on March 15, allowing U.S. law firms to finally open offices in that country. South Korea is among several other Asian countries becoming more receptive to foreign attorneys and their firms. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/international/LawArticleIntl.jsp?id=1202543362165 2012-02-24 00:00:00