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International Litigation News - MAY 2019 Publication of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division - LALIVE
International
Litigation News
Publication of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division

MAY 2019
International Litigation News - MAY 2019 Publication of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division - LALIVE
The 2019 Annual Conference will be held in Seoul, South Korea, a
                                                    thriving metropolis that mixes the traditional with the modern – from
                                                    skyscrapers, high-tech subways, K-pop culture and K-beauty to Buddhist
                                                    temples, palaces and street markets.
                                                    South Korea has made a spectacular rise from being one of the poorest
                                                    countries to the 4th largest economy in Asia and the 12th largest in
                                                    the world. It has become a developed high income country in one
                                                    generation. South Korea remains one of the fastest growing developed
                                                    countries.
                                                    This technology forward, but deeply traditional city will be an ideal
                                                    location for the largest and most prestigious event for international
                                                    lawyers. Seoul will provide an abundance of business and networking
                                                    opportunities, the chance to explore this bustling and energetic city and
                                                    to experience the dynamism of the region.

                                                    WHAT WILL IBA 2019 OFFER YOU?
                                                    • Gain up-to-date knowledge of the key developments in your area of
                                                      law which you can put into practice straight away
                                                    • Access to the world’s best networking and business development
                                                      event for lawyers and law firms – attracting over 6,000 individuals
                                                      representing over 2,700 law firms, corporations, governments and
                                                      regulators from over 130 jurisdictions
                                                    • Build invaluable international connections with leading practitioners
                                                      worldwide, enabling you to win more work and referrals
                                                    • Increase your personal and law firm’s profile in the international
                                                      legal world
                                                    • Hear from leading international figures, including officials from the
                                                      government and multilateral institutions, general counsel and experts
                                                      from across all practice areas and continents
                                                    • Acquire a greater knowledge of the role of law in society through rule
                                                      of law and human rights
                                                    • Be part of the debate on the future of the law
TO BOOK NOW:
Visit: www.ibanet.org/Conferences/Seoul-2019.aspx

To receive details of all advertising,
                                                                        OFFICIAL CORPORATE SUPPORTER
exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities
for the IBA Annual Conference in Seoul,
email andrew.webster-dunn@int-bar.org
International Litigation News - MAY 2019 Publication of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division - LALIVE
IN THIS ISSUE                                                            MIDDLE EAST

From the Co-Chairs                                               4          Mandatory mediation for commercial cases in Turkey:
                                                                             regulation and related concerns63
Editors’ note                                                    5
                                                                             Amendments to Turkish criminal procedure code,
Committee Officers                                               6
                                                                             post state of emergency64
IBA Annual Conference – Seoul, 22–27 September 2019:
                                                                             The UAE’s new Arbitration Law: a significant step towards
Our committee’s sessions                                         7
                                                                             making the Emirates a global arbitration hub67
Ich bin ein Berliner: welcome to the Berlin
                                                                             Commercial agency disputes and their resolution in the UAE70
IBA Litigation Forum9
                                                                             Class actions in Israel71
Welcome to Seoul: discussion with John Bang
on litigating in Korea and visiting the IBA                              ASIA
Annual Conference10
                                                                             The high-water mark in the enforcement of exclusive
What are you doing to promote diversity?13                                  jurisdiction clauses in Singapore73
My London – My Geneva17                                                     Singapore Court of Appeal adjudges on the effect
Roundtable: views from the top18                                            of non-exclusive jurisdiction clauses and what
                                                                             constitutes a submission to jurisdiction 75
On top of your game: tips for how to litigate healthily26
                                                                         NORTH AMERICA
Features from our global members
                                                                             Foreign sovereign immunity and employment lawsuits
EUROPE                                                                       brought against foreign states in the United States 78
  Duty of cooperation for directors of an insolvent                          Can a United States court order discovery outside the
  company and information to be provided30                                  US for use in a foreign proceeding?80
  Presumption of innocence and media reporting in Austria32             LATIN AMERICA
  May the parties derogate both general and special                          Enforcing socioeconomic rights through structural injunctions
  jurisdiction in Italy?34                                                  in Mexico: a proposal in light of the San Fernando case82
  The Dolce & Gabbana case: the latest episode in the
  ‘tax inversion war’35
                                                                         Newsletter Editors
  Laundromat no more? Unexplained Wealth Orders
                                                                         Jane Colston                                               Sandrine Giroud
  in London37
                                                                         Brown Rudnick, London                                      Lalive, Geneva
  Cross examination of an expert witness39                              jcolston@brownrudnick.com                                  sgiroud@lalive.law

  Parent company liability in English law: the trouble with
  troublesome subsidiaries41                                            International Bar Association
  Rage against the machine: crypto-frauds – one scandal                  4th Floor, 10 St Bride Street
  too many?44                                                           London EC4A 4AD, United Kingdom
                                                                         Tel: +44 (0)20 7842 0090
  The new disclosure pilot for the Business and Property
                                                                         Fax: +44 (0)20 7842 0091
  Courts: a co-pilot’s perspective47
                                                                         www.ibanet.org
  Ten top tips for crisis management50                                  © International Bar Association 2019.
                                                                         All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
  Truck cartel and intra-EU Court competence criteria52                 in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature
                                                                         without the prior permission of the copyright holder. Application for permission
  New French law expands protections covering trade secrets55           should be made to the Director of Content at the IBA address.

  US monitorships: the Swiss perspective57
                                                                       Terms and Conditions for submission of articles
  Ukrainian judicial practice heading in a proper direction61         1. Articles for inclusion in the newsletter should be sent to the Newsletter Editors.
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This newsletter is intended to provide general information regarding      associated with the article and, except for necessary editorial changes, no substantial alteration
recent developments in international litigation. The views expressed      to the article will be made without consulting the author.
are not necessarily those of the International Bar Association.

                                                                               INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER                                            MAY 2019             3
International Litigation News - MAY 2019 Publication of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division - LALIVE
FROM THE CO-CHAIRS

                                                                                                             Tom Price

    From the Co-Chairs                                                                                       Gowling WLG,
                                                                                                             Birmingham
                                                                                                             tom.price@

    W
                                                                                                             gowlingwlg.com
                elcome to the May 2019 edition of       arising from sanctions, human rights issues
                International Litigation News, which,   and climate change, as well as litigation            Angelo Anglani
                as is becoming the norm now,            arising from artificial intelligence and
    contains a feast of diverse and topical articles    cryptocurrencies. The Forum will start with          NCTM, Rome
    from around the world. Thank you to all who         a reception in the iconic Reichstag and the          angelo.anglani@nctm.it
    have contributed to it and, in particular, to       Thursday dinner will be at the Charlottenburg
    our hard-working editors, Jane Colston and          Castle. Our thanks go out to Peter Bert and
    Sandrine Giroud. From personal experience           the host committee, who have worked hard
    we know how much work is required in the            at putting together a great programme with
    editorial role.                                     wonderful speakers.
       2018 was a wonderful year for the Litigation        Preparations are well under way for the
    Committee guided by the calm, but highly            Annual Conference in Seoul in September.
    efficient, Ira Nishisato. The Annual Litigation     It will be fantastic to return to Asia for this
    Forum in Chicago, ‘Advocacy in the 21st             flagship event. The Litigation Committee
    Century’, was a magnificent success both in         is leading four sessions across a wide variety
    terms of the number of attendees and the            of topics including, for the first time, a
    quality of sessions and social programme. It        session dealing with the emotional stresses of
    will be a hard act to follow.                       practicing litigation, as well as more traditional
       The subsequent gathering at last year’s          topics of judgment enforcement and litigation
    Annual Conference in Rome also saw further          crisis management. We will also continue to
    success for the Committee, which led four           co-host the Global Women Litigators’ Breakfast
    sessions on as diverse topics as post-closing       and support several other sessions.
    claims in M&A and cybersecurity litigation, as         Finally for 2019, we are pleased to
    well as supporting a further six sessions.          announce the Third Private International
       Finally for 2018, the Litigation Committee       Law Conference in Milan, to be held on 25
    made its first, and very important, foray into      October. Preparations are in the capable
    Africa, co-presenting a Litigation Conference       hands of Carlo Portatadino and Chris
    with the African Regional Forum in Accra,           Tahbaz, and topics will include sanctions, the
    Ghana, in November. This was attended by            rise of commercial courts and the effects of
    more than 170 delegates from 17 countries           Brexit (by then perhaps more will be known
    (10 in Africa). The quality of the sessions         of the consequences).
    (which ranged from the workings of the                 It has long been the ambition of the
    Organisation for the Harmonization of               Litigation Committee to broaden its reach
    Corporate Law in Africa in dispute resolution,      geographically, and one way to do this is to
    to a highly entertaining debate on whether          hold the Annual Forum from time to time
    written advocacy will kill oral advocacy) were,     outside the traditional venues of Europe and
    without exception, of the highest standard.         North America. It gives us great pleasure
    Congratulations are due to Jacques Bouyssou         therefore to announce that the Annual
    from our Committee who took much of the             Litigation Forum in 2020 will be held in
    responsibility for putting on an ambitious          Buenos Aires on 6–8 May. Plans are still
    conference, with results that clearly paid off.     inevitably at an early stage, but if anyone
    A repeat Conference is planned.                     would like to be involved in the planning
       Our thanks go to Ira for all his hard work       then they should make contact with Angelo
    during the year, which ensured all the above        Anglani and Rodrigo Garcia.
    events, as well as the other activities of the         Additionally, the Committee is delighted
    Committee, were safely navigated under his          to support a further disputes conference
    stewardship.                                        that is being planned by the IBA Asia Pacific
       2019 also promises to be an exciting year.       Regional Forum for Singapore in September
    First of all, we have our Annual Litigation         2020. More details for this can be obtained
    Forum in Berlin on 8–10 May. The topic              from Preetha Pillai.
    is ‘Disruption in litigation – new types of            Aside from conferences, the Committee
    disputes in a new world order’. Topics will         continues to be involved in various initiatives
    include class actions, geopolitical disputes        and other work, including the consultation

4   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION     LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
EDITOR’S NOTE

                     with the Hague Conference and assisting                Thank you for your continued support of
                     with the Judicial Integrity Initiative. Work is      the Committee. We very much look forward to
                     also under way to improve the Committee’s            seeing many of you in Berlin, Seoul and Milan.
                     webpages. More details will be available at our
                     open meeting in Berlin immediately after the
                     Forum closes.

Jane Colston
Brown Rudnick,
London               Editors’ note
jcolston@

                     A
brownrudnick.com
                             s your Co-Editors, we are pleased to         to exchange personal experiences on
Sandrine Giroud              curate this new edition of the litigation    addressing diversity challenges – an important
                             newsletter. We have, as always, had          issue for the IBA. Our ‘Welcome to’ series is
Lalive, Geneva       a huge number of articles submitted for              the ideal litigator travel guide to discover the
sgiroud@lalive.law   publication, and it has been illuminating            places where the Litigation Committee will
                     to review and edit them. Many thanks to              stop next. Ahead of the Annual Litigation
                     all the contributors. The topics range from          Forum in May, we have a welcome to the
                     black letter law to new law across numerous          host city, Berlin. We also feature an insight
                     jurisdictions.                                       into litigating and visiting Korea, with Seoul
                        In addition to the jurisdictional updates         hosting the IBA Annual Conference in
                     from our members worldwide, this edition             September. Finally, our new ‘My…’ series will
                     includes articles offering more personal             enable members to share tips on their home
                     experiences and a focus on soft skills,              cities – we start with London and Geneva
                     which are more important than ever in our            from us, your Co-Editors.
                     digitalised and artificially intelligent world.         In signing off, we would like to thank
                     There’s a roundtable from former chairs of           Clément Dupoirier for his co-editing of the
                     the Litigation Committee, along with tips on         newsletter over the last two years.
                     how to litigate healthily.                              Good reading and please keep the
                        This edition also sees the start of several       contributions coming. Our focus is now on
                     new series. ‘What are you doing to promote           September’s edition.
                     diversity?’ is an opportunity for practitioners

                                                                       INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER      MAY 2019     5
COMMITTEE OFFICERS

    Committee Officers
    Co-Chairs                                          Regional Representative Russian
    Angelo Anglani                                     Federation & Eastern Europe
    NCTM, Milan                                        Feodor Viacheslavov
    angelo.anglani@nctm.it                             VLawyers, Moscow
                                                       fvyacheslavov@vlawyers.ru
    Tom Price
    Gowling WLG, Birmingham
                                                       Regional Representative Latin America
    tom.price@gowlingwlg.com
                                                       Rodrigo Fermin Garcia
                                                       Marval O’Farrell & Mairal, Buenos Aires
    Senior Vice-Chairs
                                                       rfg@marval.com
    Yvette Borrius
    Florent, Amsterdam
                                                       Publications Officers
    yvette.borrius@florent.nl
                                                       Sara Louise Chisholm-Batten
    Tim Strong                                         Michelmores, Exeter
    Taylor Wessing, London                             sara.chisholm-batten@michelmores.com
    t.strong@taylorwessing.com
                                                       Jeff Galway
                                                       Blake Cassels & Graydon, Toronto
    Vice Chairs
                                                       jeff.galway@blakes.com
    Frederick Acomb
    Miller Canfield, Detriot
                                                       Newsletter Editors
    acomb@millercanfield.com
                                                       Jane Colston
    Christie Helmer                                    Brown Rudnick, London
    Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Portland                jcolston@brownrudnick.com
    chris.helmer@millernash.com
                                                       Sandrine Giroud
                                                       Lalive, Geneva
    Secretary
                                                       sgiroud@lalive.ch
    Carlo Portatadino
    Weigmann, Milan
                                                       Conference Quality Officer
    carlo.portatadino@weigmann.it
                                                       Urs Feller
                                                       Prager Dreifuss, Zurich
    Treasurer
                                                       urs.feller@prager-dreifuss.com
    Jacques Bouyssou
    Alerion, Paris
                                                       Conference Coordinator Europe
    jbouyssou@alerionavocats.com
                                                       Peter Bert
                                                       Taylor Wessing, Frankfurt
    PPID Liaison Officer
                                                       p.bert@taylorwessing.com
    Peter Chaffetz
    Chaffetz Lindsey, New York
                                                       Committee Liaison Officer
    peter.chaffetz@chaffetzlindsey.com
                                                       John Reynolds
                                                       White & Case, London
    Scholarship Officer
                                                       johnreynolds@whitecase.com
    Simon Hart
    RPC, London
                                                       Website Officers
    simon.hart@rpc.co.uk
                                                       Thera van Swaay de Marchi
                                                       Pinheiro Neto, São Paulo
    Regional Representative Asia Pacific
                                                       tdemarchi@pn.com.br
    Neerav Merchant
    Majmudar & Partners, Mumbai                        Sverker Bonde
    nmerchant@majmudarindia.com                        Delphi, Stockholm
                                                       sverker.bonde@delphi.se

6   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION     LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
IBA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – SEOUL, 22–27 SEPTEMBER 2019: OUR COMMITTEE’S SESSIONS

                    Special Projects Officer                                 Sponsorship Officer
                    Marko Hentunen                                           Samaneh Hosseini
                    Castrén & Snellman, Helsinki                             Stikeman Elliott, Toronto
                    marko.hentunen@castren.fi                                shosseini@stikeman.com

                    Diversity and Equality Officer
                    Daan F Lunsingh Scheurleer
                                                                             Young Litigators Forum
                    NautaDutilh, Amsterdam
                    daan.lunsingh@nautadutilh.com                            Co-Chairs
                                                                             Anna Grishchenkova
                    Membership and Communications Officers                   KIAP, Moscow
                    John P Bang                                              ag@kiaplaw.ru
                    Bae Kim & Lee, Seoul
                                                                             Andreas Frischknecht
                    john.bang@bkl.co.kr
                                                                             Chaffetz Lindsey, New York
                    Clément Dupoirier                                        andreas.frischknecht@chaffetzlindsey.com
                    Herbert Smith Freehills, Paris
                    clement.dupoirier@hsf.com
                                                                             LPD Administrator
                                                                             Cheveon Badi
                                                                             cheveon.badi@int-bar.org

                                            Litigation Committee’s sessions

Monday 0930 – 1045                                                Monday 1430 – 1545
Judges and arbitrators as adjudicators and                        Litigation crisis management
settlement facilitators and the Singapore                         Presented by the Litigation Committee
convention on enforcement of mediated                             This panel intends to explore the interplay between different
settlements                                                       stakeholders who become involved in a corporate crisis as it evolves
Presented by the Dispute Resolution Section, the Arbitration      and their different roles and perspective. The panel will address how
Committee, the Consumer Litigation Committee, the Litigation      to balance the necessity of transparent and quick communication
Committee, the Mediation Committee and the Negligence and         with the public and the different perspective needed when defending
Damages Committee                                                 the corporation against civil claims or dealing with regulatory or
This session will discuss whether and to what extent judges and   criminal inquiries. The intention is to use a case study or a scenario
arbitrators should facilitate settlement, and the impact of the   and through that discuss what roles corporate counsel, outside
Singapore Convention on Enforcement of Mediated Settlements on    counsel (litigation as well as investigative teams) and PR professionals
international disputes.                                           will play at different stages; from when the crisis hits until the
                                                                  corporation begins to move on from it despite there – often – being
                                                                  years of litigation and investigation following thereafter. We will seek
                                                                  to involve the audience in the discussion, perhaps also through digital
                                                                  means (ie, by responding to questions/voting not only by a show of
                                                                  hands but digitally).

                                                                                                                Continued overleaf   

                                                                       INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER                    MAY 2019       7
IBA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – SEOUL, 22–27 SEPTEMBER 2019: OUR COMMITTEE’S SESSIONS

    Tuesday 0800 – 0915                                                          Wednesday 1115 – 1230
    Global women litigator breakfast                                             Justice Machines: dystopia or opportunity?
    Presented by the Litigation Committee and the Women Lawyers’                 Judicial function and dispute resolution in the
    Interest Group                                                               artificial intelligence (AI) era
                                                                                 Presented by the Litigation Committee and the Judges’ Forum

    Tuesday 1615 – 1730                                                          In the recent years, technology has substantially developed and
                                                                                 grown in the practice of law: from supporting and replacing certain
    Ways to cope in practice management                                          human activities, to a disruptive role, which is even intended to
    Presented by the Litigation Committee                                        reshape the adjudicative function. In this context, we already refer to
    Legal practice has always been a taxing and stressful profession. In         artificial intelligence (AI).
    today’s hyper-connected offices, the demands associated with being           It has been common opinion that the dispute resolution sector was
    a lawyer have only increased. In order to be effective and productive        safe from these developments, in the belief of the essentiality of the
    in the long run, lawyers need to be prepared to cope with the                human intelligence in the decision-making process.
    mental and physical toll that the legal profession can exert on an
    individual. Fortunately, the legal profession as a whole is increasingly     Is this assumption still valid? Does the development of technology
    cognisant of the need for lawyers to develop the skills and practices        suggest a different view?
    necessary for effectively managing stress and increasing their               To what extent will the judicial function – and therefore the legal
    productivity, such as preparedness, well-being, mindfulness and              profession – be reshaped by the AI phenomenon?
    meditation. These and other similar practices have already proved
    to be very effective in other high-intensity endeavours such as              The session will explore the state-of-the-art of AI applied to dispute
    entrepreneurship and sports, and their use by lawyers is likely to           resolution and debate consequences and perspectives for judges,
    benefit both the individual and the profession as a whole.                   lawyers and, ultimately, for the parties.

    Wednesday 0930 – 1045
    Enforcing judgments around Asia
    Presented by the Litigation Committee, the African Regional Forum,
    the Arab Regional Forum, the Asia Pacific Regional Forum, the
    European Regional Forum, the Latin American Regional Forum and
    the North American Regional Forum

    And so I have a judgment; now what?

    The enforcement of a judgment that has been obtained by a plaintiff
    is perhaps the most important aspect of litigation, as it is in effect the
    whole point of undergoing the often arduous process. When that
    judgment is a foreign one, this process is made even more difficult,
    as the foreign judgment itself must be recognised by the court in
    which that judgment is sought to be enforced before the plaintiff can
    invoke the necessary steps or procedures in order that it be enforced.
    However, the procedures concerned will differ from jurisdiction to
    jurisdiction and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Asia Pacific
    region, which consists of a heady mix of common law countries,                All programme information is
    civil law countries and hybrid systems. A diversity of rules may be           correct at time of print.
    confusing for litigants, who would potentially have to navigate both
    substantial and subtle differences in the various laws. Harmonisation         To find out more about the
    would obviously increase legal certainty and portability of judgments         conference venue, sessions and
    in the region, but is this even a possibility?                                social programme, and to register, visit
    Our panellists will discuss some of the broad features of the systems in      www.ibanet.org/Conferences/Seoul-2019.aspx.
    place in the Asia Pacific region, some of the challenges they have faced      Further information on accommodation and
    in enforcing foreign judgments, practical solutions in overcoming these
                                                                                  excursions during the conference week can also be
    challenges and their views on whether the existing rules are in fact
                                                                                  found at the above address.
    necessary to preserve the integrity of the national legal systems.

8   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION               LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
ICH BIN EIN BERLINER: WELCOME TO THE BERLIN IBA LITIGATION FORUM

Peter Bert
Taylor Wessing,
Frankfurt am Main   Ich bin ein Berliner:
p.bert@
taylorwessing.com   welcome to the Berlin
                    IBA Litigation Forum
                    What characteristics of the German legal             of the time-honoured concept of Kammer
                    system would you highlight to someone                für Handelssachen (chamber for commercial
                    looking to do business in Berlin?                    disputes), resulting in legislation to modernise
                                                                         Germany’s Code of Civil Procedure over and
                    Germany is a traditional civil law system. Its
                                                                         above the issue of language.
                    judicial system is generally considered to be
                    independent, efficient and corruption free.
                    The World Justice Project’s 2019 Rule of Law         What are the tactical and strategic points
                    Index ranks Germany in sixth place overall. Its      of difference that you would highlight
                    civil justice system does even better and wins       for foreign litigators overseeing disputes
                    the Bronze Medal. If you plan to do business in      before the German courts?
                    Berlin, rest assured that you will be doing so in
                                                                         As a foreign lawyer, I suggest keeping some
                    a safe and reliable legal environment.
                                                                         key characteristics of German procedural law
                                                                         in mind.
                    What major developments do you expect                   German civil procedure is largely paper-
                    to see in the German dispute resolution              based and there is neither discovery nor
                    landscape in the next five years?                    disclosure. If, on a scale of zero to ten
                                                                         regarding document production, the United
                    Two things come to mind:
                                                                         States is at ten, and the United Kingdom is at
                        First, in late 2018 Germany introduced
                                                                         three, then Germany is at zero (in line with
                    a new type of civil procedure for model
                                                                         most European jurisdictions). There is also
                    proceedings: the Gesetz zur Einführung einer
                                                                         no concept of trial. In a typical commercial
                    zivilprozessualen Musterfeststellungsklage,
                                                                         dispute, there might be a series of relatively
                    which builds, to some extent, on the
                                                                         short hearings, with relatively little oral
                    Kapitalanlegermusterverfahrensgesetz (the Law on
                                                                         advocacy, spread out over a relatively long
                    Model Litigation in Capital Market Disputes)
                                                                         period of time. You could have a first hearing
                    – a law that proved Mark Twain right when
                                                                         in March, a second hearing in June and
                    he said that ‘some German words are so long
                                                                         then be in court again in September and
                    that they have a perspective – these things are
                                                                         November to hear witnesses and experts. If
                    not words, they are alphabetical processions’.
                                                                         you are acting for the non-German party, you
                        The Musterfeststellungsklage is designed to
                                                                         can rest assured that German judges, as a
                    bundle identical or similar cases together, in
                                                                         rule, do not have a home bias. However, don’t
                    a streamlined process, with the first practical
                                                                         be surprised if the judge actively addresses the
                    application being diesel-related consumer
                                                                         issue of settlement discussions and perhaps
                    litigation. It will be interesting to see whether
                                                                         even proposes terms for a settlement.
                    claimants come on board, how the new
                    procedure performs in practice, and what
                    impact legislative initiatives at the European       Top tips for attending the IBA Litigation
                    Union level will have in the field.                  Conference in Berlin in May
                        Second, the topic of international
                                                                         Try to come early, or to stay the weekend. If
                    commercial courts is gaining traction. Like
                                                                         you have little time on your hands, consider a
                    other European jurisdictions, Germany is
                                                                         walk from the Reichstag and the Brandenburg
                    looking into a modern offering for commercial
                                                                         Gate to Hackescher Markt. The direct route
                    litigation, triggered in part by Brexit. Frankfurt
                                                                         will mostly follow the Unter den Linden
                    and Düsseldorf are already offering parties
                                                                         Boulevard and should take about half an
                    the opportunity to conduct court hearings
                                                                         hour. You can then add detours, depending
                    in English. The interesting question will be
                                                                         on your interests, time and budget, be this
                    whether there will be a comprehensive overhaul
                                                                         the Holocaust Memorial, the Friedrichstraße

                                                                     INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER         MAY 2019   9
WELCOME TO SEOUL: DISCUSSION WITH JOHN BANG ON LITIGATING IN KOREA

     shopping area or Gendarmenmarkt. You will           Bus, taxi or tram to get around Berlin?
     pass through Museuminsel (Museum Island),
                                                         If you are in tourist mode, give bus no. 100 a
     home to five famous museums and itself a
                                                         try. The route was created post-reunification
     UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you have
                                                         to connect East and West Berlin and links
     more time, consider a trip to Potsdam.
                                                         many of the top sightseeing spots. If not, try
                                                         all of the above, depending on the time of day
     What are your favourite spots for a meal            and your destination.
     in Berlin?
     For fine dining, I am a fan of Tim Raue’s           What makes someone a Berliner?
     self-titled flagship restaurant, Tim Raue.
                                                         Not being from Berlin myself, I find it hard
     One of his other spots, La Soupe Populaire,
                                                         to tell. Perhaps it is not so much about being
     was a great combination of art, cuisine and
                                                         from Berlin, but more a state of mind. John F
     location. It is about to re-open, perhaps just in
                                                         Kennedy famously said ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’.
     time for the conference.
                                                         If he could be a Berliner, you can be one too.

     If you have an evening to spend in Berlin,
     it would be…?
     Sunset drinks at one of the outdoor bars
     around Museum Island in summer, or around
     Gendarmenmarkt in winter, followed by
     a concert in one of Berlin’s jazz clubs. My
     favourite is the A-Trane in Charlottenburg.

                                                                                                          John P Bang

     Welcome to Seoul: discussion                                                                         Bae, Kim & Lee, Seoul
                                                                                                          john.bang@bk.co.kr

     with John Bang on litigating
     in Korea and visiting the IBA
     Annual Conference
     Describe your career to date                        that I did not like transactional work as much
                                                         as I had thought I would. In the interim,
     I did my undergraduate degree and JD in
                                                         from 1999 onwards, I also became involved
     the United States. After my JD, I worked as
                                                         in international arbitration and cross-border
     a federal law clerk to a judge in the United
                                                         litigation, which I found to be very much to
     States Bankruptcy Court for the District of
                                                         my liking.
     New Jersey. As I had emigrated to the US at a
                                                            In 2002, I therefore formally left my
     very young age, I had always wanted to spend
                                                         corporate practice and joined the newly
     some more time in Korea after becoming a
                                                         formed International Arbitration and Cross-
     professional. After completing my clerkship
                                                         Border Litigation practice in the firm. The
     in 1997, I therefore moved to Korea to work
                                                         practice had only two members at the time
     in cross-border transactions at Bae, Kim &
                                                         (including me): an associate and a partner.
     Lee (BKL).
                                                         As one of the two founders of the practice,
        As a result of the Asian financial crisis that
                                                         I worked to develop the practice at the
     occurred around that time, I worked on a
                                                         firm and in Korea over the next 17 years.
     number of large M&A deals within the first
                                                         Today, the practice has grown to include 21
     few years of joining BKL. However, I realised
                                                         associates and nine partners.

10   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION     LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
WELCOME TO SEOUL: DISCUSSION WITH JOHN BANG ON LITIGATING IN KOREA

What characteristics of the Korean legal                 As a result, Korean legal service providers
system would you highlight to someone                 have also developed their expertise in
looking to do business in Korea?                      international arbitration, meaning that clients
                                                      can expect to avail themselves of the highest
The Korean courts are ever more cognisant
                                                      standards in international arbitration services
of the demands and practices of international
                                                      by engaging Korean law firms. This access to
commerce and are thoroughly dedicated
                                                      affordable and convenient legal advice and
to providing businesses, both domestic and
                                                      representation has played a major role in
foreign, with fair and informed decision-
                                                      making Korean businesses comfortable with
making. They also have cosmopolitan and
                                                      international arbitration as a form of dispute
internationally-attuned judges, thanks to
                                                      resolution.
the fact that many Korean judges, as part
                                                         The Korean government and legislature
of their career progression, are sent by the
                                                      have also supported the development of
government to study abroad several years
                                                      arbitration in Korea by ensuring that Korean
into their careers. This familiarises the judges
                                                      arbitration laws and regulations remain
with the basics of other legal systems and also
                                                      arbitration-friendly and follow international
allows them to better appreciate Korea’s role
                                                      best practices. This legislative policy is
in the global commercial system.
                                                      reflected in the jurisprudence of the Korean
   The Korean courts and other regulatory
                                                      courts, which have an established track record
bodies have a particular emphasis on speedy
                                                      of not interfering with arbitral proceedings
and practical decision-making. Even where
                                                      and upholding arbitral awards.
disputes or obstacles arise in relation to
foreign investments in Korea, investors can
expect them to be adjudged and resolved               What traits do you think would serve an
in a very timely and practical manner. As             arbitration practitioner well in practising
a product of the speed and efficiency of              in Korea?
the Korean courts, the cost of litigation
                                                      Probably the most important quality for
as a proportion of claim amount is also
                                                      arbitration practitioners in Korea is to be very
relatively low in Korea compared to other
                                                      well-attuned to the organisational decision-
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
                                                      making and reporting requirements of their
Development (OECD) countries. It is due
                                                      clients. Unlike Korean court litigation, with
to these characteristics of the Korean legal
                                                      which most Korean in-house counsel and even
system that, over the past four to five years,
                                                      executives are largely familiar, international
the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ ranking
                                                      arbitration comes in a wide variety of forms,
has consistently placed Korea in second place
                                                      with one form sometimes varying widely from
(after Singapore) in terms of the ‘ease of
                                                      another in terms of the remedies available,
enforcing contracts’.
                                                      the pace of progress, the interim relief
   It is advisable that foreign companies
                                                      available, etc. Businesses in Korea therefore
doing business in Korea consider these
                                                      rely on their external counsel to guide them
qualities of the Korean courts before deciding
                                                      not just in terms of how to argue a case, but
whether they want to submit their disputes
                                                      also on what to expect from an arbitration
to arbitration instead of to the local courts.
                                                      and how to tailor the arbitration to the
Parties looking for efficient and affordable
                                                      requirements of the client. Korean arbitration
adjudication, particularly for smaller
                                                      practitioners therefore need to understand
transactions, may be best served by opting
                                                      the organisational demands of their clients
for the jurisdiction of the Korean courts over
                                                      and their hierarchy of priorities in order to
arbitration.
                                                      effectively advise them on how to deal with
                                                      arbitrations.
How is international arbitration perceived
in Korea as a form of dispute resolution?
                                                      5. In the past ten years what changes in
As Korean business has become more                    the dispute resolution space in Korea have
global, with both in-bound and out-bound              you seen?
investment increasing exponentially in the
                                                      One of the major changes that I have seen in
past two decades, Korean companies have
                                                      the past decade is that clients have become
realised the need to rely more heavily on
                                                      more sophisticated in how they engage and
international arbitration in their ventures
                                                      rely on external counsel, with the result that
with foreign companies.
                                                      dispute resolution practitioners have had to be

                                                   INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER      MAY 2019     11
WELCOME TO SEOUL: DISCUSSION WITH JOHN BANG ON LITIGATING IN KOREA

     more innovative and service-oriented than ever           Separately, in terms of the Korean
     before to meet the needs of the client.               legal market, I expect that (given Korea’s
        As Korean clients have grown in size and           continued rise in the construction and
     international reach, the level of sophistication      engineering sector) Korean companies are
     with which they use external legal services,          likely to be involved in a greater number
     and the quality they demand from legal                of construction projects and, as a result, a
     service providers, has increased. This has            relatively higher number of construction
     particularly been the case for companies that         disputes. I therefore expect that both Korean
     have sought to hire both Korean- and foreign-         and international law firms with strong
     licensed in-house counsel, in order to more           construction dispute practices are likely to
     effectively utilise the legal services available in   see increasing workloads in this regard over
     Korea and abroad.                                     the next few years.
        In the case of dispute resolution
     practitioners, this means that clients expect
                                                           What are the tactical and strategic points
     more nuanced and wide-ranging legal advice,
                                                           of difference that you would highlight
     not limited solely to the immediate dispute,
                                                           for foreign litigators overseeing disputes
     but also aimed at dispute avoidance and the
                                                           before the Korean courts?
     efficient use of alternative dispute resolution
     (ADR) to minimise litigation risk at the              Having received my legal education and
     company level.                                        initial training outside of Korea, in a common
                                                           law jurisdiction, I realise that there are several
                                                           aspects of Korean litigation that might catch
     What major developments do you expect
                                                           foreign litigators by surprise, and for which
     to see in the Korean dispute resolution
                                                           they may have to adjust their tactics.
     landscape in the next five years?
                                                              One example is the lack of discovery in
     One of the most important changes that I              Korean litigation. Compared to the broad
     foresee in Korean dispute resolution over the         concept of discovery in the US courts or
     next few years is based on my personal work           of disclosure in the UK courts, the Korean
     and experience at BKL. One of the major               courts are much more conservative in
     achievements of the firm’s International              ordering parties to produce documents that
     Arbitration and Cross-Border Litigation               the parties have not produced voluntarily.
     practice in the past five years has been that it      Requests or applications to this effect are
     has successfully implemented a new approach           granted less frequently than in common
     to handling international arbitrations and            law jurisdictions, and even when granted,
     cross-border litigation in Korea by having            are limited to certain specific documents.
     one of the most diverse legal practices in the        Litigators therefore have to adjust their
     region. Where the traditional approach had            tactics to rely primarily on the documents
     been to primarily have lawyers trained in             and oral testimony available to them, and
     the US and Korean legal systems, we moved             should not expect to be able to obtain
     beyond this to include, at various times, lawyers     documents in the possession of their
     trained in India, Pakistan, Australia, Singapore,     opposing party unless such documents can
     Mexico and the United Kingdom.                        be identified with a high degree of specificity
        The philosophy behind our approach has             and can be shown to be pertinent to
     been that the skills and knowledge required           deciding the dispute.
     for conducting arbitration and cross-border              Another aspect of Korean litigation often
     disputes can be found in competent lawyers            overlooked by foreign litigators involved
     from any jurisdiction. We believe that once           in Korean proceedings is the difference
     lawyers with such basic qualities join the team,      in the doctrine of privilege in Korea. The
     the team’s own work volume and collective             Korean legal system does not recognise
     experience enable it to effectively train these       a formal doctrine of legal, litigation or
     young members to be successful lawyers and            without prejudice privilege, among other
     international arbitration advocates.                  types. While attorneys have an obligation
        I believe that, in the long run, our move          and an entitlement to refuse to disclose
     towards a more global and cosmopolitan                any confidential information obtained in
     international arbitration and cross-border            the course of performing their duties as
     litigation team will influence other practices        attorneys, parties themselves have no such
     and firms within Korea to become more                 right. It is therefore important that litigators
     diverse and global.                                   take this difference into account early in any

12   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION       LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY?

                  litigation proceeding and adjust their tactics           To have one of the best views of Seoul, go
                  accordingly.                                          to the Lotte World Tower, the tallest building
                                                                        in Korea and the fifth tallest in the world.
                                                                        Separately, for those attendees who have
                  Top tips for attending the IBA Annual
                                                                        time to venture out into the city of Seoul, I
                  Conference in Seoul (22–27 September
                                                                        would particularly recommend visiting the
                  2019)
                                                                        royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty located
                  As always, I expect that the IBA Annual               at Seongjeongneung, the Changdeokgung
                  Conference will have highly informative               Palace Complex (which includes the
                  working sessions and great social events.             famous Secret Garden), the Royal Palace
                  In addition, with Seoul as the venue, the             at Gyeongbokgung and of course the
                  conference is likely to be attended by lawyers        Demilitarised Zone on the border between
                  from some of the largest corporations in the          South and North Korea.
                  world, particularly in the areas of electronics,         Lastly, it would be remiss of me if I did
                  telecom, automotive, construction and                 not recommend that all attendees take every
                  shipping industries, among others. I would            opportunity to try the excellent Korean
                  encourage all IBA litigators to take this             cuisine. My recommendation would be to, at a
                  opportunity to hear the insights and feedback         minimum, sample the Korean beef (Hanwol)
                  of in-house counsel from these industries, to         barbecue and the traditional bean paste stews
                  see how we, as a profession, can best serve           that go along with it, since the export of
                  such clients.                                         Hanwol outside Korea is prohibited.

                  What are you doing to
                  promote diversity?
                  In a new series, litigators share their thoughts, lessons learned and
                  progresses made to promote diversity in the practice of international
                  litigation

                  O
                           ne of my initiatives with a longer-          Goldröcke’ (‘We do not need golden skirts’),
                           lasting effect has been the IBA Global       in daily newspaper der Standard. The latter
                           Women Litigators’ Breakfast, hosted          argued that there are enough highly-qualified
                  by the Litigation Committee at the Annual             women to fill supervisory boards: there is no
                  IBA Conference. After three successful events         need to strive to circumvent the new law, which
                  since 2016, when I had the honour of starting         we see quite a bit, nor to select a ‘professional’
Bettina Knoetzl   to chair the Litigation Committee, one can            female supervisory board member (called a
Knoetzl, Vienna   say it has become a popular event in the IBA’s        ‘golden skirt’).
                  programme. I find it important to create                  When my five partners and I founded
                  professional fora, where more experienced             Knoetzl, we were determined to only select the
                  female lawyers can share their stories and            best possible people to join us. Only a couple
                  worries with the younger generation: concrete         of days after we had started our operation,
                  examples of success have the potential to             we noticed, by having applied simply this
                  encourage others to reach for the stars, rather       the standard of excellence in staffing, how
                  than to give up and leave the profession.             remarkably diverse the firm had become in
                     I have tried to help raise awareness of the        reality. Diversity could be seen at all ranks (and
                  issue with several publications and public            can still be seen) because quality – not quotas –
                  speeches. Two of these have included ‘It’s a          is the decisive criterion. We can say that we have
                  Man’s World’, in Austrian monthly lawyers’            discovered the formula. Of course, we recognise
                  magazine AnwB 2013 and, more recently, when           that we must accommodate special people with
                  a female quota was introduced to supervisory          compelling life circumstances, but we do that
                  boards of larger companies, ‘Wir brauchen keine       on a purely non-discriminatory basis.

                                                                     INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER        MAY 2019     13
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY?

     T
           he Law Society of England and Wales             Our Social Mobility Ambassadors
           fully believes that we should always be
                                                           Our vision is of a profession in which all
           aiming for a more diverse profession
                                                           solicitors – present and aspiring – can be
     that better reflects the wider society we serve.
                                                           confident that talent, ability and application
     We have a number of leading initiatives in
                                                           are rewarded irrespective of background,
     place to promote diversity and inclusion in
                                                           gender or ethnicity.                             Christina
     the legal profession. These include:
                                                             The Law Society’s Social Mobility              Blacklaws
                                                           Ambassadors are a growing network of
                                                                                                            President of the Law
     Diversity and Inclusion Charter                       solicitors from diverse backgrounds who
                                                                                                            Society of England,
                                                           are passionate about social mobility, the
     This encourages and supports firms in                                                                  London
                                                           profession and the law. They work with the
     turning their commitment to diversity and
                                                           Law Society and with schools, universities and
     inclusion into positive, practical action for
                                                           non-profit organisations to promote social
     their businesses, staff and clients. The Charter
                                                           mobility in the legal profession.
     was launched in 2009 and we conducted a full
                                                             Over the last four years, Ambassadors have
     review of it last year. As a result of this review,
                                                           reached hundreds of budding solicitors and
     we will soon pilot our new proposition: a
                                                           helped to inform their ambitions and find a
     robust and challenging set of accreditations
                                                           way through the difficulties they may face.
     designed to push our members to achieve
     more in the areas of diversity and inclusion.
                                                           Women in Leadership in Law project
     Positive action programmes                            On International Women’s Day, we launched
                                                           our report building on evidence from over
     We work closely with the Judicial
                                                           8,000 global contributors and over 230
     Appointments Commission, the Bar Council
                                                           international roundtables to identify barriers
     and CILEX on career development and
                                                           to women progressing in the legal sector and
     progression. We deliver a programme of
                                                           remedies to ensure more women aspire to,
     activities, such as workshops for Black, Asian
                                                           and reach, leadership positions.
     and minority ethnic (BAME) members
     interested in a career in the judiciary and
     sessions for BAME students interested in a            Divisions
     career in law.
                                                           These key communities represent groups in
                                                           our profession that still face discrimination
     Diversity Access Scheme                               today and for whom it is harder to get to the
                                                           top. The Divisions provide an avenue for
     This aims to increase social mobility in the
                                                           sharing best practices, addressing issues and
     legal profession by supporting promising
                                                           challenges, making key voices heard during
     entrants from non-traditional backgrounds
                                                           topical debates and identifying solutions to
     or those who face exceptional obstacles to
                                                           improve equal opportunities for everyone.
     qualification. We offer the following support
                                                           With an Ethnic Minority Lawyers Division,
     to successful applicants:
                                                           an LGBT+ Lawyers Division, a Lawyers with
     • financial assistance through the provision of
                                                           Disabilities Division and a Women Lawyers
       Legal Practice Course fees;
                                                           Division, each with representation on our
     • access to relevant high-quality work
                                                           Council, we aim to centre the needs of those
       experience; and
                                                           who differ from what has for too long been
     • a professional mentor.
                                                           considered the stereotypical lawyer.
                                                              I believe these initiatives demonstrate our
                                                           strong commitment to equality, diversity and
                                                           inclusion in the profession, allowing us to
                                                           continue to promote, represent and support
                                                           solicitors.

14   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION       LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY?

                        A
                                t Debevoise, we are committed to a          significantly contributed to the promotion
                                highly diverse and fully-inclusive law      of women in our firm: over the past 11 years,
                                firm at every level. We believe that        40 per cent of our internal promotions to
                        when we work effectively across difference we       partnership have been women. Many of those
                        deliver better advice, build better relationships   women had participated in our part-time
                        with more clients and are strengthened as a         programme prior to promotion.
Christopher             firm. We have a range of programmes in place           In addition to DWR, we have other
                        to help build an inclusive community, in which      initiatives in place to help our diverse talent
Tahbaz
                        people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives       see a career path for themselves at the firm
Debevoise & Plimpton,   and experiences work together as a team to          and beyond, including a monthly diversity
New York                provide the best legal service to our clients and   speaker series in which prominent diverse
                        in which all of our colleagues can develop to       lawyers who are leaders in their respective
                        their full potential.                               fields – legal executives, members of the
                           For example, three years ago we founded          judiciary, and more – come and speak about
                        the Debevoise Women’s Review or DWR                 their professional experiences and the path to
                        (https://women.debevoise.com), an                   success in the legal profession. More recently,
                        online space designed to create meaningful          we launched a Diversity & Inclusion Advisory
                        opportunities for women and men to engage           Council, a group of lawyers and senior staff
                        in frank dialogue around issues of gender           that is broadly representative of the firm as a
                        equality in the workplace and the world.            whole, to provide a forum for engagement,
                        The site features original stories relevant to      dialogue and interaction with firm leaders
                        professional women and their allies, including      around issues of diversity and inclusion within
                        interviews with trailblazing women, essays          the firm and beyond.
                        inspired by personal experiences, advice               Recognising the particular challenges and
                        pieces for women navigating their careers and       concerns that may be faced by first generation
                        more. In addition to DWR, we sponsor events         professionals, we recently launched a First
                        focused on developing professional networks         Generation Professionals affinity group
                        of women in law, at all levels of seniority, from   to provide a forum for those with similar
                        summer associates to general counsels and           backgrounds and interests, and their allies, to
                        C-suite client officers. Regular events focused     form a community and to offer programming
                        on groups such as women in private equity           that will respond to their needs. Similar
                        and female litigators foster the networks that      affinity groups already exist in our firm to
                        help promote the professional advancement           provide forums for discussion, programming
                        of women at all levels of the legal profession.     and advocacy within the firm to other groups
                           Programmes such as DWR are                       of diverse lawyers.
                        complemented and strengthened by
                        supportive workplace policies. Debevoise
                        has, for many years, allowed lawyers with
                        demonstrated parental, family care or
                        personal medical needs to work part-
                        time. Although the policy is designed and
                        applied in a gender-neutral manner, it has

                        S
                              ince December 2016, as part of our            Sargent. In 2016 Kathryn smashed one of
                              commitment to promoting equality and          London’s most enduring glass ceilings.
                              inclusivity in the workplace, we have         Kathryn was the first woman who had her
                        been hosting a Women in Business Series in          name ‘above the door’ in the world-famous
                        our London office, where we ask inspirational       Saville Row’s 213-year history. Kathryn, who
                        women speakers from various areas of                has dressed clients ranging from members of
Jane Colston            business to speak about their work. We hope         the royal family to politicians, launched her
Brown Rudnick,          to create a dynamic forum where business            premises on Savile Row. The launch caused a
London                  relationships can be forged and where               media storm: it was a great story. On the day
                        opportunities can be created and shared.            of her launch, I heard Kathryn speaking on
                           When I started to think about the idea of        the BBC. I had just started at Brown Rudnick
                        hosting a series of women-in-business events,       and I was inspired by Kathryn’s description
                        I was inspired by our first speaker, Kathyrn        of how she had made history. She spoke with

                                                                        INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER      MAY 2019     15
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY?

     the high energy of someone who is motivated        that this was not going to be a one-off event
     and doing something they are good at and           and I am happy to say that, since 2016, we
     love. As a new neighbour, I emailed her            have had the pleasure of being joined by some
     congratulations. It says much about Kathryn        excellent speakers, including: Amber Rudd
     that, despite being overwhelmed by the media       (while she was Home Secretary); Cressida Dick
     and the demands of her launch day, she took        (Metropolitan Police Commissioner); Cath
     the time to email back.                            Kidston MBE (English fashion designer); and
        Our offices extend across a house that was      Inga Beale DBE (CEO, Lloyds of London).
     built in 1720 for a wealthy landowner, who         On 18 April 2019, the 100th anniversary of
     commissioned its very lavish staircase painting    women in law in England and Wales, Christina
     in 1722. Throughout its long life, it has served   Blacklaws, the President of the Law Society, will
     as the premises for tailors. I was therefore       be our speaker.
     thrilled to kick-start our Women in Business         If you would like to join the event, feel free
     Series with Kathryn’s story of how she had         to contact me directly.
     built her global business. I was determined

     A
             s a firm, Herbert Smith Freehills          • was the first law firm to sign the Charter of
             (HSF) is committed to being a                LGBT Commitment, sponsored by l’Autre
             leading global law firm for diversity        Cercle (a French association created in
     and inclusion. Our ‘Leading for Inclusion’           1998 to combat discrimination based on
     strategy is framed around four pillars: clients,     sexual orientation and gender identity) in
     talents, innovation and values. In January           December 2016;
     2015, the Paris office (where I am a partner)      • promoted and signed, on behalf of the firm,
                                                                                                            Clément
     launched its dedicated Diversity and Inclusion       the UN Standards of Conduct for LGBTI             Dupoirier
     programme, led by the Paris Diversity &              inclusion, making a commitment to support         Herbert Smith
     Inclusion Committee, which includes lawyers          a culture of respect and equality in the          Freehills, Paris
     and non-lawyers. Over the last few years, the        workplace and the communities in which
     Committee has been focusing on promoting             we operate; and
     gender equality and multicultural diversity,       • runs a range of initiatives promoting gender
     as well as on raising awareness of the LGBT+         balance (such as our partnership with
     community, amongst other initiatives.                Arborus, an association promoting women
        As part of its efforts to promote diversity,      and gender equality) and pro bono advice
     HSF Paris office:                                    on women-led initiatives (such as Cité Tech,
     • became a member of the French                      which aims at giving everyone access to
       Association for Diversity Managers and is          technology).
       now one of its board members;

16   INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION    LEGAL PRACTICE DIVISION
MY LONDON – MY GENEVA

                     My London – My Geneva
                     Home is…                                              Where do you work out?
                     Jane Colston: Next to the Tate Modern. It and         JC: I get my exercise cycling and walking
                     St Paul’s cathedral never fail to make me stop        around London, doing yoga at the atrium
Jane Colston         and stare when I walk to work in the morning,         in the office with a group from work and
Brown Rudnick,       across the wobbly bridge over the Thames.             running along the Thames each Thursday
London                                                                     morning with a group of other litigators (so if
jcolston@            Sandrine Giroud: In a small village just              you are in town, join us!).
brownrudnick.com     outside Geneva, lost in the vineyards above a
                     beautiful natural park. The park is a stop-           SG: Our firm has a small fitness room and I
                     over for birds when migrating for warmer              enjoy pilates sessions twice a week there, as
                     horizons in the winter.                               well lots of walking and running after the bus
                                                                           to catch my train.
                     Which local hotels do you stay at?
                                                                           Have you ever had a run-in with a
                     JC: As I live in London, I don’t use hotels, but
                                                                           policeman?
                     my parents stayed at Claridge’s recently and
                     it felt like a fabulous scene out of Jeeves and       JC: No, but last month I helped the police chase
Sandrine Giroud      Wooster.                                              an offender who ran into my flat’s gardens.
Lalive, Geneva
sgiroud@lalive.law   SG: Difficult to say, given that I am a local, but    SG: Not yet, but my co-trainee and I got a
                     the Hôtel des Bergues or the Hôtel de la Paix         policeman to help us prank our maître de
                     is always impressive.                                 stage (the partners supervising us during our
                                                                           traineeship) by making them believe we had
                                                                           been arrested for collusion in a drugs case.
                     What are your favourite spots for a meal?
                                                                           They rushed to our defence and we caught
                     JC: Spring, in Somerset House, or Pollen              them on camera just before they reached
                     Street Social, around the corner from my              court to plead for our liberty. The look on
                     office.                                               their faces was priceless and they were a good
                                                                           sport for not firing us.
                     SG: Our office is in a buzzing area and my
                     favourite restaurant is L’Adresse, which
                                                                           What would you do if you were Mayor for
                     combines creative cuisine and a sophisticated
                                                                           the day?
                     ‘bobo’ atmosphere.
                                                                           JC: I would ban cars.
                     Bus, taxi or tube?
                                                                           SG: I would definitely follow in Mayor Jane
                     JC: (Brompton) bike or walk.                          Colston’s footsteps and ban cars.

                     SG: Public transport and my feet.
                                                                           What makes someone a Londoner?
                                                                           JC: Being outward-looking.
                     What plays are you seeing this year?
                     JC: At the National Theatre, Cate Blanchett
                                                                           What makes someone a Geneva-sider?
                     in ‘When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each
                     Other’, ‘The Lehman Trilogy’, ‘All about Eve’         SG: An openness to the world, together with
                     and Maggie Smith in ‘A German Life’.                  humanitarian sensibilities (Geneva is the
                                                                           United Nations capital of human rights and
                     SG: I recently enjoyed rediscovering a classic        the birthplace of the International Committee
                     with ‘The Misanthrope’ by Molière and I look          of the Red Cross), a pinch of Calvinist
                     forward to an inspiring play by and featuring         Protestantism (Geneva is called the ‘City of
                     Eric Dupond-Moretti, a French tenor who               Calvin’, after all), a Swiss finish and a touch of
                     will plead and tell war stories from his many         creative disorganisation and entrepreneurship.
                     battles as of one of the best French criminal
                     defence lawyers.

                                                                        INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION NEWSLETTER        MAY 2019     17
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