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International Lawyers Network

The International Lawyers Network (ILN) is a leading association of 91 high-quality, full-service independent law firms.

Since 1988, the ILN has helped its members keep pace with today’s global economy, through access to the tremendous strength and depth of the combined expertise of 5,000 lawyers in 66 countries on six continents.

ILN member firms are among the most respected and most experienced counsel in their jurisdictions. Clients’ increasing need for reliable foreign counsel is well-met by the personalized, high-quality and cost-effective legal services provided by ILN member firms. Unique to the ILN are the strong personal and professional relationships among its members and their clients developed over the past 24 years. Far from a mere directory, the ILN is an affiliation of lawyers who gather on a regional and worldwide basis annually and work routinely with each other to address client requirements and needs.

Each of the ILN’s member firms is international in outlook and staffed by highly trained senior attorneys, who are experts in a broad range of practice areas. ILN members have demonstrated experience in working successfully with international companies. They are independent, mid-sized firms within their jurisdictions, and are committed to the focus of the International Lawyers Network, admitted to the Network only after a rigorous application process. The ILN provides clients with high-quality service from experienced local counsel who work in firms that maintain excellent reputations in their own countries. This means that clients have immediate access to attorneys who are native, both linguistically and culturally, to the country of interest.

The ILN’s international directory app is available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones. To access the app, click here or log on to ILNmobile.com from your smartphone.

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Ivars Grunte attended International Lawyers Network 25th annual meeting in London

Date: May 16-19, 2013
Location: London, United Kingdom

Ivars Grunte, the managing partner of TARK GRUNTE SUTKIENE, attended International Lawyers Network 25th annual meeting in London.

The International Lawyers Network is an association of 91 high-quality, full-service law firms with over 5,000 lawyers worldwide. The Network provides clients with easily accessible legal services in 66 countries on six continents.

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ILN Today Post

Greek tragedy

English law works on the basis of precedent – previous judgments are relied on to work out what the law is on any particular issue. So what happens when, over the years, there are more and more judgments on an issue, each giving an interpretation of slightly different wording?

Sometimes a judgment includes statements which could be seen as having a wider application than the document in dispute, which will then be taken as a precedent in future cases. This can add up to a heavy burden of case law, difficult for lawyers to deal with, never mind businessmen, who are only interested in recording the deal they have agreed. More…

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ILN Today Post

London as a seat for international arbitration?

Arbitration is the most popular alternative to litigation. This is because arbitration awards are binding and enforceable.

Other forms of alternative dispute mechanism include negotiation, mediation, conciliation and adjudication. It is possible to tailor these mechanisms to suit an individual contract. More…

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No Secondary Market Cause of Action for Prospectus Mispresentation.

In a recent decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice confirmed that section 130(1) of the Ontario Securities Act (the “Act”) does not provide a statutory cause of action and remedies to purchasers of securities in the secondary market.

In the case of Tucci v. Smart Technologies Inc. (114 O.R.) 3d at 294, the plaintiff, Tucci, brought a proposed class action for damages pursuant to section 130 of the Act. He brought a motion to certify the action as a class proceeding. Except for the contested issue which involved the interpretation of section 130(1) of the Act, the defendants consented to the certification of the action.

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Retailers Facing Employment Law Vulnerabilities, an interview with EBG attorneys, as appeared in Corporate Counsel

In an article written by Corporate Counsel’s Shannon Green published on May 23, 2013,   Epstein Becker Green labor and employment attorneys, Jeffrey M. Landes and Susan Gross Sholinsky, were interviewed concerning the legal issues that retail industry employers are currently facing.      The interview followed a retail executive roundtable held in EBG’s New York office on May 21, 2013.    

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Exercise Gym Instructor Enjoined By Non-Compete Agreement

Saylavee, LLC v. Hunt demonstrates the willingness of Connecticut courts to enforce restrictive covenants that are reasonable in length of time and geographic scope.

The defendant Rhonda Hunt worked as an exercise instructor for an exercise studio called Bodyfit, with whom she signed an agreement restricting her for two-years from becoming involved as an employee “in any business which engages in the same or similar business of the company or otherwise competes with the business of the company within a ten mile radius of any exercise studio owned and operated by the company.” Hunt acknowledged in the agreement that she was capable of earning a living in a field for which she was qualified without violating the terms of the covenants. The agreement also addresses protected trade secrets and provides for equitable relief without the necessity of proving irreparable harm or the inadequacy of money damages.

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Litigation Alert: Florida’s statutes of limitation apply to arbitrations

For the second time in as many months, the Supreme Court of Florida has handed down an important opinion of broad application to Florida’s business community. In the wake of restricting the economic loss rule to only products liability cases in Tiara Condominium Association, Inc. v. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., No. SC10-1022 (March 7, 2013), the Supreme Court of Florida held last week inRaymond James Financial Services, Inc. v. Barbara J. Phillips, et al., No. SC11-2513 (May 16, 2013) that Florida’s statutes of limitation apply to arbitrations.

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David Austin in the News

David Austin was quoted last week in a Vancouver Sun article which discussed an Alberta electricity provider looking to provide power to gas fields in BC. He was also on Global News on Monday night on the topic of LNG development (click here to see the video).

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Are Environmentalists Who Oppose Wind Farms Environmentalists?

Wind power can help address the nation’s compelling demand for electric power without increasing greenhouse gas emissions or enlarging our carbon footprint. Environmental activists, who are critical of the use of fossil fuels due to their perceived negative impact on the environment, are generally supportive of developing wind power as an alternative energy source. Wind is renewable, sustainable and non-polluting.

Why is it then that environmental groups sometimes oppose the development of wind power in the courtroom? From a global or even regional perspective, environmentalists should be rallying behind wind power, not opposing.

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Canadian Securities Regulators Grant Exemptions from Wrapper Requirements for Foreign Offerings

On April 23, 2013, Canadian securities regulators agreed to allow certain dealers selling securities of foreign issuers to make private placement offerings to permitted clients in Canada as part of a global offering without having to add supplemental prescribed Canadian disclosure, usually called a “wrapper”. The intended effect of removing the requirement for a Canada-specific wrapper is to provide sophisticated Canadian investors with increased access to foreign offerings. The relief from Canadian wrapper requirements for certain foreign offerings becomes effective June 22, 2013, and is scheduled to expire in June 2016, by which time it is expected that the relief will be continued through rule-making.

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