Morning Briefing: International firm forms new Vietnam link

Watson Farley & Williams has announced a new association in Vietnam with local boutique firm LVN & Associates. LVN’s founder Linh Quynh Doan has been working with Watson Farley in Hong Kong and splits her time between there and Hanoi. The boutique, which focuses on the energy sector, had a previous association with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.
 
Heavyweight arbitration hire for Clyde & Co
Richard Power has been hired by Clyde & Co for its global arbitration practice. He was previously at Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) where he co-chaired the international arbitration practice and headed the energy disputes team. Power’s hire is the latest in a number of appointments to the group over the last 18 months. These include June Yeum (New York & Asia), Patrick Zheng (Beijing) and Prakash Pillai (Singapore).
 
Top US law firms boost rates for partners
The fees charged by partners at the top 50 US law firms have increased by a median 5 per cent in 2014/15. Analysis by LexisNexis found that in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia there have been “significant” increases in rates. The median across the top 50 firms has increased to $711 per hour in the first half of 2015 from $675 in the first half of 2014.
 
Apple faces lawsuit over data usage
Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over its Wi-Fi Assist feature. The tool on its iPhone range is meant to help those using data on mobile devices where Wi-Fi signal is weak by switching on cellular data. However in the lawsuit filed Friday in Florida it’s alleged that the feature resulted in using up users’ inclusive data allowances leading to high charges. Fortune.com reports that plaintiffs William and Suzanne Phillips are seeking compensation for those affected and an order than Apple changes how the feature works. The lawsuit, prepared by law firm Audet & Partners demands U$5 million; an arbitrary figure to get the case into a federal court rather than the actual damages that could be awarded.