Next-gen Asia-Pac leaders for international law firm
Clifford Chance has announced its next generation of leadership for its Asia-Pacific region, as one managing partner retires and another takes up a regional role. There are also two new practice heads across the region.
In China, Stephen Harder is retiring after 20 years with the firm including 14 as country managing partner. He will be replaced by Tim Wang and Terrance Foo as joint managing partners from 1
st May.
Singapore will also have a new managing partner with Kai-Niklas Schneider taking over on 1
st June as Geraint Hughes relocates to Hong Kong and prepares for his new role as regional managing partner.
New regional practice heads have also been named. The finance practice will be co-headed by Anthony Wang and Nicholas Wong from 1
st May with current head, Mark Hyde focusing on his restructuring and insolvency practice. Meanwhile, Nish Shetty will head the litigation and dispute resolution practice, succeeding Matthew Newick from 1
st August.
Singapore managing partner named at DLA Piper
Joe Bauerschmidt will become Singapore managing partner at DLA Piper from 1
st May. He joined the firm in January 2015 and is currently head of the firm’s capital markets team in South East Asia, a role he will continue alongside his new responsibilities.
Current country managing partner John Viverito has been appointed corporate vice-chair for The Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce but will continue with DLA Piper and focus on client development.
Legal system too expensive for Indians
Low incomes and poor legal aid means that most Indians are not able to access the legal system according to a new survey. Civil society organization DAKSH found that the majority cannot afford to enter litigation but the situation is worse than that according to senior lawyer Prashant Bhusan.
Bhusan told the Hindu Times: “80 per cent of our country is shut out of the judicial system because they cannot access lawyers in the first place and the quality of legal aid is poor.”
Lawyers in India want the focus of judicial reform to be widened to ‘access to justice’ rather than simply the court system.
