New disputes portal launched by international firm

New disputes portal launched by international firm
Bird & Bird has launched its new premium content portal to give clients tailored advice on contentious law issues and topics.

Disputes + Portal allows clients to find articles of interest and save them to their own personal page. It has a function to allow comparisons to be made between the legislative framework of multiple jurisdictions.

“There is a wealth of disputes expertise across our sectors, practices and countries so to see all this knowledge pooled in a digital platform is very exciting. I hope our clients find the service a useful reference guide," commented Annet Van Hooft, joint head of Bird & Bird’s dispute resolution group.

Duane Morris Selvam appoints new chairman
The managing director of joint law venture Duane Morris Selvam has been promoted to chairman.

In Leon Yee’s year as chair, he will oversee the operations of the JLV’s Asia offices and strategic planning for the expansion of the firm which launched 6 years’ ago as a partnership between international law firm Duane Morris and Singapore-based Selvam.

The new chairman is 41 years old and has extensive corporate experience including representing ultra-high-net-worth individuals, private equity funds and investment banks.

Hong Kong securities regulator focusing on individuals
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has taken fewer enforcement actions against financial institutions due to a new focused strategy.

Analysis by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer shows a 24 per cent reduction in actions taken against financial institutions by the SFC in the last calendar year.

However, actions against individuals were up 55 per cent during the same period as the SFC prepares for the introduction of new accountability rules from next month.

“The regulators have been clear that unless the leadership of corporates and financial institutions steers with the right ‘tone from the top’, individual directors and executives may be held responsible for their involvement in problems that arise,” warned Freshfields’ partner Georgia Dawson.

The new regime will make senior management of licensed corporations more accountable even if they don’t hold a personal licence.