With much of the Arab world going through political and social upheaval, oil and commodity prices rising sharply, and sky-rocketing food prices putting much of the world’s population back into extreme poverty, the risk of increased civil unrest occurring across the globe is a real possibility. In anticipation of such an event, multinational companies need …
It’s Friday, 8:30 AM, and you’re eating breakfast at your desk. Overnight you have received an urgent e-mail from Bob Shine, vice-president of Business Affairs. Bob is based in your head office several time zones away. For the past nine months you have been assisting him with due diligence in the divestment of one of …
On 6 January 2011 The Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (ESCA) released a new draft regulation on investment funds in the UAE (the Regulation) for public consultation. The deadline for submitting comments or responses to ESCA is now closed, and it is expected that the Regulation will soon be discussed and approved by ESCA. It …
Two recent high-profile cases involving BSkyB/News Corporation and Ryanair/Aer Lingus have highlighted the importance of the merger control rules. These cases have also demonstrated the extensive scope and potential flexibility of the UK merger control regime and why anyone considering the acquisition of even a minority stake in a business may need to consider competition …
Where a contract is formed on the basis of a mistake as to the law or certain facts, the contract can potentially be deemed void from its inception. In certain circumstances, however, the court has the authority to remedy the mistakes, by construing the contract in a way that will correct the mistakes, or by …
In the recent Lomas & Ors v JFB Firth Rixson Inc & ors [2010], the joint administrators (the administrators) of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (LBIE) applied for directions as to the true meaning and effect of certain terms under interest rate swap agreements (the swaps), governed by the International Swaps & Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master …
A peculiarity in austrian law is the Austrian Stamp Duty Act (GebG). The Act contains a list of agreements, such as suretyships, settlement agreements, assignments of rights and rental agreements, which are subject to stamp duty if a ‘written deed’ is executed in Austria, or if any link to Austria exists. However, the Act itself …
