Chinese syndrome

With the Beijing Olympics imminent, Lovells is consolidating its position as the key player on the Chinese capital's legal scene. Last month it announced that it was partnering Peking (sic) University to develop training programmes in international legal skills for Chinese lawyers. This week it brought to London 20 Chinese lawyers from firms that are members of its Sino-Global Legal Alliance for seminars on managing law firms. As Robert Lewis, managing partner at the Beijing office of Lovells pointed out, the oddity is that while communism is still the official system, Chinese lawyers operate in the most individualistic and entrepreneurial way imaginable. It is the London law firms with their tightly knit partnership that are models of quasi-socialist solidarity. Member firms of the SGLA are open to these revolutionary systems but still need further political re-education. After all, as Mao Zedong observed: “It will take a long period to decide the issue in the ideological struggle between socialism and capitalism in our country. The reason is that the influence of the intellectuals who come from the old society will remain in our country for a long time to come, and so will their class ideology.” Quite so. Power to the people (so long as they are partners).

New fraud squad

Other business sectors may be contracting but I can predict quite confidently that the counter-cyclical industry of fraud is on the way up. It is not surprising then that, with a flourish. the Commercial Fraud Lawyers Association was launched last week by Robert Hunter, of Allen & Overy, Sir Peter Cresswell, of 3 Verulam Buildings, and Steven Philippsohn, of PCB Litigation, the group's chairman. The association plans to set up working groups covering national, international and educational affairs. Conveniently, I was provided with a checklist of what fraud actually means. It includes, at the top end, allegations of dishonesty concerning false representation, failure to disclose information and abuse of position. I guess this might also be of interest to critics of the Government.

Judgment of Paris

At times like these one suspects the place to be is Paris. After a decade of having to admire the Brits for their enterprise, Parisians can smirk at the canards coming home to roost. So the timing is apt for Bryan Cave to establish what he calls a “relationship” (très chic) with a group of French attorneys (avocats). The office will be based at 78 avenue Raymond Poincaré, which runs off Place Victor Hugo, meaning that Les Misérables can stay on this side of La Manche.

Bold as brass

I had to admire the brass neck of Nancy Dooher, freshly arrived at 3 Paper Buildings, who insisted at a party last week that I write that a “new superstar insolvency advocate” has emerged. So, there, I've done it.

edward.fennell@yahoo.co.uk

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