v12i8 Asian-mena Counsel Magazine

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This month’s tragic events in Japan, triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami, have shocked people around the world. The sheer scale of the catastrophe and loss of life cannot fail to have moved even the most hardened of observers, and countless organisations and individuals have been busy raising funds for the relief effort. Japanese officials have estimated it will cost as much as 25 trillion yen (US$309bn) to rebuild the country after the disaster.
As fears of a nuclear fallout from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant spread in the days following the quake, residents and workers fled Tokyo in their thousands, many expatriates returning to the safety of their home countries.
But as many international lawyers were fleeing the Japanese capital, one English barrister was heading into the danger zone on a mission to reach his family and get them out. Matthew Seligman, of London based Steel & Shamash Solicitors, didn’t hesitate to make the daunting journey to Tsunami-hit Sendai – the city closest to the earthquake’s epicentre – to be with his wife, Hiromi, nine year old daughter Daisy, and ‘Shark’ and ‘Dolphin’, their two cats.
Matthew, who is also an internationally acclaimed musician, kept his Facebook friends updated with his progress, and has kindly allowed ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL to share abridged highlights of his courageous journey with the in-house community.

Offering huge potential for expansion and returns, almost every active economy in Asia is making efforts to actively develop a niche in the life sciences industry. In ‘Asia’s winning formula’ Asian-Counsel discusses how countries are positioning themselves to carve out niches in this area of living jurisprudence. The report also features expert articles focussing on particular developments in China, Japan, India and Singapore.

Matthew Durham of Winston & Strawn discusses the delicate balancing act currently faced in China that is employment. He sheds light on methods used by each side in the struggle for power and gives his own views on doing business in China.