3 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MARCH 2024 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM THE BRIEFING: YOUR MONTHLY NEED-TO-KNOW BAKER MCKENZIE MUST Percentage of U.S. corporate law departments and law firms demanding an increase in human expertise before they are willing to utilize GenAI, according to a survey by Consilio. (Reuters) Baker McKenzie must face a lawsuit in the United States over alleged legal malpractice committed by lawyers in its former Russian office, an Illinois appeals court has ruled. The state’s 1st District Appellate Court said in February that plaintiff Lehram Capital Investments had presented enough evidence to establish “the legal unity of liability” of Baker & McKenzie’s overseas and U.S. branches. The Chicago-founded firm, which says it employs 4,800 lawyers globally, had argued that it is structured so that its Russia branch was a completely separate entity from its U.S. counterpart. It had sought to move the case first to Moscow and then to London following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the appeals court refused, ruling that the case can proceed, at least for now, in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago. It cited in part Baker & McKenzie’s code of business conduct, which states, “We are one firm. What one of us does, all of us do.” The case stems from U.K.- based Lehram’s purchase of a coal mine in Kemerovo, Russia, in 2013. 63 PERCENT FACE U.S. LAWSUIT OVER RUSSIAN LAWYERS’ CONDUCT IN THE NEWS Clifford Chance has enhanced its generative AI use after implementing Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Viva Suite across its offices, becoming one of the first large global law firms to do so. This follows the previous rollout of its proprietary AI tool Clifford Chance Assist last year. “BASICALLY: BUFFALO IS BUSTED.” QUOTE UNQUOTE Bursa Malaysia, Indonesia’s IDX, Thailand’s SET, and Singapore’s SGX have come together to form the ASEAN-Interconnected Sustainability Ecosystem. This initiative aims to enhance sustainable development by implementing common ESG metrics. Part of a message sent in 2019 by Wee Hong Shern to Ong Peng Boon, directors at Singapore’s Ong & Co, which related to contraband cigarettes. They were recently found guilty of attempting to obstruct the course of justice. IN THE NEWS (Reuters) China Evergrande’s liquidators have hired three law firms to advise on the troubled property giant’s winding-up process, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Global firm Clifford Chance and Hong Kong firms Tanner De Witt and Karas So were mandated recently to provide legal advice on the liquidation, which has been under way for about six weeks, the people added. Alvarez and Marsal (A&M) Managing Directors Tiffany Wong and Eddie Middleton were appointed liquidators by a Hong Kong judge on Jan. 29, bringing an end to more than 18 months of negotiations between the firm and offshore bondholders. The Guangzhoubased firm was considered the world’s most indebted developer with more than $300 billion of total liabilities both onshore and offshore. But Evergrande was ordered to be liquidated after it had been unable to offer a concrete restructuring plan for more than two years. CHINA EVERGRANDE LIQUIDATORS APPOINT LEGAL ADVISERS, SOURCES SAY Proportion of U.S. law firm leaders who feel that their teams are managed effectively in a hybrid format, according to a CBRE survey, which found only 11 percent do not support hybrid working. 70%
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