As 2013 rolls around, it's time to review the year that was and canter back through the top Asia Pacific stories of 2012 (check out the UK review here). And if you fancy winning a brilliant prize, take the RollOnFriday Christmas Quiz.
So, where did we end up? International mergers were once again the order of the day. Both last year's big hook-ups were formalised as Blake Dawson became simply Ashurst, and King & Wood officially joined forces with Mallesons to become, well, King & Wood Mallesons. Plus there were huge new liasons. Herbert Smith and Freehills announced a full merger. While Allens and Linklaters decided to take it slow and committed to a less involved (but more icky-sounding) exclusive relationship. And just when everyone relaxed, in thundered K&L Gates and Middletons with news that they are to become a single, two thousand-headed hydra.
Sadly, 2012 bore witness to plenty of lawyers' spectacular bad behaviour. An Allens associate was convicted of headbutting a policeman, despite having an impeccable moustache and blaming the incident on "testosterone and hubris". A fighty HWL Ebsworth lawyer got drunk, kicked a man in the head and was done for aggravated assault. Meanwhile Minters' ex-CFO was locked up for ten years for stealing $2.7 million from the firm. Then there was the grubby lawyer who overcharged a paraplegic client by $215k, and the well-refreshed barrister who ran through the streets screaming after she was convicted of drink driving for the fifth time.
But it wasn't all violence and greed as 2012 was also shot through with lust. Allen & Overy led the way, accidentally taking clients to a notorious Singapore hostess bar. There was too much lust for the family law judges who stormed out of a raunchy cabaret. But apparently not enough for the law student who kept a nude blog. Or the lecturer accused of swapping good grades for slap and tickle. Sadly, there won't be any more lust at all for one banged-up Japanese gentleman, because he served up his knackers in a restaurant.
And there was good news, too. An Aussie lawyer successfully argued that "f*ck" is part of ordinary Aussie speech. Another one wrote an eye-opening book about a lawyer who moves in with some leopards. And in a year of great economic and societal uncertainty, it was reassuring to see that the justice system was up to the task when it awarded a Chinese man $120k after he successfully sued his wife for being ugly.
Who knows what 2013 will bring. Surely no-one will release a video as butt-clenching as this one. Or reject a lawyer's job application as brutally as this.
If you think you've got a handle on the big news and the strange scandals of the last 12 months, take the Christmas Quiz, which is based on this year's stories. The winner will be plucked from an electronic top hat in the new year and whisked off for lunch at a top restaurant. Or, should a trip to London prove impractical, or the thought of meeting the inhabitants of RoF Towers unpalatable, you can have £100 of booze vouchers. Or a Kindle. Enter here.
Good luck and have a merry Christmas.
Tip Off ROF
So, where did we end up? International mergers were once again the order of the day. Both last year's big hook-ups were formalised as Blake Dawson became simply Ashurst, and King & Wood officially joined forces with Mallesons to become, well, King & Wood Mallesons. Plus there were huge new liasons. Herbert Smith and Freehills announced a full merger. While Allens and Linklaters decided to take it slow and committed to a less involved (but more icky-sounding) exclusive relationship. And just when everyone relaxed, in thundered K&L Gates and Middletons with news that they are to become a single, two thousand-headed hydra.
Sadly, 2012 bore witness to plenty of lawyers' spectacular bad behaviour. An Allens associate was convicted of headbutting a policeman, despite having an impeccable moustache and blaming the incident on "testosterone and hubris". A fighty HWL Ebsworth lawyer got drunk, kicked a man in the head and was done for aggravated assault. Meanwhile Minters' ex-CFO was locked up for ten years for stealing $2.7 million from the firm. Then there was the grubby lawyer who overcharged a paraplegic client by $215k, and the well-refreshed barrister who ran through the streets screaming after she was convicted of drink driving for the fifth time.
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Aussie lawyers enjoying a quiet tipple yesterday |
But it wasn't all violence and greed as 2012 was also shot through with lust. Allen & Overy led the way, accidentally taking clients to a notorious Singapore hostess bar. There was too much lust for the family law judges who stormed out of a raunchy cabaret. But apparently not enough for the law student who kept a nude blog. Or the lecturer accused of swapping good grades for slap and tickle. Sadly, there won't be any more lust at all for one banged-up Japanese gentleman, because he served up his knackers in a restaurant.
And there was good news, too. An Aussie lawyer successfully argued that "f*ck" is part of ordinary Aussie speech. Another one wrote an eye-opening book about a lawyer who moves in with some leopards. And in a year of great economic and societal uncertainty, it was reassuring to see that the justice system was up to the task when it awarded a Chinese man $120k after he successfully sued his wife for being ugly.
Who knows what 2013 will bring. Surely no-one will release a video as butt-clenching as this one. Or reject a lawyer's job application as brutally as this.
If you think you've got a handle on the big news and the strange scandals of the last 12 months, take the Christmas Quiz, which is based on this year's stories. The winner will be plucked from an electronic top hat in the new year and whisked off for lunch at a top restaurant. Or, should a trip to London prove impractical, or the thought of meeting the inhabitants of RoF Towers unpalatable, you can have £100 of booze vouchers. Or a Kindle. Enter here.
Good luck and have a merry Christmas.