Mexico

Russia Claws at the Rule of Law While Mexico Embraces It

RUSSIA: The courtroom gallery brimmed with lawyers during the trial in January of four men accused of murdering Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta who was gunned down in 2006 at the elevator of her Moscow apartment. The newspaper had paid a high price for its…

Jul 2, 2009 4:50 AM CDT

Justice in the Rough

As a border town becomes a murder capital, Mexico pushes for dramatic rule-of-law changes

Jul 2, 2009 4:30 AM CDT

Former Mexican Ambassador Joins White & Case, ViaNovo

In a move that Tony Garza hopes will position him to best advise clients as they navigate Latin American legal and cultural waters, the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico has joined White & Case as counsel and become a partner in ViaNovo. At ViaNovo, a management and communications consulting firm…

Jun 24, 2009 12:04 PM CDT

Swine Flu Fear Prompts Some Changes in Law Firm Protocol

There’s a new item of professional attire now in vogue at some law firms in Mexico: face masks. With the help of the surgical masks, frequent hand-washing and avoiding client contact as much as possible, lawyers and staff at the Mexico City office of Gardere, Arena y Asociados are hoping…

Apr 28, 2009 10:58 PM CDT

Clinton Blames Failed Policy & ‘Insatiable’ US Market for ‘Horrific’ Drug War

A failed interdiction approach unsuccessfully pursued by the United States for decades, as well as an “insatiable” demand in this country for illegal drugs. Both are partly to blame for a “horrific” Mexican drug war characterized by an explosion of violence that is spilling into this country, the U.S. Secretary…

Mar 25, 2009 9:52 PM CDT

Reward Offered for 24 Alleged Mexican Drug Lords: Up to $7M Each

As escalating violence related to cross-border drug trafficking causes increasing concern in both Mexico and the United States, the government there is offering a record-breaking bounty of $2 million each for 24 alleged drug lords. With an additional $5 million offered by the U.S. concerning some of the drug-trafficking suspects,…

Mar 24, 2009 4:04 PM CDT

Top Cop Resigns Over Death Threats; Mexican Official’s Bodyguard is Slain

In the wake of news last week that the police chief of a major Mexican city in Chihuahua had resigned rather than face the threat of another police officer being slain every 48 hours, a bodyguard for the state’s leader was murdered Sunday as he traveled in a convoy with…

Feb 24, 2009 12:48 AM CST

Failed US-Led Drug War Harms Foreign Judicial Systems, Report Says

Escalating violence in Mexico and Latin America from a failed U.S.-led war on drugs is putting democratic governments and their judicial systems and police forces at risk, says a report by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. Headed by three former Latin American heads of state, the group…

Feb 13, 2009 12:42 AM CST

Firms Find Sunnier Prospects in Mexico

Are there business opportunities for U.S. law firms, just lurking in the neighborhood, south of the border? Jones Day certainly thinks so. The firm is opening an office in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, with the acquisition of a “top tier” Mexican firm, reports legal…

Jan 15, 2009 10:28 PM CST

Former Mexican Drug Czar Got $450K to Keep Traffickers Informed, Authorities Say

In a continuing shakeup in high-echelon Mexican law enforcement, a former drug czar has been accused of being paid $450,000 by drug traffickers, in exchange for providing them with information about police operations. “Noe Ramirez is the highest law enforcement official detained yet as part of Mexico’s sweeping effort to…

Nov 21, 2008 5:44 PM CST

Calif. Prosecutors Seek State Bar Help to Fight Mexican Drug War Spilling into US

A raging drug war in Mexico isn’t just hurting people there—including police officers, judges and lawyers affected by the ongoing violence. It’s also spilling over into the United States, as the same drug gangs responsible for killings, kidnappings and other related crime there travel across the border to ply their…

Oct 29, 2008 9:24 PM CDT

Spying in Mexican AG’s Office Could Be Linked to US DEA

Spying on behalf of a major drug trafficking cartel is still ongoing at the Mexican attorney general’s office, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer suspects, even after five officials there have been arrested. Meanwhile, an unidentified former U.S. Embassy employee is telling Mexican officials in Washington, D.C., that he leaked…

Oct 28, 2008 5:40 PM CDT

Claim: Top Aides in Mexican AG’s Office Were Organized Crime Informants

Two top employees in the unit of the Mexican attorney general’s office charged with fighting organized crime have instead been passing information to the Beltran-Leyva drug trafficking cartel about federal investigations, surveillance targets and planned raids, prosecutors contend. At least three other lower-level federal police agents also were involved in…

Oct 27, 2008 4:43 PM CDT

Snell & Wilmer Opens Office in Mexico

An Arizona-based law firm has opened its first foreign office in Mexico, becoming the first major United States firm to do so in the Baja California Sur state. Snell & Wilmer’s new office in San Jose del Cabo will focus on helping U.S. companies do business in Mexico, and and…

Oct 16, 2008 4:05 PM CDT

35 Indicted, $9.5M Seized in Alleged Calif.-Mexico ‘Operation Money Train’

After an 18-month investigation, a record $9.5 million has been seized and 35 people indicted by six grand juries in an alleged scheme to smuggle illegal drugs north from Mexico to nearby Imperial County, California, and cash south from Imperial County to Mexico. The indictments were announced yesterday by U.S.…

Oct 9, 2008 6:20 PM CDT