Middle East

‘Eliot Ness of Iraq’ Wins Asylum

It was a great Independence Day gift. On July 3, Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, “the Eliot Ness of Iraq,” learned that the Department of Homeland Security had granted him asylum. After the 2003 invasion, American advisers in Baghdad insisted that Radhi head Iraq’s version of the FBI. Radhi had a…

Jul 7, 2008 10:11 PM CDT

Chinese Lawyers Barred from Dinner With U.S. Congressmen

At least three Chinese human-rights lawyers were put under house arrest before a scheduled dinner on Sunday with two members of the U.S. Congress. Chinese police took two lawyers from their homes and barred them from returning to Beijing, and prevented another from leaving his apartment complex, the Washington Post…

Jul 1, 2008 3:34 PM CDT

5 Iraq Appeals Judges Escape Bomb Blasts at 5 Homes Today

Just days after the chief judge of one of Baghdad’s two appeals courts was assassinated as he was driving home, five more judges in the same Iraq appeals court escaped serious injury in five bombings at their homes today. “All five bombs in different neighborhoods detonated but failed to kill…

Jun 30, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

Child Bride in Yemen, 10, Gets Divorce On Her Own

A 10-year-old Yemeni girl who went to court on her own in April to seek a divorce after being married as a child bride, has gotten her wish. Nujood Ali, whose identity has been widely reported, has gotten her divorce—and sparked a debate about the plight of other girls in…

Jun 12, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Freshfields to Open in Abu Dhabi

U.K. law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will open in Abu Dhabi now that its application has been fast-tracked. The law firm already has offices in Dubai and Bahrain, Legal Week reports. Freshfields is interested in Dubai because of its political stability and rapidly diversifying economy, said Freshfields joint senior partner…

Jun 3, 2008 5:07 PM CDT

Growing Number of Law Firms Contribute to China Relief Efforts

More than a dozen law firms are contributing money to help earthquake victims in China. While the firms were certainly motivated by the urge to help the devastated region, business considerations may also have been a factor, the AmLaw Daily suggests. “Is it sheer coincidence that many of the American…

May 30, 2008 3:00 PM CDT

Man Faces Beheading in Saudi Arabia for Swearing

A man who reportedly took God’s name in vain during an argument with a neighbor in Saudi Arabia is in prison and sentenced to be beheaded. “This nation is ruled by a strict Wahhabi brand of Islamic justice that doles out lashings and public beheadings for crimes including murder, rape…

May 29, 2008 11:17 PM CDT

Chinese Arbitration Concerns Some U.S. Companies

Some U.S. companies and their lawyers are concerned about arbitration of business disputes in China. In one high-profile case, an arbitrator who sided with PepsiCo Inc. against a Chinese bottler was detained in 2006 on charges of committing financial improprieties within the arbitration organization that hired him, a Chinese-sponsored group…

May 9, 2008 3:57 PM CDT

Released Guantanamo Detainee Became Suicide Bomber

A Kuwaiti detainee released from Guantanamo Bay became a suicide bomber in one of three suicide attacks last month in the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to the U.S. military. Officials identified the man as Abdullah Salim Ali al-Ajmi, released in 2005 after spending three years at Guantanamo, the New…

May 8, 2008 1:57 PM CDT

Vinson & Elkins Transfers Partners, Prepares to Expand

Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins, buoyed by profits from oil clients, is reorganizing and beefing up its offices in New York and abroad. Seven partners will move to New York to focus on capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, the American Lawyer reports. Other partners will move to Tokyo,…

Apr 29, 2008 11:34 AM CDT

First Female Judge Named in United Arab Emirates

The president of the United Arab Emirates has appointed the federation’s first female judge. Acting in his role as the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest of the seven member-states of the UAE, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan yesterday named Kholoud Ahmad Jouan al-Dhaheri as a new member of…

Mar 26, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Another Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Disappears

A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer is missing. At least two other lawyers who have spoken out against the government have recently run into trouble with authorities, and activists now fear a third, Teng Biao, has been detained. Teng never returned home Thursday evening; witnesses said they saw a man…

Mar 7, 2008 1:53 PM CST

Competition Spurs Dubai Law Firms to Cut Fees

So many law firms have opened offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that they are now cutting fees to grab more legal work. Lower fees are most likely in practice areas involving energy, project finance, construction and sovereign wealth funds, Legal Week reports. By some estimates, nearly 30 Western firms…

Mar 7, 2008 12:34 PM CST

Pakistan’s YouTube Censorship Caused Wider Outage

YouTube was inaccessible to Internet users in many countries for as long as two hours on Sunday after Pakistan blocked access in protest of a video clip it deemed to be blasphemous to Islam. Pakistan’s telecommunications regulator filed a complaint with the website about a clip by a Dutch lawmaker…

Feb 26, 2008 4:07 PM CST

Latham & Watkins to Open Three Middle East Offices

Don’t accuse Latham & Watkins of a cautious entrance into the Middle East. The firm will be boldly going into the region with not just one but three new offices there. Latham will be opening offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates and Doha, Qatar, Legal Week…

Feb 19, 2008 1:27 PM CST