South America

Harvard Professor Announces Launch of Project to Study Impact of Emerging Economies on Lawyers

David B. Wilkins, one of the nation’s leading thinkers on where the legal profession is headed, received the outstanding scholar award Saturday from the fellows of the American Bar Foundation. But the Harvard Law School professor is hardly about to rest on his laurels. Instead, Wilkins used the occasion of…

Feb 13, 2011 7:57 AM CST

US Judge Grants TRO to Block Enforcement of Potential Ecuador Verdict Against Chevron

In the latest twist in a hard-fought international environmental case that reportedly could win a megabillions verdict for the plaintiffs, a federal judge in New York has granted a temporary restraining order banning enforcement of any judgment that might be awarded in the future by a court in Ecuador. The…

Feb 9, 2011 8:20 PM CST

Patton Firm Seeks to Sue Chevron, Gibson Dunn, Claims Tortious Interference with Client Relationship

Last week, Chevron Corp. filed a federal civil racketeering lawsuit in New York against the plaintiffs in a hard-fought multi-billion-dollar Ecuador environmental case, alleging that they conspired to manufacture and withhold evidence. Among the defendants is one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, Steven Donziger. This week, another plaintiffs law…

Feb 8, 2011 4:34 PM CST

Pursuit of Happiness Could Become a Constitutional Right in Brazil

Legislators in Brazil are considering a constitutional amendment to make the “pursuit of happiness” one of the social rights of citizens. The document now lists social rights that include education, health, food, work, housing, leisure and security, the Associated Press reports. The Senate could approve the happiness amendment as soon…

Feb 2, 2011 12:09 PM CST

Lawyer in Megabucks Chevron Enviro Case Must Turn Over Hard Drive Mirror Images, Judge Rules

After persuading a federal judge that a plaintiff’s lawyer waived privilege by operating as a “political operative” in conjunction with the making of a documentary film, a corporate defendant in a megabucks South American environmental case has scored a follow-up victory. Initially, based on the “political operative” finding, a federal…

Jan 27, 2011 9:18 PM CST

Doc Film Helped Chevron Subpoena Plaintiffs’ US Legal Files in $113B Ecuador Enviro Case

A documentary film encouraged by the lead plaintiff’s lawyer in a $113 billion case concerning alleged damage to a South American rain forest apparently didn’t achieve the result attorney Steve Donziger anticipated. Lawyers for Chevron Corp. used the documentary, Crude, to persuade a federal judge in New York both to…

Dec 23, 2010 9:09 PM CST

Chevron Claims Patton Boggs Conflict, Due to Lobbying Link, in $27B Environmental Case

In the latest unusual twist in a hard-fought legal battle between Chevron Corp. and individuals in Ecuador who allege environmental damage in a $27 billion class action, the oil company is contending that a new attorney for the plaintiffs is conflicted out because his law firm recently acquired a lobbying…

Nov 30, 2010 3:54 PM CST

Brazilian Court Orders McDonald’s to Compensate Overeating Manager

A Brazilian court has ordered McDonald’s to pay $17,500 to a former restaurant manager who gained 65 pounds during his 12 years on the job. The 32-year-old manager had alleged he felt he had to sample the food to make sure it was of high quality, the Associated Press reports.…

Oct 29, 2010 11:10 AM CDT

Littler Mendelson Opens Office in Venezuela

Employer-side labor law firm Littler Mendelson opened its 50th office and first international office yesterday in Caracas, Venezuela. The office will be led by Juan Carlos Varela, who left his position as head partner of Squire Sanders & Dempsey’s Latin American labor practice to take this job, according to a…

Oct 19, 2010 4:53 PM CDT

Peru Court Revokes Parole of Lori Berenson, American Jailed for Claimed Marxist Ties

An American woman who recently won parole after being jailed for nearly 15 years in Peru for her alleged cooperation with Marxist revolutionaries has been ordered to return to prison. The revocation of Lori Berenson’s parole by a Peruvian court was attributed to an unverified address for her residence in…

Aug 18, 2010 8:35 PM CDT

Morgue Photos Prompt Court-Ordered Ban, Civil Suit

Prompted by a morgue photo, a Venezuelan court has banned newspapers in the South American country from publishing violent images. But an editor for the El Nacional newspaper that published the photo said the ban was political and suggested that the publication might violate it, reports the Associated Press. The…

Aug 17, 2010 10:48 PM CDT

Meet Eduardo Leite: Brazil-Based Energy Lawyer Set to Lead Baker & McKenzie

In an unusual move for a United States-based law firm, Baker & McKenzie has appointed a Brazilian energy lawyer as its global chairman. Eduardo Leite will take up his position at the helm of the Chicago-based international megafirm at the end of October. He presently works out of the Sao…

Jun 3, 2010 5:19 PM CDT

American Lori Berenson Paroled in Peru

In a controversial decision, a judge in Peru has granted parole to American Lori Berenson. Originally sentenced to life by a military court as an accomplice to revolutionary activities there, Berenson, who is now 40, is serving a 20-year term after being convicted of lesser charges by a civilian court,…

May 26, 2010 7:06 PM CDT

Milbank Is the Latest BigLaw Firm to Open a New Office in Brazil

Milbank Tweed Hadley McCloy has become the latest well-known American law firm to open an office in Brazil, luring the former head of Shearman & Sterling’s practice to oversee its new Sao Paulo outpost. Joining Andrew Janszky there will be another Shearman & Sterling attorney, Tobias Stirnberg, Bloomberg reports. Brazil,…

Apr 21, 2010 8:54 PM CDT

Law International Style: Steptoe to Ramp Up in Beijing, DLA in Brazil, K&L Gates in Warsaw

Announcing a new step forward in its strategic plan for Latin America, DLA Piper says it has formed an alliance with Campos Mello Advogados in Brazil. The firm currently has 60 professionals and is expected to expand in Sao Paulo soon. “This arrangement is a great beginning for us in…

Mar 1, 2010 9:47 PM CST