Nouvelles
Fasken fusionne en Afrique!
Agnès Wojciechowicz
2012-10-22 13:30:00
Le cabinet vient d'annoncer sa fusion avec Bell Dewar en Afrique du Sud. Retour sur cette alliance qui deviendra effective en 2013.
« Notre cabinet est reconnu depuis longtemps pour sa compréhension unique du marché africain. Cette fusion témoigne de la puissance de notre marque et nous permet d’accroître les ressources et les services que nous offrons à nos clients à l’échelle internationale », a indiqué David Corbett, l’associé directeur de Fasken.
« L’ajout de l’équipe d’avocats de Bell Dewar à nos équipes existantes à Johannesburg, à Londres, à Paris et au Canada nous permet de déployer sur les marchés africains et internationaux une somme inégalée de compétences et d’expérience », a ajouté l'associé directeur.
« Au cours des prochains mois, nous allons procéder à l’intégration des deux cabinets qui devrait être pleinement réalisée d’ici le 1er février 2013. Blaize Vance deviendra alors associé directeur régional pour l’Afrique et il exercera ses fonctions à partir de nos bureaux nouvellement regroupés à Johannesburg », a expliqué David Corbett.
Bell Dewar compte 76 avocats à l'heure actuelle. La nouvelle équipe de Johannesburg devrait renforcer l’équipe existante du cabinet en Afrique, dans les secteurs des mines, des infrastructures, du financement de projets, des marchés financiers et des fusions et acquisitions dans l’ensemble de l’Afrique.
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1 commentaire
Jean Alain Penda
il y a 11 ansDear Sir/Madam,
This is good news, and shows signs of an increasing implementation of rule of laws, capacity of lawyers, stable and increasing economic and social development in Africa. Congratulation to BELL DEWAR & FASKEN MARTINEAU cementing in this move its rank as the first Canadian-based law firm with the most lawyers outside the country’s borders.
The mergers would certainly come to contribute, amongst other things, to the effort of South Africa and other African governments to adopt modern arbitration legislation, which respects moral and ethical values as well as fundamental basic rules in arbitration such as obligation of disclosure, independence and impartiality of the arbitrator. OHADA Arbitration is a model. Considering that arbitration is an essential part of the OHADA reform and a vector of economic rule of law, the website www.ohada.com will provide you with all related information.
In particular, permit me to mention an ongoing Canadian international arbitration case, very debated in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. The facts of the case concern a senior partner in a major Canadian law firm who rendered an arbitration award while his law firm was about to finalize a deal amounting to about USD 600 000 000 $ with one of the parties to arbitration, without informing the other party against whom he gave a disadvantageous partial award.
The ICDR, in direct violation of its statutory rules and the most basic principles of international arbitration, did everything to protect its arbitrator, one of the leading figures of North American arbitration, a prominent AAA Board member, and refused to dismiss the arbitrator, thereby endorsing the validity of the partial award. Nevertheless, the arbitrator, undoubtedly under pressure from his peers who were outraged and, most likely for fear of the criminal and civil consequences of his misconduct for himself and for his influential Canadian law firm, resigned.
Leading experts in international and OHADA arbitration who examined this unfortunate arbitration case assured the respondent, whose assets seem to fall under French law, that the French court would never declare the enforceability of the arbitral award based on such a grossly conflicted decision.
In the light of the scandal caused by this case, we hope that your law firm is clean from similar wrong doing and that, if ever it happens you would take any measures to mark its attachment to the most basic ethical values of arbitration and to reaffirm its unfailing commitment to the economic rule of law.
The positive merger between BELL DEWAR & FASKEN MARTINEAU announced yesterday is certainly a success. You are also certainly aware that the above case which has considerably tarnished the image of international arbitration is making headlines across the OHADA zone ( see newsletter http://www.ohada.com/actualite/1696/arbitrage-international-obligation-de-revelation-d-independance-et-d-impartialite-des-arbitres.html at www.ohada.com). We all know that arbitration in African countries is a very important vector of legal certainty and confidence of investors and any infringement to the integrity of the arbitral process, the absolute obligations of independence and impartiality of arbitrators should be upheld in the strictest fashion.
We also all know that a lawyer cannot and should never claim to be an impartial and independent arbitrator, irrespective of his/her position and reputation in the world of arbitration, if, during the arbitration, the firm to which he/she belongs or in which he/she works conducts transactions with other parties to arbitration unless all parties are duly informed of these transactions and give their approval for such. Failure of disclosure is a very serious offence on the part of the Law Firm and the arbitrator, which vitiates the award and exposes the responsibility of the arbitrator and his Firm.
Did your firm hear about this case and if so, what are your thoughts about the behaviour the Canadian law firm should adopt and what kind of measures it should take to reassert its ethical credentials. We also hope that your firm, wherever located is taking necessary and serious steps to avoid such a similar scandal.
Notwithstanding this case, when looking at Canada’s expertise in mining, I see Africa as a very natural place for FASKEN MARTINEAU to be, to invest and to stay. We wish you a merry happy marriage !!
Looking forward to receiving your best attention to this message and the questions that we raised therein.
Please accept, the expression of our highest consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. iur. Jean Alain Penda,
Federation of the OHADA Clubs in Cameroon