Success Stories

Recently, Dykema, WSG law firm member in Michigan, referred an Illinois client to Valerie Mann at Lawson Lundell LLP, WSG law firm member in British Columbia, Canada, to provide assistance in structuring its new Canadian operations. Janet Stiven, a corporate partner in Dykema's Chicago office, reports that "Valerie has been responsive and is well regarded by our client. It was certainly beneficial to our client to be able to assist them through our WSG relationships, by securing excellent counsel in Canada."

Advokatfirman Delphi, WSG member for Sweden, hosted a Meeting for the WSG Nordic member at its premises in Stockholm on February 8th. Members prepared and organized previous to the meeting through a WSG Private group created and lead by the host firm.
A variety of issues on how to get the most benefit of WSG membership were discussed in the one-day long meeting including WSG service providers, Other networks and the relation to these by the different member firms, Involvement in the organization, WSG Marketing and Nordic groups by practice categories.
WSG Representatives from Klavins & Slaidins LAWIN , WSG member in Latvia; Lepik & Luhaäär LAWIN, WSG member in Estonia; Lideika, Petrauskas, Valiunas LAWIN ,WSG member in Lithuania; Advokatfirmaet Schjødt, WSG member in Norway; Bech-Bruun, WSG member in Denmark and Hannes Snellman ,WSG member in Finland assisted to the programme, followed by a cocktail and a fine dinner in the evening.

In November 20, 2007 Dykema Gossett PLLC, contacted Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C., in Mexico City, to provide legal advice to a Dykema's client regarding the financing and granting securities for the acquisition of several condominium units in the Rivera Maya Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

In this respect, the legal advice was concerning the review and preparation of the structure of Mexican Guarantees, as well as legal advice concerning the finance granted in order to acquire the condominium units. Said operation was successfully executed by Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C. and Dykema's client on March 14, 2008.

WSG members Kocian Solc Balastik (Czech Republic) and Shoosmiths (England) recently enjoyed successful co-operation in a European cross border transaction. Sasha Stepanova and Ladislav Smejkal (Kocian Solc Balastik) worked together with Oliver Brookshaw and Jayne Lynn (Shoosmiths) on the acquisition by Paragon Electronics Limited of Baxcol Limited UK and its European subsidiaries.

Paragon Electronics is a UK market leader in the outsourcing of contract electronics manufacturing, now one of the fastest growth sectors of the European electronics market. Through its acquisition of Baxcol Limited and its subsidiaries Paragon further strengthens its leading position in turnkey specialist electro-mechanical and electronic component kitting services.

Sasha Stepanova commented "Our co-operation with Shoosmiths was very productive and an excellent opportunity for us to broaden direct working contacts with our departmental colleagues at Shoosmiths".

On Thursday, April 19, 2007 the Canadian law firm members of the World Services Group joined together to host the Canadian Insurance and Litigation Update in Toronto, Ontario. The Canadian law firm members of the World Services Group that participated included: Lawson Lundell LLP in British Columbia, Parlee McLaws LLP in Alberta, McDougall Gauley LLP in Saskatchewan, Aikins in Manitoba, Cassels Brock in Ontario and Lavery, de Billy in Quebec.

The Canadian Insurance and Litigation Update focused on the current issues facing Canadian professional services corporations and their insurers. The update examined recent insurance and litigation developments, the duty to defend, and cross-border issues. A panel discussion was also held to provide an update on the topic of cross-Canada class action. The conference offered the Canadian law firm members of the World Services Group a great opportunity to meet and host an informative day.
The successful one day conference was followed by a cocktail reception for fifty-seven registered guests.

Richard G. Goetz at Dykema (USA, Michigan) requested inquiries in last December/January to Heuking Kuhn Luer Wojtek (Germany) regarding a proposal from a major US direct retail seller that was interested in law firms with experience in establishing direct marketing companies in Germany.
Other firms that were contacted by Dykema were Lefevre Pelletier & Associes (France), Wardynski & Partners (Poland) and Shoosmiths (England).

WSG members Kocian Solc Balastik (Czech Republic) and Hannes Snellman (Finland) enjoyed their first professional collaboration in the successful representation of Eriksson Capital Ab in its European wide acquisition of Teepak Holdings. Sasha Stepanova and Vladimir Trop (Kocian Solc Balastik) worked together with Daniel Widman and Petra Sjöstrand (Hannes Snellman)in this deal.

For the press release with more information visit: http://www.viskoteepak.com/news/en_GB/2007_01_23/

Sasha Stepanova and Daniel Widman noted that "working together was very smooth and professional – our firms look forward to further joint projects in the future."

Foulston Siefkin recently worked with Nixon Peabody on a securitized loan transaction for their client Value Place LLC, a short-term residential lodging brand based in Wichita, Kansas.

Foulston Siefkin found the assistance from Mark Berman, Bill Egler and Alex Yim very helpful and timely.

Mark Berman was extremely helpful in getting through at transaction and was constantly available when needed to ensure the transaction closed on time.

Harvey Sorensen, Partner of Foulston Siefkin and Chairman Emeritus of WSG commented, "We have found our relationship with World Services Group member firms to be very gratifying, and certainly Nixon Peabody is an exemplar of that relationship. It’s refreshing to work with counsel who are so considerate of total strangers."

Other WSG law firm members that participated in the transaction were Akerman Senterfitt (Florida) and Haynes and Boone (Texas).

In January 2007, Dykema, the Michigan law firm member of WSG, completed the acquisition of a software development company for one of its largest publicly traded clients, an IT solutions provider, with the assistance of Appleby Hunter Bailhache and Minter Ellison.

Appleby is the WSG law firm member in the Cayman Islands, and Minter is WSG’s Australian law firm member. The acquisition target was a Cayman Island entity. Appleby assisted with advice on Cayman matters in the transaction, as well as in the post-closing roll-up of the target into the acquirer. The target had an Australian subsidiary, giving rise to the need for Minter’s assistance with Australian legal issues.

“Our ability to quickly identify and contact a top-notch firm to assist in the Cayman Islands was of great benefit to us in this transaction, as our client was anxious to complete the acquisition in an expedited manner,” noted Dykema partner Jin Koh, who orchestrated the transaction. “The benefits of our WSG relationships in being able to provide these resources to our client in this matter were clear.” Koh also noted that “our client had previously worked with Minter in Australia, and so that shared client relationship naturally led to our ability to team with Minter to achieve the client’s goals.”

WSG members Kocian Solc Balastik (Czech Republic) and Van Doorne (The Netherlands) recently enjoyed co-operation in a corporate law client matter. Michal Kasparek (Kocian Solc Balastik) worked together with Ralph Mulkens (Van Doorne) on aspects of the restructuring of the LG Group pertaining to the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

In another European cross border transaction, Dagmar Dubecka and Jaroslav Mikovec (Kocian Solc Balastik) led a team of Czech lawyers co-operating with Per-Ivar Svensson and Rebecka Ekberg (Delphi & Co., Sweden) representing the Swedish company NIBE Industrier AB in the acquisition of the Czech company DZ Drazice (Druzstevni zavody Drazice – strojirna s.r.o.), a leading producer of electric water heaters.

WSG member firms Lawfort (Belgium) and Cassels Brock (Ontario, Canada), worked with the Belgian government to organize an informative investment seminar in Toronto. With more than 50 attendees, the seminar offered an opportunity for senior decision-makers in the Toronto marketplace to learn about opportunities in Belgium.

Chaired by Lorne Saltman of Cassels Brock, the event included presentations on innovative Belgian fiscal measures, investment incentives, and included a presentation by Belgium's Prince Philippe. In addition, Cassels Brock's Renate Herbst participated as a panelist with the roundtable session.

"We were honored to be chosen by the Belgian government to help organize this event. We immediately contacted Cassels Brock, WSG's Ontario firm who contributed in making the seminar a success." said Jane Murphy, a lawyer and Lawfort's main contact for the event.

WSG members A&L Goodbody (Emer Moriarty Crowley), Bech-Brunn (Monica Reib) and Shepherd and Wedderburn (Stephen Trombala) advised Brown-Forman Corporation on the legal aspects of the recent reorganization of its European businesses. The reorganization involved lawyers from seven European jurisdictions. Brown-Forman Corporation, one of the largest American-owned companies in the wine and spirits business, is a diversified producer and marketer of consumer products.

In most European markets, Brown-Forman principally markets the Jack Daniel's family of brands, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, and Woodford Reserve and has a long-term partnership with Bacardi in Germany. The reorganization included a restructure of its distribution set up for Europe, entering into new agreements for its spirits brands in a number of countries.

Our membership to the World Services Group facilitated a vital transaction for a very important client. This Michigan based group, a leader in factory-built construction, has produced more than 1.6 million homes and operates 33 manufacturing facilities in North America and partners with over 3,000 independent retailers, builders and developers.

We were advising our client on a recent financing and acquisition of a Minnesota based company – a producer of high-quality modular and manufactured homes with a significant presence in the north central United States, for cash consideration of $23 million.

This acquisition was an important step in furthering the strategy to expand their modular market share. Our client would be able to increase their manufacturing, distribution and builder / developer coverage in several key states currently underserved.

The WSG legal services member in Minnesota, Fredrikson & Byron assisted as local counsel to our client in connection with the acquisition as well as in connection with the requirements under our client’s Credit Facility with respect to adding the company as a Subsidiary Guarantor under such facility. In April 2006, our client also completed an amendment to its Credit Facility and Fredrikson & Byron provided the necessary local counsel opinion in connection with that amendment.

In January 2006, Arizona member law firm, Gallagher & Kennedy, provided timely assistance to Scottish member firm, Shepherd and Wedderburn, in facilitating the signing of various legal documents in the USA. The assistance was promptly given within a matter of hours of a request from Shepherd and Wedderburn and was invaluable in the completion, on schedule, of a large corporate sale in Scotland.

Paul Hally commented, "We wish to publicly thank Gallagher & Kennedy for their help and regard the experience as indicative of how WSG can assist members in dealing with the time-sensitive international aspects that often arise in complex deals. We hope to have the opportunity to work with Gallagher & Kennedy again in the future."

Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados, WSG accounting firm member representing Venezuela, referred Miller International (www.milossadjusters.co.uk) to Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C., WSG law firm member representing Mexico.

"Miller International informed me that they are very satisfied with the services, " stated Luis Cifuentes, partner of Cifuentes, Lemus & Ascoiados

Van Doorne, WSG member firm representing legal services in the Netherlands, received assistance in restructuring a firm from Malaysia member firm, Shearn Delamore. It was also noted that representatives with Shearn Delamore responded overnight.

In other news, Van Doorne and the WSG member representing Brazil, Veirano Advogados have also been able to work together.

Dykema’s membership to WSG brought them great benefits when the legal services member for Quebec, Canada, Lavery de Billy referred a business opportunity to them. The deal was the sale of a prominent Quebec based manufacturer of PVC fencing and railing systems, to an Illinois, U.S.A. based company. The Chicago office of Dykema acted as primary counsel to the sellers and the deal was closed at around $35 million. The President of the Quebec based company also attended Dykema’s M&A seminar in Chicago. Dykema also handled an employment litigation case for the company.

Kocián Šolc Balaštik, WSG Czech Republic Member Firm, teamed up with Garrigues, WSG Spain Member firm, to successfully represent Telefonica, the Spanish telecom operator in their acquisition of Cesky Telecom, the Czech telecom operator. This was a very prominent transaction with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Stanislav Gross presiding over the signing ceremony for the acquisition of a 51.1% stake in Ceský Telecom by the Spanish operator. The Spanish telecommunications company had won the privatization tender with the highest bid - 82.6 billion crowns (a little over 3.5 billion US dollars).

Telefónica, third largest telecom operator worldwide in terms of market capitalization and second largest integrated operator, is confident about the growth potential of Ceský Telecom in its market, where it has maintained a leading position in both fixed and mobile services. Incorporating Ceský Telecom into the Telefónica Group is fully in line with Telefónica’s strategic goal of becoming the largest and best integrated telecommunications company in the world by the year 2008. The acquisition of the Czech operator will allow Telefónica to reach more than 130 million customers worldwide.

César Alierta, Chairman and CEO of the Board of Telefónica, thanked the Czech Government for the trust vested into the Spanish company and expressed Telefónica’s wish to contribute to the economic and social growth in the Czech Republic through a sector as dynamic as telecommunications. “We are delighted to be able to include Ceský Telecom among our assets. It is a well-managed company and we believe that our long-term experience in the industry will enable us to capture its full potential in terms of growth and quality of services,” said César Alierta.

Kocián Šolc Balaštik and Garrigues benefited from the relationship they enjoyed as members of the WSG network, and shared resources in a very effective manner to successfully represent the Telefónica Group in this high profile acquisition.

In addition to this success, Kocián Šolc Balaštik gained tremendously through one on one interaction with over 70 attendees during the 2005 WSG Annual Luncheon held on the occasion of the IBA Conference in Prague on September 26, 2005.

"The opportunity that this member to member venture provided for building professional relationships goes beyond simply one transaction and exemplifies the synergy of WSG membership", said Sasha Stepanova of Kocian Solc Balastik.

As a result of their WSG membership, Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados, WSG accounting firm member in Venezuela, contacted the offices of AIG regarding risk insurance policies. AIG has now successfully offered Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados risk insurance policies.

"As you can see, for us [Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados] being a part of the WSG organization has been extremely beneficial." Luis Cifuentes.

Dykema’s client, an industry leader in enterprise software & IT services, intended to acquire privately held company in Dublin, Ireland. Dykema referred A&L Goodbody, the WSG legal services member in Ireland, to act as their primary counsel in this transaction. Since the company being acquired was an Irish parent with U.S. based subsidiaries, Dykema provided advice with those matters. The two WSG firms worked together effortlessly and this cooperation resulted in great value for the client.

The Irish company develops a business requirements management tool that enables all business and technology stakeholders to work collaboratively to understand, define, communicate and manage application requirements throughout the lifecycle. Dykema’s client maximizes the value IT brings to the business by helping CIOs more effectively manage the business of IT. They serve the world's leading IT organizations, including more than 90 percent of the Fortune 100 companies.

The addition of the Irish company to Dykema’s client’s Application Delivery Management solutions will allow them to help applications organizations more effectively collaborate with their business customers and deliver better applications, faster. The two companies have had a long-term relationship and have been integrated with software development and quality assurance solutions. This will enable both companies’ customers to obtain immediate value from the transaction.

It has recently been reported that Cifuentes, Lemus & Associados, WSG accounting firm member representing Venezuela, has been in constant communication with Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque - Abogados, WSG law firm member representing Venezuela.

Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque - Abogados referred several clients to Cifuentes regarding the needs for financial audits, bookkeeping, and the outsourcing of all the tax compliance for the year ended in December 2005.

In addition, Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados recieved assistance from Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque - Abogados in August 2005 and Luis Cifuentes has stated his satisfaction with the results of their legal advice. The firm has also made several referrals to Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque - Abogados.

Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque - Abogados was invited by Cifuentes to the Moore Stephens Internal Meeting in December 2005 (Caracas). During this meeting Dr. Francisco Castillo of HCPD and Luis Cifuentes of Cifuentes explained to all employees the benefits and details of WSG.

Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados continues communication with TIR Inmobiliarios, WSG business appraisals firm representing Venezuela. All WSG firms representing Venezuela are scheduled to have a meeting in January or February to make some plans for the year 2006.

"We think that a lot of business options can be completed in the new year," stated Luis Cifuentes of Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados.

Dykema’s client, an industry leader in enterprise software & IT services, intended to acquire a U.S. company which is headquartered in Marlborough, Mass., and runs its European operations from a regional office in Gdansk, Poland. The company being taken over pioneered a technology which complements the client’s product line by providing extremely high-capacity, agentless end-user experience monitoring and deep insight into application performance.

Dykema asked Wardynski & Partners, the WSG legal services member in Poland, to assist with legal counsel in this transaction. The two WSG firms cooperated smoothly due to their relationship through WSG membership. Wardynski handled the Polish side of this transaction and advised Dykema’s client on issues relating to the regional office in Gdansk.

In June 2003, Davis Graham & Stubbs and Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque were jointly appointed by the State owned Venezuelan company (PDVSA) as their joint co-counsel in a large private antitrust litigation against PDVSA and its US subsidiary, CITGO, filed by a RSM Production Corporation before a Federal Court in Denver, Colorado. In terms of the amount allegedly at issue, the dispute was one of the largest in Colorado history. Both WSG member firms approached PDVSA and CITGO when they learned about this legal action, and made a presentation for a joint representation in this US litigation. Subsequently the lawyers of both firms combined their abilities to successfully defend PDVSA against this antitrust suit and obtained a complete dismissal of the case at an early stage.

RSM Production Corporation is a Texas corporation involved in international oil and gas exploration and production. In 1996, the country of Grenada granted RSM an exclusive offshore license relating to oil and natural gas within Grenada’s maritime territory. RSM and Grenada agreed to suspend the license agreement until Grenada’s maritime boundaries with Venezuela and Trinidad were resolved. In its complaint, RSM alleged that PDVSA, Venezuela’s national, state-owned oil company, had excluded RSM from acreage to which it was entitled by failing to resolve these boundaries and had been prevented from exploiting a license to develop offshore oil and gas resources in Grenada.

RSM brought an action in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, seeking equitable relief or damages from PDVSA, its subsidiary PDVSA Petroleo, S.A. (“Petroleo”), and its U.S. marketing arm, CITGO. RSM had alleged that Petróleos scuttled its opportunity to “preserve its monopolistic regional standing as the representative of the only country (Venezuela) in the region with which foreign investors must conduct trade”.

Due to the collaborative efforts of Davis Graham & Stubbs and Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque, on September 30, 2004 the district court in Denver dismissed RSM’s claims on jurisdictional grounds. It said the defendants were agents of the Venezuelan state shielded by the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act. They could only be sued in an American court if their conduct had a direct effect in the United States. Although RSM had prevented “potential importation of oil to the United States,” the court held that this was evidence only of indirect effects and dismissed the lawsuit.

This is a prime example of the type of collaborative work between WSG members which benefits clients and provides them access to an in depth knowledge of laws and legal norms across the world. The membership of both firms to WSG allowed them to interact and exchange resources in an effective manner.

Bruno Ciuffetelli commented, "This has permitted different partners and associates of each firm to network and get to know each other better."

On May 12, Dykema, the WSG law firm member in Michigan, closed a transaction for one of its major clients with the assistance of Minter Ellison, the WSG law firm member in Australia. The transaction was a stock sale and the Sellers, who were represented by Dykema, were Australian entities. The Australian firm that was originally engaged by the Sellers to provide legal opinions to the Purchaser refused to allow the Purchaser’s lenders to rely on their opinions. Beginning with a series of late Friday night emails (early Saturday morning in Australia) between Mark Peters at Dykema and Peter Bartlett and James Philips at Minter, Minter was able to provide appropriate legal opinions to both the Purchaser and its lenders, and the transaction was able to close. Mark had contacted Peter and James after discovering in a conversation with Peter at the last WSG Annual Meeting that Minter represents affiliates of the Sellers in Australia.

Mark acknowledged that “we were in a bit of a bind, given the parties’ desire to close the transaction and the position of the other Australian law firm. The professionalism and responsiveness of Peter, James and their colleagues at Minter, as well as the relationship between our firms built through our WSG membership and activities, helped to save the day.”

Luis Cifuentes of Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados referred a business contact to Francisco Javier Puentes of the Garrigues, the WSG law member in Valladolid Spain (Garrigues). This referral was related to legal advice in real estate business in Tudela del Duero - Valladolid.

Jiri Balastik, a senior partner at Kocian Solc Balastik, undertook a business development trip to Asia in October 2006 and took the opportunity to personally visit and meet with WSG members in:
Hong Kong (Deacons – Gavin Nesbitt, Edwarde Webre and Phillip Macdonald)
Taipei (LCS & Partners – Mark J. Harty, Amy Chin, Victor Chang, Rich Chin-Fu Lin) and
South Korea (Lee & Ko, Jongkwan Peck, Yong Suk Yoon).

The WSG network and KSB’s personal connections established and developed through our long term involvement in WSG was a great resource in the planning and successful outcome of Jiri’s business development trip. The experience gained in visiting WSG member firms on their home turf and being able to have discussions with a range of local lawyers was invaluable in developing cross jurisdictional understanding.

It has recently been reported that WSG Michigan law firm member, Dykema, has successfully sent referrals to various WSG member firms in the European and Asia Pacific region. The referrals were inclusive of the creation of subsidiaries in various jurisdictions, EU representation, and local counsels. The WSG member firms who received the successful business opportunities were Shoosmiths (England), Minter Ellison (Australia), Lawfort (Belgium), and Wardynski (Poland) to name a few.

On September 1, 2005, Jilbey Gold Exploration Ltd. (JLB: TSX Venture Exchange) ("Jilbey"), High River Gold Mines Ltd. (HRG: TSX) ("High River") and High River Acquisition Corp. carried out a transaction under an arrangement in accordance with the provisions of the Canada Business Corporations Act pursuant to which Jilbey, merged with High River Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of High River.

Jilbey is a leading exploration company in West Africa, having assembled a land package exceeding 5,300 square kilometres in highly prospective greenstone belts in Burkina Faso. The main focus of Jilbey's exploration activities to date has been on extending the Bissa Hill deposit. Jilbey reported in October 2004 a significant mineral resource and recent additional drilling along a 5.5 kilometre section of the structure has intersected encouraging drilling results indicating the potential to significantly add to this resource.

High River has been established in Burkina Faso since 1994 with an excellent portfolio of exploration properties covering in excess of 2,300 square kilometres, including the Taparko-Bouroum gold project and the recently announced Labola high-grade gold discovery. High River is currently constructing the Taparko-Bouroum gold mine, which is scheduled to commence production in mid 2006 at an initial annual production rate of 100,000 ounces and ramping up to over 140,000 ounces in the third year of operation.

The consolidation of Jilbey's Burkina Faso assets with those of High River establishes High River as the pre-eminent exploration and mine development company in Burkina Faso, providing shareholders and investors with an attractive investment vehicle with exposure to near-production assets in West Africa - one of the fastest growing gold producing regions of the world. With the price of gold having appreciated significantly in the past year, this transaction will prove to be strategic in terms of adding value to the merged entity.

David Mosher, President and Chief Executive Officer of High River said, "The alliance between High River and Jilbey has been very successful in establishing a large prospective land position in Burkina Faso, with Jilbey identifying potentially significant new gold zone extensions at Bissa Hill. Both companies believe that a consolidation of their respective interests at this stage will allow for optimization of technical programmes in Burkina Faso, add critical mass and lead to more aggressive development initiatives and added value for shareholders."

Greg Isenor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jilbey said, "We have been extremely successful in our exploration programmes in Burkina Faso and our merger with High River will strengthen the ability to finance, further explore and potentially develop Jilbey's gold assets. This merger is the logical next step for us and will provide all Jilbey shareholders with an opportunity to be part of a much larger company with gold production and a varied portfolio of exciting projects."

Jilbey was represented by a team from Lavery, de Billy, LLP made up of Michel Blouin, René Branchaud, Larry Markowitz, Sébastien Vézina (securities), Philip Nolan (tax) and Lee Ann Graston (litigation), while a team from Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP made up of David Poynton, Emmet Connolly (business), Tom Koutoulakis, Lawrence Wilder (securities), Robert Cohen (litigation) and Chris Norton (tax) acted on behalf of High River.

Lavery, de Billy’s relationship with Cassels Brock has been strengthened through their common membership to WSG. WSG members in the Canadian provinces connect and interact on a regular basis to exchange knowledge and important information related to common business interests.

Michel Blouin commented, “Our association with Cassels Brock served us well in facilitating this very important merger in the Canadian mining industry.”

Dykema has recently reported that they have sent referrals to Akerman Senterfitt, the WSG law firm representing the state of Florida. These successful business opportunites were inclusive of local counsel opinions, financial transactions, and commercial real estate disputes.

A Venezuelan client of Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados, WSG accouting firm member in Venezuela, was in need of assistance with respect to Transfer Pricing in their Colombian office. Luis Cifuentes immediately contacted Monica Reyes of Brigard & Urrutia, WSG law firm member in Colombia. Brigard & Urrutia was able to successfully assist the Venezuelan client in their Transfer Pricing needs.

"As you can see, for us [Cifuentes] being part of the WSG organization has been extremely beneficial." Luis Cifuentes

It has been reported by attorneys at Dykema, the WSG law firm member representing the state of Michigan, that many WSG member firms representing jurisdictions in South and Central America have made successful referrals to Dykema. In addition, Dykema has sent many referrals which turned into successful business opportunities to various WSG member firms in South and Central America.

These business opportunities were inclusive of real estate, tax holding company, subsidiary dissolution, and product warranties. Referrals were made to and from WSG firms such as Carey y Cia, Estudio Beccar Varela, Veirano Advogados, Misick and Stanbrook, De Comarmond, and Basham Ringe y Correa. These referrals are a great example of one of the many benefits of WSG membership.

Burton Landy, Shareholder of Akerman Senterfitt, WSG Florida law firm member received a referral from WSG accounting member Luis Cifuentes, Partner of Cifuentes, Lemus & Asociados of Venezuela. A Venezuelan Group was acquiring a controlling interest in a Miami based Spanish communications company. Akerman Senterfitt now is in communication with the potential client as a result of this successful referral.

"This is a great example of how a multi-disciplinary network can function. A Venezuelan accounting firm with which I had no prior dealings, referred a client to our law firm. In addition to the always welcoming of a new client to our firm, we now have a relationship with an accounting firm in Venezuela." Burton Landy, Akerman Senterfitt

It has been reported by various attorneys at Dykema, WSG law firm member representing the state of Michigan, that two of the largest firms in their provinces of Canada, and members of WSG have referred several business opportunities to Dykema. These business opportunities were inclusive of employment litigation, general litigation, and an asset disposition. These referrals are a great example of one the many benefits of WSG membership.

For Haynes and Boone, LLP, the benefits of the WSG network continue to amass. On the business side, discussions with fellow members about opportunities in Russia were influential in leading the firm to open its Moscow office in 2005. The annual WSG meeting gave rise to a valuable sit-down with the general counsel of a major Mexican commercial power that has become an important international client. And WSG associations have led to lucrative joint projects with members in Florida, Colorado and Spain, among others.

But perhaps nothing illustrates the membership’s value more powerfully than the extraordinary, heart-rending experience that confronted one of our senior Partners, Ann Saegert, and a client traveling in Europe.

The client, a close Saegert family friend, slipped and broke her back while visiting Vilnius, Lithuania, with her husband. After entering the local hospital, she was held stationary on a bed, without food, pending "scheduling" of her surgery. No one in the hospital spoke English, and her husband is crippled and couldn't get around to help.

Ms. Saegert contacted WSG member Rolandas Valiunas and within 48 hours, Simona Oliskeviciute, an excellent lawyer with Valiunas' firm, arrived to assist the couple. With Simona's counsel, surgery was successfully completed within a couple of days, everyone was fed, the proper payments were made, and all the problems were solved.

"With the local WSG firm's advice and guidance, a tragedy was averted, and our client friends were able to return to the US about a week after the surgery -- well fed, reasonably comfortable, and very, very grateful for the assistance," says Ms. Saegert.

Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin, WSG Missouri member firm, referred two real estate matters to Dykema, WSG Michigan member firm, resulting in over $10,000 in business transactions.