Many of our engagements involve matters in which our clients face significant public attention. The following is a list of news stories about the firm, our clients, cases and the results we have achieved.
Many crypto firms – including Three Arrows Capital, Voyager, Celsius and FTX – have become insolvent as cryptocurrency asset values cratered during the “Crypto Winter” of 2022. However, the unusual nature of the crypto industry – with many firms and creditors based outside regulated financial economies, and the asset class being largely unregulated – poses unique challenges for insolvency practitioners, trustees and liquidators. Kobre & Kim’s Daniel Saval, who focuses on complex cross-border insolvency disputes, explores these obstacles at the ABA International Law Section Annual Conference in New York during a session at 11:00 am, May 3, 2023.
More global investors are engaging in investor-state arbitration to resolve disputes, but the trouble often begins once they win an award. Many sovereigns deploy their unique powers to do everything they can to avoid payment, so investors need to think creatively if they want to successfully enforce their arbitral award. Kobre & Kim’s Jef Klazen, who focuses on international asset recovery and the enforcement of judgments and awards, discusses during the Paris Arbitration Week on a session at 10:00 am local time, March 31, 2023.
Defense of wealth against litigation threats is increasingly an area of concern for many high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in Africa, and in particular, women in business have unique concerns over their assets. In collaboration with Oraro & Company Advocates, Kobre & Kim’s Polly Wilkins, Adriana Riviere-Badell and Vicky Kay examined how HNWIs and their advisors can navigate potential threats to their wealth during a panel discussion in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10.
A good amount of high-quality information is the foundation of any legal strategy in global arbitral award enforcement or restructuring campaigns. Kobre & Kim’s Paul Hughes, who focuses on complex cross-border disputes with a nexus to the United Arab Emirates and wider Middle East, will chair a panel on the best practices to accessing critical sources of information during the Restructuring Insolvency and Legal Practitioners Association (RILPA) Conference in Dubai on March 9, 2023.
Asset recovery is a crucial service to provide for creditors and claimants, including across the Asia Pacific region – but it is becoming an increasingly complicated endeavor. Kobre & Kim’s John Han, who focuses on the monetization and demonetization of debt instruments, claims, judgments and arbitral awards, unpacked the latest developments in global asset recovery at the 7th IBA Asia Pacific Regional Forum Biennial Conference in Singapore in a session at 1:45 pm local time, Thursday February 23, 2023.
Recent developments have signaled that U.S. regulatory and enforcement agencies are taking a new – and tougher – approach to their enforcement efforts against traders and companies, including in the cryptocurrency industry. Kobre & Kim’s Jonathan Cogan, who focuses on high-stakes disputes and investigations in the futures and other derivatives markets, examines these trends during a panel discussion at the 2023 American Bar Association Derivatives Law Committee Winter Meeting at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, from February 2 to 4, 2023.
In 2022, the cryptocurrency market started optimistically – both in terms of value and in the interest institutional investors showed. The year ended very differently, with high-profile collapses and bankruptcies, accelerating calls for more regulatory scrutiny. What does the year ahead look like for the industry? Kobre & Kim’s Calvin Koo, who focuses on cross-border disputes involving digital assets, surveyed the landscape when he joined a webinar presented by Fintelekt Advisory Services and the Asian Bankers Association on January 13, 2023.
With more companies in the energy and other industries bringing arbitrations against state-owned entities, what are the unique challenges that come when it is time to enforce the resulting awards? Kobre & Kim’s Andrew Stafford KC, who focuses on complex international enforcement against sovereign judgment and award debtors, offers his insights during the 11th ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration in Houston on a panel at 10:00 am local time, January 20.
Focus on antitrust issues is on the rise in the United States, from congressional proposals of new legislation to aggressive enforcement by the antitrust agencies. In this climate, how will the U.S. Supreme Court weigh in? Kobre & Kim’s Benjamin Sirota, a former U.S. federal antitrust prosecutor, moderates a panel discussion during the New York State Bar Association Antitrust Section’s annual meeting, at 10:25 am New York time, January 18, 2023.
As global law enforcement agencies – including and especially the U.S. Department of Justice – continue to extend their reach far beyond their borders, more individuals and entities will be subject to penalties from those jurisdictions, including asset forfeiture, clawbacks and criminal sentencing. Clients and their advisors should understand how recent developments in this area could affect their risk and exposure.
Mirroring the rest of the East Africa region, Tanzania has experienced a healthy rate of economic expansion in recent decades, presenting opportunities for foreign investors that deliver sustainable mutual prosperity and growth. Kobre & Kim’s Product Director for International Private Client, Vicky Kay, joined the UK-Tanzania Business Forum on November 29, 2022, to engage with local and foreign businesses in discussions on how to leverage these opportunities and address the challenges facing stakeholders in the region.
Engaging in high-stakes litigation, investigation and enforcement of judgments and awards in the U.S. and Latin America is never easy, but there are challenging situations where even the most seasoned practitioners must think outside the box to deliver for their clients. Kobre & Kim’s Jef Klazen, who focuses on international asset recovery and judgment enforcement, shares some insights at the Asset Recovery Americas conference in New York on a panel at 12:30 pm local time, December 2, 2022.
Private sector corruption takes many forms and is a serious global problem, and many law enforcement agencies around the world are eager to come up with new tools to investigate companies. Kobre & Kim’s Daniel Lee, a former U.S. federal prosecutor focused on government enforcement defense, will share what these tools look like during a lecture for the Korean Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission on November 21.
Dubai is solidifying its role as a hub for resolving contentious insolvency and distressed debt disputes in the Middle East and around the world. Kobre & Kim’s Paul Hughes and John Han will examine the recent trends and developments in this area during a seminar hosted by the Restructuring Insolvency and Legal Practitioners Association (RILPA) in Dubai at 8:30 am local time, November 15, 2022.
Illicit trade is a low-risk, high-reward venture for criminals at the expense of companies whose goods are being trafficked. Fighting the traffickers to protect the company’s business has always been a drain on resources – but as Kobre & Kim’s Jason Masimore, John Han and Michael Ng explained during a webinar hosted by the Hong Kong Association of Corporate Counsel on November 2, in-house counsel can deploy new strategies that increase effectiveness and generate possible returns.
