Articles

Asia Pacific (APAC) Newsletter for Primerus published for December 2020

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, as the Chair of the Primerus APAC Group, is pleased to announce the release of our Primerus 2nd newsletter of the year.  Caroline is grateful to her Asia contributors and their exciting line-up of articles covering  China’s new Patent Law, Legal implications on Cryptocurrency as salary payouts in Hong Kong, Western Australia’s promising reform in the construction industry and overview of Deeds and IP updates from Singapore. Caroline thanks Alicia Bos (Event and Marketing Coordinator) and Chris Dawe (Senior Vice President of Services) of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, whose efforts made this newsletter possible for year-end release!  Happy reading for the Christmas holidays, please click here:  Asia Pacific Newsletter!

Asia Pacific Newsletter – December 2020

Our M&A China 2020 chapter is out – Lexology Getting The Deal Through (GTDT) – Practice Guide for China

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, was proud to see our HJM’s chapter on China Public M&A published in the Lexology GTDT third edition of Public M&A 2020. Available in print and online at www.lexology.com/gtdt, our chapter provides a practical guide for corporate counsels, cross-border legal practitioners, and company directors and officers about mergers and acquisitions of public listed businesses in China. Caroline thanks Amy Banda (Content Coordinator, Law Business Research Ltd), Katrina Pimentel (Client Services Manager) and Inés Deng (Business Development Manager) at Lexology for their assistance.

IBA China Working Group Newsletter, Message from Co-chairs, September 2020  

 

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, and co-chair of the IBA China Working Group (“CWG”), is happy to announce the publication of the third newsletter for 2020 with seven great articles on relevant legal developments in China. Exciting virtual events are lined up and Caroline wishes to highlight the upcoming IBA 2020 – Virtually Together Conference in November – https://www.ibanet.org/VirtuallyTogether-2020.aspx. Enjoy the interesting reads from the IBA CWG contributors by clicking the links to the articles in the newsletter.

 

IBA CWG, Message from the Co-Chairs, September 2020

IBA China Working Group Newsletter, Message from Co-chairs, June 2020

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, co-chair of the IBA China Working Group, is happy to announce the publication of the second newsletter of the China Working Group (“CWG”)! Caroline thanks all IBA-CWG contributors, together with her co-chair, David Liu (JunHe LLP, Shanghai), their editor, Dominic Hui (Ribeiro Hui, HK) for the superb work. This edition brings 15 relevant articles related to Chinese laws.! A preview of the articles is given in the attached (PDF).  Special mention to the IBA CWG’s first webinar on May 21st, 2020  she moderated and which recorded a huge turnout from all over the world (see Caroline’s post here).

IBA CWG From the Co-Chairs, June 2020

The Variable Capital Company: an answer to Singapore’s fund management Sector?

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, the Chair of the Asia Pacific Region for Primerus, a society of the world’s finest independent, boutique law firms, is proud to contribute a feature article on its inaugural Vol. 1 Asia Pacific Newsletter published for April 2020.  Caroline and colleague, Matthew Boyd (Corporate Secretary, HJM Asia Law and Procosec Asia) shared their insights about the Variable Capital Companies Act 2018 which was passed into Singapore law on January 14th, 2020.  The creation of the Variable Capital Company (or “VCC”) represents Singapore’s efforts to boost its fund management industry by providing a fund-friendly legal entity. The article is also featured on the Primerus Xpress Corporate Client e-Newsletter. A special thanks to Chad Sluss (Senior Vice President of Services, Primerus) for coordinating the newsletter from start to finish.  You may access the newsletter and message from the Chair from the attached PDF.

 

Asia Pacific Newsletter – April 2020

Primerus Newsletter, 2020

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, is proud to be the Chair of the Asia Pacific Region of Primerus and publish the first Primerus Asia Pacific newsletter for 2020!  Thanks to our Asia members who contributed articles covering in brief: Labor Incident Act in Taiwan (by Jia-Wei Chao, Attorney of Formosan Brothers Attorneys at Law); The Variable Capital Company in Singapore (by Matthew Boyd, Legal Executive of HJM Asia Law & Co LLC);  Whistleblowers’ protection by law in Australia (by Selwyn Black and Yue Lucy Han, lawyers from Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers); China’s amendment to Trademark Law (by Edward Sun and April Yang, lawyers from Hengtai Law Offices); Employee’s claim for coronavirus infection in Hong Kong (by Christine Wong of ONC Lawyers); and Employer’s obligations at workplace in Australia (by Murray Thornhill (Director) and Gemma Wheeler-Carver (Lawyer), from HHG Legal Group).  Click on this PDF to view the Message from the chair and contributors’ articles.  Asia Pacific Newsletter – April 2020

 

Les Affaires, March 20th, 2020: “ COVID-19: «Profitez de la crise pour renouveler votre entreprise»” (“COVID-19: Take advantage of the crisis to re-invent your business”)

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, noted that we are all living a very challenging time due to the Covid-19.  Thinking positively, she shared with François Normand (journalist at Les Affaires (Montreal)) about how the coronavirus pandemic has given the firm the opportunity to grow differently by evaluating, assessing and changing some business process to improve the efficiency and visibility of HJM Asia Law & Co LLC.  She spoke about the importance of adopting creative and lean business methods to stay relevant and pro-active with their team, clients and suppliers during this crisis.  Thank you to François for publishing her thoughts in the Montreal business newspaper!  The article can be assessed online at: https://www.lesaffaires.com/secteurs-d-activite/general/covid-19-le-coronavirus-a-transforme-mon-cabinet-pour-le-mieux/616661

Les Affaires, March 20th, 2020 – Caroline Berube

 

 

IBA China Working Group Newsletter, Message from Co-chairs, March 2020

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law and  co-chair the IBA China Working Group (“CWG”) with David Liu (Partner at JunHe LLP) are pleased with the release of the IBA CWG’s first newsletter of  2020!  The newsletter covers important legal developments in China as follows: “Alipay and the impact of e-payment systems resulting in new regulations in China and other jurisdictions”, “Compliance requirements and regulatory trends in cross-border transfers of personal information in China”, etc.. We appreciate the work of all contributors, authors and editorial team, especially Dominic Hui, active member of the IBA CWG in charge of the newsletter, who have worked hard to put this issue together. Click here to learn more about IBA CWG: https://www.ibanet.org/Regional_Fora/Regional_Fora/Asia_Pacific_Forum/CWG.aspx

 

 

Lexology Getting The Deal Through – Practice Guide for China M&A – Employment & Labour Chapter

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, wrote with her colleague Ralf Ho the practical guide chapter on employment issues in mergers and acquisitions transactions in China. The publication was a collaboration between Lexology Getting The Deal Through (GTDT), David Willard (Founder & Managing Partner, 52 Capital Partners) and other firms in China.  Special thanks to Gracie Ford (Senior Content Coordinator of Law Business Research Limited) for her patience and diligence all the way to the printing press!  Published in January 2020, an online copy of this handbook is available at https://www.lexology.com/gtdt/guides/china-m-and-a/

 

Les Affaires, November 9th, 2019: “The will to make her mark abroad”

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law is in the headlines of Les Affaires, a business newspaper from Montreal, Canada. The article titled “The will to make her mark abroad” was published  in Les Affaires on November 9th, 2019 and Caroline was one of the 10 French Canadian having founded/managing companies outside of Canada.  Caroline, a McGill law graduate, shared about her motivation to find a niche when moving to Asia in 1998, which propelled her to establish a law firm in China and then in Singapore in 2005 after working for 6 years in Asia for UK and Chinese firms meeting the demands for legal services in the Asian region and focusing on European speaking French. Besides having offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Singapore, Caroline’s team has set up an Asia/Africa desk assisting Chinese companies doing business on the African continent.

International Bar Association, China Working Group, “a note from the Co-Chairs”, September 2019

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law and Co-Chair of the International Bar Association China Working Group (“CWG”), together with the Co-Chair David Liu from JunHe, prepared a special welcome  note for the CWG newsletter for the 2019 Seoul Annual Conference covering different topics such as “Strategies for foreign CTAs to enter China”, “Opportunities for the legal industry in China’s Greater Bay Area” and “China sets up international commercial courts to promote the Belt and Road initiative”.

https://www.ibanet.org/Article/NewDetail.aspx?ArticleUid=748D1D11-D861-48BF-BD52-D63931A00482

Interview with Eckart Brodermann by Marc O. Dedman and Caroline Berube, Paradigm, International Society of Primerus Law Firms, Fall 2018

Caroline Berube, Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law, and Marc O. Dedman, Partner of Spicer Rudstrom, had the opportunity to interview Eckart Brodermann about his new published article “UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, An Article-by-Article Commentary”, Wolters Kluwer, 2018. Please click the following link to read about the interview

Dedman Brodermann Berube

Tax litigation in China: overview

Caroline Berube and her colleague Ralf Ho contributed to the book “Tax Litigation” published by Thomson Reuters earlier in May 2018 and wrote the China chapter. HJM Asia Law is proud to be part of this international publication. You can view HJM’s China chapter here in the following link:

https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/8-624-6916?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true&bhcp=1

 

“Pointers and Tips When Negotiating Contracts with Chinese Companies”- Canadian International Lawyer Journal, January 2015

On January 6th, 2015, Caroline Berube’s article was published in the Vol.10 of the Canadian International Lawyer Journal. It offers a detailed account of useful strategies and tips to consider when negotiating a contract with Chinese companies, namely: company searches and credit checks, undertaking other due diligence, use of contracts, and authorized signatories. You can find Caroline’s article on Page 33 of the journal: Canadian International Lawyer, Vol.10, No.1

“Effectively Accessing Chinese Consumers Through Distribution Relationships” by Michael L. Bohn and Caroline Berube, April 2014

An article authored by Michael L. Bohn, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek (WHD) and Caroline Berube, HJM Asia Law & Co LLC, titled “Effectively Accessing Chinese Consumers Through Distribution Relationships” was published in the latest WHD’s newsletter. You can view the complete article here.

“New Risks Emerge for U.S. Companies Operating in China” by Michael L. Bohn and Caroline Berube, March 2014

An article authored by Michael L. Bohn, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek (WHD) and Caroline Berube, HJM Asia Law & Co LLC, titled “New Risks Emerge for U.S. Companies Operating in China: Increased Enforcement Of Domestic Anti-Bribery Laws Has Created Additional Challenges” was published in the latest WHD’s newsletter. You can view the complete article here.

“Exiting China: Strategies for American Executive and Lawyer to Consider in Redeploying Assets from China to the United States or Third Countries”, December 2013

An article co-authored by John Donohue and Caroline Berube (both members of IBLC) titled “Exiting China: Strategies for American Executive and Lawyer to Consider in Redeploying Assets from China to the United States or Third Countries” was published in the December edition of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) news. OESA is the trade industry association for the automotive parts suppliers industry. The full article can be read here: Exiting China (Donohue) with CH and HJM Asia mastheads

November 2013- Canadian International Lawyer Journal

Caroline Berube and Ralf Ho wrote an article  for the Vol.9 No.2 issue of the Canadian International Lawyer Journal which was published this month. The article is titled  “Are Employees Protected in China? Or, What To Keep in Mind if You Intend To Hire Individuals in China.” The full article can be read here: CILJ, HJM Asia Law

September 2013 – Primerus Paradigm, Fall 2013 Edition

Caroline Berube, with the contribution of her colleagues, published an article on “Development of the Data Protection in China” for the Primerus Paradigm magazine in which she discusses the recent increased focus on data protection in China and regulations and policies which affect foreign companies. Here’s a link to the article: HJM-Asia-Law_TheDevelopmentOfDataProtectionInChina_Fall2013

Primerus Business Law Institute of Asia Pacific Newsletter – Volume 1, June 2013

Primerus has released its first PBLI-AP Newsletter. Caroline Berube, the managing partner of HJM, was the editor of the newsletter.  Additionally, Caroline and her colleague authored an article titled “Updates on the Personal Data Protection Act” in Singapore which can be found on page 7. The complete newsletter can be viewed here: Primerus_PBLI-AP_Newsletter_June2013

January 23rd, 2013 – Primerus Paradigm, Winter 2013 Edition

Please find enclosed a link to our contribution to the Winter 2013 edition of the Primerus Paradigm magazine.  In this article, the co-authors, Caroline Berube and Deborah Loedt, provide an overview of a foreign employer’s legal responsibilities when deciding to hire local and foreign employees in China.  We hope you find the article of interest.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to discuss in further detail.

http://www.hjmasialaw.com/PDF/HJM_Primerus_Paradigm_Winter2013.pdf

December 18th, 2012

The continuation of our article on the pitfalls of doing business in China has been published in the Coopérative D’achats Stratégiques Industriels (Coop. CASI) newsletter, December 2012 edition. In this article our firm discusses the importance of understanding business cultures and working with your potential partner to negotiate a deal. Readers, please note that this article currently available in French only!  The article can be accessed here; the first article is available here.

“Le marché chinois des produits pharmaceutiques et chimiques”, Coopérative d’Achats Stratégiques Journal, May 1st, 2012

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube authored the article “Le marché chinois des produits pharmaceutiques et chimiques“, published in the Coopèrative d’Achats Stratègiques Journal, which looks at pharmaceutical and chemical products in the Chinese Market.

“The changing face of corporate law in Singapore”, Corporate INTL Magazine, February 12th, 2012

HJM Asia contributed an article titled “The changing face of corporate law in Singapore” in Corporate INTL Magazine.

November 1st, 2011

The essentials of investing for the first time in China – COOPÉRATIVE D’ACHATS STRATÉGIQUES INDUSTRIELS (CASI) Infolettre (in French)  To read the article, please click here.

October 1st, 2011

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube and Associate Bradley Alexander authored an article on “How to protect a trademark: China” published in the Volume 3, Issue 1, October 2011 of the International Bar Association Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee Newsletter. To read the article, please click here.

August 1st, 2011

Riccardo Cajola and Caroline Berube from HJM Asia & Cajola, wrote an article on “The distribution of commercial products in China: an analysis on possible strategies for entering the market” published in Telex Anie by the Federation of Electrotechnical and Electronic.  To read the article (in Italian), please click here.

January 1st, 2011

Getting the Deal Through – Private Equity (Fund Formation) 2011 (contributing editor: Casey Cogut of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP), authored by HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube. To read the article, please click here.

January 1st, 2011

Getting the Deal Through – Private Equity (Transactions) 2011 (contributing editor: Casey Cogut of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP), authored by HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube. To read the article, please click here.

July/August 2010

Caroline Berube, the managing partner of HJM Asia, and Riccardo Cajola, partner at Cajola & Associati, wrote an article on “Transfer of Technology in China” published in Telex Anie by the Federation of Electrotechnical and Electronic.
To read the article (in Italian), please click here.

May 1st, 2010

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube and her colleague James Yule authored a review of the book titled “Searching for success in judicial reform: voices from the Asia Pacific experience” issued in the International Bar Association Asia Pacific Regional Forum Newsletter, Volume 17, No. 1, May 2010. To read the article, please click here.

March 1st, 2010

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube and her colleague Shelly Chen authored an article in the IPBA Journal No. 57 March 2010 on “The effect of the anti-monopoly law in China – a practical case”. To read the article, please click here.

March 1st, 2010

Getting the Deal Through – Private Equity (Fund Formation) 2010 (contributing editor: Casey Cogut of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP), authored by HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube. To read the article, please click here.

March 1st, 2010

Getting the Deal Through – Private Equity (Transactions) 2010 (contributing editor: Casey Cogut of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP), authored by HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube. To read the article, please click here.

October 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube and her colleague Patrick Pu authored an article titled “A brief review of China’s laws, regulations and policies in the wake of the current global financial crisis”, published in the Volume 16, No. 12 October 2009 of the International Bar Association Asia Pacific Regional Forum Newsletter. To read the article, please click here.

May 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube authored an article in the Corporate UK on “Company formations in Singapore”. To read the article, please click here.

May 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube authored an article in the Corporate UK on “Company formations in China”. To read the article, please click here.

March 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube authored an article in the Corporate UK on “South-east Asia focus”. To read the article, please click here.

March 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube authored an article in the Orchimedia e-bulletin on “Protect your intellectual property in China”. To read the article (in French), please click here.

March 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube and her colleague Shelly Chen authored an article in the IBA Arbitration Committee Newsletter on “Arbitration in China: judicial support and supervision of foreign interests”. To read the article, please click here.

March 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube and her colleague Patrick Pu authored an article in the IPBA Journal No. 53 March 2009 on “Bankruptcy and insolvency in the PRC: a myth?”. To read the article, please click here.

February 1st, 2009

HJM Asia Managing Partner Caroline Berube authored an article in the Corporate UK on “Full service law firms: who’s who?”. To read the article, please click here.