02 Jun 2010 - Joint Operating Agreements

What exactly is a JOA and why is it so essential to oil and gas projects? Modern upstream energy projects are characterised by the huge levels of investment required - many tens of millions of dollars are the basic table stakes, and with the costs of drilling a single well sometimes rising to a $
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03 Mar 2010 - World trade law

Q: What is world trade law in essence? In essence, world trade law involves the examination of trading relationships between countries.  The international principle of free trade requires international laws and rules that facilitate and liberalize trade in the global context. Q: Internati
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07 Jan 2010 - Best practice in international public procurement

- From reading the introduction to your book, you seem to be passionate about public procurement. What is it about the field that attracts you? I have practiced in this area of law for more than 15 years, and every day I find new challenges.  I am always fascinated by the conflict between pr
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07 Dec 2009 - The global financial crisis

It is over a year now since the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Why do you think Lehman Brothers was allowed to fail and what do you think was the impact of its collapse on the wider economy? It is hard to say why Lehman Brothers was allowed to fail by the US Treasury and Federal Reserve. After al
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13 Nov 2009 - Business Families and Family Businesses

Why are business families important?   Family businesses are an essential part of the backbone of the UK economy.  They produce more than 30% of the national gross domestic product and account for more than 40% of private sector employment, which equates to 9.5 million jobs.  Si
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12 Oct 2009 - Islamic Finance

What is sukuk? One of the most striking features of the recent growth in Islamic finance has been the development of the market for issuance of sukuk. This is the Shariah product used to access the capital markets and is generally, if erroneously, referred to as the 'Islamic bond'. Strict
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14 Jul 2009 - Derivatives: The Practitioner's View

It has been popular to blame derivatives for being a driver of the current financial crisis. What has in fact been their role?   Derivatives remain integral to the world financial system, and indeed almost 95 per cent. of the world's largest companies continue to use derivatives (even
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