John Moscati, partner at Colligan Law LLP, joined more than 90 attorneys from 34 jurisdictions around the world for the 2015 Americas Regional Meeting of Lawyers Associated Worldwide in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW) gives Colligan Law clients access to high quality, vetted, mid-market law firms located in jurisdictions across the globe.
Besides tremendous networking opportunities and sightseeing at Lake Louise and Banff National Park, the LAW conference included substantive presentations:
Hydraulic fracturing: oil and gas
The oil and gas presentation emphasized the many safety developments and improvements in best practices for conservation of water resources and protection of water aquifers that have occurred over the last decade.
Dispute Resolution
The dispute resolution presentation made clear the need for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions to understand the benefits and costs of selecting one resolution method over another. For example, in Central Europe, litigation is generally preferable to arbitration. In many Central European jurisdictions, trial calendars are expedited, fees and costs are fixed and jury trial is not available. This is in stark contrast with most U.S. and Western European jurisdictions, where uncertainties as to duration and cost of litigation and the potential for adjudication by a jury frequently make arbitration preferable to litigation.
The LAW conference provided valuable insight for Colligan Law clients: the value of being able to access competent counsel when looking to expand outside of Western New York; whether the expansion is down the Thruway to Pennsylvania and Ohio, across the Peace Bridge to Ontario or out the St. Lawrence to Europe and the rest of the world.
