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1. 联合国官员称，欧盟-土耳其难民计划可能违反国际法。
EU-Turkey refugee plan could be illegal, says UN official
（图片来源：dailymail.co.uk）
The European Union’s plan to send refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war back to Turkey en masse could be illegal, a top UN official has said,as concerns mounted that Greece lacks the infrastructure needed for the deal to take effect on Monday.
Peter Sutherland, the UN secretary general’s special representative for international migration and development, said that deporting migrants and refugees without considering their asylum applications first would break international law.
In light of claims by an NGO?that Turkey had already been pushing Syrians back over the border to their home country, he said none could be deported from Europe without guarantees that their rights would be protected.
Sutherland spoke as Greece prepares to begin deporting migrants and refugees on Monday. Greek immigration officials have already?said they need more staff to implement the plan. (The Guardian)
一名联合国高级官员称，欧盟将全部逃离叙利亚内战的难民遣送至土耳其的计划可能是违法的。而在周一，对希腊缺乏开展该项计划的基础设施的担忧也不断增加。
联合国秘书长国际移民和发展事务特别代表Peter Sutherland称，在没有首先考虑避难申请的情况下，就驱逐所有移民和难民，这一做法将违反国际法。
鉴于一个非政府组织声称土耳其已经迫使叙利亚人从边境回到叙利亚， Sutherland表示，在无法获得权益保障的情况下，任何人不能从欧洲被驱逐出境。
而在周一，希腊已经开始着手准备驱逐移民和难民出境。希腊移民官员也已经表示，他们需要更多的人员来执行该计划。
2. 英国律师费调查揭示了不同律所之间的巨大价格差异。
Legal fees investigation reveals huge disparities between law firms
（图片来源：mellorlawfirm.com）
An investigation into lawyers’ fees has found major disparities between firms, with the cheapest charging ￡250 for conveyancing and the most expensive ￡3,200 for precisely the same freehold sale.
The startling figures have emerged from research commissioned by the Legal Services Board (LSB), which recommends consumers shop around and consider hiring solicitors from outside London and the south-east, where legal services are more expensive.
The LSB investigation found that fixed fees, rather than the traditional procedure of allowing lawyers to charge by the hour, are becoming far more common.?
Other wide disparities included costs for an uncontested divorce involving children, where the cheapest firm charged ￡150 and the most expensive ￡17,000. (The Guardian)
一份针对英国律师费用的调查研究发现，不同律师事务所之间在收费上差异巨大。比如对于几乎完全相同的不动产转让业务（conveyancing），最便宜的只收250英镑，而最贵的则收取3200英镑。其他巨大的价格差异还包括，对于涉及儿童的无争议离婚事务，最便宜的律所收费150英镑，而最贵的收费1.7万英镑。
这些令人吃惊的数字来自法律服务委员会（Legal Services Board，LSB）委托开展的一项研究。法律服务委员会推荐消费者在挑选律所上货比三家，并考虑在收费昂贵的伦敦和东南部地区之外聘请律师。
法律服务委员会的该项调查还发现，相比传统的小时费率收费方式，固定费用正变得更加普遍。
3. 品诚梅森八名女律师成功晋升合伙人，而年利达将可能迎来首位女老板。
Pinsent Masons promotes eight women to partner as Linklaters considers female boss
Notable progress has been made this week in the unrelenting strive for gender diversity in the legal profession.
It has been revealed that commercial giant Pinsent Masons has promoted 18 new faces to its partnership rank, eight (44%) being women.
The international law firm — which offers 75 training contracts a year — seems to take its diversity commitments more seriously than some others. Pinsent Masons pledged its official commitment in 2014, unveiling plans to shake up its senior ranks and set itself an interim goal of 25% female partners by 2018.
Even more excitingly, it looks like City giant Linklaters?may well be on the cusp of making magic circle history.
Irish lawyer Aedamar Comiskey is in the running to be promoted to senior partner of the leading law firm this summer. Comiskey is up against two others in the running to nab the title from Robert Elliott, the firm’s previous leader. If she’s successful, she’ll be the first woman to do so in the entire history of the magic circle. (Legal Cheek)
本周，在不屈不挠追求性别多元化的道路上，法律职业又取得了显著进展。
据透露，品诚梅森律师事务所最新提拔了18名合伙人，其中44%是女合伙人。这家每年提供75份实习合同的国际律所，看起来比其他一些律所更加认真对待性别多元化承诺。品诚梅森在2014年作出官方承诺，展示了推动高层性别均等的计划，并设定了2018年女性合伙人达到25%的中期目标。
更振奋人心的是，年利达律师事务所很可能在英国魔术圈律所中率先创造历史。爱尔兰女律师Aedamar Comiskey有望在今年夏天成为年利达的高级合伙人，并在和另外两名合伙人竞争前任一把手Robert Elliott留下的职位空缺中势头正火。如果她成功问鼎，那么将成为魔术圈中首位创造历史的女性。
4. 美国参议院通过商业秘密保护法案。
Senate Passes Trade Secrets Bill
（图片来源：defamationremovallaw.com）
The legislation that would allow greater protection for companies with trade secrets has been approved by the Senate. Companies will now have the option to go directly in federal court to fight trade-secret theft.
The Defend Trade Secrets Act gained an overwhelming support from the Senate. According to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the passage of the bill would definitely protect the companies from thieves that steal the creativity of others. He added that this will help protect the American innovation as per Reuters.
According to the US News, the approved bill will encourage businesses to confidently develop new products and services in the future. The stealing of intellectual property which includes trade secrets costs US businesses more than $300 billion per year according to the report of the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property.
The Wall Street Journal?notes that the stealing of commercial trade secrets was not considered a crime until the year 1996 despite the growing focus on the value of intellectual property. The Espionage Act of 1996 never gave these companies the civil federal remedies. (Lawyer Herald)
美国参议院近日批准了一项法案，旨在为公司提供更好的商业秘密保护。届时公司将可以选择直接在联邦法院起诉，来打击窃取商业秘密行为。
该法案名为《保卫商业秘密法案》（Defend Trade Secrets Act），在参议院中获得压倒性的支持。参议院多数党领袖Mitch McConnell表示，这一法案的通过，必然将保护公司不受那些偷窃他人创造性的小偷们的侵害。根据路透社报道，他还称这将有助于保护美国公司的创新。
按照美国新闻的说法，这一已获批准的法案将鼓励企业在将来充满信心地开发新产品和服务。根据美国知识产权盗窃委员会（Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property）的报告，每年美国企业因为包括商业秘密在内的知识产权剽窃行为而遭受的损失在3000亿美元以上。
华尔街日报提到，尽管知识产权的价值逐步受到关注，直到1996年偷窃商业秘密才被视为犯罪行为。然而1996年的《间谍法案》也从未给这些受害公司提供联邦层面的民事救济。
5. 美国密西西比州通过有争议的“宗教自由”法案。
Mississippi passes controversial 'religious freedom' bill
The governor of Mississippi has signed a controversial bill that allows businesses to refuse service to gay couples based on religious beliefs.
Governor Phil Bryant signed HB1523 into law on Tuesday amid opposition from equal rights groups and businesses.
Protesters say the bill would allow for lawful discrimination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
North Carolina recently passed a bill that revokes protections for LGBT people and requires transgender individuals to use restrooms based on their biological gender identity.
States have been drawing up religious freedom laws, largely under pressure from religious groups, in response to the US Supreme Court ruling last summer legalising gay marriage. (BBC)
周二（4月5日），尽管遭到了平等权利团体和企业的反对，美国密西西比州州长Phil Bryant还是签署了一项备受争议的法案，使之成为法律。该法案编号为HB1523（House Bill 1523），名称为《保护信仰自由、免受政府歧视法案》（Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act），其允许企业基于宗教信仰而拒绝为同性恋伴侣提供服务。抗议者称，该法案将允许对LGBT（女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋和跨性恋者）进行合法歧视。
北卡罗来纳州近期也通过了一项法案，取消对LGBT的保护，要求变性者按照生理性别来使用洗手间。
对于美国最高法院在2015年夏天做出的同性婚姻合法化判决，美国一些州正在起草制定宗教自由法律，这主要是受到来自宗教团体的压力。
6. 因美国政府打击“税收倒置”交易，辉瑞和艾尔建放弃1600亿美元巨额合并计划，导致投行2.5亿美元顾问费用泡汤。
Drugs merger bust denies advisers $250m payday
（图片来源：massdevice.com）
Wall Street's biggest advisory banks and boutiques have missed out on the lion's share of a near-$250 million fee pot after pharma companies Pfizer and Allergan officially abandoned their $160 billion merger in the face of aggressive US rule changes to clamp down on so-called inversion deals. (Financial News)
美国政府近期开始改变监管规则，加大对“税收倒置”等交易的打击力度，由此导致许多以避税为目的的并购交易终止或搁置，其中就包括制药公司辉瑞（Pfizer）和艾尔建（Allergan）正式宣布放弃两者原先的1600亿美元巨额合并计划。该笔合并交易虽然规模巨大，但普遍被认为以避税为主要目的，因此市场之前对监管审批就一直不太看好。而对于华尔街的大小投行们来说，本来可以在这个巨额交易的2.5亿美元顾问费用中拿到大部分，现在却一下子泡汤了。
7. 巴克莱银行出售亚洲地区的财富管理业务。
Barclays to sell wealth businesses in Asia
Oversea-Chinese Banking said on April 7 that its private banking unit has signed a deal to buy Barclays’ wealth and investment management business in Singapore and Hong Kong for $320 million in cash.
The purchase price is equivalent to 1.75% of Barclays’ wealth assets under management in Singapore and?Hong Kong. The assets under management, which total about $18.3 billion, will be transferred to?Bank of Singapore,?OCBC’s private bank unit, Singapore’s second-biggest bank by assets said in a statement to the Singapore Exchange.
The deal will allow OCBC to increase its share of the wealth management business in Asian financial centers at a time when it is seeking to grow in its four key markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and greater China. (Financial News)
4月7日，华侨银行（OCBC）称旗下私人银行公司新加坡银行已经签署了一项交易，以3.2亿美元现金购买巴克莱银行（Barclays）在新加坡和香港的财富和投资管理业务。
这一购买价格相当于巴克莱银行在新加坡和香港所管理财富资产的1.75%，后者的总金额约为183亿美元，而所有这些管理资产将转移给新加坡银行。根据新加坡银行向新加坡交易所提交的声明，按照资产总额，该行是新加坡的第二大银行。
当前，华侨银行正在四个关键市场寻求发展：新加坡、马来西亚、印度尼西亚和大中华区。而这一交易将使华侨银行提高在亚洲金融中心的财富管理业务份额。而对于巴克莱、德意志银行等陷入困境的欧洲银行来说，则在不断剥离非核心的亚洲业务。
实习编辑/张雨