Last Revised: September 3, 2008
Use of this Website is subject to the terms and conditions ("Terms") set forth below. Access to this Website is an acknowledgement that these Terms, as amended from time to time, have been read and accepted. To aid in navigation of these Terms, they have been divided into several sections. To access a section, please click on the appropriate link below.
General
Location of Website Host
Materials on this Website
No Assurances
Malicious Code
Third Party Information and Links to Other Entities
Contacting K&L Gates
No Lawyer-Client Relationship
Privacy
Limitation of Liability
IRS Circular 230 Disclosure
Indemnification
Miscellaneous
General
K&L Gates (the "Firm") is an international law firm comprised of multiple affiliated partnerships: a limited liability partnership with the full name K&L Gates LLP qualified in Delaware and maintaining offices throughout the U.S., in Berlin, in Beijing (K&L Gates LLP Beijing Representative Office), and in Shanghai (K&L Gates LLP Shanghai Representative Office); a limited liability partnership (also named K&L Gates LLP) incorporated in England and maintaining our London and Paris offices; a Taiwan general partnership (K&L Gates) which practices from our Taipei office; and a Hong Kong general partnership (K&L Gates, Solicitors) which practices from our Hong Kong office. The Firm is therefore subject to the rules of various jurisdictions and professional bodies depending on where each office is located. The Firm's lawyers are subject to the rules of the regulatory bodies to which they are admitted and are admitted to practice in the jurisdictions listed on their individual resumes. K&L Gates maintains appropriate registrations in the jurisdictions in which its offices are located. A list of the partners in each entity is available for inspection at any K&L Gates office. The following links lead to more specific information on certain jurisdictions.
Location of Website Host
The host server for this Website is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Materials on this Website
The materials on this Website are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice, legal opinion or any other advice on any specific facts or circumstances. Readers should not act or refrain from acting upon this information without seeking professional advice. Transmission of information on or by use of this Website is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship between the sender and receiver. Such communications will not be treated as confidential. Photographs and other graphics may be for dramatization purposes only and may include models. Likenesses do not necessarily imply current client, partnership or employee status.
No Assurances
The information on this Website is subject to change without notice. Although we try to keep our Website current and accurate, you should not rely on this information or its applicability to any specific circumstances without first seeking professional advice. The information on this Website should in no way be taken as an indication of future developments or results. K&L Gates makes no warranties, representations, or claims of any kind concerning the information available from, or the operation of, this Website. K&L Gates and contributing authors expressly disclaim all liability to any person in respect of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done wholly or partly in reliance upon the use or contents of this Website.
Malicious Code
The Firm has procedures in place to check materials for viruses and other malicious code before they are posted to this Website. However, we cannot guarantee that material accessible from this Website is free of viruses or other malicious code and we do not accept any responsibility for any damage or loss caused by any such code.
Third Party Information and Links to Other Entities
This Website may provide links to a variety of other Internet resources and may provide access to third-party information. However, K&L Gates is not responsible for any third party content, products or services that may be accessed through the Website and the availability of links on this Website to such third party content, products or services should not be construed as referrals to, or endorsements of, the linked entities or the content, products or services that they make available. K&L Gates will remove any link from this Website upon request from the linked entity. Without our prior written consent, you may not link material on this Website with another website, or associate or frame material on this Website with another webpage or materials of any other entity.
Contacting K&L Gates
Persons contacting K&L Gates through the Internet e-mail facility provided through this Website should not send confidential, privileged or sensitive information. If you have a specific legal question, please provide details in the e-mail of how we can contact you and the general nature of your inquiry, without providing any confidential specifics. We will then endeavour to pass on your e-mail enquiry to one of our qualified lawyers. If the matter is very time-sensitive, please telephone a lawyer at any of our offices. Your use of the Internet e-mail facility on this Website does not give rise to a lawyer-client relationship. We will endeavour to respond to any question submitted through the Website’s e-mail facility but accept no liability for failure to do so.
No Lawyer-Client Relationship
This Website is not intended to be an offer to represent any person. Your use of the Internet e-mail facility on this Website does not give rise to a lawyer-client relationship. Please do not consider there to be any lawyer-client relationship between you and the Firm or any of its lawyers unless or until: (i) you have sought to retain us; (ii) we have had an opportunity to check and clear any conflicts; and (iii) you have received a letter from us confirming the retention and its scope.
Privacy
We recognize that privacy and data security are important issues, and so have taken steps to safeguard the information that you may provide to us through this Website. Please click here to view our Privacy and Security Statement for this Website.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall K&L Gates, its partners officers, employees, agents or contributors to this Website be liable for any loss or injury, or any damages, whether direct, special, indirect, punitive, incidental, exemplary, consequential, or otherwise, whether based on breach of contract, tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise, resulting from or occasioned by your access to or use of this Website.
IRS Circular 230 Disclosure
To ensure compliance with certain IRS requirements, we inform you that any tax advice contained on this website is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed on this website.
Indemnification
You agree that you will not use this Website for any unlawful purpose or for any purpose prohibited by these Terms. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless K&L Gates, its partners and contributors from any liability, loss, claim and expense (including attorneys’ reasonable fees) related to your violation of these Terms.
Miscellaneous
If any of these Terms is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, that shall not affect: (a) the legality, validity or enforceability in that jurisdiction of any other Term or (b) the legality, validity or enforceability in other jurisdictions of that Term or any other Term.
We reserve the right to vary or amend these terms and conditions from time to time. Any changes shall take effect upon posting to this Website.
United States
California
This website constitutes a "communication" as defined in Rule 1-400(A) of the California Rules of Professional Conduct because it is a message made by and on behalf of attorneys at K&L Gates who are members of the State Bar of California concerning K&L Gates and the availability for professional employment of those members and their law firm.
Additionally, pursuant to applicable laws and rules of professional conduct in other states, this website may constitute advertising. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you select any lawyer, you should inquire further about the particular abilities, qualifications, and experiences of the lawyer to determine if they are appropriate for your needs. If you wish to consider retaining K&L Gates to be your lawyers, please ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.
Texas
The attorneys resident in all offices, unless otherwise indicated, are not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
United Kingdom
Contact Information
Regulation
Regulatory Position Under the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000
VAT Number
Contact Information
Information required to contact the London Office of the Firm is as follows:
110 Cannon Street
London EC4N 6AR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7648 9000
Fax: +44 (0)20 7648 9001
Regulation
The practice of our London office is carried on by K&L Gates LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales under number OC309508 which is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The rules of the Solicitors Regulation Authority can be found at www.sra.org.uk . A list of names of the members and their professional qualifications may be inspected at the registered office, 110 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 6AR, England.
Regulatory Position Under the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000
Some investment-related activities of the firm in, into or from the United Kingdom are regulated under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA") of the United Kingdom. The provision of our legal services may relate to investments. The Firm is not authorized under the FSMA but the Firm is able in certain circumstances to offer a limited range of investment services to clients because the Firm is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales. The Firm can provide these investment services if they are limited in scope and an incidental part of the professional services that the Firm has been engaged to provide or if they may reasonably be regarded as a necessary part of our legal services or they are services that we are otherwise permitted to provide in conformity with the FSMA. If for any reason we are unable to resolve a problem between us and a client, complaints and redress mechanisms are provided through the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Complaints Service.
Nothing that we say or do should be construed as investment advice to anybody on the investment merits of acquiring or disposing of particular investments or as an invitation or inducement to anybody to engage in investment activities; nor do we act as brokers of investment transactions. Where clients seek services concerning investments which are either not incidental to our legal services or are not otherwise ones which we are able to provide, the firm may refer the clients to someone who is authorized by the Financial Services Authority.
VAT Number
The Value Added Tax Number of the Firm’s U.K. LLP is GB244 0466 80.
Germany
Material re: Section 6 of Tele Services Act (Deutsch)
Information in accordance with § 6 Teleservices Act (TDG)
K&L Gates LLP is a registered partner company in accordance with the law of the State of Delaware, USA, with offices in Anchorage, Austin, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Coeur d'Alene, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orange County, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Spokane, Taipei and Washington DC.
No responsibility is taken for the correctness of the contents provided by us. K&L Gates LLP in particular assumes no responsibility for the contents of external websites, on which there are links to http://www.klgates.com .
The person responsible within the meaning of §§ 6 para 1 TDG and 6 para 2 German legal framework for electronic media (MDStV):
Dr. Rüdiger von Hülst
Establishing contacts:
Berlin office: K&L Gates LLP
Markgrafenstraße 42
10117, Berlin
+49.(0)30.220.029.0 Fax +49.(0)30.220.029.499
The following lawyers are accredited in Berlin:
Dr. Martin von Albrecht
Dr. Ben Backmann
Dr. Carl Albrecht Claussen
Dr. Christiane Feldhaus
Dr. Georg Foerstner
Felix Greuner
Manfred Hack
Dr. Rüdiger von Hülst
Dr. Christian Hullmann
Dr. Christof Hupe
Stefan Kimmel
Dr. Eberhardt Kühne
Dr. Thomas Lappe
Dr. Uwe Lieschke
Christoph Mank
Dr. Claudia Ohst
Alexander Schmitt
Jan Nicolaus Ullrich
Christoph Wagner (also a notary)
Accreditation:
Insofar as nothing to the contrary is indicated, all the German lawyers of K&L Gates LLP are accredited lawyers in the Federal Republic of Germany and are members of the Berlin Bar Association:
Berlin: Berlin Bar Association, Littenstr. 9, 10179 Berlin,
Tel.: +49 30 30 69 31 0
Fax : +49 30 30 69 31 99
Rechtsanwaltskammer Berlin
e-mail:
Insofar as lawyers are also notaries, the latter are accredited as notaries in the Federal Republic of Germany and are members of the Berlin Association of Notaries:
Berlin: Berlin Association of Notaries, Littenstraße 10, 10179 Berlin,
Tel.: +49 30 24 62 90 0
Fax: +49 30 24 62 90 25
http://www.berliner-notarkammer.de/
e-mail:
Information in accordance with § 6 Teleservices Act
Establishing contacts
Professional regulations:
The following professional regulations apply:
Lawyers:
BRAO - Bundesrechtsanwaltsordnung (Federal Lawyers’ Act)
BORA - Berufsordnung für Rechtsanwälte (Professional Act for Lawyers)
Fachanwaltsordnung (Specialised Lawyers’ Act)
Gesetz über die Vergütung der Rechtsanwältinnen und Rechtsanwälte (Law on the remuneration of Lawyers)
Berufsregeln der Rechtsanwälte der Europäischen Gemeinschaft (CCBE) (Professional rules for Lawyers of the European Community)
Gesetz über die Tätigkeit europäischer Rechtsanwälte in Deutschland (EuRAG) v. 9. 3. 2000 (BGBl. I S. 182) (Law on the activity of European Lawyers in Germany (EuRAG) of 9.3.2000 (Federal Law Gazette I page 182)
Law Implementing the Directives of the European Community pertaining to the professional law regulating the legal profession
Notaries:
Bundesnotarordnung (Federal Notaries’ Act)
Beurkundungsgesetz (Authentification Law)
Richtlinien der Notarkammern (Guidelines for Notaries’ Associations)
Dienstordnung für Notarinnen und Notare (Official regulations for notaries)
Kostenordnung (Cost Act)
Europäischer Kodex des notariellen Standesrechts (European Code of Notaries’ Professional Law)