wealth management

Inheritance and succession – Global Legal Monitor

Brazil: Federal Supreme Court Rules All Couples Have the Same Inheritance Rights May 17, 2017

(May 17, 2017) In a ruling issued on May 10, 2017, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal, STF) determined that, for the purpose of inheritance rights, “stable unions” and marriages have the same legal value, providing partners in stable unions the same rights as those of married persons. (STF, Recurso Extraordinário (RE) 646721, […]

Connie Johnson

Japan: Adoption of Grandchild in Order to Save on Inheritance Tax Can Be Valid February 23, 2017

(Feb. 23, 2017) Japan’s Supreme Court decided, on January 31, 2017, that adoption of a grandchild can be valid even if the main purpose of the adoption is to save part of the heirs’ inheritance tax upon the grandparent’s death. (Heisei 28 (ju) 1255, S. Ct. (Jan. 31, 2017), COURTS IN JAPAN (click on the […]

Connie Johnson

Germany: Court Clarifies Requirements for Living Wills and Durable Healthcare Powers of Attorney September 30, 2016

(Sept. 30, 2016) On July 6, 2016, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) held that a statement in a patient’s living will that “I do not wish to receive life-prolonging treatments” was not sufficient to legally bind a patient’s representative to authorize removal of an artificial feeding tube. The Court also separately found that an authorized representative of a patient can only consent to […]

Wendy Zeldin

International affairs – Global Legal Monitor

United Nations/North Korea: Additional Sanctions Adopted June 7, 2017

(June 7, 2017) On June 2, 2017, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2356 (2017), sponsored by the United States, “to extend the number of individuals and entities targeted by sanctions first imposed under resolution 1718 (2006) — an asset freeze and travel ban for those involved in the Democratic People’s Republic of […]

Wendy Zeldin

New Zealand: Ratification of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Completed May 23, 2017

(May 23, 2017) On May 11, 2017, the New Zealand government completed the formal process for ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, becoming the second signatory country, after Japan, to do so. (Press Release, Todd McClay, McClay Says TPP Ratification Keeps Options Open, BEEHIVE.GOVT.NZ (May 11, 2017).) The notification of the completion of New Zealand’s applicable […]

Kelly Buchanan

United Nations/World Bank: Updated Partnership Framework to Reduce Human Vulnerability to Violent Conflict April 28, 2017

(Apr. 28, 2017) On April 22, 2017, the United Nations and the World Bank signed a partnership framework aimed at “building resilience for the most vulnerable people by reducing poverty, promoting shared prosperity, enhancing food security, and sustaining peace in crisis-affected situations.” (Press Release, U.N. Secretary-General, Joint Statement on Signing of New UN-World Bank Framework […]

Wendy Zeldin

Inter-Parliamentary Union: Assembly Focuses on Parliamentarians’ Role in Fighting Terrorism April 25, 2017

(Apr. 25, 2017) On April 1, 2017, the 136th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) began in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The 2017 Assembly focused on parliamentarians’ role in fighting terrorism. (IPU Assembly 2017 Begins in Dhaka, ASIAN AGE ONLINE (Apr. 1, 2017).) The Assembly lasted for five days, ending on April 5. According to a recent […]

Connie Johnson