SPEECHLESS - Davis Polk & Wardwell’s Asia head has withdrawn from an engagement to speak at a high-profile event meant to commemorate the second anniversary of the national security law in Hong Kong after heavy criticism, the Law.com International Staff reports. Hong Kong partner Martin Rogers had been due to speak at the “National Security Law Legal Forum – Thrive with Security” event, which is taking place May 28, organized by the Department of Justice and led by the Secretary of Justice and former Des Voeux Chambers lawyer, Teresa Cheng SC. Rogers was set to participate in the 90-minute “Comparative Study of Cases under the National Security Law and National Security Cases in Foreign Jurisdiction” panel. On May 18, Rogers, who was going to be the only international private practice lawyer speaking at the event, announced his participation by posting a statement and the event agenda with a registration link on his social media profile on LinkedIn. That post attracted criticism and a Financial Times report last week published criticisms over his participation from Samuel Bickett, a lawyer and activist previously based in Hong Kong, and Donald Clarke, a Chinese law professor at George Washington University Law School. Two days later, Rogers published another statement to say that he has withdrawn his participation.

WHAT YOU SAID

“We do not have neat schedules. This is not a 9-to-5 job. Emergencies happen, hearings are scheduled last minute, multiple briefs are due the same day, a client calls you in a panic. You must prioritize, because your attention can only fully be on one thing at a time. If you don’t learn how to triage, you will not be able to serve your clients, your colleagues or your firm effectively, and you will burn out.”

— Anelga Doumanian, partner at Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala in Seattle, on one of the most important lessons she learned early in her career.