In an interview with Who's Who Legal, Constance Crosby tells us about her new role as legal director, Canada and vice president of Cisco Canada.

Trevor W Nagel and Lee Van Blerkom of White & Case LLP assess recent and emerging trends relating to technology transactions and how the landscape has changed. They address the proliferation of 'as a service' offerings and the viability of cloud computing, the re-emergence of vendor forms, the relationship between buyers and sellers and other matters.

Clive Gringras of Olswang LLP provides a brief history of cloud computing and explains its modern day impact on how companies store data and metadata, and the principal role lawyers will play in overseeing user information security and innovative service level agreements.

The Finnish government is preparing legislative changes to redefine the grounds under which levies are collected to provide fair compensation against private reproduction of copyrighted works. Arto Linnervuo and Otto Markkanen of Castrén & Snellman Attorneys Ltd discuss the issues at play.

Who’s Who Legal interviews Jacobo Cohen Imach, vice president general counsel for legal affairs and government relations at MercardoLibre, the largest online trading platform in Latin America. Cohen Imach discusses the requirements of his role and the legal issues he faces on a daily basis.

Our research has identified 539 lawyers who are considered outstanding in the field of internet, e-commerce and data protection law, selected from 325 firms across the globe. Among the leading firms in the research are Bird & Bird, DLA Piper, Baker & McKenzie and Field Fisher Waterhouse, and while 180 of the top lawyers are based in the US, there is a very strong European showing in our list of the top 10 most highly regarded lawyers.

With the benefit of over 14 years of research and thousands of votes from clients and private practitioners, Who’s Who Legal takes a closer look at developing trends in the internet legal marketplace worldwide.

With the benefit of over 14 years of research and tens of thousands of votes from clients and private practitioners, Who’s Who Legal takes a closer look at developing trends in the internet, e-commerce & data protection legal marketplace worldwide.

In this section we analyse the findings of our research in greater depth to identify the firms and practitioners who stand out worldwide.

Our research into this practice area has deepened with each successive edition and this book includes 479 high-calibre practitioners. We have broadened the parameters of our research to include data protection and IT specialists as well as lawyers who focus on internet and e-commerce (and those whose practice comprises several or all of these areas).

“There is not a company on the planet that does not need to know what internet lawyers can tell them.” The business world has grown comfortable with the online dimension, and these days one would be hard pressed to find an established market presence or start-up without some sort of online presence.

Online businesses are proving to be resilient during the worldwide recession. This spring, Amazon posted a 24 per cent rise in profits while both Ebay and Google, despite a fall in profits, have performed better than analysts expected.

This edition lists 369 leading practitioners in this area. We have focused on all aspects of internet and e-commerce law, including pure internet law, intellectual property work, telecoms, outsourcing, media and technology. Many are specialists in more than one area and all are considered outstanding practitioners by clients and peers.

The fast-paced, volatile businesses of the internet and of e-commerce are witnessing a resurgence and present unique challenges to companies and lawyers, as the law adapts to new developments. This chapter identifies 262 leading practitioners in 34 jurisdictions. These individuals answer a growing worldwide demand for guidance past the pitfalls of data privacy, security and e-commerce, as well as complex IT and outsourcing transactions. Two trends emerge from the research: while the greatest concentrations of practitioners occur in England and California with 26 and 27 nominees, the firms with the greatest turnout are invariably international, with offices across the globe.