Unleashing the lawyers on the... lawyers

The opening of any venue inevitably features some teething problems. That is why it is surprising that the Marina Bay Sands chose to host a lawyer's association earlier this month! It will come as a shock to no one that this one has ended up in court.

The organiser, the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), claims that rooms were unfinished, air conditioning malfunctioned, bathroom fixtures were not working and that there was a power failure during the keynote address.

No doubt, Sheldon Adelson, the controlling shareholder of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., has a few lawyers of his own on retainer. The Sands claims that the event was a success and that the overwhelming majority of delegates had no complaints.

Marina Bay Sands is seeking US$214,000 from IPBA and has filed suit in the Singapore High Court. IPBA has stated, “Now that we have been dragged to court we will defend the claim and issue a counterclaim as well.”

This one could drag on for awhile.