Whenever a new case starts, it can be expected that the critics will come out.

When I began working in Russia in 2003, you wouldn’t believe the kind of dire warnings I received from well-meaning colleagues telling me to stay away.

When it was announced that I would represent the Red Shirt movement in Thailand and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, we received dozens of hysterical attacks and more than a few death threats from extremist elements among the Thai elite. The same story goes for my involvement in Singapore, Nigeria, and Zambia, among other heated disputes.

Nevertheless I was a bit taken aback by the reactions of some friends in the Russia sphere to the news that I am now part of the legal team representing Kim Dotcom, a leading Internet entrepreneur whose business was unlawfully destroyed and assets seized by a crusading U.S. prosecutor. As I’m currently on the road, my response may not cover every point of contention, but I will be revisiting all these points in coming weeks.