India’s Economic Growth Scores Highest in World Bank Report
India’s economic growth Score prospects received a major boost from the World Bank and the Government of India reports. The Government also simplified the reporting of foreign investment by Indian entities. The Government’s increasing focus on intellectual property rights and its awareness resulted in the creation […]
Energy Security and Climate Change in East Asia-Trilateral Cooperation towards a Sustainable Future
China, Japan and South Korea are undergoing rapid and comprehensive transformations in developing the intelligent and sustainable use of energy and other natural resources. These changes are driven by new strategies towards energy security and climate change mitigation. Given that future China-Japan-South Korea energy cooperation will […]
Madrid Protocol in Thailand
After a very long wait, on 7 November 2017, Thailand finally effectively acceded to the Madrid Protocol (MP). The Trademark Act, B.E. 2534 (1991), as amended by the Trademark Act (No.2) B.E. 2543 (2000) and the Trademark Act (No. 3) B.E. 2559 (2016), was amended in […]
Singapore’s new employment regime – a brave new world
By this time next year, Singapore will have a rather different employment regime from any it has had since independence. One aspect of this needs to be carefully thought through. About ten years ago, a distressed Norwegian client consulted me. His company’s Singapore office had a […]
Privacy is Dead
But we never wanted it anyway, muses Adrian Tan
Driving innovation in the legal industry
Introduction Emerging technologies are creating significant waves of disruption impacting economies, industries and societies across the globe. Companies are struggling to keep pace with technological developments, whether maintaining agile business environments to leverage advanced technologies or creating the right risk and compliance strategies to plan and […]
Why Legal Practices Should Embrace Technology
Technology has changed virtually every industry, including the legal profession. New technology, cutting-edge apps and software, and automation have all helped reduce expenses and drastically increased productivity. However many people are still hesitant to completely embrace technology, including legal professionals. Here are a few reasons why […]
Reed Smith and Resource Law Managing Partners explain the strategy behind their Singapore alliance
Reed Smith formed an alliance with Singapore’s Resource Law in 2016 to strengthen its local expertise and client offering of a one-stop-shop service, and to help it stand out amid a highly competitive environment for both international and local firms in Singapore. The alliance has also […]
How the GC can move beyond relationships to a more strategic selection of outside counsel
As the legal industry evolves, in-house teams are under increasing pressure to demonstrate a commitment to innovation and transformation. However, as legal departments accept and even embrace the need for change, one element stubbornly resists transformation. Despite the growing availability of digital technology designed to assist […]
India Attracts Largest E-Commerce Deal
India’s potential for high growth in retail came to the forefront with the acquisition of its biggest homegrown online retail company. The high economic growth prospects were reaffirmed by the IMF. There will be a new system for monitoring foreign investment in listed entities. The current […]
China announces plans to further liberalize its’ legal market
China Daily reports today that China “will further open up its services sector by expanding a pilot program for innovative development of trade in services.” The decision was taken yesterday at an executive meeting of China’s State Council, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. As a result […]
Today’s Lawyers Need Technology Training
Introduction Back in November, a group of people gathered in Hong Kong to brainstorm on using blockchain technology in legal transactions. They discussed Ethereum and cybersecurity, before debating the benefits and dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These weren’t computer programmers looking to create a new start-up […]
Asia ADR Week 2018: A platform for Asian-centric ADR trends and economic developments
The Asian International Arbitration Centre will present its inaugural edition of the ASIA ADR WEEK 2018, from May 05, 2018 – May 07, 2018 at the AIAC at the Bangunan Sulaiman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this Q&A article with Asia Law Portal, the AIAC explains the unique significance […]
India receives high economic growth forecasts
The global discussions around India’s economic growth continue to gather focus as we enter into the fifth and final fiscal year for the current Government. There was a mixed response from various international agencies, which we have captured below. Asian Development Bank. Asian Development Bank (ADB) […]
NewLaw firm Vario to expand into Singapore
Pinsent Masons will launch its NewLaw flexible consulting service, Vario, in Singapore in mid-2018. Vario was first established in the Asia-Pacific region in Australia in July 2017. The firm reports it is witnessing increased client demand for its flexible lawyer solution globally, including in Asia. In […]
NewLaw expands in Asia with the addition of Cognatio Law in Hong Kong
NewLaw industry veteran Lesley Hobbs announced in February the launch of her own firm Cognatio Law to “satisfy the growing demand within Hong Kong’s legal market for flexible and cost-effective legal services [for large and small companies]. ” As the firm details in a press release: […]
Singapore’s Maxwell Chambers becomes the world’s first smart hearing facility
Maxwell Chambers recently announced that it is set to become the world’s first smart hearing facility by the end of 2018, in a bid backed by the Ministry of Law to boost Singapore’s position as an international dispute resolution hub. In this Q&A interview with Asia […]
India virtually closes the door to the entry of foreign law firms
The much awaited verdict of the Supreme Court of India was pronounced recently which virtually closed the door for the entry of foreign law firms. The Government has drafted an updated defence policy which seeks to increase foreign direct investment in the sector. India and Canada […]
Inaugural Asia ADR week set for Kuala Lumpur, May 5-7, 2018
The Asian International Arbitration Centre will present its inaugural edition of the ASIA ADR WEEK 2018, from May 05, 2018 – May 07, 2018, at the AIAC at the Bangunan Sulaiman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ASIA ADR WEEK 2018 will cover key issues including the promotion of […]
Asian law firms prominent at Israel’s 4th Foreign Law Firms conference
Israel’s 4th annual foreign law firms conference took place on February 26 in Tel Aviv. Organized by Robus Legal Marketing in association with the Tel-Aviv District of the Israel Bar Association, the conference brought together over 400 attorneys, with over 130 representatives from law firms around […]
Global Corruption Index Dampens India’s Governance
The Central Government’s financial budget was announced wherein some foreign investment-related policies were mentioned. There were changes proposed for foreign portfolio investors. The Indian Prime Minister declared India to be one of the most open economies in the world. However, the dampener was India’s downward movement […]
Asia Law Firm Management Congress set for Mumbai, April 12, 2018
The second annual Asia Law Firm Management Congress (ALFMC) will take place on April 12, 2018, at The St. Regis Hotel in Mumbai, India. Following up on a successful inaugural event last year where over 70 lawyers and management professionals from law firms across the region gathered to […]
TechLaw.Fest to take place in Singapore, April 4-6, 2018
TechLaw.Fest, scheduled to take place in Singapore, April 4-6, 2018, will bring together more than 3000 attendees, including leading thinkers in the space of Technology Law and Legal Technology. Jointly organized by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) and CORP, TechLaw.Fest will combine the ‘Law of […]
Sweeping Changes to India’s FDI Policy
2018 began with a bang for foreign investors as India made multi-fold changes to its FDI Policy. The IMF also forecast India would become the fastest-growing economy in 2018 and 2019. The Bar Council of India denounced the changes suggested by the Law Commission of India. […]
Big4 vs BigLaw in Asia: What makes Deloitte Legal unique?
Competition in legal services in Asia is acute. Among the competitive pressures traditional law firms face in Asia is the drive by Big4 accounting firms to gain legal market share. In this Q&A interview, Asia Law Portal asks Mark Schroeder, Senior Legal Consultant with 勤理 China […]
Asia-Pacific Investors: How to Avoid Legal Risks When Investing In California
What Legal Risks Do Foreign Investors Take When Expanding into an Overseas Market? If you’re running your own business and it’s been doing great in your own country, you might have looked into expanding its current reach to a foreign country so that you can share […]
Stefanie Yuen Thio of Singapore’s TSMP Law explains how to build a successful boutique legal practice
Stefanie Yuen Thio is the Joint Managing Director of TSMP Law Corporation in Singapore, leads the firm’s M&A and corporate practice and co-manages the firm. TSMP is regarded as one of Singapore’s handful of “go-to” independent firms for cutting-edge Wall Street work and was named SE […]
Innovating in-house legal in Asia Pacific
In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Peter Connor details his views of how legal services competition is impacting the general counsel, both within and outside the Asia-Pacific region
The New Year’s Resolutions lawyers should make for 2018
Go to the gym more, eat less chocolate, save more money – all common New Year’s resolutions and ones which, by February, will inevitably be broken. But, there is one resolution all lawyers should make and commit to for 2018 – creating more time for their […]
A Guide to Asia-Pacific Region Arbitration Hubs
As Asian Legal Business recently detailed: “Arbitration as an ADR mechanism has been steadily gaining traction across the Asia Pacific region. This is particularly accelerated by several recent legal developments and regulatory changes such as Third Party Funding legislations and Investment Treaties. In addition, the quality […]
India’s Indigenous Progress
As 2017 draws to a close, the Indian Government’s initiatives on ‘Make in India’ seems to have made significant progress in one industry. The labour law reforms undertaken by the Government in the last three years have been summarized recently in the Parliament. A Harvard Law […]
30 People to Watch in the Business of Law in Asia in 2018
As we approach the beginning of 2018 — Asia Law Portal continues its’ tradition begun in 2015 and followed up in 2016 and 2017 — of naming 30 people to watch in the business of law in the coming year. In retrospect — if 2017 were […]
What makes Sports Law unique? An interview with Richard Wee
Richard Wee joined Kuala Lumpur-based MahWengKwai & Associates in 2016, where he established the firms Sports Law Practice Group. Now head of Richard Wee Chambers, Wee is recognized locally and regionally for pioneering this niche, in this Q&A with Asia Law Portal he describes what makes […]
India’s All-round Improvement & Crowning Glory
There were landmark achievements by India this month. The most prominent being the phenomenal jump in its World Bank Ease of Doing Business Rankings. India’s credit rating improved. Internally, the GST rates of a large number of items were rationalized. Further, there was progress on the […]
5 Ways Big Data is Changing Legal Practice
Innovation buzz words like “analytics” “AI” and “big data” have been getting a lot of coverage recently, but how are they affecting the bottom line for law firms? Read More: India’s All-round Improvement & Crowning Glory Below are 5 ways that big data can build law firm […]
Key takeaways from the 2nd Singapore Law Firm Management Forum
The Second Regional Law Firm Management Forum took place Friday November 3, 2017, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Singapore. This year’s Forum focused on how non-legal professional in law firms can become critical contributors to firm strategies. Andrew Barnes, President of Forum sponsor Australasian Legal Practice […]
The Great Legal Reformation: Notes from the Field
The beginning of the Great Legal Reformation lacks the precision of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church, but upheaval in legal services delivery most certainly accelerated and gained strength with the financial crisis of 2008. Since that time, legal […]
Will India Move Up in the World Bank Rankings?
The Government of India continues to take steps to improve ease of doing business in India. Various reports have been published by the media recently reflecting an expected improvement in the World Bank’s ranking for India, due to be published shortly. There are other areas and […]
Nominations now open for 30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2018
In January of 2015 Asia Law Portal published the inaugural annual: 30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2015 and in 2016 published: 30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2016. In 2017: 30 people to watch in the business […]
Contract lawyering – the global gig economy for lawyers
Transport for London’s recent decision to revoke Uber’s licence meant the gig economy was back in the headlines, and not for positive reasons. Indeed, some business’ abuse of employment rights under the guise of the gig economy has meant that for some, this term has become […]
Southeast Asia’s legal tech innovators to gather in Kuala Lumpur Nov 4-5, 2017
Kuala Lumpur is set to host an important South East Asia regional legal tech conference next month, hosted by Malaysian legal startup CanLaw. We asked Lee Su Wen, CanLaw’s Event Director, to tell us more about the conference. Here’s what she had to say: Read More: […]
What opportunities exist for foreign investors in the Maldives?
As the Maldives Mission to the European Union details on its’ website: “Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) has always played a crucial role in the economic development of the Maldives. The Government acknowledges the importance of foreign investment and continues to recognize its importance for economic development […]
Lawyers: 5 Steps to Overcome Procrastination
Many lawyers admit that procrastination is a problem. If one can begin by admitting that it is difficult to manage time — this is a good beginning. Read More: India: FDI Policy Boosts Start-ups Ben confessed. “Sure, I admit that I procrastinate in my law practice. […]
India: FDI Policy Boosts Start-ups
India’s consolidated foreign direct investment policy was finally issued recently. The real estate sector is attracting significant foreign investment. Following up on last month’s activities, there was a further development relating to entry of foreign law firms in India. And a very important decision relating to […]
Second Regional Law Firm Management Forum set for Singapore, Nov 3, 2017
The Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA), along with the Law Council’s Australian Law Management Group, held its inaugural Regional Law Firm Management Forum in Singapore late last year. The Second Regional Law Firm Management Forum is now set to take place Friday November 3, 2017, […]
Indian legal startup Lawyered.in: Helping people find lawyers in Asia’s 3rd largest economy
As the world’s sixth largest economy and Asia’s third largest economy, India represents a significant opportunity for any legal services sector entrepreneur. In Asia Law Portal’s continuing coverage of the Asia-Pacific region’s NewLaw and legal startup economy, here’s our recent interview with Raghav Shekhar, Co-founder and […]
US law firms face possible roll-back of South Korean legal market access
As the Washington Post reported last week, U.S. President Donald Trump is contemplating withdrawing the United States from the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). As the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) details on its website, KORUS entered into force on March 15, 2012, with […]
International Bar Association (IBA) now offering Executive LLM on global legal issues
The International Bar Association (IBA) and King’s College London are now collaborating to offer an Executive LLM focused on preparing students to confront some of today’s most challenging global legal Read More: US law firms face possible roll-back of South Korean legal market access In-house and […]
Why is Africa becoming so important for Asian law firms?
Are you considering Africa? Asia? The opportunities for law firms are abundant
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: What’s the view from Australia?
The numbers can be overwhelming. The expected investment from China and other participants in the One Belt One Road (OBOR) infrastructure initiative between 2015 and 2025 could hit US$ 5.3 trillion, and in 10 years will represent approximately 60% of global infrastructure investment. Too, Asia will likely represent […]
Indian Prime Minister Pushes For Entry of Foreign Law Firms
The activities relating to entry of foreign law firms in India gathered pace this month as the Government actively took initiatives. The biggest impetus to keep the momentum going was the Prime Minister’s views and directives to enable the Government machinery to expedite. Some major changes […]
LexisNexis continues to help advance the rule of law in Asia-Pacific
Looking across the global landscape today, it’s not hard to see the serious and often severe challenges facing society, particularly for the four billion people living outside the umbrella protection of the rule of law. As a company, the LexisNexis core mission to advance the rule […]
An Entity-Driven Approach to Legal Services
A crowded legal marketplace requires law firms to do more than just provide quality legal services
Artificial Intelligence (AI): A new-frontier in legal services competition in Asia
In a news release issued last week – leading international NewLaw firm Axiom announced “the market launch of AxiomAI – a program that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency and quality of contracts work. As part of AxiomAI, Axiom will accelerate the use of […]
In-house Associations HKCCA and ACC Form Alliance to Better Serve Hong Kong Legal Community
Though in-house lawyers may work across dozens of industries and for hundreds of different companies, their concerns, challenges, and goals share more similarities than differences. Peer-to-peer networking opportunities, education focused specifically on the needs of working in-house, and resources tailored to corporate practice are invaluable in […]
Chief Justice of India Inclined Toward Entry of Foreign Law Firms
India’s fast track regime for FDI approvals has become a reality now with the publication of the standard operating procedures in this regard. An additional condition has been proposed in Mauritius which will add to the compliance for companies routing their FDI into India through the […]
What is Driving Change in Asia’s Legal Profession?
The famous American jurist Clarence Darrow once said, “The trouble with law is lawyers.” And, when it comes to changing the way lawyers and law firms operate, some of the speakers and panellists at the Legal Inno’ Tech Forum, which took place in Hong Kong in […]
When will the legal industry have its Napster moment?
“I like to think (it has to be!), Of a cybemetric ecology, Where we are free of our labors, And joined back to nature, Returned to our mammal brothers and sisters, And all watched over By machines of loving grace.” Thus wrote the beat poet Richard Brautigan in 1967. He was definitely […]
Hong Kong is emerging as a Belt and Road legal and dealmaking hub
Hong Kong is emerging as a Belt and Road legal and dealmaking hub, as a series of recent reports reflects. ABS-CBN News, for example, has reported that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, speaking last week at the Wharton Global Forum, outlined how the special […]
India: Fast Tracking FDI approvals
India is moving towards a fast track regime for FDI approvals. The Government has initiated the process for creating standard operating procedures in this regard. FDI, being a critical factor, has contributed to improving India’s balance of payment. The growing importance of India can be gauged […]
The Impact of third party funding on Hong Kong as a centre for International Arbitration
As recently as 14th June 2017, Hong Kong became the latest jurisdiction to permit third-party funding in international arbitration by passing legislation to amend the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609). The amendment is likely to take effect later this year, giving time for a code of conduct […]
NewLaw shows progress in Association of Corporate Counsel Australia 2017 Benchmarks and Leading Practices Report
The Association of Corporate Counsel Australia recently launched the 2017 Benchmarks and Leading Practices Report, an in-depth and extensive study of trends in the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) in-house legal profession. The report also features 13 general counsels as best practice case studies and 4 […]
Legal Innovation and Tech Forum to take place in Hong Kong, June 8, 2017
Leaders in legal technology from around the world are poised to gather in Hong Kong for the Legal Inno’ Tech Forum. The Forum will take place at ESPACE in Central Hong Kong on Thursday, June 8, 2017 between 2 pm and 5:30 pm. The backdrop for this […]
The International Bar Association’s 2017 Annual Conference will take place October 8-13 in Sydney, Australia
The International Bar Association’s 2017 Annual Conference will take place October 8-13 in Sydney, Australia. Notably, the conference takes place as the IBA celebrates its’ 70th anniversary. Read More: Legal Innovation and Tech Forum to take place in Hong Kong, June 8, 2017 Widely regarded as […]
Modi’s Third Anniversary Achievement – India Retains Top FDI Recipient Rank
India was able to retain its top position in greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) by beating China and the United States for the second year in a row. The Government’s continuous efforts to improve the FDI climate in the last year have achieved desired outcomes. As […]
Big4 accounting firms emerge as Belt and Road thought leaders
Belt and Road growing in size and scope The growing impact and importance of China’s Belt and Road international infrastructure development initiative was on display last week in Beijing as leaders from 28 nations gathered to discuss enhancing cooperation on the initiative. During the Summit Chinese […]
Second Annual Asia Private Equity-Venture Capital Summit set for Singapore, Sept 21-22, 2017
For the second year in a row, the Asia PE-VC Summit will be held in Singapore. The event is an unprecedented global meeting place for top investors to discover companies in Asia’s fast growing economies. Set to take place September 21-22 at the Marina Bay Sands […]
India’s Law Commission Frames Rules to Recognise Foreign Lawyers
The Supreme Court has expressed its concern over unsatisfactory regulatory mechanism governing the advocates and observed in a case that there was an urgent need to review the provisions of the Advocates Act, 1961. The Law Commission of India, a body which looks into legal reforms, […]
NewLaw firm lexvoco enters the Japanese market
NewLaw firm lexvoco, which is based in Australia and which also operates in New Zealand, has begun operations in Japan. Lexvoco is the first NewLaw secondment business to do so. Japan has the world’s third largest economy with a GDP or 4.41 Trillion USD. Law […]
Asia’s NewLaw leaders explain their strategies for a more competitive 2017 market
International law firm Pinsent Masons is expanding its NewLaw secondment business Vario into Australia later this year, as The Journal of The Law Society of Scotland reported last month. As the article detailed, Vario has a pool of 300 professionals and revenue growth was more than […]