Indian Arbitration Becomes Regulated …Finally!
The Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996 (Act) was enacted to overhaul the then archaic Arbitration Act, of 1940. It was a well-enacted law in those days of early arbitration when court proceedings had not only become lengthy and tiresome, but also expensive for the clients. However, […]
Investment from China a focus of the 2015 Milken Institute California Summit
China’s investment in California was a focus of the 2015 Milken Institute California Summit, held today in Marina Del Rey, California. Curtis S. Chin, Asia Fellow at the Milken Institute and Former U.S. Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank moderated a panel discussion on Strategies to […]
Sweeping Changes to India’s FDI Policy
Liberalisation of India’s economy has always been on the cards in Modi Government’s agenda from the start. However, it chose the time of heavy electoral losses in the state of Bihar to announce the goodies for foreign investors. The sweeping changes to the FDI policy were […]
What opportunity do law firm mergers in Asia create for foreign law firms?
Local law firms in China remain the most attractive merger partners in Asia for foreign law firms, according to Hong Kong-based Ben Cooper, Managing Director, GRMExecutive. Cooper outlines the reasons why these mergers remain so attractive in this interview: What opportunity do law firm mergers in Asia create […]
How social media is helping Malaysia legal career website Office Parrots achieve success
From traditional law firms to NewLaw firms, legal startups to legal recruiters, a wide variety of legal services sector organizations are utilizing social media as a means to increase visibility and attract new clients. In legal recruitment in the Asia-Pacific region in particular, Major Lindsey & […]
How can the law help facilitate a more efficient flow of Asia-Pacific trade? An interview with Prakash Pillai
The Singapore Academy of Law is organizing an international conference on January 21 and 22, 2016 in Singapore with a focus on the increasing homogenization of cross-border trade practices and regulatory mechanisms amid rising economic integration in Asia. As the event website outlines: “Among the business […]
The Malaysian Lawyer.com is launched: An interview with co-founder Marcus van Geyzel
As Office Parrots blog outlined last month, two “seasoned Malaysian legal professionals with more than ten years’ experience [recently came] together to launch TheMalaysianLawyer.com. Founded by Lee Shih, Partner with Skrine, and Marcus van Geyzel, Partner with Peter Ling & van Geyzel, who’s also founder of the widely-read Malaysian law blog LoyarBurok.com , […]
Nominations open for who to follow in the business of law in Asia
In January of 2015, Asia Law Portal published: 30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2015. As 2016 approaches, Asia Law Portal is welcoming nominations for people to follow in the business of law in Asia in 2016. Asia Law Portal will […]
India Tops Global FDI Chart, Attracts Largest Investment & Boosts ‘Make In India’
India’s capability as a top foreign investment destination hit a new high as it emerged as the leader in FDI for Greenfield investment. Two high-profile deals were also signed to stamp India’s prominence in this space. India Top Global FDI Destination For Greenfield Investments. India is […]
From Lawyers to Malaysia startup entrepreneurs: An interview with the founders of Kaodim.com
Jeff Cheong and Fui Choong both left their careers as lawyers to launch Kaodim in November 2014. Malaysia-based Kaodim is a web/mobile application allowing people to hire and compare professionals providing home services and repairs. The platform grows many small and medium businesses along the way. Kaodim is […]
6 reasons why Southeast Asia is poised to become a major new destination for legal startups
A confluence of trends appears poised to make Southeast Asia a new major destination for legal startups. Among those trends is a spike in funding for startups in the region, the continuing challenge to the traditional law firm business model in Asia, and a growing number […]
Lawyers rush to win new work from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Lawyers in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States are already gearing up to win new work seen resulting from a new trade agreement announced this week between 12 Pacific-Rim nations. As Misa Han (@misahan) outlined yesterday in the Australian Financial Review: “Legal and financial advisers said […]
Some BigLaw firms in Asia are rushing to emulate NewLaw
Some BigLaw firms in Asia are rushing to emulate New Law, according to a recent article by John Knox, Managing Director, Asia of leading NewLaw firm AdventBalance. In recent months, as Knox outlines, “a growing number of traditional law firms including Eversheds (Agile) and Allen & Overy (Peerpoint) are […]
India: First-Ever States’ Scorecard of Business Reforms Ushers Competitive Federalism
The results of the first ever survey of Indian States on the implementation of ease of doing business is out and has thrown up interesting results. A long needed clarification on facility sharing by foreign group companies brings in the desired relief. The Government recalled its […]
Australian law firm Legal Vision is generating 20 new customer leads per day from their blog
Australian online law firm LegalVision is generating 20 new customer leads per day from their inbound content strategy, according to their CEO and Founder Lachlan McKnight. McKnight outlined the firm’s strategy in an interview this week with the Australasian Law Practice Management Association (ALPMA). The interview was […]
India Foreign Investment Hits and Tax Reform Misses
The Government of India has complied with its announcements made in the annual union finance budget to set up composite caps for foreign investment. However there was a setback to its tax reforms when the GST Bill could not be passed. Composite Caps for Foreign Investment. The Government […]
Legal Innovation takes center stage in Asia-Pacific
The months of July and August have seen a flurry of conferences and news coverage dedicated to legal innovation in the Asia-Pacific legal markets. And this trend will continue into September. Here’s a list of what’s happened so far and what’s coming next: On July 30th, […]
Acritas publishes the second annual Asia Pacific Law Firm Brand Index
UK-based market research firm Acritas has just published the second annual Asia-Pacific Law Firm Brand Index, with Baker & McKenzie placing first – and King & Wood Mallesons, Herbert Smith Freehills, Norton Rose Fullbright, and Kim & Chang rounding out the top 5. As Acritas outlined […]
For some foreign law firms, not being in Asia is an Asia strategy
Another foreign law firm has chosen to not maintain a physical presence in Asia – while instead focusing on foreign direct investment from Asia into the jurisdictions where they practice. This strategy is employed by firms primarily as a means to secure work around Asia’s growing […]
More Asia law firms add consulting services
News last week that Singapore-based RHTLaw Taylor Wessing (@RHTLawTW) had bolstered its consulting practices underscores a trend that appears to be gaining significant pace in international legal markets. The RHT Group of Companies, which are wholly owned companies of RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP, now have consulting divisions ranging from […]
India Gears Up to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Foreign Law Firms
The Government of India has made up its mind to allow foreign law firms to practice in India. It has virtually crushed all opposition for years altogether in a matter of months. There have been several media reports in India late last month quoting the then […]
Law firms turn to strategy directors for competitive advantage
In recent months two international law firms with operations in the Asia-Pacific region have appointed directors of strategy with the aim to gaining competitive advantage in crowded and competitive legal markets. In May, global law firm Baker & McKenzie appointed Julia Hayhoe Global Director, Strategy Implementation. […]
Facilitating investment in Japan – an interview with Tokyo-based lawyer Hiroaki Tsuda
As the Japan Times reported last year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration developed an updated growth strategy calling for a doubling of the “outstanding amount of foreign direct investment in Japan to ¥35 trillion by 2020, with the government taking necessary policy steps and the […]
Tokyo Legal Startups find support and inspiration from “StartEd”
As Disrupting Japan blog author Tim Romero has outlined: “The startup scene in Japan is laying the seeds for [the country’s] next economic miracle.” And a part of that miracle may very well be Tokyo-based legal startups. Few would know more about this subject than Dublin-based lawyer Naoise Gaffney. […]
Axiom Asia: Transforming the Business of Law in Asia
In September of 2013, Eric Chin of Australia’s Beaton Capital explained why by 2018 — Axiom may become the world’s largest legal services firm. Founded in 2000, Axiom is among a new breed of private equity-backed alternative providers of legal services commonly referred to as “NewLaw”. These “NewLaw” firms […]
India Addresses Implementation Issues In New Company Law
The Government of India has woken up to India’s poor ranking on the Doing Business Report and is taking active steps to get into the roots of the problem. A few more measures were announced in this regard, the most significant of them, being the long […]
Facilitating China-Canada cross-border investment: A Q&A with Stephen D. Wortley of McMillan
Think Asia, Think Hong Kong, a conference focused on facilitating trade and investment with China via Hong Kong, took place in Toronto June 8. Key among the participants was Stephen D. Wortley, Chair, Hong Kong Office and Co-Chair, China Practice Group at McMillan LLP. In conjunction […]
From lawyer to Tokyo startup entrepreneur: An interview with Nikola Pavesic of Justa
Elise Hu (@elisewho), reporting for NPR earlier this month, outlined how the startup scene in Japan is now beginning to gain momentum in an economy still centered around traditional companies that made it big in the latter part of the last century. The Japanese government, however, […]
The Current State of the Malaysian Legal Market: A Q&A with Eddie Law, Founder of eLawyer.com.my
The Malaysian legal market is currently undergoing structural reform while competition is increasing. Here’s an update on the market in the second quarter of 2015 from Eddie Law, Founder of eLawyer.com.my: How would you describe the overall current state of the Malaysian legal market? In general, […]
With Focus on Ease of Doing Business in India, Modi Government Ushers in its First Anniversary
The Narendra Modi led Government, which completes its first anniversary this month, continued its focus on simplifying procedures for ease of doing business in India. The annual updation to the consolidated foreign direct investment policy was published this month. The controversial MAT levy is being relooked […]
Japan to outspend China on Asia infrastructure
Japan announced this week that it will lend around US$ 110 billion to help fund infrastructure development in Asia over the next five years via the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Asian Development Bank. The announcement by Japan comes amid […]
For foreign law firms expanding in Asia – Hong Kong or Singapore?
For foreign law firms eyeing the possibility of expansion into the Asia-Pacific region, a fundamental question is often: Should we open in Singapore or Hong? The two cities are key financial centers in the region and often serve as regional headquarters for foreign law firms here. […]
Expanding business via Hong Kong the focus of Toronto and Chicago events
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will stage its large-scale promotion, “Think Asia, Think Hong Kong” in Toronto, Canada, and Chicago, the United States in June 2015. What is “Think Asia, Think Hong Kong” all about? How does it benefit companies in Hong Kong and […]
Foreign Investment Opportunities in Vietnam’s State-Owned Enterprises
Dr Net Le, Partner at LNT & Partners in Vietnam and Head of the firm’s Arbitration and Financial Services Practices was among the panelists addressing the issue of state-owned enterprises amid the transformation of command economies on Saturday, May 9th at The Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s (IPBA) 25th Annual Meeting and […]
State-Owned Enterprises in Asia-Pacific’s Evolving Command Economies
The Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s (IPBA) 25th Annual Meeting and Conference are being held this week from Hong Kong ( 6 – 9 May 2015). This international legal conference brings together IPBA members, corporate lawyers, international business lawyers and colleagues from around the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. One […]
Future for Women in Law addressed at Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Conference, Hong Kong, May 6-9, 2015
Olivia Kung (@oliviahykung), Associate Attorney at Hong Kong-based OLN law firm (@OldhamLiNie) and Vice Chair of the Women Business Lawyers committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), will be a panel speaker representing Hong Kong at the organization 25th Annual Meeting and Conference this week in Hong Kong, […]
Will US Law Firms Lose Work in Asia over AIIB Opposition?
Some Background The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a new multilateral development lender, whose focus will be on providing financing for infrastructure projects in Asia. Founded by China, the AIIB has been joined as founding members by most regional governments as well as the UK and […]
India: Retrospective Tax on Foreign Investment a Step Backward
In the past month the Indian Government took action towards facilitating foreign investment as was promised in the annual Union budget. However, all the beneficial steps were overshadowed by the controversial levy of Minimum Alternate Tax on capital gains by Foreign Institutional Investors. There were welcome […]
Why NewLaw should seek to define itself in Asia
In April of 2013, Richard Granat (@rgranat) asked: Is Axiom Law a Law Firm? in a blogpost which appeared on his widely-read eLawering Blog. And Granat is well qualified to both ask and answer the question. Granat is both a virtual lawyer and a CEO and investor […]
South Korea considers reversing course on legal market liberalization
In 2011 and 2012 respectively, the European Union (EU) and the United States entered into bilateral Free-Trade Agreements (FTA’s) with South Korea. The aim of those agreements was to increase bilateral trade and investment between Korea, the EU and the US. The agreements span a wide […]
India’s Regulatory Reforms: Commitment to Foreign Investment
The ‘Make In India’ campaign is going full throttle with the Government initiating key changes to its foreign direct investment policy. The finance budget providing further fillip with a slew of regulatory reforms. Further, there is fresh hope for the entry of foreign law firms. Regulatory […]
China’s Second Free Trade Zone to Open Next Week
China’s Second Free Trade Zone will Open Next Week. Below is an interview with Paul Kossof, an Associate at the Beijing office of TransAsia Lawyers, about this new development. There has been substantial interest from foreign investors and companies in Shanghai’s free trade zone. Which appears […]
A new law blog has been launched in Vietnam
A new law blog called Vietnam Law Insight has been launched this month by LNT & Partners. A Vietnam-based law firm with offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Hong Kong and San Francisco. As the firm’s LinkedIn page outlines, “the firm is among Vietnam’s […]
Legal Leaders Asia Forum: A preview Q&A with Nick Seddon of Beaton Capital
The 2nd Legal Leaders Asia Forum is set to take place March 24-25, 2015 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hong Kong. The event will provide an opportunity for both international and independent law firms already established in Asia. Or with an eye towards the path to […]
Are public listings a path to global success for Asia’s law firms?
Singapore-based RHTLaw Taylor Wessing. One of Asia’s law firms has announced plans to publicly list a company offering a suite of professional services. On the Catalist Board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in the first quarter of 2016. According to a recent report in Channel News […]
Law Firm Sales Team vs ‘Salesy’ Fee Earners
Recently, I visited a law firm partner whose firm has great ambitions for 2015. Namely, this prominent Legal 500 firm plans to turn all or most of their fee earners into sales force. Naturally, this firm aims to continue to grow in the coming years. And […]
Asia-Pacific Region Legal Startups: An interview with LawPath Co-Founder Damien Andreasen
As Angus Kidman (@gusworldau) outlined in a 2013 profile in Australia’s Lifehacker, “LawPath is Australia’s largest and fastest-growing legal platform…connect[ing] people and businesses that are in need of legal assistance to the right lawyer who specialises in their area of need.” LawPath (@LawPath) is among a […]
Asia’s Legal Leaders to gather in Hong Kong, March 24-25, 2015
The 2nd Legal Leaders Asia Forum is set to take place March 24-25, 2015 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hong Kong. The event will provide an opportunity for both international and independent law firms already established in Asia or with an eye towards the path to […]
For international law firms, China alone does not make an Asia Strategy
In February 8, Asia Law Portal’s Twitter feed (@AsiaLawPortal) – tweeted an announcement from international law firm Norton Rose (@NLegal_Global). That they’d added an Asia section to their Financial Services Regulation Blog. Richard Smith (RWS_01). The Australia-based legal business development professional responded to that tweet with […]
China’s manufacturing sector at a crossroads
Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Founder of Dezan Shira & Associates, a pan-Asia-Pacific accounting and management consulting firm serving foreign companies operating or seeking to operate within the region — convened an informal conversation over dinner in Hong Kong last week to discuss business trends in the region impacting […]
An interview with the American Bar Association (ABA) leadership on the upcoming 2015 ABA Asia Forum in Tokyo
The International Law Section of the American Bar Association (@ABAInternatl) will gather on March 2-3, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan for the 2015 Asia Forum. The conference will focus on Recent Trends and Developments in the Regulatory Environment, Transactional Practice and Dispute Resolution. As a follow-up to […]
Hong Kong legal market at epicenter of booming investment into China
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into China will double over the next six years, according to a new report from international law firm King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) (@kwmlaw). As the report outlines, foreign direct investment in China will reach 1.3 Trillion GBP by 2020. And as […]
Asia’s social media-savvy law firms are here
Enrique Dans (@edans) Professor of Information Systems at IE Business School in Madrid (@IEbusiness), has written a fascinating article published in Forbes last week, entitled. The Social Company is Already with Us. In that article, Dans’ article highlights the evolution of today’s workplace from physical spaces to […]
5 Trends to watch in the Asian legal market in 2015
5 key trends appear to be shaping the Asia-Pacific Region’s legal markets in 2015 and are worth paying close attention to as the year progresses. Here they are: Increased M&A Activity In an interview this week, Herbert Smith Freehills (@HSFlegal) Partner Rebecca Maslen-Stannage discussed the strength of M&A […]
Where are Asia’s Legal Startups?
In a blogpost entitled: Where are The Legal Web Startups in Asia? Jeffrey Ling explained: “Ever since I embarked on my very own legal web startup project in June 2012. I started paying attention to legal web startups around the world. And I have been noticing a […]
Hong Kong Legal Startup: A Q&A with Chris Sykes, Client Services Director, Dragon Law
As Iris Leung (@irismtleung), Editor at StartupsHK and Contributor at Forbes Asia wrote just last week: “The limelight has long been shed on Hong Kong legal startup-friendly destination. Besides efficient business setup, a robust legal system, an easygoing regulatory environment and a simple tax system – one […]
12 law blogs in Asia to follow in 2015
As a follow-on to a post published on Asia Law Portal last October entitled: 10 law blogs in the Asia-Pacific Region worth following — below is a new list of even more Asia-Pacific Region law blogs that are also interesting and informative — and that you too […]
30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2015
As 2015 begins – below is a list of 30 key people to watch for commentary and new initiatives in the business of law in the Asia-Pacific legal markets during the course of the coming year: Chris Devonshire-Ellis (@cde_asia) — Founder of Dezan Shira & Associates (@DezanShira) and […]
Asia-Pacific remains Australia’s largest regional export market
The growing importance of the Asia-Pacific Region for international law firms is confirm again in a new study. The Law Council of Australia conduct this study. The study — with the title Fourth Legal and Related Services Export Survey‘. And Australia-based legal business development professional Richard Smith […]
Can the Big4 accounting firms defeat BigLaw in Asia?
There are many documents about the entry of the Big4 accounting firms into the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets. The most recent move of note was PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) beginning to offer legal advice in Tokyo beginning last November. Australia’s Beaton Capital traces the history of large accounting firms presence in […]
Asia-Pacific Region General Counsel: Their preferences when selecting outside counsel
Sydney-based legal business development professional Richard Smith (@RWS_01) has outlined in a blogpost this week. They discuss what Asia-Pacific Region In-House Lawyers are looking for from their outside counsel. Smith based his post on an article by “Legal Week’s Elizabeth Broomhall (@ELBroomhall) [who] wrote up a very succinct account […]
PwC poised for success in the Japanese legal market
“PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has launched a legal services arm in Japan” – as Elizabeth Broomhall (@ELBroomhall) reported last week in Legal Week. “The big four accounting firm began providing legal advice in Tokyo [in November] debuting with one partner offering local law advice and focusing on corporate and […]
Japan and Turkey seizing the potential for growth
Diplomatic and trade relationships between Japan and Turkey have continuously developed since the 19th century. Despite these longstanding links, the economic relationship between the two states did not evolve sufficiently until late twentieth century. In the 1980’s, a consortium involving Japanese firms constructed the Fatih Sultan […]
China’s legal market in 2014: An overview
A recent book entitled: A Comprehensive Guide to the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets – provides in-depth analysis of the prime legal markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Among the most important of course, is China. Here are some of the highlights of that analysis: AS VICTORIA Ruan reported […]
Chinese law firms a focus of Israel’s 2nd Foreign Law Firms conference
Chinese law firms and China-Israel bi-lateral trade and investment will be a major focus of Israel’s 2nd Foreign Law Firms conference. The conference will be on Dec 9th in Tel Aviv. Organized by the Tel-Aviv District of the Israel Bar Association led by Adv. Efi Nave […]
Foreign law firms facing unique challenges in Asia
As has been widely reported, the Asia-Pacific region has become the new focus of attention for international law firms. At the same time, international competition in the region is accelerating. The recently published book: A Comprehensive Guide to the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets — outlines challenges (as […]
Wolters Kluwer Hong Kong: Making law readily accessible on one online platform with PrimeLaw
The idea that “The law should be readily accessible” lies “at the heart of the development” of PrimeLaw — Wolters Kluwer Hong Kong’s major product in the making for the past year — according to Chloe Lau, Head of Publishing and Product Development for the company. […]
Current trends shaping Vietnam’s legal market in 2014
Current trends shaping Vietnams legal market in 2014 have been outlined by Kent Wong, Partner and Head of Banking, Insurance & Capital Markets at VCI Legal in a new book entitled A Comprehensive Guide to the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets. Below are excerpts from Wong’ analysis: Despite […]
John Appleby: My life as a practicing lawyer in Tonga
John Appleby, Barrister & Solicitor with Ladbrook Law in New Zealand provides a fascinating account of his life as a practicing lawyer in Tonga from 1993 to 1999 – in a new book entitled A Comprehensive Guide to the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets. Here are some excerpts […]
Hong Kong-based Custom Legal seeks to make legal services accessible to all people
Earlier this year, Janice Chew co-founded Custom Legal Solutions with a firm belief in universal access to professional services. Malaysian by nationality, she was admitted to the High Court of Hong Kong as a Solicitor as well as the High Court of Malaya as Advocate and […]