Tag: Asia Law Portal
The current state of legal innovation in Singapore. An interview with Josh Lee Kok Thong, Chairperson, Asia Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA)
Josh Lee Kok Thong is Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA). In this interview with Asia Law Portal, he provides his unique insights into the current state of legal innovation in Singapore. And what’s in store for the future. Based in […]
The current state of legal innovation in Malaysia. An interview with Daniel Lui, Co-Founder, LawTech Malaysia
Malaysia has long been a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship in the legal services sector in the Asia-Pacific region. In this wide-ranging interview with Asia Law Portal, Daniel Lui, Co-Founder of LawTech Malaysia, explains the state of legal innovation in Malaysia in 2020. What is LawTech […]
India’s Finance Budget and slipping economic growth
The Union Finance Budget is here without much in it for foreign investors. The economy remains a point of discussion with global financial institutions as recovery does not appear in the horizon. While Coronavirus has not directly hit India, it is feeling the effect in different […]
Lawyer-to-lawyer document marketplace launched: Lexub
New shared-economy legal document marketplace offers lawyers democratisation of precedents and monetisation of documents
Singapore’s first online personal legal services platform. An interview with Alvin T’ng, Founder, WillCraft
WillCraft (WillCraftNow.com) is Singapore’s first online personal legal services platform. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Founder Alvin T’ng explains what motivated WillCraft’s founding, its’ services offer, how it works with local law firms, how customers find the service, T’ng’s transition from legal practice to […]
Law firm marketing – Making sense of puzzling propositions
In the legal profession, traditionally a lot of business ‘walked-in’ based on the reputation of the Firm or due to equity created by some prominent lawyers in the firm. However, with intense competition among Firms that have similar kinds of talent pool and increase pricing pressure […]
Cambodia’s Startup Scene: Young, Vibrant and Promising. An Interview with Sreypeou Chaing, Managing Partner, CSP & Associates
Sreypeou Chaing is Managing Partner of CSP & Associates and Legal Advisor with Cambodia Startup Advisers. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, she details the current startup environment in Cambodia. Including what venture capital investors should be thinking about when investing in Cambodian startups, the work […]
Will 2020 be make or break year for India’s economy?
The Government of India should be ready with its new year resolutions and timelines to achieve the same. As 2020 ushered in the lowest GDP forecast in the last 11 years. It continues the year-end gloomy economic situation in the country. The Government has an opportunity […]
Insights on Marketing a Hong Kong Barrister’s Chambers. An interview with Aparna Bundro, Director of Practice Development, DesVoeux Chambers
Aparna Bundro is Director of Practice Development for DesVoeux Chambers in Hong Kong. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, how her lawyer background helped her transition into legal marketing and business development. The difference between marketing for a barrister’s chambers versus a commercial law firm, […]
The unique role of the legal startup CMO. An interview with Sacha Kirk, Co-Founder, Lawcadia
Sacha Kirk is Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Australia-based legal startup Lawcadia. Named to Asia Law Portal’s 12 legal tech startup founders to follow in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020. Kirk explains in this interview with Asia Law Portal what inspired Lawcadia’s founding, its’ […]
A book review of “The Real Deal: Law Firm Leadership That Works” by Paul Smith and Sally Dyson
Lawyers generally have an inbuilt scepticism regarding any form of coaching. Which imposes a high bar on authors targeting an audience of busy managing partners. The Real Deal: Law Firm Leadership That Works by Paul Smith and Sally Dyson. It vaults over that bar with consummate […]
In conversation with Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque (Judge, the High Court of Kerala) on legal tech, space law and ADR in India
What made you interested in space law? I began my career as a lawyer. While practising at the High Court, it dawned upon me that the scope of the legal profession is much beyond what I had actually understood it to be. It was around this […]
More pathways could be opened to Singapore Bar – what does this mean for NewLaw?
Last week, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon made an exciting announcement. An initiative that could revolutionise the legal profession in Singapore. CJ Menon called for there to be different routes into the Singapore Bar. Whether that’s mid-career switchers from non-law backgrounds or students who study Science, Technology, […]
Opportunities for startups and venture capital investors in Vietnam: An interview with Hoang Minh Duc, Special Counsel, Duane Morris
Hoang Minh Duc advises clients in corporate & MA matters as special counsel with Duane Morris Vietnam, the Vietnamese subsidiary of Duane Morris LLP (US). In this interview with Asia Law Portal, he details the most important opportunities. And challenges he sees for corporate clients in […]
The current state of legal innovation in South Korea. An interview with Narae Lee, General Counsel, Blockcrafters
Narae Lee is General Counsel of Seoul-based Blockchain Accelerator Blockcrafters, and Organizer of Seoul Legal Hackers. In this interview, she explains Blockcraft’s work. And her work as a corporate legal counsel and lawyer both in government and private practice. The current state of legal entrepreneurship in […]
How legal business development and marketing is evolving in Asia. An interview with Roy Ang of Withers
Roy Ang is Head of Marketing and Business Development (Asia Pacific) at Withers. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, he explains the unique opportunities and challenges of the role, the differences between legal marketing in the private and public sectors, how he helped quadruple the […]
India Ends 2019 on a Significantly Weak Economic Note
The Indian economy did not have any recovery on the economic front as per data released by 2 global financial institutions. The Personal Data Protection Bill made the much-awaited comeback to the forefront when it was introduced in Parliament. India’s regional trade and growth potential remains […]
Reflections on over two decades in the business of law in Asia: An interview with Patrick Dransfield, Co-Director, In-House Community
Patrick Dransfield first came to Asia in 1986 where he lived in Beijing. He later went on to a career working in the business of law beginning in Hong Kong in 1996. Educated in Art History and East Asia Studies, Dransfield has worked in legal publishing […]
How pro bono lawyers are helping make the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics a reality
In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Shoichi Sugiyama explains how pro bono lawyers from the Tokyo 2020 pro bono lawyers services project are helping make the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics a reality
Legal Experts Predict 2020 Trends in Asia Pacific Region Infrastructure Development
Leading infrastructure lawyers from Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, India and Japan predict the most significant trends in Asia-Pacific region infrastructure development in 2020
Cybersecurity Law: Thailand
Thailand has rapidly grown its digital economy, and has made a concerted push towards technological innovation. As technology has evolved within the country, however, so has the threat of cybersecurity issues.
India: Economic Growth Dips to Slowest in 26 Quarters
The Indian economy recorded its slowest growth in 26 quarters knocking in fears of a recession. While the Government denied this, the dipping growth rate continues to be the focus of global financial institutions. Foreign investment inflows increased compared to last year providing some hope and […]
The Philippine’s first on-demand online legal solutions platform. An interview with Marlon Valderama, President & CEO, LexMeet
LexMeet is the Philippine’s first on-demand online legal solutions platform. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, LexMeet’s President & CEO, Marlon Valderama, explains what inspired the company’s founding, its services offer to lawyers and legal consumers, it’s geographic scope, market acceptance, future plans – as […]
India’s mobile app for lawyers: An interview with Dr. Arvind Singhatiya, CEO, LegalKart
LegalKart is an India-based technology platform that helps lawyers manage their legal practices. The firm uses artificial intelligence to connect qualified clients to lawyers — thereby helping lawyers build and grow their practices In this interview with Asia Law Portal, LegalKart Founder and CEO – Dr. […]
LawRato: India’s interactive online legal advice platform. An interview with Founder & CEO, Rohan Mahajan
LawRato.com is an interactive online platform that enables an individual to find experienced lawyers in any court or city in India. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, LawRato.com’s Founder & CEO Rohan Mahajan explains what inspired the company’s founding, its’ geographical reach and plans for […]
LexpertEase: Nepal’s first and only legal tech platform: An interview with Founder Kailash Panday
LexpertEase is Nepal’s first and only legal tech platform. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, LexpertaEase Founder Kailash Panday explains the firm’s focus and what inspired its’ founding, how technology is impacting Nepal’s legal market, LexpertEase’s local and international services offer and its’ goals for […]
Some law firms in Asia are now accepting virtual currency
As Wong Joon Ian has reported in The Business Times: “The future of money is built in Asia” — noting that in excess of $1.8 billion dollars in cryptocurrencies are traded on Asian exchanges ever day — representing almost 60% of the world’s daily crypto trade […]
The current state of legal recruitment in Hong Kong. An interview with Rob Green, CEO of GRM
Hong Kong is a key conduit of foreign direct investment into and out of mainland China, and increasingly – a vital locale for Belt and Road infrastructure related legal work. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Rob Green, CEO of GRM, provides his in-depth insights […]
Importance of financing for Vietnam’s BOT ventures
With the Ministry of Transport recently cancelling the international bidding process and replacing it with domestic bidding for the North-South Expressway project, the feasibility for bank loans is put on the top shelf of concerns. Lawyers Le Net, Le Thanh Hieu, and Vo Phuong Thao from […]
How Reed Smith is globalizing innovation initiatives. An interview with Adam Curphey
Global law firm Reed Smith recently appointed Adam Curphey as Innovation Engagement Manager. Curphey’s focus is working “with the firm’s lawyers, Practice Innovation and IT development teams to implement ideas to drive internal efficiencies, as well as identify collaboration opportunities with Reed Smith’s clients to deliver […]
How Withers KhattarWong LLP is navigating Singapore’s highly competitive legal market: An interview with Managing Partner Deborah Barker
After a lengthy collaboration and formal alliance between Withers LLP and the former KhattarWong LLP, Withers KhattarWong LLP came into being in early 2019. The alliance has created the second largest law firm in Singapore, offering a full range of legal services to corporations, institutions and […]
Tricky tactics and quirky questions: how to find a lawyer that’s the right fit
Should we be adopting the mindgaming exploits of Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada”, to find out if your candidate is the best fit for your team? The menacing fashion editor’s interrogatory questions renders Anne Hathaway’s character almost speechless in the famous […]
Private equity invests in NewLaw firm Axiom: Commentary from Axiom’s CEO and APAC-region legal industry leaders
Axiom Law, one of NewLaw’s pioneering companies, both internationally and in Asia, has announced a new private equity investment from Permira, a major investor in LegalZoom. The new investment comes after a recent planned initial public offering (IPO) was cancelled. As Thomas Allen details in Legal […]
Realising Indonesia’s new national capital city: HFW to host seminar in Jakarta
Realising Indonesia’s new national capital city: opportunities and challenges
Pros of sandbox regulation for fintech
With the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the application of digital technologies for providing financial services has become the key driver in promoting financial inclusion. However, the industry’s growth will not only depend on investments, new technologies, or smartphone penetration, but will also require a […]
India: Will Corporate Tax Cut Revive Growth or Widen Fiscal Deficit
The mounting pressure of a sagging economy and sharp economic growth forecast reductions by global institutions, the Government of India announced significant tax relief to corporates. However, while this seemed to cheer the industry and may be a stimulus in the short term, experts have warned […]
A World of Difference: Cambridge Global Conversations
A Conversation with DVC’s Daniel Fung SC, QC, GBS, JP, FCIArb By Aparna Bundro, Practice Development Director, Des Voeux Chambers Many of today’s most fundamental conversations about global problems take place in an echo-chamber where only existing perceptions are reinforced. CGC, the newly set up education […]
Implications of the New China Foreign Investment Law
A discussion of the new China Foreign Investment Law and the creation of an Expert Committee to produce template documents for in-house counsel. By Robert Lewis of docQbot, with an introduction by Patrick Dransfield of the In-House Community.
Dispute Resolution in Thailand: An Overview
In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Pisut Rakwong and David Lawrence of Pisut & Partners explain the dispute resolution system in Thailand and how companies and foreign investors might effectively navigate it. What is the current institutional architecture for commercial arbitration in Thailand? Commercial arbitration is handled by two main organisations, […]
India economic slowdown: Stimulus to Slow the Slowdown
The Government finally took some recourse to revise the slowing India economy by introducing a stimulus economic package. The foreign direct investment limits were further liberalized to add possibly as part of the stimulus. The slowdown was now reported by Moody’s as well. The Personal Data […]
Will discretion abide as long as the rules provide?
What you need to know about reopening a receiver’s fees after assessmentas confirmed in the novel case of Ho Chor Ming & Ors v Hong Kong ChiuChow Po Hing Buddhism Association Ltd [2018] 3 HKLRD 270 Introduction Shareholder disputes are commonplace. When a membership dispute arises, […]
Appointment of Full Service, National Law Firm KSK Expands Alliott Group’s Presence in India
Full-service Pan India law firm King Stubb & Kasiva (‘KSK’) has agreed to join Alliott Group, one of the world’s fastest-growing alliances of law and accounting firms. The appointment enables KSK to offer a comprehensive range of legal services to the clients of Alliott Group member […]
Whither private practice?
Smarter Law: Transforming Busy Lawyers into Business Leaders by Trevor Faure Book Review (Part 2) Forgive me for starting on a negative note but the chances are that many of you are unlikely to get beyond the third paragraph of this article, less likely still to pull […]
New legal tech company CodeLex aims to streamline the practice of law
Legal technology company CodeLex is a developer of legaltech projects as part of the Irbis Ventures (formerly ‘M Lab’) ecosystem. Incorporated in Mongolia and Singapore, and with a core team based in Ulaanbaatar, Singapore and Tokyo, CodeLex projects aim to streamline and add value to the […]
Melbourne to host the 2019 ALPMA Summit this September!
2019 ALPMA Summit: Road Map to Transformation – Move Forward with Confidence
Time to embrace co-working
What are the key ingredients for a great co-working space? Trendy, young hipsters making steaming coffee with cacti and succulents abound, prosecco on tap and Scandi style interior design? Maybe, yet these spaces can benefit all types of workers with a creative and comfortable place to […]
Changes to the Thai Foreign Business Act
According to Thailand Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (FBA), there are three types of business activities that govern foreign participation in Thai commerce: List 1: Business Not Permitted to Foreigners List 2: Business Permitted to Foreigners under Conditions List 3: Business Not Yet Permitted to Foreigners […]
India Renewed Interest in Entry of Foreign Law Firms
The discussion around entry of foreign law firms in India was resurrected recently. The economic slowdown is now even more glaring with ADB and IMF further lowering their respective April 2019 growth forecasts, which, together with the forecasts reported by World Bank and Fitch last month, […]
Creating sustainable infrastructure development in Asia. An interview with Jeremy Saw, Director, General Counsel, InfraCo Asia
Jeremy Saw is Director and General Counsel of InfraCo Asia. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, he explains the organization’s work, the current state of infrastructure development in Asia, the development of his career and the unique nature of his work as an infrastructure lawyer, […]
Vietnam – Proposed Solar Feed-In-Tariffs
On 3 May 2019 the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (the “MOIT”) submitted to the Prime Minister a draft decision intended to replace Decision No. 11/2017/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on mechanisms for the encouragement of development of solar power, dated 11 April 2017 […]
Dispute Resolution a Key Theme of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) 2019 Annual Meeting in Luxembourg. An Interview with Peter Quayle, AIIB Chief Counsel, Corporate
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is currently hosting its’ first annual meeting outside Asia, in Luxembourg (July 12-13, 2019). The theme of the meeting is “Cooperation and Connectivity” – “in recognition of the economic and social benefits to be realized through better connectivity within and […]
Vietnam: Wind power barriers need removing
Vietnam’s latest and most comprehensive regulation on wind power development is expected to leave much room for improvement. Dr. Le Net (left), Le Thanh Hieu (middle), and Vo Phuong Thao (right), lawyers at LNT & Partners, provide their analysis of whether the changes will be sufficient […]
Lawyers and Accountants from Across APAC Region Gather in Shanghai to Discuss Growth and Collaboration
Lawyers and accountants from 11 countries were represented at Alliott Group’s APAC Regional Conference in Shanghai from 17-18 June 2019
Asia and Europe are now each other’s leading trade partners
Asia and Europe are now each other’s leading trade partners, with $1.5 trillion in merchandise trade , overtaking their respective trade relationships with the United States, according to a study produced at the initiative of the European Union, as the World Economic Forum (WEF) reported. The […]
India: Economic Growth Slows Amidst Data Localisation Concerns
The Indian economy is heading for a slowdown as growth forecasts are flat or lowered. The laws pending for approval before the general elections are now in focus. Data localization concerns are rising with the data protection related proposed legislations due to be passed law soon. […]
You can’t have your cake and eat it: the progressive case of Dickson Valora Group (Holdings) Co Ltd and another v Fan Ji Qian [2019] HKCFI 482
This case involved 6 members of DVC By Rachel Lam, Terrence Tai and Jasmine Cheung In the recent innovative case of Dickson Valora Group (Holdings) Co Ltd and another v Fan Ji Qian [2019] HKCFI 482, the Court was faced with a groundbreaking application for an anti-suit injunction, whereby the Hong […]
Helping law firms create intuitive knowledge platforms: The story of Singapore’s INTELLLEX
INTELLLEX was founded in 2015 in Singapore with the aim of helping law firms create intuitive knowledge platforms. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, INTELLLEX Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer Ellery Sutanto explains how the company began, it’s vision for the future of legal […]
Myanmar Legal Alert: New Gambling Law Permits Casinos to Operate in Myanmar
Following several discussions on significant changes being proposed in Myanmar in relation to the gambling landscape, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Myanmar parliament) finally enacted The Gambling Law (“GL”) on 7 May 2019. The enactment of the GL heralds positive news for investors looking to invest in the “casino” […]
Vietnam Legal Update: Draft Decision 3 and Vietnam’s Solar Future from July 2019
On 12 April 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (“MOIT”) released a new draft Decision (the “Draft Decision 3”) that will replace Decision No. 11/2017/QD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister of Vietnam dated 11 April 2017 (“Decision 11”) on mechanisms to encourage the […]
Modi Returns While India’s FDI Falls
The people of India voted the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi back to power with a thumping mandate in the general elections which concluded this month. The reforms and other initiatives of the current Government are expected to continue and pending legislations such as data privacy […]
View your sabbatical as a career booster and not a career break
It can be a scary prospect – the thought of stepping away from your deskbound duties and taking a sabbatical. You may question what your colleagues or management think or fear about this break in proceedings and how this will impact your career development. But having […]
Bend and Stretch: Make the most of your flexibility
So, you might have secured more flexibility in your working life, but what should you do with it? The benefits of a better work life balance have been espoused by many as the way to not only improve an individual’s life by allowing them more time […]
Asia’s economy remains the world’s growth engine, accounting for 62% of global GDP growth
According to a recent interview with BNP Paribas Economist Christine Peltier, “although confronting new challenges, Asia’s economy is still the world’s growth engine, accounting for 62% of global GDP growth.” Peltier highlighted the following developments: Emerging Asia (excluding Japan) grew by 6.2% in 2018, unchanged from the previous […]
Competition Bid-rigging in Hong Kong: tip of the iceberg?
What is the Hong Kong Competition Tribunal’s Approach in Dealing with Enforcement Actions Concerning Bid-Rigging and Market Sharing and Price Fixing? Find out in two landmark decisions handed down on 17.5.2019 under the new competition regime featuring 3 members from DVC including Catrina Lam, Connie Lee […]
Fast-Growing International Alliance of Law and Accounting Firms to Host Regional Conference in Shanghai
Themed ‘Together Towards Tomorrow’, Alliott Group’s APAC Regional Conference takes place from 17-18 June in Shanghai and will bring together senior and managing partners from some of the Asia Pacific region’s leading local law and accounting firms. Over two days, leaders from Alliott Group’s independent member […]
The Business of Law in India in 2019: Marketing, Innovation, Technology and Market Liberalization. An interview with Aman Abbas of Commwiser
Aman Abbas is Co-Founder & CEO, Commwiser, a Delhi-based consultancy focused on public relations and law firm marketing. His two decades of experience in public relations and communications in professional services includes work with Amarchand Mangaldas, India’s largest Law firm and Big4 acccounting firm KPMG, as […]
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) London bond issue solidifies the UK’s role in Asia’s development
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) raised 2.5 Billion (USD) from 90 bidders in 27 countries on a bond issue this week at the London Stock Exchange (LSE). As Global Capital described it: “The AIIB placed itself among the very top supranational names in the capital […]
Going Public in the ASEAN-5: Snapshot of IPO and Listing Requirements
The key economic purpose of the capital markets is to give companies access to different sources of financing to grow their businesses. An initial public offering (IPO) is one of the main ways for a company to raise equity capital by using the primary public equity […]
Solutions to mitigate M&A pitfalls
Recently Vietnam has become a favourite merger and acquisition (M&A) destination among foreign investors, particularly from Japan, Korea and Singapore. Popular sectors include real estate, food and beverages, retail, and to a lesser degree, manufacturing. However, one problem at present is that negotiations are often lengthy and […]
Legal Update: New Amendment to Thailand’s Labor Protection Act Taking Effect on May 6, 2019
The Thai National Legislative Assembly approved a resolution to amend the existing Labor Protection Act (the “LPA”) on December 13, 2018. This amendment to the LPA has been published in the Government Gazette on April 5, 2019, and will come into effect on May 6, 2019. […]