On August 5, Athistha (Nop) Chitranukroh and Peerapong Pornpipatkul of Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group in Bangkok were welcomed as keynote speakers for a session entitled “Legal Unfolded” under the Startup Starter Kit series. Hosted by Global Startup Thailand—an initiative cofounded by Startup Thailand and the National Innovation Agency (NIA)—the Startup Starter Kit series is designed to provide practical business advice to local and international entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on new opportunities in Thailand. During the session, Athistha and Peerapong led attendees through an in-depth look at common legal concerns for startups in Thailand, including extensive discussions on: local laws and legal issues to consider before fundraising; negotiating term sheets, share subscription agreements, and shareholders’ agreements; Thai cybersecurity and data protection laws; and potential exit strategies for entrepreneurs. For more information on the webinar, which was delivered in Thai, please visit the event page.

On July 20, Chusert Supasitthumrong, partner and head of Tilleke & Gibbins contentious employment practice, and Jamorn Pornponwat, an associate in the firm’s dispute resolution group, teamed up to present a practical online session entitled “Employment Contract Basics – Key Considerations for Thai Employers.” Hosted jointly by Tilleke & Gibbins and True Digital Park, one of Southeast Asia’s largest tech and startup hubs, the webinar provided an overview of the core elements found in employment contracts in Thailand, including in-depth discussions on: the importance of non-competition clauses for innovative companies and other standard employment contract clauses; the distinction between employees and freelancers and how Thai companies can prepare contracts for freelancers; and, the legal process for terminating employees in Thailand. A recording of the webinar, which was presented in Thai, is available on Tilleke & Gibbins’ YouTube channel.

Jay Cohen, partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins in Cambodia, is quoted in a recent Cambodia Investment Review article on the country’s amended Law on Investment. As the article explains, this new law, which replaces an earlier investment law passed in 1994, was approved in a recent meeting of the Council of the Ministers and offers a number of promising incentives, and streamlining some current procedures associated with establishing and operating a business in Cambodia. In the article, Jay notes that the new Law on Investment expands the number of industries eligible to seek investment incentives. He also discusses the law’s tax incentives, explaining that the key to understanding their effect is knowing how they function with other tax regulations in the country. For instance, the profit tax exemption could be largely negated by existing regulations if that profit is paid out in dividends, so this means that the full benefit of the exemption can only be received if the profits are kept in the business itself. Cambodia Investment Review is a local English-language news outlet reporting on issues related to investment in Cambodia, with articles intended for both local and international readers. The full article is available on the publication’s website.

Eric Meyer, a foreign consultant in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution department, was profiled in the latest issue of Thai-American Business (T-AB), the quarterly magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM). As co-chair of the AMCHAM Legal Committee, Eric is extremely active in the American business community in Thailand. He applies his unique combination of legal expertise and practical awareness of business concerns in Thailand to identify topics and organize events that are interesting and relevant to a broad range of people. In the T-AB profile, Eric recounts how he came to be involved in AMCHAM after joining Tilleke & Gibbins four years ago, and notes that participation in the group has been an excellent way to stay current with the business community and build connections with professionals across various industries. In response to a question on the outlook for ease of doing business in Thailand, Eric sounded a hopeful note, explaining that the country’s strides in the areas of streamlining and digitizing various aspects of doing business should be able to continue after COVID-19, which has actually hastened digitization in several legal areas that had previously been slower to adapt to recent technological advances. Eric now looks forward to continuing to provide important leadership to the AMCHAM Legal Committee as the country and its business community seek to overcome the persistent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and move toward a sustainable economic recovery.