Thailand’s industry of commercial surrogacy continues to find itself at the center of public debate, with the news of a Japanese man attempting to father at least 15 children through Thai surrogates adding to the already-frenzied media storm surrounding Baby Gammy, a disabled baby who was allegedly abandoned with his Thai surrogate mother by an Australian couple.

John E. King and Thawat Damsa-ard, partners in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, have been recognized as leading asset recovery lawyers in Thailand by The International Who’s Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers 2014. They represent only a handful of individuals in Southeast Asia who were selected for this award. The rankings were based on surveys of both general counsel and private practice lawyers across the world.

In light of the growing controversy surrounding the practice of commercial surrogacy in Thailand, Al Jazeera interviewed Nandana Indananda, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ intellectual property group, for his views on the situation.Commenting on the reasons as to why surrogacy has become so prevalent in Thailand, Nandana said, “there are a lot of women in Thailand who are in a position to become a surrogate mother. They need money, and together with the advancement of technology, Thailand may be a heaven for surrogacy.”

The issue of surrogacy has once again taken a foothold in the sphere of public debate with news of an Australian couple allegedly abandoning their disabled surrogate baby with his Thai surrogate mother. Covering the story, the Associated Press conducted an interview with Nandana Indananda, a partner at Tilleke & Gibbins who headed a project to draft Thailand’s still-pending surrogacy bill, for his insight and perspective on the matter. His comments were then included in an article entitled: “Thai Case Casts Spotlight on Business of Surrogacy.”