Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution team members delivered a three-day Thai-language webinar series from August 24 to 26, focusing primarily on complex civil litigation in the construction sector. Pathanin Sornchangwat, associate, and Suruswadee Jaimsuwan, counsel, presented the first session titled “Lawyers and a Solution to Construction Business and Contracts.” During the event, they discussed common problems in the construction sector, provided practical advice on how companies can examine contracts to prevent unexpected complications, and addressed the role of lawyers in settling disputes. On the next day, Chusert Supasitthumrong, partner, and Pongpalin Chantrapirom, associate, discussed termination of business contracts. Chusert first explained principles of termination, including cause, methods, results, damages, and key issues businesses should be aware of. Pongpalin then addressed bases for termination of a logistics contract, pointed out particularly notable elements of a contract, highlighted key differences between contract types, and shared precedent cases from the Supreme Court. In the final webinar, Dutsadee Dutsadeepanich, associate, and Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, counsel, discussed issues related to permit withdrawal—informed by previous condominium cases. They noted some consequences of the action, and shared  legal defenses that condominium project owners might use when facing such an obstacle. They also shared their insights on the ongoing case regarding a recent court ruling on the construction permit of Ananda Development’s Ashton Asoke condominium project. Video recordings of all three sessions (in Thai) are available to watch on the Tilleke & Gibbins YouTube channel.

On August 5, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) named Dutsadee Dutsadeepanich as one of 89 regional representatives worldwide in its Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF). Dutsadee, who will be serving a two-year term, is joining the YAF’s South Asia Regional Chapter as the only representative from Thailand among the chapter’s 16 representatives. The YAF is responsible for the promotion of ICC’s dispute resolution services and development of the organization’s extensive network of members. The forum, which is open to representatives up to age 40, helps young professionals build up their skills and knowledge of alternative dispute resolution such as the ICC’s arbitral procedures and disputes services. The representatives also oversee events that offer young arbitration practitioners in the region the chance to foster connections with one another and learn from experienced practitioners. Dutsadee will officially assume her new role as a representative in the YAF South Asia Regional Chapter in a ceremony at the biennial ICC YAF Global Conference, which will take place virtually on September 29.

On July 29, Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, in collaboration with the Thai Listed Companies Association (TLCA), hosted the second installment of a two-part Thai-language webinar series titled “COVID-19: Business Interruption and Insurance Policy,” which covered perspectives of the insured, insurers, and reinsurers. During the presentation, Thawat Damsa-ard, partner; Anyamani Yimsaard, associate; Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, counsel; Nuanchun Somboonvinij, senior associate; and Suruswadee Jaimsuwan, counsel, jointly discussed legal interpretation of insurance policies, analyzed examples of business interruption policies (including standard clauses such as closure and infection clauses), covered considerations from insurers and reinsurers regarding claim defenses and insurance claims, and provided example cases from other jurisdictions. A full video recording of the webinar is available on the Tilleke & Gibbins YouTube channel.

On June 30, 2021, Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, counsel in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution department, gave an online presentation on the role of arbitration in the construction sector—particularly in reference to disputes arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Noppramart’s presentation was part of a webinar titled “Investment Treaty Arbitration in the Construction Sector.” Organized by the Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI) and Thailand’s Court of Justice, the webinar featured insights on navigating disputes that can arise in connection with international construction projects. During the session, legal experts from Europe and Asia discussed how arbitration can help resolve investment claims in the construction sector that may arise after the COVID-19 pandemic, and explained how host states can benefit from arbitration in settling COVID-19-related disputes involving foreign investors in infrastructure or construction projects. The speakers also shared some of their own experiences related to treaty arbitration in the construction industry and pointed out how investors can benefit from treaty protection. Following the success of last year’s TAI-sponsored webinar on construction arbitration, this webinar was very well attended, with over 300 participants joining the virtual event to hear from the speakers, all of whom are experienced arbitration practitioners.