On Thursday, July 8, 2021, John Frangos, partner and deputy director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, will join a virtual panel on litigation in the Asia-Pacific region. Hosted by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), the panel discussion will bring together legal experts from throughout the region to comment on litigation norms and procedures in various Asian jurisdictions. John, the chair of NYBSA’s Thailand chapter, will focus his remarks on dispute resolution and litigation in Thailand, while the other panelists—from law firms in the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam—will share perspectives on court proceedings in their jurisdictions. Each speaker will lay out some notable aspects of litigation and the court system that international parties should keep in mind when considering litigation in each jurisdiction. The moderator (from a law firm in Japan) will be able to add further commentary reflecting the situation in that country. As the world begins to pull out of the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this will help prepare businesses and entrepreneurs for an increase in trading activity by providing key insights they can apply if litigious disputes arise in the course of their operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Following the speaker presentations and their roundtable discussion on how disputes that end up in litigation can unfold in the region, the webinar will close with a time for audience questions so that attendees can get advice on their specific situations. For more details and to register for this free online panel discussion, please visit the NYSBA website.

The latest “Women in Law” report from Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ) includes a profile of Tiziana Sucharitkul, co-managing partner and director of the Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group. The special report includes profiles of 20 highly accomplished female legal professionals from the Asia-Pacific region. Tiziana is the only person from Thailand to be included in the feature. Titled “View from the Top,” the profile of Tiziana focuses on her many leadership roles—not only at the helm of Tilleke & Gibbins but also in executive and advisory positions for various global legal associations. For instance, in 2018–2019 Tiziana served as chair of the board of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading global network of independent law firms, and she currently sits on the board of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation and is an active participant in the organization’s Women’s Initiative Network to Success. Tiziana also sits on the International Bar Association’s Law Firm Management Committee, which functions as a global forum for leadership and management in the legal practice. Tiziana also spoke with ABLJ about the increasing profile of women lawyers that she has witnessed during her career, noting that she observed the concern about female representation in law firms grow throughout the 1980s and 1990s all the way until the present day, when more women can be seen in management positions, but are still somewhat underrepresented at the managing partner level overall. To read the full “Women in Law” report, please visit the ABLJ website.

Dr. Ross Taylor, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ regional financial services industry group and counsel in the firm’s corporate and commercial team in Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, provided the basis for a recent article by OneTrust DataGuidance on certain legislative changes in Myanmar since the military’s seizure of power in the country on February 1, 2021. Specifically, Ross described changes to the country’s laws governing privacy and security, as well as legislation on electronic transactions. The Supreme Administrative Council, the highest executive authority in Myanmar’s military government, made amendments that allow the government to conduct surveillance and investigations in a range of situations, while also eliminating certain safeguards of individual privacy and widening the state’s ability to obtain personal data from private operators. A versatile foreign consultant who provides legal guidance across multiple jurisdictions in Southeast Asia, Ross has extensive experience in Myanmar advising local and international companies on banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, energy and infrastructure projects, real estate, regulatory compliance, and other corporate legal matters. For more details, please see the full article on the OneTrust DataGuidance website.

On April 19, 2021, the Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC) announced the appointment of Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, a counsel in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution practice, to their panel of arbitrators. The newly announced panel will serve until June 30, 2024. Noppramart is well known for her expertise in both international and domestic arbitration, and she is especially sought after for her ability to guide clients in arbitration matters according to international arbitration rules (such as UNCITRAL, SIAC, ICC, HKIAC, and GAFTA rules) as well as Thailand-based arbitration procedures. Noppramart also brings to THAC a broad base of industry knowledge covering fields such as transportation, shipping, construction, and insurance. The THAC began operations in 2015 to provide neutral and independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services in line with international standards, with the aim of becoming a leading regional center for ADR. The center also raises public awareness of ADR methods and promotes an ADR-friendly regulatory environment in Thailand. For more information on this appointment to the THAC panel of arbitrators, please see the announcement on the THAC website.