Tilleke & Gibbins’ 2021 Annual Employment Law Forum Webinar Series ran from November 17 to 30. This year, the forum offered 11 sessions on a range of in-demand topics related to labor law in Thailand and Vietnam. Video recordings of all session are linked to in the descriptions below. The sessions during the first week were led by lawyers from Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group: On November 17, Chusert Supasitthumrong and Jessada Anasura gave a Thai-language presentation on the legal framework for termination of employment, scope of duties, and liability of employees after employment contracts end, with a particular focus on COVID-19. On November 17, Piyawat Vitooraporn and Thatporn Vanajak highlighted practical issues related to employment conditions and risks that employers should be aware of in a Thai-language session titled “Employment Conditions: Practical Issues and Cautions.” On November 18, Dutsadee Dutsadeepanich and Jidapa Srisummacheep led a session on forced resignation under Thai law. On November 19, Pongpalin Chantrapirom and Pathanin Sornchangwat gave a presentation titled “Employers’ Commanding Power, Discipline, and Disciplinary Actions.” On the second week of the 2021 Annual Employment Law Forum, Tilleke & Gibbins’ Thailand corporate and commercial team delivered the following presentations: On November 24, Pimvimol Vipamaneerut and Ketnut Pukahuta presented a Thai-language session on transfer of employment issues. On November 25, Pimvimol Vipamaneerut and Dusita Khanijou delivered an English-language session titled “Transfer of Employment under Thai Labor Laws” in which they covered many similar issues as on the previous day. On November 26, Penrurk Phetmani concluded the second week in an English-language session titled “Update on Work Permits and Visas in Thailand” moderated by Nutavit Sirikan on work permit and visa updates. On the final week of the forum, Tilleke & Gibbins’ labor teams in Bangkok and Vietnam presented the following discussions: On November

Dr. Vinh Quoc Nguyen, a partner in the firm’s Ho Chi Minh City office,  has been formally recognized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice as a key contributor to the development of the country’s legal profession. In Decision No. 1709/QD/BTP dated November 12, 2021, the Minister of Justice issued commendations to 13 groups and 40 individuals for their “exceptional achievements in the process of implementing and summarizing 10 years of the strategy for developing the lawyer profession and the scheme for developing a team of lawyers to serve international economic integration through the year 2020.” Dr. Vinh, who in addition to his work for Tilleke & Gibbins has served as a lecturer at the Judicial Academy for many years , was one of only 14 private-practice lawyers among the 40 individuals highlighted, the majority of whom are employed by the Ministry of Justice or other government agencies.  

On November 18, 2021, John Frangos, partner and deputy director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution department, spoke in an online session for the Practising Law Institute (PLI) titled “Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Strategic Enforcement of Arbitral Awards.” The session was part of a three-day PLI program on international investment law and settlement of disputes between investors and the state, organized to provide legal and investment professionals with an overview of the relevant law and practice in the area of international investment disputes, and to facilitate consideration of dispute resolution mechanisms such as international arbitration proceedings against states under international investment agreements. In his session, John was joined by experts from Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe. Each outlined strategic enforcement of arbitral awards in their respective region, and shared insights on how enforcement of arbitral awards can bring a conclusion to long-running international investment disputes with state actors. In attendance were attorneys and others investor representatives from around the world who were looking to better understand the process of international arbitration proceedings in investor-state disputes. For more details on the program, please visit the PLI website.

Tiziana Sucharitkul, co-managing partner of Tilleke & Gibbins and director of the firm’s dispute resolution department, spoke in two International Bar Association (IBA) webinars on law firm management and strategic direction. Tiziana appeared in her capacity as a member of the IBA Law Firm Management Committee, first in an IBA Global Showcase session on October 28, 2021, and then again at an IBA Officers’ Briefing on November 9. The first event brought together two panels of law firm managing partners from around the world to discuss the matters of greatest concern to the legal industry in a session titled “What is the Future of our Law Firms?” Together, the panelists discussed issued such as the return to physical offices, how best to serve clients, how to encourage and support collaboration among lawyers, and what pricing strategies will look like in the future. This session formed part of the week-long IBA Global Showcase—a global conference sharing knowledge and celebrating successes in law firm policy and practice. In the second session, open only to officers of the IBA, Tiziana was one of three guests interviewed about law firm transitions and strategy. Alongside managing partners from leading firms in India and the USA, Tiziana discussed how established family-run firms can evolve into regional powerhouses, taking examples from her own experience with Tilleke & Gibbins’ regionalization and growth over the past two decades. For more details on the IBA and the 2021 Global Showcase, please visit the IBA website.