On July 13, 2021, John Frangos, partner and deputy director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, will speak at an anti-corruption workshop jointly organized by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and the Sanya Darmasakti Anti-Corruption Institute of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of Thailand. The Workshop on the Prevention of Corruption Best Practices and Innovative Tools aims to give Thai authorities and business executives in the country a better understanding of the UN Convention Against Corruption and some of the best practices to prevent corruption and its damaging effects, based on the experience of governments and private-sector organizations around the world. John’s presentation is part of a session on private sector initiatives against corruption, and he will specifically focus on his work advising companies and other clients on anti-corruption compliance issues in the region. As the workshop’s only presenter from a law firm, John’s discussion will provide important perspective on anti-corruption challenges, concerns, and successes in private enterprise across a wide range of industries. The other speakers featured in the two-day workshop include personnel from UNODC and NACC, representatives from civil society organizations, researchers, and individuals from the private sector. The workshop is closed to the public, but more information about the work of the UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific is available on the UNODC website. For answers on anti-corruption measures and compliance in jurisdictions throughout Southeast Asia, please contact Tilleke & Gibbins at [email protected].

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.

Charunun Sathitsuksomboon, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, was recognized as a top practitioner in financial and transactional law in Thailand in the recently released IFLR 1000 Women Leaders 2021, a list of the most prominent female lawyers handling financial and corporate transactions, and contract, licensing, and regulatory project work in their jurisdiction. With her deep experience and expertise in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, due diligence, foreign direct investment, cross-border transactions, corporate restructuring, and related work, Charunun is one of just six lawyers listed in the Thailand section. The IFLR 1000 Women Leaders is determined through careful research and analysis of casework from the past year, along with lawyer interviews and a survey of clients. International Financial Law Review (IFLR) is a publication offering legal insights and analysis for capital markets, corporate, and finance lawyers. For more information on the IFLR 1000 Women Leaders 2021 and to see the full list for the Asia-Pacific region, please visit the IFLR1000 website.