Nandana Indananda, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ intellectual property practice, was interviewed by the Thai Post for their recent article about the ASEAN Law Association (ALA) Governing Council Meeting, which took place on November 21–22 in Phuket. Nandana, who is also vice president of the Lawyer’s Council of Thailand’s (LCT) subcommittee on foreign affairs, was joined at the event by Waralee Sripawadkul, attorney-at-law in the firm’s intellectual property group. Together they represented Tilleke & Gibbins at the two-day meeting.

The Thai Post article summarized the meeting, which was organized to promote collaboration between lawyers in ASEAN countries and foster cooperation for arbitration and dispute resolution in the region. Participants included judges (Nandana is himself a former judge of the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court), attorneys, representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, public prosecutors, legal professors, and others.

The newspaper went on to interview Nandana about the LCT and the role of law firms in general in Thai society. Nandana explained that the LCT oversees attorneys and law firms to ensure that they uphold professional standards. He also discussed the activities of law firms in providing legal consultation, particularly for business owners who would like to operate in Thailand and ASEAN countries. He emphasized that being equipped with legal knowledge of each jurisdiction is crucial for investors and entrepreneurs looking to do business in other countries, and he brought up the work Tilleke & Gibbins does advising on trading, investment, intellectual property registration and much more for Thai and foreign business owners who would like to expand their business operations to new locales.

Finally, Nandana noted how the LCT and law firms in Thailand give back to society through pro bono services for Thais and expats in need and by providing legal advice to foundations and NGOs.