Jay Cohen, partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins in Cambodia, is quoted extensively in a recent Asian Legal Business (ALB) article on Cambodia’s plans to establish a commercial court to adjudicate business disputes. As the article explains, this new judicial body will help relieve pressure on Cambodia’s court system by handling all business disputes, which currently add to the docket of the country’s criminal courts. In the article, Jay provides some context for the planned development, outlines some of the most notable changes that will result from the move, and explains how the establishment of the court will likely strengthen investor confidence by adding a measure of predictability. The article also includes Jay’s thoughts on how the new judicial structure will relate to the use of commercial arbitration, as well as the possibility of procedural changes that will make dispute resolution easier for foreign investors, such as submission of documents in English. ALB, owned by Thomson Reuters, is a leading source of information on commercial law in Asia for businesses and professionals. To read more about Cambodia’s planned establishment of a commercial court, as well as Jay’s comments on this, please see the December 2023 issue of ALB.

Attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins in Thailand have contributed to Model Clauses for Contracting in Asia, which was released recently by the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI) under its Contract Laws in Asia project. The publication provides a neutral framework for parties entering into cross-border contracts, regardless of the governing law or subject matter of the contract. In today’s increasingly globalized economy, parties to commercial contracts are often based in different jurisdictions, with varying contract laws, legal labels, and languages. This often results in one of the parties entering into a contract governed by the laws of an unfamiliar jurisdiction. Similarly, if the parties opt for a neutral governing law, they may both be unfamiliar with the laws that govern their contract. To address these challenges, Model Clauses for Contracting in Asia provides enforceable model clauses that are jurisdiction-neutral and applicable to any contract subject matter. Each model clause is designed to be enforceable irrespective of which jurisdiction is selected as the governing law and irrespective of the subject matter of the contract. Tilleke & Gibbins has also contributed to earlier publications released by ABLI under the project, including insights on contract breaches and administrative and tax requirements. Model Clauses for Contracting in Asia is available for purchase here, or a free preview version can be downloaded here.

Tilleke & Gibbins is proud to be one of the founding member firms for the newly launched Sino International Professional Advisory Council (SIPAC) platform. SIPAC is a global network of law firms that offer legal services tailored to the Chinese legal market. Legal advisors partnering with SIPAC provide Chinese companies with expert advice and guidance that enable them to conduct business in key jurisdictions around the world. SIPAC aims to create a platform that connects in-house counsel at Chinese companies with a wide range of legal services, to ensure that Chinese companies can conduct business overseas with maximum efficiency. By bringing together leading firms from different countries and industries, SIPAC offers a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking expert advice on doing business in different regions of the world. As a founding member firm of SIPAC, Tilleke & Gibbins brings a wealth of expertise and experience advising clients on complex legal matters across the region. The firm has been operating in Southeast Asia for over 130 years and has a team of over 220 lawyers, making it one of the largest in the region. With the launch of SIPAC, Tilleke & Gibbins and its fellow founding member firms are well-positioned to offer customized legal and regulatory recommendations that provide Chinese businesses with increased access to overseas markets.

Regional Southeast Asian law firm Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce the promotion of two exceptional lawyers to the firm’s partnership, effective January 2023. Chuyen Hong Huu Le  is based in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Ho Chi Minh City office, where she is a trusted commercial adviser to some of the most prominent international companies doing business in Southeast Asia—particularly in the aviation, life sciences, and hospitality sectors. A seasoned and practical corporate attorney with a wide range of expertise, Chuyen is particularly adept at matters relating to foreign investment and market entry, labor and employment, commercial transactions and M&A, compliance and investigations, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, and antitrust and competition. Chuyen has particular expertise in the healthcare sector (including pharmaceuticals, medtech and consumer health), where she has advised many top multinational companies on doing business in Vietnam. She also has extensive experience in the aviation sector, and assists clients with aircraft leasing/financing, aircraft-related interest registrations, and repossession. Chuyen is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional – International (CCEP-I) and is regularly engaged by companies to conduct compliance investigations and audits, as well as to provide compliance training sessions for staff and business partners. She has also built extensive in-house experience through secondments as chief legal counsel in Vietnam for the world’s largest three-sector healthcare company, and as an in-house counsel for Vietnam at a world-leading medical device company operating in orthodontics. In 2021, Chuyen was recognized in Euromoney’s Rising Stars Awards Asia-Pacific. Noppramart Thammateeradaycho  is an experienced Thai litigator with over 20 years’ experience of trial and appellate advocacy at all levels of the Thai courts, and of international arbitration including cases in Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Singapore. She is particularly sought after for her experience in arbitration and is known for her skilled navigation of both international