On April 28, Dino Santaniello, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Laos, was featured in a webinar hosted by the South-East Asia IP SME Helpdesk in conjunction with the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Laos. The purpose of the session was to improve awareness among European SMEs and other public and private stakeholders about IP laws and practice in Laos, as well as to highlight the benefits of improving IP protection in the jurisdiction. In his presentation titled “Trademark Protection and Enforcement and Intellectual Property-Related Updates in Laos,” Dino led discussions on a wide range of topics, including: The local legal framework for trademarks; National and international trademark registration; Parallel imports and license agreements; Viable options for trademark enforcement; and Relevant practical case studies.

On April 27, 2021, Joseph Tomkiewicz, partner and co-chair of Tilleke & Gibbins’ energy practice, will moderate an online panel discussion on challenges and opportunities facing the rooftop solar energy market in Thailand. The session will open with presentations from Lim Cheong Boon, APAC head of product and marketing for Trina Solar, and Jell Jiang, manager of GoodWe’s operations in Southeast Asia and Pakistan. They will then be joined by Michael Belov, country head of Thailand for Cleantech Solar, and Joseph, who will moderate their panel discussion on trends in the rooftop solar marketplace in Thailand. The guided conversation will also focus on prospects for rooftop solar activities and investment in Thailand, as well as practical considerations to be aware of when selecting sites and preparing to enter the rooftop solar energy market in the country. The webinar is free to attend and will be held from 2:00 to 3:25 p.m. (GMT+7) via Zoom. For more details and to register, please visit the webinar registration page.

Tiziana Sucharitkul, co-managing partner and director of the Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, has been invited to speak at a webinar on May 7, 2021, on diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies and practices at law firms. The webinar is organized by the International Bar Association (IBA) Law Firm Management Committee and will feature insights from several members of IBA leadership as well as other senior professionals from leading law firms and companies around the world. Tiziana, who sits on the committee’s advisory board, will focus especially on how Tilleke & Gibbins develops and implements D&I policies. Her presentation will also be informed by her extensive experience fostering cooperation among law firms and legal practitioners at the international level through her work with IBA, her leadership of the Lex Mundi network, and her firm-to-firm relations as a co-managing partner of Tilleke & Gibbins. The growing push for effective law firm D&I practices not only comes from internal developments but also is driven by investors who demand that companies have sound D&I policies. Law firms have been responding to these various pressures by setting D&I strategies for their own operations as well as by incorporating a D&I perspective into their client advice. This webinar will therefore delve into the practicalities of developing D&I policies for law firms and successfully carrying out those policies. For more details on the webinar, please visit the IBA website.

Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, counsel, and Dutsadee Dutsadeepanich, attorney-at-law, have been elected to leadership positions in the Thailand branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). Both attorneys in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution practice, Noppramart was elected vice chair of CIArb Thailand’s leadership committee while Dutsadee was chosen to be the committee’s secretary. The committee oversees and guides the chapter’s various activities. CIArb is an international center dedicated to the practice and profession of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). One of the institute’s key activities entails building a global community of members to bring ADR professionals together to share knowledge, provide education and training for arbitration and mediation professionals, and act as a global hub for practitioners, policy makers, academics, and businesspeople. CIArb currently has a membership of about 16,000 professionals across 149 countries. Noppramart and Dutsadee are experienced ADR professionals who regularly contribute their expertise through lectures, training sessions, and seminars. Their election to the CIArb Thailand branch committee leadership broadens their impact and puts them in a position to have a significant impact on the organization’s activities in Thailand. For more information on CIArb, please see the CIArb Thailand website.