TIME OF RECKONING Singapore’s legal market at the crossroads GROWING ARSENAL Litigators have an array of tech tools to choose from GETTING ON TRACK A closer look at the ASEAN’s railway plans BOLD IDEAS AND FRESH THINKING IN MCI (P) 060/02/2017 ISSN 0219 – 6875 ASIA’S LEGAL INDUSTRY KDN PPS 1867/10/2015(025606) BUSINESS, LAW AND THE “INTERNET OF THINGS” 5 APRIL 2017 / 9AM - 5PM / SINGAPORE The “internet of things” (IoT) already exists, is growing interviews and round-table discussions with actual IoT rapidly, and is beginning to have a significant effect on developers, regulators and highly experienced lawyers. business structures, commercial contracts and contract • Make a crucial and positive contribution to the future management in all sectors. Research conducted by Cisco of your business by knowing how to address the legal predicts up to 50 billion connected devices by 2020, up requirements that come with adopting IoT solutions from approximately 18 billion in 2015. What are the legal (particularly those related to contractual relationships). and business ramifications of these developments? 6 Public Asian Legal Business presents an intensive one-day PRICING: workshop that equips you with the knowledge to stay Standard Rate: SGD1,000 CPD points ahead of the game. Get a detailed understanding of the Early Bird: SGD 800 (ends 22 March 2017) Practice Area: Corporate/ legal ramifications of IoT such as cyber security, data Group price: SAVE ADDITIONAL 20% - Register five Commercial protection and contractual obligations. participants from your organisation and the fifth person Training Level: General attends for free. SILE Attendance Guidelines: TARGET AUDIENCE: Participants who wish to claim • Senior in-house counsel/general counsel To register for this event, go to: CPD Points are reminded that • Private practice lawyers www.regonline.com/IoT2017_SG they must comply strictly with • Chief Technology Officer (CTO) the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. This includes • IT coordinators / consultants For more information about this event, go to: signing in on arrival and signing • Procurement specialists and contract managers www.legalbusinessonline.com/masterclass/IoT2017_SG out at the conclusion of the activity • Legal departments in government bodies/regulators in the manner required by the CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: organiser, and not being absent from the entire activity for more BENEFITS OF ATTENDING: Taranjit Kaur than 15 minutes. Participants • Be ahead of the game by getting a detailed +65 6870 3909 who do not comply with the understanding of the legal ramifications of IoT such [email protected] Attendance Policy will not be as cyber security, data protection and contractual able to obtain CPD Points for attending the activity. Please refer obligations through revealing case studies. to www.sileCPDcentre.sg for more • Get insider information by listening to extracts from information. AGENDA: 8.30am or less contract management? • What is a “Decentralized because your organization uses Registration • What happens when there is a Autonomous Organisation” IoT breach of contract? (DAO). Is it really a new business • What are the lessons of the 9.00am structure? If so, how does it work? October 2016 Dyn cyber-attack? The fourth industrial revolution? 10.00am • What is the relationship between What is IoT? Where are the Data: who owns, controls and has start-ups, universities and 3.00pm opportunities? responsibility for data generated by established business? Afternoon tea break • More than just “self-driving cars”: IoT devices • What are the key issues for joint bringing the internet into the • Making sense of the “truck load ventures and acquisitions? 3.30pm physical world of sand”: IoT and fine-grained • How can business models adapt Drafting and negotiating key • Standards, platforms and data analysis to embrace IoT? contract terms: what are the main interoperability • Blockchain, distributed ledger • Data and privacy: the risks issues • Streamlined processes and “just and data protection involved in cross border transfers • Intellectual Property (IP) rights in time” fulfillment • Data collection, retention, and offshore storage • Warranties and indemnities: what • Asset-tracking and dynamic analysis and monetisation: who you need to cover contracts benefits? 12.30pm • Limiting and excluding liability • Real-time data and analytics • Data security: who is responsible? Networking luncheon • Drafting for dispute resolution in for government, business and Who is liable? an online world without borders individuals • Compliance in the cloud: how to 1.30pm ensure adequate protection The issue of liabilities 5.00pm 9.15am • What are the principal legal and End of event Dynamic contracts and supply 10.30am compliance risks? chain efficiency Morning tea break • How far does existing law cover • How do “smart” or “dynamic” novel situations likely to arise contracts work? 11.00am from the IoT? • When, how and where are Business structure and IoT • How is the law developing around dynamic contracts formed? • How is IoT development being the world to accommodate IoT? • Do dynamic contracts mean more organised and funded? • Are you at risk of liability just CONTENTS MARCH 2017 38 Employees of a solar farm company walk between panels at the farm in Nakorn Ratchasima province, Thailand. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha COVER STORY FEATURES BRIEFS 20 18 back of consumer 36 3 ALB Innovation In-house Q&A promise Keeping ASEAN The Briefing List 2017 In conversation on track In our annual list with Jeff Bullwinkel, 30 Countries in 6 spotlighting new ideas associate general Time to build Southeast Asia have Q&A and fresh thinking counsel and director In the first of our series plans to build a rail within Asia’s legal of corporate, external on Chinese investment network connecting 6 industry, we spotlight & legal affairs, Asia into Southeast Asian the entire region. Asia Deals 15 organisations that Pacific and Japan, at countries, we look These ambitious are making waves Microsoft at the Philippines, transportation 8 with their innovative which recently signed projects, however, face Appointments approaches 24 a massive investment complex legal and BY RAJ GUNASHEKAR City at the crossroads and financing package regulatory challenges 10 Law firms in Singapore with China Startup Talk are now facing a fairly 38 clear choice: to react 32 Bright future 16 quickly to the changes Brave new world As part of its League Tables happening to the As commercial integrated energy industry, or risk being disputes increase blueprint, the Thai left behind across Asia, support government is placing services for litigation increasing emphasis 28 and arbitration are on solar power, and Looking inwards mushrooming as well, lawyers are already Inbound China M&A with technology firms witnessing an uptick takes flight on the playing a big part in related work LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MARCH 2017 1 NEW TRICKS FOR AN OLD PROFESSION. The winds of change sweeping the legal industry have today reached gale-force proportions. Firms are beginning to realise they are under siege, from a combination of increasing competition, changing client habits and fast- evolving technology in the legal space. Severe disruptions to the industry have meant that old ways of thinking are just not PUBLISHER Amantha Chia valid any more, and choosing not to change – or changing [email protected] too slowly – can be a surefire recipe for disaster. If the writing isn’t already on the wall for legal service providers, there’s a MANAGING EDITOR good chance a jolt of the new reality will hit them very soon. Ranajit Dam [email protected] The time, then, has come to discard the old ways and embrace innovation – begin making changes to the way NORTH ASIA JOURNALIST you do the most basic of things, and adopt an attitude of John Kang nimbleness and flexibility along the way. It is not an easy [email protected] sell, for the legal industry has been notoriously resistant to ASSOCIATE EDITORS change. Just by the virtue of being the kind of word it is, Eileen Ang “innovation” is easily misconstrued and frequently brushed [email protected] off, a fuzzy word that is more closely associated with Raj Gunashekar meaningless management-speak than it should be. [email protected] For at its most simple, innovation implies nothing more SENIOR DESIGNER than simply a new method, idea or product. And that is its John Agra RANAJIT DAM greatest strength as well, for innovation can provide simple [email protected] Managing Editor, solutions to many of the complex problems that the legal Asian Legal Business industry sector today. And this innovation doesn’t have to be TRAFFIC / CIRCULATION MANAGER Thomson Reuters Rozidah Jambari anything absolutely revolutionary. A change in mindset can [email protected] be innovative, as can be rethinking the most basic processes to deliver effective results. So read the writing on the wall, ACCOUNT MANAGERS Shyanne Chen look hard in the mirror and get started. Advertising Sales Manager (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) (65) 6870 3253 [email protected] Henry Cheng Account Manager (Hong Kong, Korea) (852) 2847 2016 [email protected] Amy Sim Sales Manager (Japan, Singapore, Taiwan) (65) 6870 3348 ERRATUM [email protected] In the “Firms To Watch” feature in the February issue of Asian Legal Sardor Yangibayev