TIME

2 AUG 2023 
 

Selected
Timings
Available

Singapore Experience for Conference Participants

• National Gallery Singapore Back-Of-House Tour (Limited Capacity)
• Visit to Asian Civilisation Musuem

TIME

DAY 1 | 3 AUG 2023 | PLENARY
VENUE: B1, SMU HALL, YONG PUNG HOW SCHOOL OF LAW, SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
55 ARMENIAN ST, SINGAPORE 179943
[7 Public CPD Points]

08:30 AM

REGISTRATION

09:00 AM

WELCOME REMARKS

• Professor Lee Pey Woan, Dean, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University

09:10 AM

OPENING SPEECH

• Mr Calvin Phua, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Law

09:30 AM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: 
FROM “LAW’S EMPIRE” TO “INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS”: HOW GLOBALIZATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE ARE OPENING “NEW FRONTIERS” FOR LAWYERS, CLIENTS, AND SOCIETY

• Professor David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel Professor of Law, Vice Dean, Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, Faculty Director, Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School

Moderator:

• Professor Lee Pey Woan, Dean, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University

Panellists:

• Professor David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel Professor of Law, Vice Dean, Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, Faculty Director, Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School
• Mr Ng Joo Khin, Director, Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC

10:30 AM

NETWORKING BREAK

10:45 AM

PANEL 1: THE STATE OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Synopsis: This panel aims to take stock of the legal profession as it now finds itself in a post-pandemic, recessionary environment which characterises the impetus to engage with ESG obligations. It will aim to identify key trends and challenges that law firms have been facing and/or will face, especially as they venture into potentially volatile future and amidst a deepening climate crisis. These will be situated these against historical developments and practices in the profession. Attendees will leave with a firmer grounding in the past and present of this rapidly evolving professional landscape that, in turn, positions them to think deeply and critically about what lies ahead.

Moderator:

• Mr Yeong Zee Kin, Chief Executive, Singapore Academy of Law

Panellists:

• Mr Dirk Hartung, Executive Director, Center for Legal Technology and Data Science, Bucerius Law School
• Ms Rita Kriz, Deputy General Counsel, Head of Legal - Asia/GCR, McKinsey & Company
• Mr Chia Ko Wen, Head of Sustainability, Singlife
• Ms Dawn Tan, Managing Partner, ADTLaw LLC

12:00 PM

LUNCH

01:15 PM

PANEL 2: TECHNOLOGY AND THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Synopsis: This panel will focus on the intersection of technology and the legal profession, exploring how new technologies are transforming the way lawyers work and interact with clients. The panel will feature experts in legal technology, who will share insights on topics such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, and data analytics, providing concrete examples of how technology has been applied in the legal profession to advance its efficiency and objectives. Attendees will learn about the latest trends and emerging technologies in the legal industry and gain valuable insights into how these technologies can be leveraged to improve efficiency, accuracy, and client service. The panel will also discuss the ethical considerations that arise when using technology in the legal profession and offer guidance on how to navigate these complex issues. This blurb was generated with the help of ChatGPT.

Moderator:

• Professor David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel Professor of Law, Vice Dean, Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, Faculty Director, Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School

Panellists:

• The Honourable Justice Aedit Abdullah, Supreme Court of Singapore
• Mr Eric Chin, Asia Pacific Director, NewLaw, PwC
• Mr Adrian Fisher, Asia Head of TMT, Linklaters
• Assistant Professor Jerrold Soh, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University

02:30 PM

BREAK

02:35 PM

PANEL 3: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE

Synopsis: This panel explores client perspectives on the delivery of legal services in the present day. Prominent representatives from the legal buy-side will share their expectations, experiences, and preferences on topics such as law firm communications and responsiveness, work quality, value, and technological competence. This will help attendees better understand key factors that shape how clients perceive of law firms and develop practices for building strong and lasting client relationships.

Moderator:

• Professor Tang Hang Wu, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University

Panellists:

• Ms Elizabeth Kong, Asia General Counsel (Transportation and Electronics), 3M
• Mr Stuart Fuller, National Leader, KPMG Law, KPMG Australia
• Ms Lynette Ooi, Senior Director & Associate General Counsel, PayPal

03:50 PM

TEA BREAK

04:15 PM

PANEL 4: THE ART OF LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT IN ASIA

Synopsis: This panel delves into the art of law firm management in Asia, exploring the unique challenges and opportunities faced by law firms operating in this dynamic and diverse region. The panel will feature experienced law firm managers and management consultants from the region, who will share their insights and experiences on key topics such as client and talent acquisition and retention, business development, legal operations and process engineering, innovation and change management, and strategic planning. Attendees will learn about latest trends and best practices in law firm management as well as management more generally speaking, gaining valuable tips for navigating the region’s complex legal and cultural landscape.

Moderator:

• Mr Jerry Koh, Managing Partner, Allen & Gledhill LLP

Panellists:

• Ms Chew Ern Lim, Associate Director, Kerry Consulting
• Mr Stephen Revell, Founder and Partner, Making Change Happen
• Mr Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
• Mr Tai-Heng Cheng, Co-Managing Partner, Sidley

05:30 PM

CLOSING

• Professor Lee Pey Woan, Dean, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University
• Professor David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel Professor of Law, Vice Dean, Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, Faculty Director, Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School

05:45 PM

END OF DAY 1

TIME

DAY 2 | 4 AUG 2023 | TRACKS
[2 Public CPD Points]

09:30 AM

REGISTRATION AT RESPECTIVE VENUE

10:00 AM

VENUE: B2-01 SEMINAR ROOM, SMU, YONG PUNG HOW SCHOOL OF LAW, SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
55 ARMENIAN ST, SINGAPORE 179943
[MANAGEMENT TRACK]
WHAT MICROSOFT’S REORGANISATION OF ITS LEGAL FUNCTION SAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF LEGAL SERVICES IN THE “NEW NORMAL”

Synopsis: In this interactive session, Professor Wilkins will guide participants in a case study discussion of Microsoft’s reorganisation of its Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) function in July 2021, examining what it means for in-house functions, the law firms and other providers serving them, and the legal professional more generally. Specifically, participants will discuss three broad questions: 
(1) Why did Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith undertake this major reorganisation at this time? 
(2) What problems should he have anticipated in undertaking such a major shift? 
(3) What challenges are the leaders who Smith put in charge of carrying out the reorganization likely to face as they seek to implement this new vision? 

The session will then step back to examine why these new challenges are increasingly falling on the desks of lawyers, and how issues technology, generational change, and other questions are likely to impact the ability of the full “ecosystem” of legal providers (in-house, law firms, alternative providers, and others) to meet these challenges. To do so, we will examine the results of a series of pathbreaking studies that the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession has been conducting on these issues.

Speaker: Professor David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel Professor of Law, Vice Dean, Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, Faculty Director, Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School

10:00 AM

VENUE: B1, SMU HALL, YONG PUNG HOW SCHOOL OF LAW, SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
55 ARMENIAN ST, SINGAPORE 179943
[TECHNICAL TRACK] 
CROSS-BORDER CONTRACTING IN THE ASIAN CONTEXT – TRIPS, TRAPS AND TIPS

Synopsis: Increasingly parties to a commercial contract are based in different jurisdictions. The choice of law made by the parties in such contracts will often result in (at least) one of the parties entering into a contract governed by the laws of a jurisdiction with which they are not familiar. This lack of familiarity is further compounded in Asia. The continent is home to a mixture of common law, civil law and hybrid jurisdictions, and the translation of imported legal labels into national languages may have inadvertently created misleading impressions.

This two-hour session will be divided into two parts.

• An overview of the trips and traps of contracting across Asia based on the Model Clauses for Contracting in Asia published by the Asian Business Law Institute. 

Speaker: Mr Mark Fisher, Deputy Executive Director, Asian Business Law Institute

• A panel discussion comprising in-house counsel and lawyers from the region on common contracting issues they have seen in practice, the solutions they adopted and the tips to share. 

Moderator:

• Dr Cameron Ford OAM, Independent Arbitrator, Counsel and Mediator

Panellists:

• Mr JJ Disini, Managing Partner, Disini Buted Disini Law Offices
• Dr Ngyen Quoc Vinh, Senior Counsel, Indochine Counsel
• Mr Chengyang Zhang, Partner, Tian Yuan Law Firm

12:00 PM

NETWORKING LUNCH/ END