Category: Interviews Page 1 of 9

TechLaw.Fest 2024 Quick Chats: Chris Watson, Partner and Chair of Technology, Media and Communications, CMS

On 22nd October 2024

In Internet Governance, Interviews, Law Firms, Lawyers

Reading time: 5 minutes

Written by Josh Lee Kok Thong

TechLaw.Fest 2024 Quick Chats: Chris Watson, Partner and Chair of Technology, Media and Communications, CMS

TechLaw.Fest 2024 (“TLF”) took place from 11 to 12 September 2024, positioning participants at the forefront of groundbreaking discussions at the intersection of law, technology and business. This year, LawTech.Asia received a special opportunity to interview Chris Watson, Partner and Chair, Technology, Media and Communications at CMS. This interview came shortly after Chris Watson’s fireside chat titled “Breaking Barriers: A Conversation with Chris Watson and Emma Watson on Diversity, Inclusion and the Future” with Emma Watson, writer, actress and activist (who joined the conference via audio call).

With his vast and extensive expertise, Chris offers invaluable insights on a myriad of issues around technology regulation. We sought his views on the evolving AI regulation landscape, cross-border legal challenges, and the important role young legal professionals play in shaping the future of law and technology.

Unlocking Innovation: Hong Kong’s Legal Technology Landscape

By Josh Lee

On 3rd September 2024

In Access to Justice, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Data Privacy, Dispute Resolution, Interviews, Law Firms, Lawyers, Legal Hackers, Legal Innovation, Legal Technology in Hong Kong

Reading time: 22 minutes

Written by Yiap Siew Fong | Edited by Josh Lee Kok Thong

May 2024 was a particularly eventful month for legal technology in Hong Kong. It marked the return of the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific Awards (“FT Awards”) to Hong Kong, showcasing the latest achievements in legal innovation throughout the region. The Hong Kong chapter of Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (“ALITA”) also hosted a digital innovation roundtable in collaboration with the Law, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Lab at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law (“LITE Lab@HKU”). Earlier that month, a panel session at Hong Kong Mediation Week titled “Bots v Humans? The Future of Mediation” examined the implications and potential of AI in relation to the field of dispute resolution and mediation. These recent events provide an opportune context to examine the current state of the legal technology landscape in Hong Kong.

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

By Josh Lee

On 20th August 2023

In Access to Justice, Artificial Intelligence, Interviews, Law Firms, Lawyers, Legal Innovation, People, Policy

Reading time: 9 minutes

Written by Josh Lee Kok Thong

On 3 and 4 August 2023, the Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”), in conjunction with the Singapore Management University (“SMU”), organized a conference titled “The Next Frontier in Lawyering: From ESG to GPT”. The conference provided participants with an overview of latest trends in the legal industry, and how these trends posed opportunities and challenges for lawyers and legal professionals. Held at the SMU Yong Pung How School of Law (“SMUYPHSOL”), the conference saw hundreds of attendees learn from global and local legal industry leaders about cutting-edge developments in the legal industry.

One of these global leaders and giants was Professor David B. Wilkins. As Lester Kissel Professor of Law, Vice Dean for Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, and Faculty Director of the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School, Professor Wilkins is a prominent thought leader and speaker on the future of the legal profession, disruptive innovation, and legal industry leadership. He has written over 80 articles on the legal profession in leading scholarly journals and the popular press, and teaches several courses at Harvard Law School such as The Legal Profession, and Challenges of a General Counsel.

At the conference, Professor Wilkins delivered a keynote address titled “From “Law’s Empire” to “Integrated Solutions”: How Globalization, Technology, and Organizational Change Are Opening “New Frontiers” for Lawyers, Clients and Society”. His address covered how law is becoming a more collaborative enterprise (with other knowledge domains) in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. While law would remain a domain driven by human capital, Professor Wilkins also urged lawyers to learn how to work with and understand technology. At the conference, Professor Wilkins also moderated a discussion on “Technology and the Legal Profession”, which explored how new technologies are transforming how lawyers work and interact with clients.

Following his keynote address, LawTech.Asia (“LTA”) had the valuable opportunity of chatting with Professor Wilkins on his views on the opportunities and impact of technology on the legal industry, the training of future lawyers, how Singapore could strengthen its legal innovation ecosystem, and how legal technology could be better oriented to serve the underserved and under-represented in society. The interview, which is set out below, has only been edited for readability and brevity.

TechLaw.Fest 2021 Quick Chats: Alexander H. Southwell, Partner, Co-Chair of Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

By Ding Yao

On 19th December 2021

In Events, Interviews, Law Firms

Reading time: 5 minutes

By Utsav Rakshit & Ong Chin Ngee | Edited by Wan Ding Yao

TechLaw.Fest 2021 (“TLF”) took place virtually from 22 September to 24 September 2021, becoming the virtual focal point for leading thinkers, leaders and pioneers in law, business, and technology. LawTech.Asia received the exclusive opportunity to interview Alexander Southwell, Partner at global law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (Gibson Dunn) post his panel discussion titled “That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles” alongside Charmian Aw (Reed Smith), Steve Satterfield (Facebook) and Michael Kleber (Google). Alexander co-leads Gibson Dunn’s pre-eminent Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group with Ahmed Baladi, Ashlie Beringer and Connell O’Neill, who were also speakers at TechLaw.Fest 2021. The group advises clients in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Latin and North Americas.

While cookies track us, Alexander has been tracking them. We tapped into his knowledge on key issues relating to the evolution of cookies. We also sought his views on tangential topics he specialises in, particularly in the area of data protection, cybersecurity and legal technology and technology law (for which the latter two are key tenets of this year’s TechLaw.Fest!).

LawTech.Asia: Media Partner for TechLaw.Fest 2021!

By Ding Yao

On 22nd September 2021

In Events, Interviews

Reading time: < 1 minute

We are proud to be recognised by the Singapore Academy of Law as an official media partner for TechLaw.Fest 2021!

TechLaw.Fest 2021 (held from 22 September to 24 September) is a signature convention in Singapore that will be the focal point for leading thinkers, leaders and pioneers in law and technology. The key themes for this year’s conference are Legal Operations, Technology of Law, Law of Technology and Access to Justice.

2021’s convention would primarily be conducted online creating an avenue for audiences across the globe to be engaged. Last year’s edition saw a record number of 6,000 participants from more than 100 countries.

Centred around the augmentation of technology application across all sectors, this year’s conference is rooted in the legal and regulatory responses to cybersecurity threats. Additionally, other focal issues encompass intellectual property matters relating to NFTs and the movement away from third-party cookies.

LawTech.Asia will be bringing you regular interviews and shout-outs covering prominent speakers and the topics they will be speaking at TechLaw.Fest. These include Edwin Tong (Second Minister for Law), Shruti Ajitsaria (Allen & Overy) and many more distinguished panellists.

We’re raring to have you join us in exploring the constantly moving intersection of law and technology. Remember to check back on our site regularly to ensure that you get the latest coverage, updates and news about TechLaw.Fest 2021! Also, remember to sign up today – tickets to TechLaw.Fest 2021 are free, but limited in number only!