Rajah & Tann Asia

Deputy Managing Partner, Tiv Sophonnora, offers insights on the mechanics of liaising with clients and predictions for the foreseeable future.   1. What do you see as the main points that differentiate Rajah & Tann Sok & Heng from your competitors? As one of Cambodia’s most highly regarded full-service law firms, Rajah & Tann Sok & Heng Law Office boasts a team of young, dynamic, and qualified Cambodian lawyers. Our team advises clients across a wide range of corporate and commercial practices, with particular knowledge and experiences in various key industry sectors. Our local team possesses in-depth knowledge of Cambodian laws and regulations, as well as international standards and practices. We have valuable connections and extensive experience working with relevant government authorities on regulatory adoption and amendments. This expertise has positioned us as market leaders in various established and emerging areas of practice. Together with our regional Rajah & Tann Asia network, we have built a network of over 1,000 exceptionally talented, skillful and highly motivated legal professionals. Our network provides seamless legal services across the region, with footprints in Cambodia, China (including our newly opened office in Shenzhen), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam plus Brunei, Japan, and South Asia desks. With our team of locally qualified lawyers proficient in multiple languages, we proudly call ourselves the region’s new ‘home team’ of ‘Lawyers Who Know Asia’.   2. Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that? In the next 12 months, we anticipate increased activity in the digital economy, competition, M&A, capital markets, and energy and infrastructure projects, including project financing. We expect more inquiries on regulatory and compliance-related matters, particularly in the areas of competition and data protection, as Cambodia begins implementing its recently adopted Competition Law and prepares to adopt cybersecurity, personal data protection, and cybercrime laws currently in the pipeline. We also foresee an uptick in already busy practices, such as M&A, banking and finance, commercial litigation, and arbitration. Our forward-looking approach is driven by the Royal Government’s Pentagonal Strategy – Phase 1 prioritizing five pillars: people, road, water, electricity, and technology with significant reforms underway. Additionally, with a stronger emphasis on China’s foreign investment policy, particularly the Belt and Road Initiative and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement, we are optimistic that foreign investments in Cambodia will continue to increase.   3. What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients? As a network, the expansion of our regional presence, particularly with the opening of our second office in China, located in Shenzhen, will benefit clients. This strategic move enhances our ability to provide seamless legal services across key markets in Asia, ensuring that our clients receive timely and localized support. In light of Industrial Revolution 4.0, we have invested in advanced legal technology to streamline our processes and improve efficiency. By leveraging cutting-edge tools for document management, legal research, and client communication, we can offer faster and more efficient legal services. This technological enhancement, combined with our strengthened team of multilingual, locally qualified lawyers, allows us to better navigate the complexities of local regulations and offer more comprehensive and culturally attuned legal advice. Additionally, we have also adjusted the way we provide our services – on top of traditional legal service, we also introduce business partnering where possible and relevant. This approach allows us to offer meaningful assistance by providing various solutions and suggestions to business problems beyond the legal issues. Our regional resources, which extend beyond legal expertise to include technology, cybersecurity, regional business matching platforms, provide immense value to our clients. This combination of expanded regional presence, technological advancements, and a holistic service approach positions us to better navigate the complexities of local regulations and offer comprehensive, culturally attuned legal advice.   4. Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them? Technology has always played a crucial role in how we service our clients and help them overcome their business challenges especially in today’s ‘new normal’ business environment. With the advanced technology platform and facilities our firm has in place, our clients can rely on us for their business transactions, whether they are cross-border or time-sensitive.   5. Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business? With our extensive regional footprint in ASEAN countries, we are the preferred firm for international clients with business interests in the region. Clients trust and rely on our seamless, high-quality services across multiple jurisdictions. For instance, clients in industries such as digital payment, money remittance, social media platforms and short-form video hosting services can access our services at any Rajah & Tann Asia office. This allows them to operate across all jurisdictions within our network without the need to engage multiple law firms separately.   6. Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time? In an increasingly VUCA [volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous] world, our clients look to us for stability and strategic direction, not only as legal advisors but also as trusted business partners. As one of Cambodia’s highly regarded law firms, we see ourselves as the go-to firm for large-scale projects and complex cross-border transactions. With our regional presence as part of the Rajah & Tann Asia network, we will continue to stay ahead of the curve in new areas such as Data & Digital Economy, and ESG. As foreign investments continue to grow, and significant legal reforms take place in Cambodia, Rajah & Tann Sok & Heng Law Office will remain a trusted business partner for our clients in Cambodia.

Managing Partner Ben Yap shares what differentiates C&G Law from its competitors, the practices that he expects to see growth in 2025, and where he sees C&G Law in three years’ time.   What do you see as the main points that differentiate C&G Law from your competitors? Shared vision among our partners since our founding in 2007, which is reflected in our mission and vision statement: We are committed to delivering to every client legal service that is excellent, timely, and of best quality, observing the highest standards of integrity and trustworthiness in every matter we are entrusted with. We are also committed to delivering to our clients novel solutions and strategies that are resourceful, effective, cost-efficient and of value, updating ourselves on and anticipating their growing and diverse needs, and working with them as their strategic partner and trusted adviser in nurturing and expanding their business.   We are also committed to developing lawyers and staff who share the same passion, commitments, values, and principles.  Our commitment to excellent, effective, and focused counseling sets us apart, and shall make us, year after year, our clients’ trusted partner for all their business decisions and a top law firm of choice in the Philippines. This, as well as our merits-based approach towards all our lawyers and staff, have allowed our firm to grow from just our 6 founding partners in 2007 to a firm of 16 partners and over 70 lawyers today, which ranks us among the ten largest law firms in the country. I’m not aware of any other firm that has grown has quickly over the same period.  We are also still growing today. 2.Our partners (even our senior partners) are all hands-on, working practitioners; and our clients see this and value this. Our partners do not just attend the pitch to the clients. We actually lead our teams in delivering the services required by the clients, thus giving our clients the benefit of our years of experience. 3. We preach and practice collaboration, including among our partners across our different practice areas; and our clients see this and value this as well. This is because much of the transactions and projects now involve multiple practice areas, and so collaboration allows our clients to enjoy insights drawn from years of experience in each of these practice areas. 4. We continue to invest in our people and in the tools that will allow us to continue to provide effective and cost-efficient services to our clients. We also continue to look for opportunities to grow. In fact, at the beginning of the pandemic and the lockdowns, despite the uncertainties that arose from this extraordinary event, we did the opposite of what most Philippine law firms did – we implemented our usual pay increases for all our lawyers, and we also invested a significant sum to upgrade our hardware and software so that we would be better prepared to serve our clients once they’ve decided to resume their projects and transactions 5. Our membership in the Rajah & Tann Asia (RTA) legal network, which is Southeast Asia’s largest legal network with presences in ten countries across the region and in China. This has given us an unparalleled reach in the region among our Philippine peer firms, an advantage recognized and valued by our clients with business interests in the region, as they have seen how we are quickly able to tap our colleagues in any of these countries for local law support whenever they needed this Our membership in RTA has also allowed us to draw upon the knowledge and experience of our colleagues in other jurisdictions whenever we needed these.   Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that? Energy & infrastructure, M&A (especially on matters involving the energy and tech industries), TMT, commercial and construction disputes, and tax litigation. Energy & infrastructure, M&A (especially on matters involving the energy and tech industries), and TMT – We’ve seen increased activities in these practice areas in the last few years, and especially this year. This isconsistent with the Philippines projected GDP growth of 6% to 6.5% for 2024, 6.5% to 7.5% in 2025, and 6.5% to 8.0% for 2026-2028. Increased activities in these practice areas are also directly or indirectly driven by strong domestic demand, increased public investments, steady remittances and improvements in the labor market. Commercial and construction disputes – Increased transactions involving energy & infrastructure, M&A, and TMT typically lead to increased disputes involving transactions as well. As for tax litigation – the more business activities, the more the likelihood of tax issues arising, both on a national and local government level. Fortunately for our firm, these are practice areas where we are strong and are highly regarded in.   What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients? Before the pandemic, most Philippine law firms (including the biggest ones) still relied on desktops as their main work tool as on-site work was obviously the norm. Fortunately for us, even before the pandemic erupted in the Philippines in March 2020, we were already in the process of shifting all our lawyers to laptops and improving our IT infrastructure as we were about to pilot test a limited work-from-home program for our lawyers to improve our efficiency given the traffic situation in Metro Manila. Therefore, when the pandemic erupted and the lockdowns began in March 2020, around 90% of our lawyers were already properly equipped to work from home, and we hit 100% shortly thereafter. This allowed our firm to quickly adjust to the pandemic and to efficiently serve our clients as they resumed their commercial activities.   Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them? Most definitely. For example, while face to face meetings are increasing now, virtual meetings have become the norm, not just for foreign clients but also for local clients. We are also closely following developments in AI, as this is likely to become more and more important in the near future.   Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business? Recently, more and more of our clients have requested us to reinforce their inhouse legal teams for various reasons, including because they have seen an increased demand from their principals or because members of their team will be on extended leave. We have accommodated these requests by seconding our lawyers to them as long as necessary. This has allowed our clients’ inhouse teams to continue to deliver what is expected of them by their principals, and us to have these inhouse teams’ appreciation.   Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time? I should think so. Many of our major clients have been with almost since our firm was founded in 2007. I believe they value the institutional knowledge and the trust that have developed coming from working with the same partners in our firm over the past several years. In 3 years’ time, I am hopeful that we will have increased our capacity and capabilities, especially in our core practice areas, and that the work that we will get from our clients will allow us to grow and become one of the five largest law firms in the Philippines (in terms of headcount). We have over 70 lawyers now. God willing, we may have over 90 lawyers by then.

Deputy Managing Partner, Melisa Uremovic, shares her views on adapting to clients’ needs and the Firm’s direction in a hyper-competitive legal Thai market   1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate R&T Asia (Thailand) Limited from your competitors? It would definitely be our geographical reach. Being part of the Rajah & Tann Asia (RTA) Network gives our clients access to experts in Thailand and 9 other jurisdictions across Asia, each embodying the network’s tagline “Lawyers Who Know Asia”. In Thailand itself, our Firm houses a robust and dedicated team of more than 60 lawyers with deep local knowledge and profound understanding of both local and global legal frameworks and Thai cultural nuances, seamlessly bridging the gap between international experience and domestic intricacies. This comprehensive approach equips us to confidently guide clients through the complexities of cross-border legal matters, delivering bespoke solutions that address their unique needs. Furthermore, our connections with government agencies, business leaders, and other legal professionals in the field is second to none, granting us valuable insights and resources which enhances our ability to navigate the intricacies of the Thai legal system and business environment.   2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that? Some of the practices we can anticipate growth in the next 12 months would be Data Privacy and Security Law, Technology and Intellectual Property Law, Dispute Resolution and Alternative Dispute Resolution along with Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance (ESG). For Data Privacy and Security Law, the main drivers behind that are that Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) is maturing, with stricter enforcement and ongoing amendments creating increased compliance demands for businesses. As for the Technology and Intellectual Property Law, with digital transformation, AI and robotics development, copyright enforcement along with Thailand’s rapid embrace of digital technologies, drives demand for legal expertise in different areas and intellectual property protection for AI-powered solutions. Additionally with dispute resolution, the key drivers are potentially commercial growth and cross-border disputes. With Thailand’s thriving economy and active international trade and investment relations, this will further create demand for litigation arbitration services along with necessitate skilled lawyers versed in cross-border dispute resolution mechanisms and international arbitration protocols. In terms of Environmental Sustainability Governance (ESG), the main key drivers would be increasing public awareness, compliance with regulations along with cost reduction and efficiency gains. As Thailand’s public is becoming more aware of environmental concerns like pollution and climate change, this leads to business adopting ESG practices to improve public perception and branding image. Furthermore, Thailand has also implemented various environmental regulations which businesses need to comply with. Finally, implementing sustainable practices offers tangible financial benefits through resource efficiency, waste reduction, and energy savings, making ESG an attractive proposition from a cost-reduction perspective.   3) What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients? Our firm has implemented several key initiatives that have demonstrably benefited our clients and will continue to do so in the long run. These initiatives focus on three key areas: Investing in talent development: We are committed to fostering a dynamic and skilled team, nurturing the next generation of legal professionals through ongoing training and professional development programs.  We recently elevated four exceptional senior associates to partner level, which recognizes their significant contributions and strengthens our leadership team, enhancing the level of expertise we offer to our clients. Building cross-border expertise: We continue to strategically expand our capabilities to handle complex international legal matters, seamlessly partnering with colleagues around the world to serve clients' global needs. Our Firm continues to offer secondments within the RTA network and with clients, which resulted in greater exposure to other legal markets, better investments, and deeper relationship with our clients. Integration of technology into our practice: Throughout the RTA Network, we have focused on building out technology solutions that are changing the way we do legal work. Our clients have access to Rajah & Tann Technologies, which offers multidisciplinary tech-enabled legal solutions including data breach readiness and response, cybersecurity, electronic discovery and digital forensics, virtual law academy, contract management, as well as other LegalTech services, all of which models around meeting our clients’ demands in the digital economy.   4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them? Yes, definitely. As mentioned previously, our clients have access to Rajah & Tann Technologies, which houses legal tech offerings, meticulously designed and customized to address distinctive requirements of our clients in the rapidly evolving legal landscape. Additionally, our clients are also able to access our RTA Competition & Trade mobile application, which provides regular relevant updates and resources on the latest legal and regulatory developments in the areas of competition & antitrust, trade, and consumer protection from across the region, on the go. The RTA Competition & Trade mobile app includes access to our lawyers, comparative overviews of key topics ranging from merger controls to export controls, and also insights into issues trending in Asia. Our clients also have access to our one-stop arbitration website which covers the latest legislative and regulatory developments, case alerts, market updates and events or happenings across Rajah & Tann Asia’s geographical footprint. As the legal industry continues to evolve, we continue to keep our clients abreast of legal updates across various practices and industries, that are readily available via multiple online platforms which are easily accessible anywhere in the world.   5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business? One of the examples where our firm played a pivotal role in a client’s success and added value to their business was for our client, Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Thailand). They are a leading state-owned financial institution who achieved the prestigious “Best Practice” recognition for exemplary implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). This accomplishment stemmed from their participation in the Government Platform for PDPA Compliance (GPPC) project, organized by the Thai government. We secured the engagement for EXIM Thailand’s PDPA compliance audit, providing comprehensive legal guidance throughout the process. This included reviewing privacy documents, identifying compliance gaps, and assisting in their remediation prior to program participation. EXIM Thailand’s “Best Practice” recognition translates to tangible value for their business in mainly three different areas: Reduced Legal Risk: Our meticulous due diligence minimized the risk of potential fines or legal repercussions associates with non-compliance Enhanced Brand Reputation: This high-profile recognition bolsters EXIM Thailand’s image as a leader in data privacy, potentially attracting new clients and partners in long run Improved Internal Processes: Our support in implementing robust data protection practices within EXIM Thailand streamlines their operations and minimizes disruptions related to data breaches   6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time? Absolutely, our clients place a high value on stability and strategic direction, and we are committed to delivering both. Looking ahead, in three years’ time, we envision our firm not only grown in size but enhanced in every aspect. Our primary focus remains to continue solidifying our position as a top-tier, elite firm within Thailand's top Firms, renowned for leading transactions, navigating complex regulatory challenges, and excelling in high-profile disputes. We recognize that mere size is not the sole metric of success. We are equally dedicated to expanding our service capabilities and solidifying our sterling reputation. Our ongoing investment in talent development is fostering a robust pipeline of exceptional legal minds, poised to fill the ranks of senior and junior partners, ultimately joining the firm's leadership. Finally, we remain firmly committed to continuous investment in technology, recognizing its critical role in enhancing efficiency, streamlining workflows, and fostering collaboration across teams and borders. This unwavering commitment to innovation will ensure that our firm remains at the forefront of the legal landscape, consistently exceeding our client expectations.

Navigating Legal Frontiers, Innovating for Clients: Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers as A Pan-Asian Powerhouse Strategically Positioned for Future Growth.   1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate Rajah & Tann LCT lawyers from your competitors? Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers is a leading full-service Vietnamese law firm. It is among Vietnam’s most prominent, representing a wide range of multinational and domestic clients on a variety of business and investment matters. With practice groups spanning all areas from banking and finance to litigation and tax, the firm is best placed to serve its clients across a broad platform of practices in all key legal issues affecting their business in Vietnam. Our lawyers bring to the table in-depth knowledge of local laws and regulations, and are committed to providing services of international quality. The firm is the Vietnam regional member of Rajah & Tann Asia – a network of more than 1,000 legal professionals and the first unified, coherent and authentically Asian legal services offering throughout the region. With a footprint in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (and dedicated desks serving clients in Brunei, Japan and South Asia), Rajah & Tann Asia is the region’s new “home team” of “Lawyers Who Know Asia”.   2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that? We anticipate growth in China-related investments in the next 12 months, as investors see Vietnam as a key component of their global supply chains – particularly in large-scale manufacturing. Investments from China have been (and are expected to remain) diverse, and we have been witnessing increasing volumes of investor interest in areas such as energy, electronics, consumer goods and even automobiles (particularly EVs). We further anticipate strong demand in arbitration, as the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre continues to play a significant role in promoting ADR within the country. Proposed reforms to Vietnam’s arbitration law are expected to foster growth in this field, by establishing Vietnam as an increasingly arbitration-friendly jurisdiction. We also see growth in our practices that serve investors in the digital economy space, as well as data protection work. The Government has recently enacted new laws in the personal data protection, telecoms, consumer protection and electronic transactions space, and regulations concerning internet and online services are in the pipeline. We foresee this will drive growth in our Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) practice – particularly on regulatory support.   3) What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients? We are constantly honing our domain expertise and developing our practices in specialised areas of law. For example, the firm now boasts lawyers with deep industry knowledge in fields such as real estate, clean energy maritime/shipping and technology, media and telecommunications (TMT). We have further established a dedicated Tax practice, covering both advisory and contentious tax matters.   4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them? The firm has such adopted technologies to accommodate the “new normal” following the COVID-19 pandemic, and is consistently on the lookout for innovations (including in technology) to create efficiencies in service-delivery for, and enhance relationships with, clients. Rajah & Tann Asia sits at the forefront of technology in the legal industry and (through Rajah & Tann Technologies) offers value-added legal solutions to clients in the new economy. Regional collaboration sits as one of the foundations of Rajah & Tann Technologies, by enabling all regional offices (including our firm in Vietnam) to provide tech-enabled legal solutions that are suitable and adapted for local markets.   5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business? The biggest value that we add to our client’s business is the ability to seamlessly deliver pan-Asian solutions through the Rajah & Tann Asia network – often acting as a “one-stop shop”. For example, in the past year alone: We have, in collaboration with our lawyers in Singapore, successfully represented our Vietnamese clients in international arbitral proceedings involving a Vietnam substantive law and Singapore procedural law. We have coordinated the delivery of regulatory advice spanning multiple jurisdictions across Southeast Asia, and offer a one-stop shop our clients that seek to “go regional” in Asia. We have advised and acted for clients in M&A transactions of companies with a presence across Asia, through coordinating due diligence and finalisation of transaction documents with our lawyers in the region.   6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time? Clients certainly do look for stability and strategic direction from their law firms, but at the same time appreciate firms that are able to innovate (and enhance efficiencies in service delivery). Our strategic direction is to consistently strive to remain ahead of the curve – not just jump on the bandwagon. We see technology playing a greater role in the firm’s offerings in three years’ time (including with the advent of legal practice management and AI-driven solutions) and Rajah & Tann Asia has positioned itself as a network that stands ready to avail of technological innovations where they will maximise value-add for clients. With investment interest in Vietnam showing no signs of wavering, Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers looks to continue remaining one of Vietnam’s most trusted legal advisors. Furthermore, as the investment appetite of homegrown Vietnamese companies grow, the firm (in its unique position at Rajah & Tann Asia) stands ready to support as a springboard for those companies to expand their investments in the region.