What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have recently been involved in? 

The most significant transactions will undoubtedly be business dissolution and liquidation, when eventually running a business is financially disadvantageous and requires a change of business direction. It can be a very challenging and sensitively costly procedure for any relevant business stakeholders, especially from a legal perspective, to ensure the business’s smooth landing while safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, suppliers, and customers.  

I was accountable for and handled such business dissolution and liquidation when JD CENTRAL, the joint venture between Central Group, Thailand’s biggest retailer, and JD.Com, China’s largest e-commerce company, intended to shut down the online e-commerce platform and all operations in Thailand. The process involved various aspects and issues to be deliberated on both a large and minor scale, including HR and employment, legal contracts, business licenses, outstanding disputes, etc. As part of the due diligence procedure, the operations were thoroughly examined and analysed, and thorough discussions with all relevant teams, both externally and internally, were conducted with the concluded legal approaches and strategies in place.  

With a limited timeframe and limited resources, we successfully completed the dissolution process without any disputes from any parties involved, resulting in the smooth termination of the joint venture. This has been one of the most challenging tasks that I have worked on, as there was not only a business and legal aspect but also an aspect of the well-being of employees who were working within the organization. 

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Thailand over the next five-ten years?  

As the business framework in Thailand continues to transform, the role of the general counsel is likely to become increasingly multifaceted and will experience significant development over the next 5–10 years.  

General counsel in Thailand will need to gain a deeper awareness of the business environment, industry-specific risks, and regulatory approaches due to the country’s growing regulatory complexity and worldwide approach. Being able to navigate these changing circumstances and offer practical, business-focused advice on broader business strategies will be very essential.  

As technology and AI continue to evolve the legal industry, general counsel must utilize legal technology to improve productivity and simplify procedures within an organization. This could involve implementing tools for contract management and legal advice analysis.  

To guarantee that the team has the versatile skill set and experience necessary to successfully handle new legal difficulties, general counsel may give priority to talent development programs encompassing areas like data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI-related matters, ensuring businesses stay ahead of the curve and have a competitive advantage. 

Are the effects of AI on the legal world overplayed, or underplayed? 

The effects of AI on the legal world are complex and multifaceted. AI undoubtedly offers exciting opportunities to streamline processes and transform the legal world, but we will need to carefully assess several factors before incorporating AI. 

AI possesses the capability to optimize legal procedures, boost productivity, and drastically decrease expenses, not to mention the speed of it, which can massively support the legal profession in a few projects at once.  

However, experienced general counsel are aware that practicing law requires complex human dynamics, deep subject matter expertise, and decision-making in the legal areas whereas AI still must further develop. 

Though its full consequences are still being explored, AI has the potential to revolutionize legal practice overall. Various aspects are required to be carefully considered for AI to be successfully incorporated into the legal world.