On October 5, three attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group in Bangkok—associate Anyamani Yimsaard, counsel Suruswadee Jaimsuwan, and partner Thawat Damsa-ard—met with Judge Paopun Chopnamtaan, the vice secretary of Thailand’s Courts of Justice, to offer their comments on a proposed new system of recording witness testimony in the criminal court in Thailand. The current practice for creating a record of witness testimony in Thai courts is for the judge to speak a summary of the witness’ courtroom statements into an audio recorder for a court clerk to transcribe. The transcription is then read for all parties and the witness to confirm the accuracy of the content. The courts are in the process of replacing this practice with a system of recording witnesses’ courtroom testimony on video. The dispute resolution lawyers’ feedback was sourced mostly from the department’s most recent internal training session. They commented on the pros and cons of the program and shared their experiences with similar systems elsewhere, such as Singapore and the UK. The judge welcomed the input, and looked forward to considering how to apply their suggestions so that the proposed procedural changes can answer various stakeholders’ needs.

On July 27, Dino Santaniello, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Laos, spoke at a breakfast talk on intellectual property law. The breakfast talk, which was held in a hybrid format to accommodate remote attendees, was organized in collaboration with Department of Intellectual Property, the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Laos (ECCIL), and the South-East Asia IP SME Helpdesk. Dino was joined by the director of the Department of Intellectual Property in Laos, who discussed the benefits of trademark registration, principles and functions of a geographical indication. Dino then highlighted current enforcement measures as well as the importance of registered trademarks for international and Lao companies to ensure that brands are well-aware of their rights and protections under the law. The ECCIL promotes the interests of the European business community in Laos and serves its members by organizing events and networking opportunities and assisting European companies with market entry into Laos. For more details, please see the ECCIL website.

On July 5, 2022, Tilleke & Gibbins’ Bangkok office welcomed legal professional across Thailand and Southeast Asia for the third annual International Arbitration & Corporate Crime Summit, organized by Legal Plus. The event brought together high-profile speakers from over 10 leading law firms, presenting sessions to address the latest legal and regulatory updates related to international arbitration and corporate crime. Noppramart Thammateeradaycho and Michael Ramirez, both counsel in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group in Bangkok, contributed their insights to the event. Noppramart’s session covered dispute matters and arbitration proceedings in the virtual world and the metaverse, while Michael used his presentation to address the challenge of corporate crime and anticorruption issues in Thailand, including key considerations to manage fraud investigations. At the end of the forum, Tilleke & Gibbins accommodated distinguished guests in a cocktail reception where legal experts, general counsel, and key players in the field had an opportunity to connect and exchange ideas to strengthen the arbitration community in Asia.

On June 30, 2022, Tilleke & Gibbins collaborated with Anderson Mori & Tomotsune to offer a Japanese-language webinar titled “Dispute Resolution in Thailand: Litigation, Arbitration, and Mediation” to spread awareness of dispute resolution principles in Thailand. In this online session, Chieko Tsuchiya, a consultant in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution department in Bangkok office, provided a comprehensive overview of traditional and alternative dispute resolution in Thailand, covering litigation, arbitration, and mediation. Additionally, she guided attendees through procedures for each type and highlighted effective ways to enforce settlement agreements. At the end of the session, Chieko welcomed Chitchai Punsan, an experienced litigator from the same department, to assist in fielding queries and sharing practical advice with Japanese clients.