Eric Meyer, a foreign consultant in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution department, was profiled in the latest issue of Thai-American Business (T-AB), the quarterly magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM). As co-chair of the AMCHAM Legal Committee, Eric is extremely active in the American business community in Thailand. He applies his unique combination of legal expertise and practical awareness of business concerns in Thailand to identify topics and organize events that are interesting and relevant to a broad range of people. In the T-AB profile, Eric recounts how he came to be involved in AMCHAM after joining Tilleke & Gibbins four years ago, and notes that participation in the group has been an excellent way to stay current with the business community and build connections with professionals across various industries. In response to a question on the outlook for ease of doing business in Thailand, Eric sounded a hopeful note, explaining that the country’s strides in the areas of streamlining and digitizing various aspects of doing business should be able to continue after COVID-19, which has actually hastened digitization in several legal areas that had previously been slower to adapt to recent technological advances. Eric now looks forward to continuing to provide important leadership to the AMCHAM Legal Committee as the country and its business community seek to overcome the persistent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and move toward a sustainable economic recovery.

The latest “Women in Law” report from Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ) includes a profile of Tiziana Sucharitkul, co-managing partner and director of the Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group. The special report includes profiles of 20 highly accomplished female legal professionals from the Asia-Pacific region. Tiziana is the only person from Thailand to be included in the feature. Titled “View from the Top,” the profile of Tiziana focuses on her many leadership roles—not only at the helm of Tilleke & Gibbins but also in executive and advisory positions for various global legal associations. For instance, in 2018–2019 Tiziana served as chair of the board of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading global network of independent law firms, and she currently sits on the board of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation and is an active participant in the organization’s Women’s Initiative Network to Success. Tiziana also sits on the International Bar Association’s Law Firm Management Committee, which functions as a global forum for leadership and management in the legal practice. Tiziana also spoke with ABLJ about the increasing profile of women lawyers that she has witnessed during her career, noting that she observed the concern about female representation in law firms grow throughout the 1980s and 1990s all the way until the present day, when more women can be seen in management positions, but are still somewhat underrepresented at the managing partner level overall. To read the full “Women in Law” report, please visit the ABLJ website.

Two associates from Tilleke & Gibbins’ Hanoi office shared their thoughts on the impact of blockchain technology on intellectual property in an in-depth article published by Asia IP magazine.

In the annual meeting of the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN IPA) on May 19, 2021, Darani Vachanavuttivong, co-managing partner of Tilleke & Gibbins and managing director of the firm’s IP group, was announced as the next president of the ASEAN IPA. She will lead the association for a two-year term concluding with the annual meeting in 2023. The ASEAN IPA, which was founded in 1996 and granted official NGO status by the ASEAN Secretariat in 1998, brings together private-sector actors in the intellectual property space in the ASEAN region to promote the development and protection of intellectual property in ASEAN countries. The association organizes meetings and other events to spread awareness of intellectual property challenges and successes in the region, monitors and compiles relevant business and legal information, liaises with governmental parties and intergovernmental organizations regarding intellectual property concerns, and studies and proposes improvements to the legal and regulatory environment for intellectual property in ASEAN. The association has over 200 corporate and individual members from all 10 ASEAN member countries. Darani is widely recognized as one of the foremost intellectual property attorneys in Asia. She has served in executive and advisory roles for a number of national, regional, and global intellectual property associations, and for the ASEAN IPA has previously served as country head for Thailand and as a council member. For more information on the organization’s work and activities, please visit the ASEAN IPA website.