Past Events

SCCA ANNUAL BLACK TIE 2018

The SCCA Annual Black Tie 2018, will be hosted on 2nd Nov 2018. This year’s Annual Black Tie will be held at the prestigious Capella Singapore located in scenic Sentosa.

Every year, we choose a theme for our Annual Black Tie based on the trends that SCCA focuses on. As 2018 unfolds, SCCA has carved out a path to better direct the in-house legal industry through various initiatives, hoping to do its part by further diversifying and developing the legal industry.

As such, this year’s theme is Diversity, representing the diverse nature of the legal industry as well as the need to diversify methods. The 2018 SCCA Annual Black Tie will be distinctive as we weave the theme of Diversity into the evening’s program, palette, ambience and guests.

SCCA’s Annual Black Tie is our way of showing appreciation to our members, guests, and partners who continue to stride alongside our growing success and support us in our many endeavours.

It will be an elegant evening with a specially curated menu, wine pairings and programme, coupled with a fun edge, VIP Roast. The past few Annual Black Tie(s) have been hugely successful, and you can view the highlights here: Annual Black Tie 2016 and Annual Black Tie 2017.

We look forward to celebrating the milestones of SCCA together with you. 

Join us for a wonderful evening.

Guests of the SCCA Annual Black Tie 2018 stand a chance to win a limited edition print by Shi Lifeng. Enter the draw by following this link. The winner will be announced during the dinner.

Evening Programme

*This event is strictly for in-house counsel and sponsoring organisations only.

US-CHINA TRADE WAR: RISKS & ENDGAME

Event Overview

During his election campaign, Trump singled out China, declaring that he would impose 45% tariffs on Chinese imports, comparing its development to “rape.”

The U.S.-China trade war is heating up in a battle that may last for years to come. Last week President Trump imposed new tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese exports to the United States. The Chinese government responded with tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods. The economic effects of this trade war between the world’s two largest economies (the U.S. at $19 trillion and China at $12 trillion) are slowly emerging.

While many around the world are ignoring this, the recent damage is only the beginning. What will be the fallout for both US and China and the rest of the world? Will this be the beginning of deterioration of US-China relations? Is China’s strategy the war of attrition?

Programme

5:30pm - 6:00pm

Registration

6:00pm - 6:45pm

Presentation by Randal Phillips, Managing Partner, Mintz Group

6:45pm - 7:00pm

Q&A

7:00pm Onwards

Networking

Speaker Profile

Randal Phillips

Managing Partner
Mintz Group

Randal Phillips is a Managing Partner and heads the Mintz Group’s activities across Asia.

Randy spent 28 years with the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Clandestine Service, most recently serving as the Chief CIA representative in China. He has an extensive background in foreign field operations, policy and program management, and leadership development. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Bahasa Indonesian.

Randy has lived and traveled throughout China and elsewhere in Asia for the U.S. Government. Additionally, he has managed worldwide and regional programs from Washington. Randy has extensive relationships with officials and business leaders throughout the continent.

Randy has deep expertise on issues relative to Asia, with particular emphasis on China. This includes an intimate knowledge of the full range of political, economic, trade, investment and security issues involving China, from a bilateral as well as a multilateral perspective. Randy has extensive experience unraveling a variety of complex matters involving finance, trade and fraud.

Randy has a B.A. in diplomacy and foreign affairs from Miami University, and a Masters of International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

PRIVILEGE: DEVELOPMENTS AFFECTING IN-HOUSE COUNSEL

Seminar Overview

Privilege – ENRC and the In-house Counsel

The English Court of Appeal recently has issued a landmark decision as to the scope of privilege, in SFO v ENRC.  In this presentation Rob Palmer (Office Managing Partner, Ashurst) and Cathryn Neo (Solicitor, Ashurst) will provide an introduction to privilege and will consider the implications of this decision, with a particular focus on the day-to-day issues facing in-house counsel in Singapore.  The presentation will conclude with a series of case studies (based upon preparing and responding to a cyber-attack) to provide attendees with practical take-aways.

Please note that lunch will be provided.

Seminar Content

Privilege basics (English law/Singapore law)

• Litigation privilege – post-ENRC
• Legal advice privilege

Privilege for in-house lawyers

Privilege in arbitration

Case studies and questions

Programme

12:00pm - 12:30pm

Registration

12:30pm - 1:30pm

Lunch and Presentation

1:30pm - 2:00pm

Q&A and Networking

Speaker Profile

Rob Palmer

Office Managing Partner

Ashurst

Rob Palmer is managing partner of our Singapore office and a partner in our dispute resolution practice.

Rob has been based in Southeast Asia since 2003 and has worked throughout the region, including in Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. During that time he has conducted numerous arbitrations under the rules of major regional and international arbitral institutions including the SIAC, AAA, ICC, LCIA, KLRCA, TAI and BANI, with a particular focus on disputes in the construction, infrastructure and energy sectors.  

Rob is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA). He sits as arbitrator, is a member of the panel of arbitrators of (among others) the KLRCA, BANI, THAC and the ACICA and is listed in legal directories as one of Singapore's leading arbitration and construction lawyers. Rob is also Honorary Treasurer of the Society of Construction Law, Singapore.

Rob is qualified in Australia (New South Wales), England & Wales and New Zealand.

This event is strictly for in-house counsel only.

Exploring the Global Legal Tech Ecosystem

How do you know where to focus your efforts in legal technology? At CodeX, researchers, lawyers, entrepreneurs and technologists work side-by-side to advance the frontier of legal technology, bringing new levels of legal efficiency, transparency, and access to legal systems around the world. With access to exclusive and cutting-edge research, Eric will go beyond the buzz to explore the state of the global Legal Tech market by gauging size, funding and corporate activities across different jurisdictions and present his results of reviewing the Techindex and cross-referencing with Crunchbase and Index.co to track:

• Who the most influential Legal Tech firms are
• Where the Legal Tech firms are based
• How much funding has been raised by those Legal Tech firms
• Who is investing in Legal Tech
• Which segments of the Legal Tech market has raised the most money

Agenda

5.30pm - Registration

6.00pm - Introduction by Lexis Nexis

6.15pm - Exploring the Global Legal Tech Ecosystem - By Eric Chin

7.00pm - Networking

SPEAKER'S PROFILE

"Eric Chin is a strategy consultant that works with law firms, listed law firms, LegalTech firms, NewLaw firms and corporate legal departments on strategy, M&A, market analysis, innovation and Asia. His experience spans across the Asia-Pacific region with work completed for law firms and Big Four accounting firms across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Eric’s work in the region has culminated in his induction as one of 30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2015 by Asia Law Portal."

BUSINESS CONTINUITY IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR: WHY IT MATTERS TO IN-HOUSE COUNSEL

Event Overview

Delegates will benefit from being part of an interactive seminar which will cover several key topics relevant to the financial sector, delivered by senior business leaders within NCC Group’s risk mitigation division.

The topics will be wide ranging from providing insight in to the MAS regulations to looking at the challenges of moving from on-premise to cloud hosted software. The presentation will also leverage NCC Group’s unique industry experience having worked side by side as a trusted partner to both financial service providers and FinTech’s for over 30 years.

Programme

5:00pm - 5:15pm

Registration

5:15pm - 5:30pm

Introduction to NCC Group and Presenters Andy Ramsbottom, Olly Howard & Jamie Mackay

5:30pm - 6:00pm

Session 1: Business continuity and why it matters to in-house counsel

6:00pm - 6:30pm

Session 2: On-premise to the cloud – challenges of the transition from a risk mitigation perspective

6:30pm - 6:50pm

Refreshments

6:50pm - 7:25pm

Session 3: Mutual benefits of an escrow partnership for technology partners and beneficiaries

7:25pm - 8:00pm

Q&A session with the members of NCC Group

8:00pm onwards

Networking and drinks

*Each session will conclude with a 10 minute Q&A discussion.

Speaker Profiles

Andy Ramsbottom – UK Sales Director

Andy has over 12 years’ experience supporting global financial service institutions in implementing business continuity plans that ensure access to critical IP and that are strengthened by robust testing services.

As Sales Director for the division he is responsible for the growth within the UK and for driving expansion within the APAC region.

Prior to his current role, he was an Account Director responsible for managing the relationships with some of the world’s largest financial & banking organisations.

Olly Howard – Global Partner Relationship Manager

Olly joined NCC Group in 2010 through our graduate programme and has since worked in several roles across both our cyber security and risk mitigation global practices.

He now holds the position of Global Partner Relationship Manager and is centrally responsible for directing our strategic relationships with our tier 1 financial services technology partners. Key areas of focus in the role include ensuring that our business continuity solutions work to protect the best interests of all parties, and that we are looking beyond the horizon to ensure our solutions remain fit for purpose in the ever-advancing technology landscape

Jamie Mackay – Senior Solutions Architect

Jamie Mackay is a Senior Solutions Architect at NCC Group with a proven track record in helping organisations, primarily focused on the finance and banking sector within the APAC region, to improve their business continuity plans. Jamie leads our solution architecture team and helps to solve client problems on a daily basis.

Jamie plays an essential role in the scoping and delivery of NCC Group’s technical services to support organisations in strengthening their risk mitigation strategies for both on-premise and cloud hosted systems.

HERITAGE TOUR OF LITTLE INDIA

SCCA DEEPAVALI/DIWALI FIRST THURSDAY OCT!

Deepavali or Diwali, however you call it, is the largest and brightest Hindu festival celebrated all over the world. In celebrations with the festival of lights, Singapore adorns our Little India streets every year with the most awestruck row of colours and vibrancy. Come join us, as we tour Little India from the Indian Heritage Centre to the bustling Diwali bazaars and continue our First Thursday Diwali celebrations at the heart of it all.

It will be a splendid all sensory affair! 

AGENDA :

6.45 - 7.00PM: REGISTRATION & MEET AT: INDIAN HERITAGE CENTRE - 5 CAMPBELL LANE, SINGAPORE 209924

7.10PM: TOUR OF LITTLE INDIA

8.00PM: NETWORKING DRINKS AT CHIMICHANGA - (36 DUNLOP STREET, SINGAPORE 209364) 

Proudly brought to you by SCCA Diversity & Inclusion Chapter.

Complimentary First Drink on the house by Chimichangas - https://chimichanga.sg

THE AI-POWERED LEGAL COUNSEL

Event Overview

This interactive panel session will investigate how AI and automation are being implemented within the legal community. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the benefits AI and automation technologies can bring to legal teams, and the potential pitfalls to watch out for. 

We’ll look at how others have implemented such technologies in their own organisations, and what it could mean for the future of legal services.

Talking Points

AI and innovation are topics on everyone’s lips at the moment, but what do they really mean when it comes to the delivery of legal services to clients? This panel will examine case studies and bring their own experience to look at how automation initiatives are changing the legal world, including eDiscovery projects and chatbots for streamlining basic legal enquiries.  

In this session, we’ll ask:

• Can cumbersome legal tasks be replaced by AI?
• What are the recent global developments in the field? We’ll look at case studies on various approaches and technologies, including ‘rule-based engines’ in automating legal tasks.
• How learning-based systems can help corporate counsel run a more efficient department?
• What rule or learning based AI-powered systems can help lawyers provide legal services more effectively?
• What are the legal implications of AI based ‘decisions’? Where does professional liability lie?

Speakers & Moderator

Moderator:

Sebastian Ko, Regional Director Document Review Services and Senior Legal Counsel

Panelists:

Debby Lim, Partner, Shook Lin & Bok LLP

Daniel Levison, Partner, Morrison & Foerster

Cherilyn Tan, CEO, Asia Law Network

Wanying (Patience) Bin 

Executive Director, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, APAC at Avon (Singapore)

PATIENCE BIN is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, APAC of Avon Products, Inc. She currently leads a team of 17 members in the APAC Legal & Compliance Department, including twelve lawyers, one senior compliance manager, and five external affairs associates in seven APAC markets. Before officially joining Avon, Ms. Bin was a Senior Associate in the Washington DC office of Mayer Brown LLP, where she focused her practice on international white collar defense and regulatory compliance. Ms. Bin has a JD degree from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Law degree from Sun Yat-Sen University. Ms. Bin is native in Mandarin and Cantonese.

GLOBAL DATA PRIVACY LANDSCAPE: POST-GDPR ARRIVAL

Event Overview

"The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has become effective roughly 4 months ago. This is a good point in time to draw first conclusions and talk about some of the key learnings businesses made after implementation of the GDPR, with an emphasis on jurisdictions outside the EU, such as Singapore or Switzerland.

The arrival of the GDPR also poses many interesting and challenging questions to companies outside the EU, e.g. adequacy of data protection levels and related cross-border data transfers. Will the world face a successive lift-up of statutory data privacy levels to EU standards? Or will the extraterritorial scope of the GDPR's application suffice for businesses to catch up with the EU level?"

 *Please note this event is strictly for in-house counsel only.

Programme

5:30pm to 6:00pm - Registration

6:00pm to 7:30pm - Introductions, followed by presentations and Q&A

7:30pm onwards - Networking Cocktails

Speaker Profile

Roland Mathys

Schellenberg Wittmer

Partner and head of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Group.

Roland advises clients in outsourcing transactions and major technology projects, particularly in the finance, life science and retail industries. He also renders advice in all matters related to emerging technologies (e.g. IoT, blockchain, AI). Data protection, both under Swiss law and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), technology related compliance issues and ICT dispute resolution are further strong fields of his activity.

Roland Mathys publishes regularly in his fields of expertise and serves as a speaker at international and national conferences. He is a board member of the International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), vice-chair of ITechLaw's Data Protection Committee, an officer of the International Bar Association's (IBA) Technology Law Committee and Chair of its Technology Sourcing and Shared Services Subcommittee, and co-chair of the Law Commission of swissICT, Switzerland's largest professional association in the ICT industry.

HANG OUT WITH THE SCCA PEERS

SCCA PEERS

Calling all young or young at heart counsel, do come and get to know the members of our SCCA Peers and all they do, through a chill informal get together!

Food and the first drink will be provided!

LEADERSHIP IN TIMES OF CRISIS - WARGAMING THE ROLE OF LEGAL COUNSEL

Workshop Overview

The role of the legal counsel in leading their companies through corporate crisis is more critical than ever; the prevalence of cyberattacks, the increase in local and cross border regulatory enforcement, the growing influence and speed of new media, and the intricacy of third parties and supply chains, have compounded the complexities and pressure legal counsels face in a crisis.

For instance:

• You receive a call in the middle of the night that your company’s systems have been hacked; you’re locked out and you have 24 hours to decide if you pay a ransom before sensitive customer data floods the public domain.

• A member of your C-suite has been embroiled in a corruption scandal with a local high-ranking government official, which has the potential to cause irreparable reputation and legal damages. How do you manage the politics, the media, your employees, third parties, competitors and the investigation?

• An industrial accident has occurred at one of your company’s key industrial sites in South East Asia, causing significant environmental pollution and harm to surrounding villages. Key members of your local leadership have been detained by local authorities who won’t even let you on the site. There is immense pressure to act, but what is the right decision?

Join John Macpherson, Senior Partner at Control Risks, as he briefs then role-plays these hypotheticals in a workshop. Participants can expect an interactive session discussing their options and choices for each scenario, and hearing some of the actions Control Risks’ clients have taken in similar situations, the subsequent outcomes, and key lessons.

*This event is strictly for in-house counsel only.

*Shorts, t-shirts, bermudas and flip flops are not permitted in Maxwell Chambers.

Speaker Profile

John Macpherson, Senior Partner at Control Risks

John is the Senior Partner leading Control Risks' Asia Pacific practices for crisis response and recovery, cyber security, business protection and resilience solutions. John leads a team which specialises in crisis management and critical incident response, business continuity, strategic security and operational risk consulting, cyber and information security, security staffing support and protective services.

John has particular experience in advising companies how to successfully manage challenging political and regulatory environments, compliance and security issues. He is retained by clients to develop and execute strategic responses to crises and disputes, complex governance, operational risk and compliance reviews. John is one of the region’s leading experts in responding to regulatory investigations and in commercial and labour disputes.

Recent projects include:

• The critical incident response and recovery for a number of high-profile corruption and regulatory cases in the healthcare and automotive sectors in China.
• Strategic support to negotiate and resolve a number of large commercial and third party disputes for multinational companies in China.
• Cyber threat analysis and operational risk assessments in the financial services sector.
• Assisted a private equity client in responding to a targeted issue-motivated group campaign undermining domestic investment interests.

John was previously Head of Control Risks’ Greater China and North Asia business, based in Shanghai; Director of Crisis and Security Consulting for our China operations; General Manager in Hong Kong; and the Manager for Global Client Services for Australia Pacific. He has extensive experience developing and implementing crisis management plans, conducting enterprise vulnerability assessments, in stakeholder management and communication, and delivering training programmes. He has worked with senior executive management teams in the technologies, food and fast-moving consumer goods, finance, heavy manufacturing, healthcare and resource sectors.

John has a degree in social science (international relations) from the University of NSW and various qualifications in risk assessment.