APAC Legal Congress reviews shift to strategic business roles
From left: Taur-Jiun Wong, head of legal and compliance, Southeast Asia at Rabobank; Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon of the Supreme Court of Singapore; and Philip Jeyaretnam, president of the Singapore International Commercial Court
The shifting role of in-house counsel as strategic business partners has been a highlight at the APAC Legal Congress in early April, which attracted a record number of more than 2,500 registrants from 30 countries to the event held at One Farrer Hotel in Singapore.
Organised by the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), the congress theme was The End of the Legal Comfort Zone: Survival, Relevance, and Reinvention in an Algorithmic Asia-Pacific.
“Across the discussions, there was a consistent focus on the expanding role of in-house counsel as strategic business partners; not just managing legal risk, but enabling business outcomes, driving innovation, and contributing to organisational strategy,” said Daniel Choo, president of the SCCA.
Celebrating 200 years of Singapore’s modern legal and judicial system, the fourth congress featured a dedicated exhibition tracing the Lion City’s legal development from the Second Charter of Justice in 1826 to the present day.
“This year’s congress was particularly significant as it formed part of Singapore’s SGLaw200 commemorations,” said Choo about the event held on 8-9 April.
Guests included Edwin Tong, Singapore’s minister for law; Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon of the Supreme Court of Singapore; Philip Jeyaretnam, president of the Singapore International Commercial Court; and Lucien Wong, attorney general at Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore.
Delegation leaders shared their regional perspectives during the panel discussion titled Shaping the Future of Law: The Role of In-House Counsel in an Increasingly Fragmented World, which highlighted the growing complexity of cross-border in-house legal practice and the need for stronger regional collaboration.
“Beyond its scale, what truly set this year apart was the strong emphasis on regional collaboration,” said Choo. This year’s congress marked the formalisation of the SCCA’s regional partnerships through the signing of memoranda of understanding with the In-House Counsel Forum and the Legal Management Council of the Philippines.
The congress brought together global and regional thought leaders, including Ajay Dua, general counsel, IBM Asia Pacific; Johanna Leung, head of legal, Asean at Microsoft; John Ho, head of legal at financial markets for Standard Chartered; Louis Ng, senior state counsel at the Attorney-General’s Chambers; Natasha Sulaiman, vice president, legal and compliance at Singapore Airlines; Taur-Jiun Wong, head of legal and compliance, Southeast Asia at Rabobank; and Yoon Sun Cho, former minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea and senior advisor at Kim & Chang.