Over 2,000 attend APAC Legal Congress 2025
Corporate counsel association leaders sign MoUs. From left to right: Renita Sophia Crasta and Daniel Choo, SCCA co-presidents; Randi Ikhlas, ICCA vice president; Hideyuki Sakamoto, JILA president; and Sahachai Wibuloutai, THAI-CCA president
The Asia Pacific (APAC) Legal Congress 2025 welcomed more than 2,000 legal professionals from across the region on 3-4 April at One Farrer Hotel in Singapore.
Hosted by the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), the two-day congress featured a prominent line-up of speakers including guest of honour Indranee Rajah, minister at the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office, and second minister for finance and national development.
She accentuated the event’s role in addressing evolving challenges in the business landscape, pinpointing three major forces at play: geopolitical tensions, economic headwinds and technological disruption.
Rajah also emphasised Singapore’s strategic position and technological advancements, and discussed the ever-evolving role of in-house counsel in navigating these changes.
Indranee Rajah, minister at the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office and second minister for finance and national development, delivering the opening address at the Asia Pacific (APAC) Legal Congress 2025.
Also addressing delegates were Justice Chua Lee Ming, high court judge at the Supreme Court of Singapore; Deborah Im, chief legal officer at Coda; Gregory Tan, joint head of legal and regulatory at Temasek; Mayen Ekong, general counsel at Gurin Energy; and Faz Hussen, head of legal, compliance and government relations at McDonald’s Singapore, among others.
Welcoming remarks were by Stanley Park, SCCA board director and co-chairman of the APAC Legal Congress. Yi Wong, general counsel at Lum Chang, and SCCA co-presidents Renita Sophia Crasta and Daniel Choo also delivered opening messages.
Attendees engaged in keynote presentations, expert panels and sessions exploring the latest developments in legal practice. The focus was on remaining agile amid shifting regulatory frameworks and embedding innovation through legal design.
A key institutional development at this year’s congress was collaborative memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed by the SCCA, Indonesian Corporate Counsel Association (ICCA), Japan In-House Lawyers Association (JILA), and Thai Corporate Counsel Association (THAI-CCA).
By formalising partnerships, the SCCA seeks to expand the collective capacity of the regional legal ecosystem, deepen professional connections, and create new avenues for career and capability development among its members.
“These agreements are more than symbolic,” said SCCA executive director Bryan Yeo. “They reflect our shared commitment to strengthening the in-house counsel profession across the Asia-Pacific.
“We believe that cross-border collaboration and capacity building are essential to the future of legal practice in our region.”
The event was also attended by representatives from the Malaysian Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), Legal Management Council of the Philippines (LMCP), In-House Counsel Forum (IHCF), and Stephen Rotstein, president of In-House Counsel Worldwide (ICW).
Supporting the event were platinum sponsor EY Forensic & Integrity Services; gold sponsors Axiom, ContractPodAi, Diligent, Kim & Chang, Lawyers on Demand, Thomson Reuters and WongPartnership; silver sponsors LexisNexis, and Rajah & Tann Asia; and bronze sponsors Allen & Gledhill, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, and Icertis.
