Please note the program is currently being finalised. The final conference program will be advised to all registered delegates when settled.

8.30 – 9.00a.m.	Registration & Refreshments
9.00 – 9.20a.m.	Official Opening of Conference & Keynote Address by Chairperson “The Future of the Legal Profession” Mr Chan Sek Keong – The Attorney-General of Singapore
9.20 – 10.20a.m.	Structures & Strategies for Growth: The English Experience * Multi-disciplinary practices * Ownership of foreign law firms * Regionalisation/internationalisation of law firms – models of collaboration Speaker: * Mr Kevin Martin – President, The Law Society of England & Wales
10.20 – 10.40a.m.	Morning Tea
10.40 – 11.40a.m.	Structures & Strategies for Growth: The Singapore Experience * Opening Remarks by Session Chair * Moderated by the Session Chair, our panelists share their experiences on the following issues: - The regionalisation experiences of Singapore law practices into Asia - The perspective of foreign law practices in Singapore, including on Joint Law Ventures and Foreign Law Associations - A place for Multidisciplinary Practices? - Making Singapore law the choice of law in the region * Question & Answer Session moderated by the Session Chair. Session Chair: * Mr Alvin Yeo SC – Managing Partner, M/s Wong Partnership Panellists: * Dr William Wan – Partner, M/s Kelvin Chia Partnership   • Why are we in Vietnam?   • How do we function as a legal service provider?   • What does the future hold for us? * Mr M Rajaram – Senior Partner, Straits Law Practice LLC   • Why India   • Foreign Lawyers in India   • The Singapore factor   • The challenges * Mr George Tan – Director, ChanTan LLC   • Conceptual and theoretical underpinnings   • Developments concerning MDPs elsewhere   • Proposals concerning MDPs in Singapore   • The barriers and difficulties   • The way forward * Mr Chia Kim Huat – Partner, M/s Rajah & Tann   • What do S’pore lawyers have to offer in the region?   • Our role as external “regional counsels”   • Use of S’pore law in cross-border transactions * Mr Tandip Singh – Director, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary   • Why Indonesia?   • Singapore as an exporter of legal services   • Operational Limitations   • Cooperation with local counsel * Mr Kevin Wong – Partner, Linklaters A foreign law practice perspective on Singapore:   • Singapore as regional hub   • Singapore as a market for foreign law firms   • Singapore law firms as our competition
11.40 – 12.40p.m.	Size isn’t Everything – Carving a Future for the Small Firm * Opening Remarks by Session Chair * In this session, our panel of speakers will make presentations on various issues affecting small firms, including: - The role of small firms in ensuring access to justice - “Small is the New Big” - Lessons from successful small firms and how current business trends, structures and tools favour the small firm. - Strategy & Structure: best practices for small firms (including marketing, positioning, lessons from the overseas) - Panel Discussion and Question & Answer Session moderated by the Session Chair. Session Chair: * Mr George Lim – Partner, M/s Wee Tay & Lim Speakers: * Mr Peter Low – Partner, M/s Peter Low Tang & Belinda Ang * Ms Serena Lim – CEO, Bizibody Technology Pte Ltd “Small is the New Big”   • Lesson from successful small firms and how current business trends, structures and tools favour the small firm * Mr Mark Goh – Proprietor, M/s Goh Aik Leng & Partners * Mr Kim T K Seah – Partner, M/s A Ang Seah & Hoe
12.40 – 1.40p.m.	Buffet Lunch

1.40 – 3.10p.m.	Specialisation: Specialists in a full service law firm or specialist law firms? * Opening Remarks by Session Chair * Speech by Featured Speaker * Moderated by the Session Chair, our panelists share their views and experiences on the following issues: - Whether, when, where, how and in what should you specialise? - How early should you specialise? - Should you specialise in a boutique firm v or be a specialist lawyer in a general practice? - Educating specialists - restructuring PLC and pupilage? - Do/should specialists command more? - Why be a generalist? * Question & Answer Session Session Chair: * Mr Jimmy Yim SC – Managing Director, Drew & Napier LLC Featured Speaker: * Mrs Lee Suet Fern – Senior Director, Stamford Law Corporation Panellists: * Dato Jude Benny – Senior Partner, M/s Joseph Tan Jude Benny   • Competing for talent   • Specialising too early   • Flexibility in fees   • Marketability * Mr Thio Shen Yi – Joint Managing Director, TSMP Law Corporation   • When to specialise   • How broad or narrow should the specialisation be?   • "Vertically integrated" specialisation   • Cross training specialist lawyers * Ms Margaret Chew – Partner, M/s Allen & Gledhill   • Working in a full service firm populated by specialists   • Importance of team work and camaraderie   • Training and development issues   • Specialisation of support roles, e.g. knowledge management, communications, business development * Mr Ong Sim Ho – Proprietor, M/s Ong Sim Ho   • Economic case for boutique structure   • Client perception management: small firms & institutional clients   • People, processes, product branding * Mr Bryan Tan – Director, Keystone Law Corporation   • Focus   • Trend spotting   • Determining your competitive advantage   • Maintaining your competitive advantage   • Useful tools for the journey
3.10 – 3.30p.m.	Afternoon Break
3.30 – 5.00p.m.	Issues & Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Law & Practice * Opening Remarks by Session Chair * Our panel of speakers will make presentations on the following emerging areas:   - Sports Law   - Environmental Law   - Entertainment and Gaming Law   - Competition Law   - Judicial Review & Administrative Law: Governance of Voluntary Welfare Organisations * Panel Discussion and Question & Answer Session moderated by the Session Chair Session Chair: * Mr Michael Hwang SC – Proprietor, M/s Michael Hwang Speakers: * Ms Annabel Pennefather – Consultant, M/s Harry Elias Partnership   Sports Law   • What is Sports Law?   • Sports Law as it has developed in other jurisdictions   • The future of Sports Law practice in the context of a growing sport industry in Asia and Singapore’s aim to be an international Sports Hub. * Ms Susan De Silva – Partner, M/s Alban Tay Mahtani & de Silva   Environmental Law   The current landscape:   • Development of Environmental law as a practice area in Singapore probably dates from the Earth Summit in 1992.   • Legal practice has chiefly been in the area of industrial pollution control, rather than in the public health or in nature conservation issues.   • Key areas of work are in environmental due diligence for M&A transactions, contractual provisions on environmental obligations (such as in industrial leases) and compliance advice in the areas of soil and water pollution.   • In Singapore, the environmental work requires a knowledge of the legislation and codes of practice, and very good understanding of the administrative practice and policies of the environmental authorities, and a basic grasp of the technical aspects of environmental management.     Outlook:   • Environmental laws have become more and more stringent since 1992, and the trend is set to continue due to the potentially catastrophic effects of global pollution facing the world this next. National laws will be driven by international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocal.   • Corporate compliance requirements increasingly demand environmental responsibility.   • New environmental initiatives, such as environmental finance (trading in weather derivatives, carbon credits etc).   • Banks are adopting guidelines for responsible project financing such as The Equator Principles, which are close to becoming an industry standard.   π all create legal obligations for companies – statutory, contractual, industry standards, corporate standards.     Opportunities for Lawyers:   • Lawyers are needed to help companies understand and meet their obligations under the increasingly stringent global and national environmental standards.   • Legal services include:     - Advice on compliance with Equator Principles in project finance;     - Environmental finance, tapping finance for renewable energy projects, carbon abatement, green certificates, emissions trading.     - Development and advising on international, regional and domestic environmental policies     as well as traditional environmental advice such as in M&A and compliance.   • Skills sets require a more global view of environmental issues which affect business. * Mr Lau Kok Keng – Partner, M/s Rajah & Tann   Entertainment & Gaming Law   • Overview of Entertainment Law     - Music     - Motion picture and television     - Drama     - Visual arts     - Media and publishing     - Sports     - Computer gaming     - Gambling   • Legal issues faced by entertainment industry   • Gambling as a form of entertainment, and forms of gambling     - Numbers game – 4D, Toto     - Lotteries – scratch & win, charity sweepstakes     - Sports betting – football, horse racing, dog racing – including virtual racing     - Casino games – poker, blackjack, baccarat etc.     - Events based – who will win the Presidential Elections?   • Legal and regulatory issues arising from gambling   • Enforcement against Internet gambling * Mr Lim Chong Kin – Director, Drew & Napier LLC   Competition Law   • The practice of competition law – what is involved?   • Consideration of the impact of competition law on other practice areas.   • How should law firms gear up – is there an ideal set-up? * Mr Gregory Vijayendran – Partner, M/s Wong Partnership   Skeletals on Governance of Voluntary Welfare Organisations   • Legal nature of VWOs focusing on:     - Civil liability and criminal responsibility of VWOs and/or officebearers   - Statutory Duties imposed on VWOs and/or officebearers   • Duties of the Board/Management to the VWO     - General duties of diligence, honesty and fidelity - Duty to take reasonable care/act prudently - Duties regarding self-dealing and conflict of interest - Remedies available to VWOs/beneficiaries/public in cases of:-   (a) Misuse/misapplication of funds; (b) Breaches of duties generally   • Managing Disputes: Illustrative examples include:     - Contractual liability to external parties - Liability of VWOs/Officebearers in defamation - Infringement of Intellectual Property rights - Disputes with employees - Regulatory and Compliance Issues
5.00 – 5.30p.m.	Practice & the Role of the Law Society in the 21st Century Speaker: * Mr Philip Jeyaretnam SC – President, the Law Society of Singapore
5.30 – 7.00p.m.	Conference Closing, followed by Cocktail Reception hosted by The Law Society of Singapore