Malaysian law firm Adnan Sundra & Low (ASL) has expanded its corporate offerings with the addition of M&A partner Liza Uma and banking and finance partner Yong Wee Hoo.

Ryan Chung, head of legal for Southeast Asia at online travel agency Klook, talks about why the one lesson that’s stuck with him through his career is the value of empathy; how he greatly values external lawyers who have a genuine interest in the company and are invested in its success; and why people don’t quit bad jobs, only bad managers.

Singapore boutique law firm Bih Li & Lee has welcomed back energy sector specialist Marina Chua as a partner from Amazon Web Services, where she was a corporate counsel in the energy division.

Penny Koo, general counsel and company secretary of AIA Singapore, talks about why having a team with diverse talent is a strategy she espouses, how she uses the rock-pebble-sand approach to ascertain her priorities, and why all advice—no matter how sound and accurate it is—needs to be concise and compelling. 

Traditionally, corporate legal departments have been asked to do much but given little. But, the era of heightened productivity has arrived with technology transforming how legal work gets done.

Richard Kurniadi, general counsel of Indonesia’s Kimberly-Clark Softex, talks about why sometimes the legal function needs to push the boundaries without breaking the limit, how he wants his team to “play to win” instead of just "playing not to lose,” and why he’s a big fan of external lawyers who also have experience as in-house counsel. 

Ashurst has hired projects and corporate expert Tureia Sample as the managing partner of its Port Moresby office in Papua New Guinea, and also seen the exit of disputes partner Jason Brooks to Dentons. 

UK-headquartered Bird & Bird has announced plans to launch a Tokyo office to be led by newly hired corporate partner Hiro Iwamura. Iwamura joins from Ashurst, where he headed the firm’s UK/European-Japanese practice.

Indian law firm J. Sagar Associates has continued its aggressive expansion with the addition of real estate partner Brijita Prakash and corporate partner Santosh Vijay in Bengaluru, making it six partner hires in just over a month for the firm.

Audrey Shum, managing director and general counsel of Christie’s Asia Pacific, talks about why the in-house legal team is particularly important as a business enters unknown territory, how having a culture of mutual respect and inclusiveness is particularly important to her, and why it is critical that colleagues feel they are learning and growing and are part of a collaborative team.