As Thailand becomes one of the world’s first countries to trial blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer trading of solar power, regulators have their hands full drafting rules to catch up.

New legislation in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has come into focus in 2018 due to its reputation as the most popular tax haven. The recent legal development of BVI is also geared towards reinforcing the jurisdiction’s position as a premier offshore financial centre.

In-house legal departments in Hong Kong, as in major cities around the world, are today striving to add value to the organisation, instead of being seen as a cost-centre or one that only acts reactively to the organisation’s legal needs, a new report from Thomson Reuters and Acritas has found.

With the rise of contract-lawyer offerings in Asia, legal professionals across the region are finding that they have an additional career path beyond a conventional law firm or an in-house role. As these organisations offer lawyers varied working experiences and a sense of control over their working lives, it is no surprise that the life of a flexible lawyer is being seen as increasingly attractive.

Asia has become a hotspot for initial coin offerings in the past year or so. This has led not just to a growth in legal work, but also to a demand for law firms with specialised skills.

Recent signs of North Korea opening itself up have given rise to speculation that there could be serious investment opportunities in one of the world’s most isolated countries.

Singapore has made plans to become an insolvency and restructuring hub in the region, and to that end, it passed game-changing laws last year. Lawyers analyse the impact that the new framework has had so far, and what the future holds.

With the massive growth in cross-border trade, international legal networks have become more important than ever in when it comes to facilitating cross-border deals and assisting companies in breaking into new markets. Leaders of five legal networks – four global and one regional – talk about how they are currently helping member law firms, and their strategies for the future.

With Asia today leading the world when it comes to cutting-edge technology, particularly blockchain and ICOs, the need of the hour is for innovative funding structures that help meet the requirements of these cutting-edge companies.

As technology continues to dramatically alter the landscape of the legal sector, one of the practice areas most impacted by this trend is arbitration. A wide range of technology providers offering solutions for the arbitration space abound, and lawyers are finding that it is imperative to get on the tech bandwagon.