37 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – AUGUST 2023 her most significant work is her representation of one of the primary creditors who held Bitcoin on the Mt. Gox exchange. Sugano filed for the involuntary civil rehabilitation of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange before its collapse in February 2014. She and her team obtained an order to halt liquidation of the exchange, in favour of a civil rehabilitation procedure before the Tokyo District Court. Over in Singapore, Yvonne Tang has spent 24 years of her legal career at Drew & Napier where she is the director of intellectual property. Tang has in-depth experience in contentious and non-contentious IP practice, and her clients include multinational and local companies alike. Her key area of expertise includes trademarks and copyright infringement. She is regularly involved in trademark opposition proceedings and has handled criminal raids of counterfeit goods as well as domain name recovery claims under the Singapore Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. its ML Women Initiative. The initiative boosts the strength of female lawyers and clients via events, and Tsuchida is an active participant. Darani Vachanavuttivong is often referred to as one of Asia’s premier intellectual property (IP) practitioners. Under her leadership, Tilleke & Gibbins has obtained an elite list of clients, including Amazon, GSK, Walmart and Phillip Morris, among others. Under her leadership, the firm became the first to file sound marks in Thailand, protect 3D trademarks in Cambodia and file trademarks under Myanmar’s new intellectual property regime, along with several other firsts in IP prosecution. She has collected several accolades along the way, with regular recognition in Managing IP’s list of the top 250 women in IP and being named ‘Thought Leader of the Year’ at the inaugural edition of the ALB Women in Law Awards in 2021. In 2022, she was also recognised in ALB’s Asia Top 15 Female Lawyers and Asia Top 15 IP Lawyers lists. METHODOLOGY • Key work done in the past year and entire career - role and responsibility - type; scale; volume; value; complexity; impact on the market - loandmark/first-of-its-kind; involving innovativeness/ breakthrough in particular elements • Key clients and feedback • Market Reputation of the candidate • Market Reputation of the firm And in Tokyo, Carol Tsuchida has spent 24 years in the legal field. Currently, she is a partner at Morgan Lewis focused on investment funds, labour and employment. Morgan Lewis is one of the biggest law firms in the world, and it is chaired by a woman. The firm cultivates a culture of opportunity for women, with Congratulations on being named one of Asia’s Top 15 Female Lawyers! What are some of the cases or accomplishments that you would like to highlight to our readers? Thank you for the congratulations. It is a great honor to be named as one of Asia’s Top 15 Female Lawyers. Your question reminds me of a case that has taken several years. I have represented a Korean company in an ICC arbitration case on software license between the Korean company (“Respondent”) and the Korean subsidiary of a worldwide multinational corporation (“Claimant”). In Phase 1 (Liability Phase) the Claimant sought additional license fees and I, as the leading partner, successfully defended the Respondent. As a result, the amount per license user was determined approximately 10% of the amount initially claimed by the Korean subsidiary. In Phase 2 (Quantum phase), the parties disputed whether the indirect users should be counted as license users, and the Claimant sought license fees more than USD 60 million. After exchange of a couple rounds of submission containing many complicated technical issues, the parties reached a settlement and the arbitration One way, perhaps easiest, is that I myself excel in legal profession and grasp any much power as possible. When I was promoted to an equity partner, I was the only female equity partner in the dispute resolution department. Nowadays, more and more female lawyers are promoted to partners. Another way is that I always insist that women should have at least the same opportunities as men. In workplace, women must prove their intelligence, constantly, pressing for recognition that is readily given to their male counterparts. We cannot shatter the glass ceiling overnight, however, we can level the playground little by little everyday. As a role model for aspiring female lawyers, what advice would you give to those who are looking to excel in the legal profession and make a positive impact in their communities? I saw many competent female lawyers who felt guilty because they are not a perfect caregivers. No one can ‘do it all.’ Focus on work at workplace and focus on family at home. Never forget that your resolution to succeed is most important. A conversation with Jeonghye Sophie Ahn BROUGHT TO YOU BY YULCHON LLC is terminated after five-year disputes. The settlement amount was identical to that originally argued by the Respondent. Considering your recognition accomplishments, how do you advocate for gender equality and empower other women in the legal field? Jeonghye Sophie Ahn Partner E: jhahn@yulchon.com Yulchon LLC Parnas Tower, 38th Floor, 521 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06164, Korea W: www.yulchon.com
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