In this episode, our guest speakers Emmie Jones, Frederick Labovitch, Katie Morgan and Tom Owen, all representatives from White and Case, speak to Shanaya about the unveiling of a private equity deal that has happened recently.

With speakers ranging from trainee solicitors to associates to partner, this podcast shines a special light by highlighting the different roles present in a firm and the communications and dynamics that happen between these parties, ultimately allowing the entire deal to go through smoothly.

Aspiring commercial solicitors, this is not an episode to miss!

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Geoffrey Yeung is a barrister practicing at Denis Chang’s Chamber, a leading Chamber in Hong Kong. He worked on Infinger, Nick v Hong Kong Housing Authority [2020], a landmark case which ruled that it was unlawful for the Hong Kong Housing Authority to preclude same-sex married couples from applying for public rental housing as a family. He has been recognised as a Rising Star of Administrative and Public Law in the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024 and specialises in general civil & commercial litigation, and constitutional & administrative law with public law dimensions. 

In this episode, our host Anson Cheng delves into the topic of civil partnerships in Hong Kong with Geoffrey. A civil partnership is a relationship between two people, formed when they register as civil partners of each other, which ends only with death, dissolution or annulment. This arrangement provides many of the financial benefits afforded to married spouses, such as the rules for pensions, survivor benefits, annulment and dissolution.

Geoffrey comments on the impacts of Sham Tsz Kit v Secretary of Justice, the landmark case which ruled that the Hong Kong government has a positive duty to implement a framework to recognise same-sex partnerships such as civil partnerships. He details the legal and social implications of requiring the civil partnership framework, the other protections afforded to same-sex couples, the adequacy of protection for the LGBTQ+ community and possible future policies.

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John Kwan, the founder of London-based legal tech startup 10BE5, speaks to our host Shanaya about his career in legal tech. From practicing at Cleary Gottlieb for over six years since his NQ (newly qualified) days to his pivot to entrepreneurship, his seasoned legal experience offers a profound understanding of the legal tech market, which informs his startup’s unique and nuanced offering.

In this episode, John elaborates on his career journey, including his participation in A&O’s Fuse programme. He then provides insight into his ideation behind 10BE5’s service, and delves into 10BE5’s flagship N2N feature (which has seen use in a recent Magic Circle IPO deal). Finally, he discusses recent developments in the legal tech industry from the perspective of a legal tech pioneer, including the advent of large-language models. 

To those considering an alternate route within the legal industry, looking for a starting guide to the work of legal tech, or further building commercial awareness, this episode in the legal tech series is not one to miss!

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In this episode, our guest speaker Emmie Jones, a Partner and co-head of the private equity practice at White & Case, provides a glimpse into the fundamental aspects of private equity transactions to Shanaya and our listeners. From structuring, negotiating, and executing highly complex, cross-border transactions; to advising growth investors and private equity houses on acquisition and management deals - Emmie offers a wealth of knowledge and experience with her profound understanding of the private equity sector.

Distinguishing PE work from M&A and other transactional practices, Emmie sheds light on the captivating dynamics of the PE space and the legal structure of private equity deals. Additionally, Emmie articulates the essential skills required to excel in this specialised practice area, as well as her outlook of the private equity market in the future.

Aspiring private equity solicitors, this is not an episode to miss!

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In this episode, our guest speaker Farhana Sharmeen, the Head of Latham & Watkins’s Singapore practice and Co-Deputy Asia Managing Partner, speaks to Sophia about her progression as a lawyer. Reflecting on her journey from being a trainee at a local Singaporean law firm to being a senior leader at one of the world’s leading global law firms, she offers a unique insight into life as an international lawyer advising on big-ticket M&A transactions across South East Asia and beyond.

Against the backdrop of an economic downturn following the pandemic, Farhana discusses how 2023 has seen a changing landscape of deal activity. With businesses setting new expectations and valuations, deal-making has changed in Singapore across the past 12 months. Farhana elaborates on how the tech, hospitality, and energy sectors have all seen impactful activity in 2023. More specifically, she dives into data centres and the increasing number of deals being struck in this area.

Aspiring commercial solicitors, this is not an episode to miss!

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Koen Lenaerts has been the president of the Court of Justice of the European Union since 2015 and, since then, has led one of the most critical transition periods in the History of the organisation. From the tension between EU values during Brexit, to the Rule of Law crisis in Poland and Hungary, the role of the CJEU has been expanding in an increasingly legalised EU, where the Commission has been more prone to relying on legal mechanisms to ensure uniformity.

The most recent case, Commission v Hungary, where a direct engagement by the court with Article 2 of the UN Charter, is currently awaiting deliberation. President Lenaerts makes his position very clear throughout this episode.

President Leanerts’ studies in Harvard have encouraged him to implement some of the features of the American federalist model in the EU and the CJEU. President Lenaerts additionally discusses reform of the preliminary reference procedure. This episode will be of great interest to anyone interested in contemporary international law and the EU.

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In this episode, our host Gian explores the future of arbitration with Hyunyang (Ashley) Koo, a partner at Lee & Ko and a trailblazer in international arbitration and construction law. Hyunyang was a speaker at a recent International Chamber of Commerce Young Arbitrators and ADR Forum (ICC YAAF) seminar, where she discussed the necessity and feasibility of the practice in today’s commercial landscape.

Drawing from Hyunyang’s expertise, this episode focuses on fact witness hot-tubbing, the practice of fact gathering whereby multiple fact witnesses present their evidence concurrently together, rather than independently one at a time. Gangnam Style arbitration refers to fact witness hot-tubbing in which an arbitral session is not concluded with a single hearing, but is backed up by multiple ‘follow-up’ sessions, submissions and hearings. 

Hyunyang shares her insights on the practical possibilities of Gangnam Style international arbitration, the procedural pitfalls it faces, and the fallibility of memory in the context of fact witness evidence gathering to paint a bigger picture of the position fact witness hot-tubbing can hold in today’s commercial international arbitration cases. We hope you enjoy this episode! 

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Join our host Mia Cheng as she interviews Aks Khurana, a final year law student at QMUL with work experience at 5 fintech startups in the Middle East and a training contract with Latham & Watkins.

Khurana delves into strategies on differentiating between law firms and successfully applying to vacation schemes, as well as the challenges he overcame throughout the process of securing a training contract. 

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In this episode, our guest speaker Megan Yeates dials in from San Fransisco where she is an Associate at Freshfields' Antitrust, Competition and Trade team. Reflecting on her progression from a trainee solicitor at Freshfields' London headquarters to an Associate part of their small Silicon Valley office, Megan attributes her experience completing an international secondment to New York in their corporate team as the propelling reason for her decision to permanently move to the U.S. to continue her legal career. 

Within her antitrust practice, Megan has particular expertise navigating the new UK National Security and Investment Act and she draws interesting similarities and differences between this Act and the U.S.'s federal approach to such. Megan also highlights the regulatory and compliance dominance of the EU in areas including antitrust, intellectual property and technology. Finally, Megan and Sophia engage in a thoughtful academic discussion into two major cases she has worked on including Amadeus' succesful defence in the European Commissions' antitrust investigation into parity clauses and Tesco's 10-billion-dollar disposal of its Thai and Malaysian businesses. 

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In this episode, our host Sophia interviews Lucy Johnson, an Associate at Clifford Chance and Chair of their Trainee Committee. Describing her training contract experience, Lucy synthesises the role and responsibilities of a trainee in areas such as Transactional Real Estate and Dispute Resolution. Within the former area, Lucy has worked on remarkable cases including advising GRIDSERVE on over half a billion pounds in certified green financing to accelerate #NetZero transport with a huge expansion of its UK-wide electric vehicle charging network.

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