Panellists

Welcoming Address

Karen Cheah Yee Lynn

President, Malaysian Bar

Opening Address

The Right Honourable Justice Tun Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat

Chief Justice, Federal Court of Malaysia

Special Address

His Highness Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz

Founding President, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (“IDEAS”)

Keynote Address

The Honourable Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Prime Minister of Malaysia

Christopher Leong

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2013–2015) (Moderator)

Plenary 1

Intersection of Rule of Law and Human Rights in Malaysia: Unlocking Opportunities for a Democratic Future

Phil Robertson

Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch

Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2007–2009)

Lim Wei Jiet

Former Co-Deputy Chairperson, Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee; Advocate and Solicitor, Lim Wei Jiet

Shanmuga Kanesalingam

Partner, Kanesalingam & Co

Plenary 2

Championing Pro Bono: Mobilising the Legal Profession to Make a Difference

Ragunath Kesavan

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2009–2011); Commissioner, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (“SUHAKAM”)

Ravi Nekoo

Former Chairperson, Bar Council National Legal Aid Committee

Petra Oon Beng Ai

Former Chairperson, Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (Penang)

Dato’ Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2019–2020); Co-Chairperson, Bar Council National Legal Aid and YBGK Committee

Plenary 3

Exploring Diversity and Inclusion

Santhi Latha

Immediate Past President, Association of Women Lawyers (2021–2023); Dean, Rajah & Tann Asia Academy

Angela Conway

Principal, Lady Justice Initiative, LLC, USA

Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali

Partner, Law Practice of Rafique

Dr Vizla Kumaresan

Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Ara Damansara Medical Centre

Anand Raj

Secretary, Malaysian Bar

Plenary 4

Generative AI: Opportunity or Threat?

Min Chen

Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, Asia Pacific, LexisNexis

Gaythri Raman

Managing Director, LexisNexis Southeast Asia

Adilah Junid

Director, Legal and Government Affairs, Microsoft Malaysia

Benjamin Cheong

Deputy Head, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Rajah & Tann Singapore

Izwan Zakaria

Managing Partner, Izwan & Partners

Plenary 5

Hard Talk: The Economy - On Track or Sidetracked?

YB Tuan Mohd Rafizi Ramli

Minister of Economy, Malaysia

Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram

Emeritus Professor, Universiti Malaya

Shakira Teh Sharifuddin

Senior Economist, World Bank

Dato’ Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar

President, The National Human Rights Society (“HAKAM”)

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 1 | Stream A

Prospect and Viability of Small Firm Practice: Is Affiliation and Group Practice the Next Logical Step?

Lisa Sam Hui Min

Vice-President, The Law Society of Singapore

Isaac Chan

Barrister, Rede Chambers, Hong Kong

R Jayabalan

Chairperson, Bar Council Small Firms Practice Committee; Advocate and Solicitor, R Jayabalan

Nahendran Navaratnam

Advocate and Solicitor, Navaratnam Chambers

Allen Miranda Emmanuel

Co-Deputy Chairperson, Small Firms Practice Committee; Partner, Suraiya Arif, Miranda & Tan

Breakout Session 1 | Stream B

Legal Practice within the Asian Region: Tackling Disparity and Commonality of Legal Systems

Steven Thiru

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2015–2017)

Dato' Azmi Mohd Ali

Council Member, Bar Council

Nixon Sipahutar

Bidang Kerjasama Internasional, Sekretaris, PERADI, Indonesia

H R Dipendra

Chairperson, Bar Council International Professional Services Committee

Breakout Session 1 | Stream C

Waqf: The Legal and Regulatory Framework Needed for Implementation

The Honourable Dr Arik Sanusi bin Yeop Johari

Judge, High Court of Malaya at Kangar

Mohd Bahroddin Badri

Shariah Specialist cum Head Shariah Advisory, ISRA Consulting

Umar Munshi

Founder, Ethis Global

Sharifah Shafika Alsagoff

Co-Chairperson, Bar Council Islamic Finance Committee

Breakout Session 2 | Stream A

Cross-Border and Domestic Mediation: Opportunities and Challenges in the Future for Dispute Resolution and Transactional Lawyers

Datuk Vernon Ong Lam Kiat

Former Judge, Federal Court of Malaysia

Melissa K Pang

President, LAWASIA; Immediate Past President, The Hong Kong Law Society

Sujatha Sekhar Naik

Chairman, Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance

Francis Goh

Chairman, Advocacy Committee, The Law Society of Singapore

Shanti Abraham

Chair, Investor-State Mediation Task Force of the International Mediation Institute

Breakout Session 2 | Stream B

The Development of the Law on Discovery / eDiscovery Pre- and Post-Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis

R Rishi

Advocate and Solicitor, Rishi & Partners

Michael Armstrong

Senior Associate, Eversheds Sutherland, United Kingdom

Linda Misbah

Senior Project Manager, Alexander Holburn, Canada

The Honourable Dato’ Azizul Azmi bin Adnan

Judge, Court of Appeal, Malaysia

Breakout Session 2 | Stream C

From Innovation to Access: Empowering Lawyers and Communities through Emerging Technologies

Adeline Chin

Co-Chairperson, Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (“ALITA”); Chief Operating Officer, Chambers Lab

Jennifer Lim Wei Zhen

Co-Founder, LawTech.Asia and eTPL.Asia, Singapore

Michael Lees

Chief Operating Officer, Rajah & Tann Technologies, Singapore

Suaran Singh Sidhu

Partner, LAW Partnership

Breakout Session 3 | Stream A

Out of the Mouth of Babes: Interviewing Children in Custody Disputes

The Honourable Puan Evrol Mariette Peters

Judge, High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur (Family)

Dr Diana-Lea Baranovich

Consultant Psychotherapist and Diagnostician

Judge Ida Malosi

Principal Youth Court Judge, District Court of New Zealand

Siew Choon Jern

Co-Deputy Chairperson, Bar Council Family Law Committee

Breakout Session 3 | Stream B

Regulating The Online Marketplace and Intellectual Property Issues Concerning Counterfeit Goods Sold Online

Joshua Teoh Beni Chris

Partner, Skrine

Kostas Fintrilis

Head of Assortment, Content, Ads, and IP Governance, Lazada Group (Singapore)

Wong Jin Nee

Partner, Wong Jin Nee & Teo

Cindy Goh Joo Seong

Chairperson, Bar Council Intellectual Property Committee

Breakout Session 3 | Stream C

Sports Policy, Governance, and Regulation

YB Hannah Yeoh

Minister of Youth and Sports

Richard Wee Thiam Seng

Chairperson, Bar Council Professional Standards and Development Committee

6th Raja Aziz Addruse Memorial Lecture

Dato’ Dr Cyrus V Das

Past President, Malaysian Bar (1997–1999); Chair, Constitutional & Rule of Law Committee, LAWASIA

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 4 | Stream A

Digitalisation of Land Transactions in Malaysia - Are We Ready?

The Honourable Puan Adlin binti Abdul Majid

Judicial Commissioner, High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur (NCC 6)

Raja Azmi Adam

Country Director, Google for Education – Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei

Anesh Ganason

Principal Assistant Director, Policies and Consultation Division, Department of Director General of Lands and Mines (Federal)

Sathish Ramachandran

Member, Bar Council Conveyancing Practice Committee; Partner, Deol & Gill

Datuk Roger Tan

Former Chairperson, Bar Council Conveyancing Practice Committee; Co-Chairperson, Committee on Reform to the Legal Sector / LPA Amendments

Breakout Session 4 | Stream B

Sustainable Futures: The Importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices

Edmund Bon

Partner, AmerBon

Lim Koon Huan

Partner, Skrine

Elias Moubarak

Head, Banking and Finance (Partner), Trowers and Hamlins (Malaysia)

The Honourable Tuan Kenneth St James

Judicial Commissioner, High Court of Malaya at Penang (OCVC 2)

Breakout Session 4 | Stream C

The Continued Evolution of Fintech and Insurtech in Malaysia: The Need to Regulate, Govern, and Manage the Industry in Malaysia

Jonathan Lim Hon Kiat

Partner, Zaid Ibrahim & Co

Lau Chin Ching

Director, Financial Development and Innovation, Bank Negara Malaysia

Ruslena Ramli

Director, Digital Finance and Islamic Digital Economy, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (“MDEC”)

Eddy Wong

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VSure Insurance

Darren Lai

Partner, Richard Wee Chambers

Plenary 6

Words that Wound: The Legal Dilemma of Regulating Hate Speech and Fake News in the Digital Age

Dr Venkat Iyer

Barrister; Former Law Commissioner for Northern Ireland; Editor, The Commonwealth Lawyer

Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2005–2007)

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 5 | Stream A

Shaping the Future of Syariah Legal Practice: Opportunities and Challenges under the Syarie Legal Profession (Federal
Territories) Act 2019

Musa b Awang

President, Malaysia Syariah Lawyers Association

Zainal Abidin b Shaik Zakaria

Co-Deputy Chairperson, Bar Council Syariah Law Committee

Majdah bt Muda

Advocate and Solicitor, Muda

Fahri Azzat

Co-Chairperson, Bar Council Syariah Law Committee

Breakout Session 5 | Stream B

Navigating Corporate Rescues

The Honourable Tuan Nadzarin bin Wok Nordin

Judge, High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur

Victor Saw Seng Kee

Deals Leader, PwC Malaysia

Andrew Chiew Ean Vooi

Partner, Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill

Ira Biswas

Partner, Chooi & Company

Breakout Session 5 | Stream C

Blockchain / Cryptocurrency and Its Interrelationship with the Legal Systems

Dato’ Seri Rajan Navaratnam

Consultant, Shahrizat Rashid & Lee

Dr Wong Wai Wai

Legal Researcher, Foong & Co; Law Lecturer

Jessica Chuah

Country Manager (Malaysia), Chainalysis

Deepak Pillai

Partner, Christopher & Lee Ong

Breakout Session 6 | Stream A

Effective Advocacy: Exploring the Future

The Honourable Dato’ Mary Lim Thiam Suan

Judge, Federal Court of Malaysia

The Honourable Datuk Vazeer Alam bin Mydin Meera

Judge, Court of Appeal, Malaysia

Raja Eileen Soraya

Chairperson, Bar Council Advocacy Training Committee

Alan Wong Teck Wei

Partner, Zain Megat & Murad

Foo Joon Liang

Partner, Gan Partnership

Laws for an Ageing Nation: Improved Laws and New Laws

Breakout Session 6 | Stream B

YB Tuan Ramkarpal Singh

Deputy Minister, Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Malaysia

Daniel Koh

Former Judge, Family Justice Court, Singapore

Dr Nurashikin Ibrahim

Head, National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health; Public Health Physician, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia

Assoc Prof Dr Prem Kumar Chandrasekaran

Consultant Neuropsychiatrist; Head of Neuro-Behavioural Medicine Services, Penang Adventist Hospital

Carolyn Oh Li Lin

Council Member, Bar Council

Breakout Session 6 | Stream C

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Implications and Opportunities for Courts

Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima David Wong Dak Wah

Former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak

Roger Chin Ken Fong

President, Sabah Law Society

Janet Toh Yoong San

Deputy Chairperson, Bar Council Technology, Cyber and Privacy Law Committee

Dato’ A J Surin

Partner, Adnan, Sundra & Low

Plenary 7

Malaysia as a Safe Arbitration Seat: Cultivating Trust, Efficiency, and Reliability in Dispute Resolution

Mohanadass Kanagasabai

Managing Partner, Mohanadass Partnership

Kamraj Nayagam

Partner, Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh

Crystal Wong Wai Chin

Partner, Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill

Heather Yee Jing Wah

Assistant Director, Asian International Arbitration Centre

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 7 | Stream A

Quo Vadis Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution: Charting the Course Locally and Globally

Ooi Huey Miin

President, Malaysia Institute of Arbitrators (“MIArb”)

K Shanti Mogan

Head, Arbitration & Mediation, Shearn Delamore & Co.

Ng Jern-Fei

King’s Counsel (England & Wales); Advocate, Duxton Hill Chambers (Singapore); Arbitrator, Temple Chambers (Hong Kong SAR)

Dato’ Varghese George

Former Judge, Court of Appeal, Malaysia

Breakout Session 7 | Stream B

Empowering Malaysia’s Migrant and Refugee Policies: A Call for Reset

Dato’ Sri M Ramachelvam

Co-Chairperson, Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee

Kendra Rinas

Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration

Thomas Albrecht

Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur

Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna

Deputy Chairperson, Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee

Breakout Session 7 | Stream C

Navigating Legal Currents: Understanding Recent Developments in Shipping and Admiralty Law and Their Relevance to General Commercial Practice

Professor Jason Chuah

Dean, Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya

Jeremy M Joseph

Partner, Joseph and Partners

Trishelea Ann Sandosam

Partner, Wong & Partners

Breakout Session 8 | Stream A

Exploring Contemporary Issues in Criminal Law: Perspectives and Insights

Latheefa Koya

Former Chief Commissioner, Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (“MACC”)

Dato’ Dr P Sundramoorthy

Associate Professor (Honorary) / Criminologist, Centre for Policy Research and International Studies (“CenPRIS”), Universiti Sains Malaysia

SAC S Shanmugamoorthy Chinniah

Chief Assistant Director, D4 Crime Investigation Department, Bukit Aman

Dato’ Rajpal Singh Mukhtiar Singh

Former Co-Chairperson, Bar Council Criminal Law Committee

Breakout Session 8 | Stream B

Contemporary Working Norms: Is Malaysia Ready?

The Honourable Tuan Anand Ponnudurai

Judge, High Court of Malaya at Penang (Civil)

Selvamalar Alagaratnam

Partner, Skrine

Mayank Francis Dias

Advocate, Michaael Dias & Associates, India

Janice Anne Leo

Partner, Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership

Breakout Session 8 | Stream C

NFTs in e-Commerce and The Metaverse / Digital Assets

Tracy Wong

Partner, Christopher & Lee Ong

Rajesh Sreenivasan

Head, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Rajah & Tann LLP, Singapore

Nick De Marco KC

Barrister, Blackstone Chambers, UK

Natalie Lim Yen Kuan

Partner, Skrine

Breakout Session 9 | Stream A

Publicity vs Advertisement: Challenges and Opportunities

Sarah Yong Li Hsien

Council Member, Bar Council

Benjamin Foo

Council Member, The Law Society of Singapore

Chen Kah Leng

Consultant, Skrine

Yusfarizal Yussoff

Co-Chairperson, IMLC 2023 Organising Committee

Breakout Session 9 | Stream B

Litigation Funding

The Honourable Tuan Su Tiang Joo

Judicial Commissioner, High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur (NCVC 3)

Victor Dawes SC

Chairman, Hong Kong Bar Association

Tom Glasgow

Managing Director / Chief Investment Officer (APAC); Portfolio Manager - Global International Arbitration, OMNI Bridgeway, Singapore

Rosli Dahlan

Partner, Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership

Shamala Devi Balasundaram

Partner, Chooi & Company

Breakout Session 9 | Stream C

Cybersecurity Today: Where We Stand and What Lies Ahead

Danny Wong

Vice President, Marsh Specialty & FINPRO, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia)

Foong Cheng Leong

Advocate and Solicitor, Foong Cheng Leong & Co

Joanie Ko

Partner, APAC Head of Cyber & Data Privacy, Kennedys, Hong Kong

Arati Varma

Head of Financial, Professional & Casualty, QBE Insurance Group, Singapore

Kenny Lai Choe Ken

Partner, Choong Meng Sze & Lai

Breakout Session 10 | Stream A

Is There a Glass Ceiling for Women in Practice?

Lubna Shuja

President, Law Society of England and Wales

Foo Yet Ngo

Past President, Association of Women Lawyers (2009–2011)

S Saravana Kumar

Partner, Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership

Sheena Gurbakhash

Past President, Association of Women Lawyers (2019–2021)

Breakout Session 10 | Stream B

Liability of a Law Practitioner: An Attempt to Identify and Balance between Privilege, Secrecy, and Compliance Under the AMLA Regime

Kamal Baharin b Omar

Deputy Director-General, National Anti-Financial Crime Centre

Dr Aspalella A Rahman

Associate Professor, School of Law, Universiti Utara Malaysia

S Suressh

Chairperson, Anti-Money Laundering Committee, The Law Society of Singapore

Babu Raj Raja Gopal

Deputy Chairperson, Bar Council Committee on AMLA

Breakout Session 10 | Stream C

Alternative Modes of Practice: Locum/Multidisciplinary

Jason Chan SC

Vice President, The Law Society of Singapore

Philip Koh Tong Ngee

Adjunct Professor, Universiti Malaya and Monash Malaysia; Senior Partner, Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh

Peter Godwin

Managing Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

Ravinder Singh Dhalliwal

Chairperson, Bar Council Personal Injury Claims and Awards Committee

Plenary 8

Challenges to Legal Education: Where Are We At?

Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi

Tunku Abdul Rahman Chair Holder, Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya

Prof Dato’ Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran

Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Qualifications Agency

Salim Bashir

Past President, Malaysian Bar (2020–2021)

Kashmirjit Kaur Harbans

Head, Postgraduate Department, Advance Tertiary College

Dr Rozilini Mary Fernandez-Chung

Associate Professor and Executive Director, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia

Closing Remarks

Desmond Ho Chee Cheong

Co-Chairperson, IMLC 2023 Organising Committee