Asia Pacific Legal Congress 2025 unites over 2,000 legal professionals to address future challenges
The Asia Pacific (APAC) Legal Congress 2025 convened over 2,000 legal professionals from across the region on 3-4 April at the One Farrer Hotel in Singapore, signalling a significant gathering for the in-house legal community. The event was hosted by the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA) and brought together a distinguished roster of speakers, institutional leaders, and regional association representatives to address contemporary challenges and opportunities in legal practice.
Indranee Rajah, minister at the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office and second minister for finance and national development, officiated as the guest of honour. In her keynote address, Rajah highlighted the congress’s pivotal role in equipping legal practitioners to navigate three major forces impacting the business and legal environments: geopolitical tensions, economic headwinds, and rapid technological disruption. She underlined Singapore’s strategic positioning and technological advancements as critical enablers for the legal profession, while exploring the evolving responsibilities of in-house counsel amid these shifts.
The programme featured insightful contributions from key figures such as Justice Chua Lee Ming, high court judge at the Supreme Court of Singapore; Deborah Im, chief legal officer at Coda; Gregory Tan, joint head of legal and regulatory at Temasek; Mayen Ekong, general counsel at Gurin Energy; and Faz Hussen, head of legal, compliance and government relations at McDonald’s Singapore. Their sessions provided attendees with expert analysis on emerging trends, regulatory developments, and the incorporation of innovation through legal design thinking.
Opening remarks were delivered by Stanley Park, SCCA board director and co-chairman of the APAC Legal Congress, along with Yi Wong, general counsel at Lum Chang, and SCCA co-presidents Renita Sophia Crasta and Daniel Choo. The agenda was carefully curated to promote agility and forward-leaning strategies in legal service delivery, emphasising adaptability within shifting regulatory frameworks and the imperative of embedding technological innovation within legal operations.
A significant highlight of the congress was the signing of collaborative memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between the SCCA and its regional counterparts—the Indonesian Corporate Counsel Association (ICCA), Japan In-House Lawyers Association (JILA), and Thai Corporate Counsel Association (THAI-CCA). These agreements mark a strategic step toward strengthening the collective capacity and professional networks across the Asia-Pacific in-house legal community. According to Bryan Yeo, SCCA executive director, “These agreements are more than symbolic. They reflect our shared commitment to strengthening the in-house counsel profession across the Asia-Pacific. We believe that cross-border collaboration and capacity building are essential to the future of legal practice in our region.”
The congress also welcomed representatives from the Malaysian Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), Legal Management Council of the Philippines (LMCP), and In-House Counsel Forum (IHCF). Stephen Rotstein, president of In-House Counsel Worldwide (ICW), was among the international attendees, helping to broaden the global perspective on legal practice challenges faced by in-house counsel.
Supporting the successful execution of the event were various sponsors, including platinum sponsor EY Forensic & Integrity Services; gold sponsors Axiom, ContractPodAi, Diligent, Kim & Chang, Lawyers on Demand, Thomson Reuters, and WongPartnership; silver sponsors LexisNexis and Rajah & Tann Asia; and bronze sponsors Allen & Gledhill, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, and Icertis.
Overall, the APAC Legal Congress 2025 served as a comprehensive platform for legal professionals across Asia-Pacific to exchange knowledge, deepen professional ties, and pursue collaborative strategies to advance the in-house counsel profession in an increasingly complex and dynamic landscape.