Welcome address & Opening Plenary Session: THE FUTURE OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION: REUNITE AND EMBRACE THE CHANGE

ACADEMIC PROGRAMME

Welcome Address & Opening Plenary Session:
THE FUTURE OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION: REUNITE AND EMBRACE THE CHANGE

Organised by the Academic Coordinators & Human Rights Committee.

Date & Time

Location

Tuesday, 23 August

10:00 – 11:15 SGT

Melati Main Ballroom 4001AB-2 + 4101AB-2 – Level 4/Sands Convention Centre

Description

In a few short years, the legal industry has been upended by tectonic shifts that have forever altered the ways we meet and work. Our profession has thus far met these challenges by reexamining—and reimagining—how we serve our stakeholders well after the initial aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our transition to this “new normal” is inevitable. Those who fail to embrace the change are doomed to fall behind. Join us as we open the Academic Programme of AIJA’s 60^th Annual Congress with three dynamic speakers, each with their own approach and insights into the future of our profession.

Our first keynote speaker is Dan Jasnow from ArentFox Schiff in New York, where he advises clients on advertising, product development and distribution, and IP matters. Mr. Jasnow will share his insights on the early legal issues arising from the Metaverse, gleaned from his time as in-house marketing counsel at Meta Reality Labs, the premier VR and AR developer. You will learn how classical legal concepts like jurisdiction and intellectual property intersect with the Metaverse’s uncharted potential of persistent online spaces, as well as why the Metaverse will be important for all lawyers.

Our second keynote speaker is Aurélia Devos, who serves as the 1st Deputy Vice-President of the 5th Correctional Chamber, Lille Court of Justice. Before her current position, Magistrate Devos worked for ten years as the Head of the Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and Offenses Unit in the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office and PNAT. Her insights on “Evidence Gathering in International Crimes” will highlight how lawyers like us can apply modern tools to seek justice and protect fundamental values.

Our third keynote speaker is Veronica Lai is Chief Corporate and Sustainability Officer at StarHub, one of Singapore’s leading telecommunications and media companies. Ms. Lai’s storied career at StarHub includes her long tenure as General Counsel and Company Secretary, her four years as Chief Corporate Officer, and as interim CEO for 6 months during the search for StarHub’s new CEO. Ms. Lai will share how her experience on the cutting edge of Singapore’s digital services industry has shaped her views on the future of the legal profession in Southeast Asia.

On behalf of the Academic Coordinators, welcome to the future.

Speakers & Moderators

Aurelia Devos

French Department of Justice, France

Bio

Aurelia Devos has been a judge (French magistrat) for 20 years. She first was appointed prosecutor in charge of juvenile cases in 2004. In 2007, she was put in charge of international criminal assistance in terrorism matters and with African countries within the Ministry of Justice. Legal advisor to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2009 and 2010, she joined the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office to establish and be the first Prosecutor in charge of the section in charge of prosecuting crimes against Humanity and war crimes (from 10 years between 2010 and 2020). Ms. Devos then was appointed Senior Prosecutor for the Residual Mechanism for international tribunals, based in Kigali (Rwanda). Since September 2021, she is a judge, President of a correctional chamber in France. Former member of the panel of experts for the appointment of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, she has been pursuing her research and teaching activities in the field of international crimes for the past 15 years.

Dan Jasnow

ArentFox Schiff, USA

Bio

Dan advises clients with highly regulated, technically-advanced products, including on brand launches, intellectual property, and marketing.

Dan’s practice focuses on advertising, product development and distribution, and intellectual property in the technology, fashion & retail, alcohol & beverage, environmental, and consumer products industries. He helps clients understand and mitigate risk as they develop and launch new products and services, expand into new markets, and engage with consumers in-store and online.

In addition to Dan’s IP and advertising practice, Dan has been at the forefront of the metaverse, NFT, and crypto space, drawing on his experience as in-house marketing counsel at Meta Reality Labs (formerly Oculus), where he advised on next generation consumer electronics and AR/VR software products. Dan helps brands and creators understand how to do business in the metaverse, including advice on negotiating NFT minting and service agreements, monetisation strategies, and IP protection and enforcement. Dan also helped ArentFox Schiff become the first major law firm to buy land in the metaverse.

Veronica Lai

Starhub, Singapore

Bio

Veronica is responsible for StarHub’s Legal, Corporate Secretariat, Regulatory, Corporate Communications and Sustainability functions.

With over two decades of experience in the into-communications industry. Veronica was the Groups General Counsel and Compar Secretary prior to her current role. Before Joining StarHub, she practised law at Rajah and Tann Singapore LLP.

Veronica serves as the Honorary Treasurer of the Global Compact Network Singapore’s Management Committee and is appointed as a specialist mediator by the Singapore International Mediation Centre. She was conferred the Chief Legal Officer 2020 Award by the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association, and is listed in Legal 500’s GC Powerlist. She also received the Asian Company Secretary 2013 Award for Singapore by Corporate Governance Asia. Veronica holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMME