The founders of The Malaysian Lawyer will be participating in a fireside chat on 9 May at MaGIC: Bridge The Gap: An Introductory Discussion to Building Bridges between Startups and the Law.
How to register your Intellectual Property for FREE!
This is the first guest post (which should be the first of many!) by IP legal expert Esther Wee.
Good news! To all those out there who are looking for funding specifically to apply for Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), your prayers and wishes have just come true!
As part of their ongoing efforts to increase IP awareness and registration in Malaysia, the Intellectual Property Corporation Malaysia (MyIPO) has recently set aside some funds to help and encourage the public to register their IPRs. For successful applicants, MyIPO will cover the set of official fees for the registration and as for patents, MyIPO will even cover the fees of the appointed patent agent.
Submissions open for the TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono 2016
Submissions are open for the 3rd edition of the TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono, the world’s leading global pro bono survey.
With the rapid spread of pro bono beyond traditional strongholds such as the US, Australia, South Africa and the UK, there is growing demand for an international platform that maps trends in pro bono and tracks the level of pro bono engagement across the globe.
Appearance on Bloomberg TV: Suits meets The Newsroom
Bloomberg Malaysia came across my earlier TML post on the Companies Bill and invited me on their show to have a short chat. I was a bit nervous leading up to it, with it being my first TV interview. But I am glad I got to share my views on the new Bill.
I spoke about how the new laws would transform the corporate landscape, spur entrepreneurship and also strengthen corporate governance.
That whole experience felt a bit like Suits meets The Newsroom. A lawyer getting a small glimpse into the inner workings of a news studio.
Bloomberg has also uploaded the clip on their YouTube channel and you can view it below.
The Malaysian Lawyer Wins at ALB Malaysia Awards – Malaysia’s Legal Oscars
On 7 April 2016, The Malaysian Lawyers, Marcus van Geyzel and Lee Shih, attended the Asian Legal Business Malaysia Law Awards 2017 held at Intercontinental Hotel. In its third year, these awards are the equivalent of the Oscars for the Malaysian legal sector, giving recognition to the work done by the lawyers from private practice and as in-house lawyers.
Marcus clinched the Rising Law Firm of the Year on behalf of Peter Ling van Geyzel, a prize awarded to a firm established between 2012 to 2014. Lee Shih’s firm, Skrine, also walked away with 5 awards including the Arbitration Law Firm of the Year and Aviation Law Firm of the Year.
Malaysia’s Companies Bill Passed: The 7 Upcoming Changes
Parliament passed the Companies Bill 2015 this evening. It was first tabled for Second Reading on Thursday 31 March 2016 and Parliament continued and concluded its debate on 4 April 2016.
[update: The Bill has received Royal Assent on 31 August 2016 and has been gazetted on 15 September 2016 as the Companies Act 2016. I have written briefly about this in my latest post.]
Upcoming Changes
I had previously written on some of the upcoming changes, especially on the challenges that directors may face and I was also featured on The Edge TV.
The new Companies Act will undoubtedly transform Malaysia’s corporate landscape. Underpinning the changes are the aims of spurring entrepreneurship, making the corporate vehicle more attractive for businesses, deregulating certain aspects of the corporate process, and to introduce the concept of corporate rescue for ailing companies.
It is anticipated that the new Companies Act itself will not be brought into force until a year’s time or so. This is because the new regulations, rules and guidelines will still need to be drawn up.
I set out below 7 of the more significant areas we will see in the new Companies Act. Continue reading