In-House Lawyers Committee – 2020 in Review

January 2021

Owing to the outbreak of COVID-19, the In-House Lawyers Committee (“IHLC”) had for the first time turned its activities online. Six webinars were held in Q4 2020 attracting a total of around 350 members comprising mainly in-house lawyers from a variety of backgrounds.

Sweat & Glory series

On 4 November 2020, speakers with profound experience serving different industry associations and organisations in the healthcare sector were invited to share knowledge on managing legal issues without resorting to litigation, and highlighting the typical legal work handled by in-house legal team of hospitals or healthcare organisations on the topic “Legal Issues in the Healthcare Industry for In-House Lawyers: Diagnosis and Management Using MAD (Mediation, Apologies & Disciplinary proceedings). Around 50 participants joined the webinar. The panel consisted of Dr James Chiu, Member of the Regulatory Framework & Accreditation Subcommittee of the Steering Committee on Mediation, Department of Justice, Past President Huen Wong, Chairman of the Board of Governors, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, and Former Board Member, Hospital Authority, and IHLC member Ms Rendy Ng who moderated the session.

Collaboration with other professional bodies

A webinar titled “Notaries Public in Hong Kong” was jointly arranged by IHLC and the Hong Kong Society of Notaries (“HKSN”) on 26 November 2020. Speaker Mr Andrew Hart, Council Member of HKSN, provided an overview of notaries public, including common notarisation services and regulations, followed by tips on how to work with notaries public efficiently and the guide to get appointed as notaries public. Around 70 participants including in-house lawyers who work closely with notaries public and are interested in becoming one of them were given the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the profession from its governing body.

In-House Lawyers Training Programme
(in collaboration with law firms) (the “Programme”)

A total of four webinars under the Programme, which aims at offering courses of different topics that are pertinent to the legal practice of in-house lawyers, were held last year. The webinars were attended by around 250 participants in total.

Date	Topic	Host Panelist	Content
4 October 2020	Cybersecurity / Data Privacy Issues Arising from Work From Home Arrangement: Managing confidential information, electronic signatures and more	ELLALAN Mr Alan CHIU, Managing Partner Mr Charles TO, Partner	Speakers advised members how to maintain safe possession of proprietary data and confidential information while working remotely, and shared practical tips on using the popular video conferencing software Zoom. They also introduced iAM Smart, an identity authentication tool launched by the government, followed by rules and regulations in conducting online transaction and applying electronic signatures.
23 October 2020	Opportunities of Legal Outsourcing	L & Y Law Office Mr Henry YU, Resident partner of Henry Yu & Associates, in association with L & Y Law Office Mr Sebastian KO, Founder, A.I. Vermont	Speakers provided an introduction to legal process outsourcing (“LPO”) and identified the key differences between the business models of conventional law firms and LPO providers. The webinar also looked into countries where LPO is a growing business and discussed its prospects in Hong Kong and China markets where legal outsourcing is not as popular.
9 December 2020	Practical Competition Law	Pinsent Masons Mr Paul HASWELL, Partner Mr Mohammed TALIB, Senior Associate	Speakers introduced the Competition Ordinance, covering the First Conduct Rule, the Second Conduct Rule as well as the role of the Competition Commission and the Competition Tribunal. They also went through the existing cartel cases and the decisions of the Competition Tribunal in the last few years to identify the key lessons for businesses.
10 December 2020	COVID-19: The Biggest Industry Disruptor and its Legal Ramifications on Employment Law in 2020	Lewis Silkin Ms Kathryn WEAVER, Partner and Head of Hong Kong Office Ms Catherine LEUNG, Partner	Speakers examined various employment issues in the light of COVID-19 such as medical leave and return to work considerations, supervision under remote working, company restructuring and the changing terms and conditions, highlighting the obligations on employers and rights of employees as set out in relevant laws in Hong Kong.