TECHLAW.FEST 2021 FOCUSES ON LEGAL RESPONSE TO CYBERSECURITY THREATS

Discussion comes as rapid adoption of technology raises risk of cyberattacks.

SINGAPORE, 03 AUGUST 2021 – The past five years have seen the rapid adoption of technology across all sectors. While this has been a boon for productivity, it has also brought to light the risk of cybersecurity threats like ransomware, which paralyse entire systems and operations. Reports suggest that victims of these attacks paid up to US$18 billion in ransom in 2020 alone[1].

The legal and regulatory responses to these cybersecurity threats will be among the topics that will be discussed at TechLaw.Fest 2021, a conference organised by the Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”), Singapore’s Ministry of Law, and MP International. To be held over three days from 22 to 24 September 2021, the event will attract global legal, tech, and regulatory communities, who will together discuss emerging issues around the law of technology. Other topics to be discussed include intellectual property matters surrounding alternative assets like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the effect of the shift away from third-party cookies.

2021 marks the second time the event will be predominantly online, offering increased accessibility to global participants. This has encouraged record attendance at TechLaw.Fest, which saw its biggest show of support last year, with over 6,000 registered attendees from more than 100 countries. The entire experience, which includes limited in-person networking sessions in Singapore[2], will once again be free.

Thousands of top legal, tech, and government leaders will be engaging in conversations on trends, challenges, and opportunities across four key areas: legal operations, the technology of law, the law of technology, and access to justice. Speakers set to ignite the TechLaw.Fest 2021 stage includes Mr. Edwin Tong SC, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law, who will speak at the opening panel of TechLaw.Fest 2021, discussing how governments can lead legal industry transformation. Other speakers include Mr. Edward Hartman, Partner at Simon-Kucher and Partners; Mr. John Knox, Partner, and Global and APAC Legal Managed Services Leader at Ernst & Young Solutions LLP; and Ms. Loretta Yuen, General Counsel and Head of Group Legal and Regulatory Compliance at OCBC Bank. The full speaker line-up will be announced in the coming weeks at www.techlawfest.com.

Said Mr. Rama Tiwari, Chief Executive of SAL, “The acceleration of technology adoption during the pandemic carries with it different risks. TechLaw.Fest continues to be the forum to keep up with new technology and the legal risks they pose. It is also a forum to allow lawyers to access legal technology developments to improve their existing processes and operations.  We look forward to hearing from thought leaders and changemakers at the fourth edition of TechLaw.Fest.”

For more information on TechLaw.Fest and to register, visit www.techlawfest.com. Media passes are available on request.

About TechLaw.Fest

TechLaw.Fest is a signature Law & Technology event hosted annually in Singapore. TechLaw.Fest brings together the international community to debate, deliberate, act and innovate in both the law of technology (policies, regulations, legislation, case law and governance) and the technology of law (infrastructure, business transformation and people development). It is co-organised by the Singapore Academy of Law, Singapore’s Ministry of Law and MP Singapore. More information can be found at www.techlawfest.com.

About the Singapore Academy of Law

The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL)’s vision is to make Singapore the legal hub of Asia. SAL works with our stakeholders to set new precedents of excellence in Singapore law through developing thought leadership, world-class infrastructure and legal solutions. More information can be found at www.sal.org.sg.

About MP Singapore

Trusted since 1987, MPI embodies more than a quarter century of event building, marketing and management experience in both Eastern and Western cultures, practices, and business philosophies. We bring world-class talent, industry expertise, and incredible enthusiasm into the design and management of extraordinary online-to-offline experiences for your organisation. MPI is part of Pico Group, a global group of agencies specialising in engaging people, creating experiences and activating brands for businesses, institutions, and governments. As part of the Pico group, MPI has unlimited access to a wide network of industry contacts and resources. Pico Far East Holdings has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1992. For more information, visit www.mpinetwork.com.

About Ministry of Law, Singapore

The Ministry of Law is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for ensuring that Singapore’s legal infrastructure is clear, efficacious and transparent. It is currently led by Minister for Law K Shanmugam. The Ministry of Law formulates and reviews legal, intellectual property, land, insolvency, public trustee, moneylending, pawnbroking, legal aid and community mediation policies, as well as legislation and strategies under MinLaw’s purview; provides legal and policy input for other Ministries’ proposed Bills and programmes; develops the legal services, alternative dispute resolution and intellectual property sectors; and regulates and licenses all law practice entities and registers foreign-qualified lawyers in Singapore, amongst other its other functions. More information can be found on www.mlaw.gov.sg.

[1] According to New Zealand-based security firm Emsisoft

[2] Subject to prevailing COVID-19 regulations