Since late 2016, Korea has had a bumpy ride. Protests erupted in the streets, the president was impeached on charges of corruption, and even the leader of the country’s most powerful conglomerate was arrested and put on trial. All this upheaval has led to a period of confusion and low business confidence in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. As the country went to the polls earlier this week to select a new leader, ALB Insights looked at the impact the election is expected to have.

We also trained our eyes on Hong Kong and looked at how important it remained to PRC firms even as the mainland’s economy continues to evolve. And finally, ALB Hot Startups spotlighted yet another promising legal-tech startup – Singapore’s FirstCOUNSEL.

This week’s newsletter featured the following:

  • Tuesday’s presidential election could break Korea’s losing streak
  • Even as China’s legal market evolves, Hong Kong remains crucial for PRC firms
  • ALB Hot Startups: FirstCOUNSEL

If you wish to subscribe to ALB Insights, please email Taranjit Kaur at taranjit.kaur@thomsonreuters.com or call her at +65 6870 3909 today.

 

Tuesday's presidential election a chance to break Korea’s losing streak

Korea has been hit by scandal after scandal since late 2016, tarnishing its reputation and bringing big business to a standstill. While this has affected legal work, lawyers tell John Kang that the presidential election held earlier in the week could revive business confidence

Even as China’s legal market evolves, Hong Kong remains crucial for PRC firms

Chinese law firms began opening offices in Hong Kong a decade ago. And while China’s legal market has changed dramatically since then, having a Hong Kong office is still important for the country’s firms, finds John Kang

ALB Hot Startups: FirstCOUNSEL

ALB Hot Startups is a weekly series that looks at the most promising new legal-tech companies in Asia. This week, we check out FirstCOUNSEL, a cloud platform that offers on-demand legal support to startups, entrepreneurs and SMEs in Singapore. By Raj Gunashekar

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