Our firm’s local talent, who make up our strong network,has these necessary skills as well as the hard legal skills to provide high quality, value-added legal services in a competitive market.

2. How important is the relationship between Thailand and Singapore in terms of business and trade?

The ties are very important.Thailand is the second largest ASEAN economy and Singapore is the most developed ASEAN nation. Business and trade between the two economies is only expected to grow over the next decade. Furthermore, Thailand serves as a gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion, a region of 300 million people. This fact explains the linkage between Thai-Singaporean business and trade. Just as Thailand is strategically situated at the intersection between the various economic corridors of the GMS, LS Horizon’s core business in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia puts our firm in the center of that growth. We feel pretty good about our position in the coming years.

3. What challenges do clients face when doing business in Thailand? What solutions is LS Horizon able to deliver to these clients?

The major challenge for doing business in Thailand is navigating the often complex investment regime which can be confusing without the assistance of local counsel.For instance, certain investments may invoke overlapping jurisdiction by a number of government authorities, thereby requiring the investor to initiate the investment process with one regulatory authority but petition another for the operating license.Additionally, the list of investment activities that are on the negative (i.e., prohibited), restricted or promoted list may contain additional exemptions, carve outs, or restrictions within a particular investment activity. Without the guidance of local counsel the investor may miss out on the benefits and incentives by merely restructuring their investment. Our firm regularly advises multi-national clients on a full range of options available to them when investing in Thailand or elsewhere.

Another challenge of doing business in Thailand is the investor’s occasional need to challenge unlawful regulations or administrative decisions. Our administrative law practice is robust and innovative, and we have represented clients in landmark cases in challenging numerous administrative actions. These are some of the solutions we offer our clients.

4. What message do you have for our readers across ASEAN regarding LS Horizon’s plans for 2018 and the firm’s commitment to delivering international quality legal services?

There is no better time to invest in ASEAN than now. This year we marked a milestone – the 20^th anniversary of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis that crippled many of the Asian economies. Since the Asian Financial Crisis ASEAN economies have grown stronger and more resilient.As cross-border investments have increased our firm has considered expanding to areas where our clients see opportunities and growth. For 2018, LS Horizon is considering expanding to Vietnam due to our client interest. As we decide to expand to other jurisdictions we are careful to ensure to maintain the highest standard of legal services. We do this by our commitment to developing local talent, investing in our lawyers, and strengthening our network of specialists. We believe this level of commitment ensures that we can continue to deliver international quality legal services.

AIT comprises the School of Engineering and Technology, the School of Environment, Resources and Development and the School of Management.

‘We recently transformed our School of Management to meet the modern business education needs of Asia’, says AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai.

Offering MBA, Masters and Doctoral programs, AIT’s School of Management enables students to study on a full-time or part-time basis during the day, evening or weekend.

“Our duty is to have an impact on developing new leaders in Asia”

‘Our focus as a global business school is to have an impact on developing new leaders in Asia and delivering a high quality, and internationally-focused education platform,’ says Prof. Lawrence S Abeln, Dean of AIT’s School of Management.

‘Thailand is in a great position geographically to be a bridge between India and China. The country is also open to international visitors, has a relatively low-cost of living and offers cultural, ethnic and religious diversity. These factors create opportunities for institutions such as AIT and support our commitment to developing a diversity of leaders and delivering education solutions to the world’.

With a new central Bangkok campus location, AIT’s School of Management is well-positioned for the future.

‘We believe an international business school should be in the heart of a city and close to commerce activity’, says Prof. Abeln. ‘Employees demand different skills today and students require both theory and application in order to take the next step in their careers as international business leaders. Our new campus in the ‘Sukhumvit Business District’ at Asoke, Bangkok will offer students access to leading companies in the heart of Thailand’s dynamic economic capital’.

somadmissions@ait.asia
www.ait.ac.th
www.aitmba.com
www.som.ait.ac.th

We are among each other’s top ten trading partners. Singapore is one of the top four investors in Thailand and these investments are in many sectors’.

ASEAN

‘Next year sees Singapore take on the ASEAN Chairmanship with the theme – ‘Innovation and Resilience’. With the 2019 Chairmanship being held by Thailand, we will undoubtedly be working very closely together to continue the good work ASEAN is delivering across the region’.

Culture

‘This year, the fourth Singapore Film Festival was held in Thailand to showcase Singapore’s growing film industry. Singaporean Director Kirsten Tan showed her award winning film ‘Pop Aye’ and we look forward to more cultural exchanges in the future. We want to encourage Singaporeans and Thai people to continue building on the good relationship they share and work more closely together in the future’.

www.mfa.gov.sg/bangkok