VietNamNet Bridge – Switzerland-based healthcare group Novartis cooperated with law firms Baker & Mckenzie and Tillike & Gibbins, the Judicial Academy and the Vietnam International Business Lawyers Club to organize the first-ever training event for Vietnamese lawyers entitled "Next Generation Legal" in HCM City last week.

Fostering connections within the regional legal community

According to Novartis' representatives, the event's target audience was the legal community in the region, including local and international law firms and in-house legal teams. It was aspired to provide lawyers with impactful and valuable training through educational legal sessions in relation to the pharmaceutical industry and life sciences. This was also a value opportunity for lawyers to share knowledge and experience on how to achieve professional excellence.

“Novartis aims to develop the next generation of legal experts by stimulating dialogue and learning on important business and legal topics among lawyers,” said Mr. John Kuckelman, Novartis APMA Legal Manager and Senior Counsel for the Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. “We hope to live up to the company's philosophy of giving back to society while achieving key priorities of all partners. This event is part of the mission,” he said.

With the participation of more than 100 Vietnamese lawyers, the program focused on various topics such as: Doing business in Vietnam; how Novartis is Reimagining Medicine, Intellectual Property Enforcement, Competition Law trends; GC perspectives on what in-house lawyers need from external counsel; risk identification and management; dispute resolution; going big on data and digital; and building a successful legal practice in Vietnam.

The event will be capped by a networking session to allow the lawyers to share knowledge and experience. The training agenda has been evaluated and endorsed by the Judicial Academy of the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice. After the event, aside from obtaining valuable and practical knowledge, lawyers attending the event will receive certificates citing professional training on continuing legal education (CLE) issued by the Judicial Academy.

Joining hands to handle challenges

Novartis co-organized the event in partnership with prestigious local and international law firms. One of them is the Vietnam Business Lawyer Club. Established in 2015, the Vietnam Business Lawyers Club (VBLC) has over 100 members who are experts in commercial law and international trade.

The event also had the support of the Judicial Academy in terms of co-organizing and issuing certificates to lawyers attending.

Tilleke & Gibbins is a leading regional law firm in Southeast Asia, with 150 lawyers and consultants in Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, and Yangon.

Baker McKenzie is the largest law firm in the United States and the second-largest international law firm in the world with 13,000 employees in 78 offices across 46 countries.

Upon the existing legal-related challenges in the domestic economy, relevant stakeholders joined hands to address the issues and call for the support from lawyers as well as everyone to find solutions.

"We hope that this event will help create a platform to support young lawyers, as well as contribute to building a stable business environment in the future. As a pharmaceutical and healthcare corporation, we always look for the most effective ways to contribute back to the community which we are working in. This time, we had chosen Legal to implement," said Mr. Roeland Roelofs, Director of Novartis Vietnam.

Through this event, Novartis aims to encourage external focus, curiosity and smart risk-taking among lawyers. As a true enterprise connector, Novartis is committed to foster meaningful connections for local and regional lawyers, support the legal profession in Vietnam and strengthen the rule of law.

PV