Message from ASEAN CEO

Renew, Refresh, Restart

2020 In Review

Many of us will be relieved to put 2020 firmly behind us – it was a year where we were forced to challenge ourselves and rise to the occasion in turbulent times. I am so proud and moved by the quiet indomitable spirit displayed by all - Team Dentons Rodyk.

The events of 2020 shaped our way forward, eg, transformation continues at an accelerated pace as we rely on technology even more today. In addition, we have also accelerated our plans in Workplace Transformation, where many of you had shared your feedback on what you hope to see in our future workplace.

Through the concerted efforts of our Business Continuity Committee, we ensured our firm operated as usual, by observing safe distancing guidelines while focusing on meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations.

While it was a challenging year, our firm has weathered this storm, emerged stronger and is energised with hope of the many new exciting opportunities ahead of us.

160 Years Strong

As we start 2021, we are reminded that Dentons Rodyk celebrates its 160th anniversary as the first and oldest law firm in Singapore. Dentons Rodyk stands on a strong foundation forged over decades by strong values and having triumphed through momentous historical events.

To celebrate the occasion of 160 Years Strong, we encourage you to join us for a virtual run that will happen 1 – 31 March 2021. Apart from commemorating our 160th anniversary, we are also taking the opportunity to raise funds for the Singapore Academy of Women Lawyers (SAWL) Scholarship Fund, which aims to further educational interest amongst those in need – both physical and mental disabilities. It will be a meaningful run as we will be doing our part to help those in need.

The Dentons Family

In April 2021, we will celebrate 5 years of being part of Dentons, the world’s largest and leading law firm.

Our goal has always been forward-looking with a global outlook and the desire to provide a comprehensive suite of legal services to clients with cross-border business needs. Due to Dentons’ extensive global footprint, our lawyers have had the opportunity to work on more cross border matters, interact with colleagues from other parts of the world and being able to connect our clients with other Dentons offices wherever their business takes them.

Being part of Dentons has also opened up secondment opportunities for our lawyers in London, Frankfurt, New York, Istanbul, and Yangon.

Dentons continues to evolve and we are excited by new initiatives coming our way. The new global Clients & Markets strategy is planned to launch this year emphasises deeper collaboration between practices to better address clients’ needs. This means gaining a deeper understanding of our clients’ businesses so that we can be relevant to them.

Looking Forward To 2021

According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore’s economy is forecast to grow 4 – 6 % in 2021, helped by continued expansion of trade and manufacturing and a gradual recovery in construction and aviation- and tourism-related sectors. Growth in the information and communications, and finance and insurance sectors is expected to remain healthy.

However, there is still some uncertainty over how the COVID-19 situation will evolve globally as this will depend in part on the progress in vaccine development, production and distribution.

We are cautiously optimistic for 2021. Last year in particular has taught us that in the face of disruption, we must be nimble and agile to grasp new opportunities. I am excited that our firm will be developing and deepening capabilities in Cybersecurity, Family Office / Variable Capital Company, Global Private Services, Investigations & White Collar Crime, Start-ups and Venture Capital, Tax and Trusts, Estates & Wealth Preservation. We are also planning for a new innovative practice group in the area of environment and sustainability.

Let’s Push On!

With each of your continued engagement and support, we look forward to 2021 in the New Dynamic Decade with momentum and confidence.

Gerald Singham
Global Vice Chair and ASEAN CEO

Welcome to the 1st issue of the Dentons Rodyk Reporter in 2021.

The Dentons Rodyk Reporter is a compendium of commentaries produced and published by Dentons Rodyk Academy on a weekly basis. You may download the PDF report to read the complete issue, or read the articles using the links below. The updates and articles on the latest developments in the law and industry practices are conveniently categorised in these specialist bulletins:

Business Bulletin

• The Curious Case of the Unending Sale: A Cautionary Tale to Errant Retailers
• Tangible importance of due diligence on intangible assets

Litigation Briefs

• Singapore codifies the legal test to determine the standard of care for the provision of medical advice
• Changes to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) disciplinary process 
• Lessons on business email impersonation scams from recent international arbitration win by Dentons Rodyk
• Sigh of Relief for the Construction Industry: New Temporary Measures to Tackle COVID-19 Disruptions

IP Edge

• 5 Further Things You Need to Know About the Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill 

Property Note

• Extension of the deadline to deliver vacant possession – the Nuts and Bolts of new Part 8C of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020

Regional

• Myanmar Companies Law Update: Waiver of residency requirement for resident directors in light of closure of ports of entry and exit amidst COVID-19

Showing 1 - 8 of Total Results (8)
	The Curious Case of the Unending Sale: A Cautionary Tale to Errant Retailers November 9, 2020 Singapore: Ever wondered about claims of “Closing Down Sale” and “Fire Sale” that never seem to come to an end? Are you aware of retail practices that are prohibited under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (Cap. 52A)? Are you also aware of the Guidelines on Price Transparency issued by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore that came into force on 1 November 2020? In this article, our Competition lawyers briefly highlight what retailers need to know in the light of this recent development.
	Extension of the deadline to deliver vacant possession – the Nuts and Bolts of new Part 8C of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 November 6, 2020 Singapore: On 3 November 2020, Parliament passed the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (Amendment No. 3) Bill, which among other things, inserts a new Part 8C to the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (the Act), relating to the developers’ deadline to deliver possession of units to purchasers and the liability for failure to comply with the said deadline.
	5 Further Things You Need to Know About the Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill November 4, 2020 Singapore: 5 Further Things You Need to Know About amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). In our last update, we highlighted five (5) amendments that were proposed to be made to the PDPA. Parliament has since passed the Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill (No. 37/2020) on 2 November 2020. We now tell you about five (5) additional amendments to the PDPA that would come into force soon.
	Tangible importance of due diligence on intangible assets October 29, 2020 Singapore: The Tangible Importance of Due Diligence on Intangible Assets. Why its crucial to conduct a comprehensive due diligence on assets such as trademarks, patents, brand ownership and user rights.
	Lessons on business email impersonation scams from recent international arbitration win by Dentons Rodyk October 27, 2020 Singapore: Business email impersonation scams are on the rise. According to a Singapore Police Force advisory, more than 100 reports of such scams were made in the first quarter of 2020 alone, with more than S$9.2 million lost. How do these scammers operate, and what can businesses do to protect themselves? We share a few key lessons from a recent international arbitration win by Dentons Rodyk.
	Myanmar Companies Law Update: Waiver of residency requirement for resident directors in light of closure of ports of entry and exit amidst COVID-19 October 23, 2020 Singapore: DICA has announced Notification No. 92/2020 to clarify that ordinarily resident directors, shall not be deemed to lose their status of being “ordinarily resident” if they have been out of the country during the period of the port closures amidst COVID-19.
	Changes to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) disciplinary process October 21, 2020 Singapore: This article focuses on the changes to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) disciplinary process for doctors by way of the amendments to the Medical Registration Act (Chapter 174) that were passed in Parliament on 6 October 2020. It also provides our preliminary views on whether the amendments are likely to achieve the intended objective of strengthening the disciplinary process through more effective enforcement of professional standards, quicker resolution of complaints and greater overall transparency.
	Singapore codifies the legal test to determine the standard of care for the provision of medical advice October 15, 2020 Singapore: Amendments were recently made by Parliament to the Civil Law Act (Chapter 43) (the Act) to introduce a new section 37 which sets out a codified legal test to determine whether a healthcare professional has met the standard of care for the provision of medical advice. The amendments to the Act were passed in Parliament on 6 October 2020, and section 37 will come into force on a date to be determined by the Minister.