JLPW NEEDLAWYER BLOG

Joint ventures are value-creating transactions that depend on mutual dependencies to generate value. Conflicts of interest over how to share that value are managed and mitigated through governance mechanisms outlined in transaction documents. The legal dynamics of these transactions follow a clear pattern: the deeper the mutual dependencies, the less conflict arises, and the greater… Continue reading EXTENDING THE LONGEVITY OF BUSINESS JOINT VENTURES

Trump's mercurial tariff policies—broad, sudden, and frequently shifting—punished global trade in 2025 through massive duties imposed via the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). These included 10–25%+ levies on imports from China, Mexico, Canada, and many others, justified by claims of drug crises, trade deficits, or national security. The approach created chaos: exemptions appeared and… Continue reading DYNAMIC PRAGMATISM IN THE AGE OF FLUID TRADE WARS: A JEET KUNE DO RESPONSE TO MERCURIAL TARIFFS

On August 31, 2025, as I hiked through the Yungang Grottoes in Datong—just two high-speed train hours from Beijing—news of Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to China surged through global social media and filled my consciousness. Surrounded by the towering, serene figures of benevolent bodhisattvas carved into ancient rock, I felt time collapse—past, present, and… Continue reading PRIME MINISTER MODI’S EASTWARD JOURNEY

As Co-Chair of the LAWASIA Belt and Road Initiative Committee, our Senior Partner Jeff Leong, delivered a welcome speech at the 2025 LAWASIA Belt and Road Initiative & Employment Law Conference in Jakarta on August 11. The Indonesian Bar Association (PERADI) hosted the event. In his address, Jeff Leong highlighted globalization’s success in Asia and… Continue reading BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE AND THE INTERNATIONAL MULTILATERAL RULES BASED ORDER

These are some thoughts over the new year break on the impact of involutionary competition (内卷竞争) on Chinese law firms and potential solutions, drawing upon my experience as a law firm founder, crossborder lawyer and foreign related legal educator over some 30 years. It is eerily similar to the challenges facing Malaysian law firms today.… Continue reading Strategic Thoughts For 2025: The Red Queen Effect in Chinese Law Firms and Possible Solutions