Where will AI lead the legal profession to: Ethical and business challenges for lawyers?

Caroline Berube is the Managing Partner of HJM Asia Law (with offices in China and Singapore). She is admitted to the New York Bar, the Singapore Bar, holds a BCL (civil law) and an LL.B. (common law) from McGill University in Montreal and studied Chinese law at the National University of Singapore. Caroline has been working in Asia for more than 27 years with SMEs, MNCs and foreign banks, advising them in the field of commercial law, intellectual property, human resources and M&A in the Asia Pacific region. With an extensive presence on the ground in Asia for 27 years. Caroline is well versed in the opportunities and risks associated with most Asian jurisdictions.

Hin Han is a Hong Kong qualified lawyer and Solicitor Advocate practicing in the telecommunications, media and technology group at a international law firm. Hin Han Shum has experience in mergers and acquisitions, setting up company start-ups, and company restructuring. Keeping abreast of technological developments, she has given practical solutions to clients in relation to cybersecurity, data collection and data breach matters, and has advised clients on legal compliance relating to new technological tools contemplated by clients in their bid to build their businesses. Having served as a legal representative in various litigation proceedings and being an accredited general mediator, Hin Han is familiar with the common fundamental issues leading to disputes and often assists to curb risks of those at the onset during the contract preparation stage. She has been seconded to an international securities firm and an international telecommunications company, to assist their in-house legal teams with each company’s day-to-day operations and major legal transactions and cases. These experiences have allowed her to further develop a pragmatic commercial approach to solve issues that arise in business operations. Hin Han also has experience with handling a range of criminal cases, including white collar criminal cases, both as a legal representative to defendants and to clients in reporting cases to authorities. She is also on the panel as a prosecutor on fiat for the Department of Justice. Hin Han is currently an Officer of the International Bar Association (IBA) Membership Officer of the IBA Young Lawyer’s Committee. She was formerly the Young Lawyer Liaison Office of the IBA Professional Ethics Committee and IBA Online Services Committee, and Anti-Corruption Committee. She is a Chairman of the Appeals Tribunal (Buildings) and she also serves as a member on the Standing Committee on External Affairs, Anti-Money Laundering Committee, Arbitration Committee and Mediation Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong. She publishes widely on topics including data privacy, technology related issues, anti-money laundering rules, and labour and discrimination matters. She has also authored data privacy practical guidance content for LexisNexis, and has contributed to the Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong, and to the Butterworths Hong Kong Partnership Handbook. She has been a speaker at international conferences and risk management tutor on topics such as data privacy and blockchain, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity risks. She also serves as a member on the Standing Committee on External Affairs, Anti-Money Laundering Committee, Arbitration Committee, and Mediation Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong.

Sönke Lund is partner at the Corporate / M&A, IP and TMT practice areas and leads the German Desk of ECIJA in Barcelona, with more than 20 years of experience advising companies from the national and the international market. He is Rechtsanwalt (German lawyer), graduated in Hamburg and member of the Hamburg Bar Organisation and as Abogado (Spanish lawyer) member of the Barcelona Bar Organisation. His expertise in International Business Law lies in the advice and defence of litigation cases related to the protection of tangible and intangible assets, as well as in general contract and commercial law, including product regulatory compliance and liability issues related to food and non-food products. Sönke Lund advises mainly international corporations (suppliers, manufacturers, distributers, retailers and internet platforms) in highly regulated industries, from life sciences to consumer products. Sönke has been recommended by Chambers and Partners as foreign expert on Intellectual Property in Spain and Germany, and by Who’s Who Legal as prominent expert lawyer in franchise law, amongst others.

Steven M. Richman holds a law degree from New York University School of Law and is a member of Clark Hill PLC, based in Princeton and New York, with a national and international litigation across broad areas of commercial and business practice, as well as arbitration and appellate practice. He is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California. Book publications include the Photography Law Handbook, and has written and spoken extensively in the areas of international law, business and human rights, contracts, litigation and arbitration, and professional responsibility. He is a past chair of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section, serves in the ABA House of Delegates, and is the ABA Representative to the United Nations. He is the Chair of the International Bar Association’s Bar Issues Commission and chairs the Business and Human Rights Commission of the UIA (International Association of Lawyers). He also serves on the New York City Bar Association Business and Human Rights Committee and its international council. He has extensive cross border dispute resolution experience in both litigation and arbitration. He serves as a neutral on the American Arbitration Association consumer panel, and is on the mediation list for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is also on the Lawyers Advisory Committee for the federal court in New Jersey. He has served as an American Bar Association advisor to the Uniform Law Commission on asset freezing orders as well as on the Hague Judgments Convention, Singapore Mediation Convention, and the Choice of Courts Agreements Convention. He has spoken and written extensively on cross border ethics, arbitration, enforcement of judgments and interim relief issues. Publications in the area of business and human rights include Ethical Issues for Business Lawyers Under the United Nations Guiding Principles, 51 Int'l Law. 423 (2018) and the chapter titled Lawyers’ Ethical Obligations and Human Rights Due Diligence in the book A Guide to Human Rights Due Diligence for Lawyers (ABA 2023). He is the ABA Representative to the Uniform Law Commission Supply Chain Transparency Study Committee, and past member of ABA Center for Human Rights Advisory Council, and a special advisor to the ABA Rule of Law Initiative board. He is a recipient of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section Leonard J. Theberge Award for Private International Law (2022) as well as the Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2023). Contract information: Steven M. Richman Clark Hill PLC Suite 102 210 Carnegie Center Princeton, NJ 08540 609.785.2911 srichman@clarkhill.com

Richik Sarkar Partner | Advocate • Strategist • Leader Richik is a courtroom advocate, boardroom strategist, and collaborative leader with more than 20 years of experience representing directors, executives, and management teams of middle-market and Fortune 1000 companies. He directs high-stakes commercial, consumer, and cybersecurity litigation across the country, counsels boards and executives on governance and data privacy, and serves as outside general counsel to entrepreneurs and growth enterprises. Richik advises clients in media, technology, utilities, real estate, finance, retail, and other consumer-facing industries on risk and crisis management. His practice includes resolving disputes under the FTC Act, the TCPA, the ADA, trade practices statutes, UDAP laws, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and shareholder and class action claims. Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, Ohio Super Lawyers®, Lawyers of Color’s “Nation’s Best,” and Crain’s Notable Litigators & Trial Attorneys (2025), Richik combines litigation skill with strategic vision. He has achieved a 67% success rate on motions to dismiss and a 60% success rate on summary judgment. In short, Richik leverages his experience and network to deliver bespoke commercial judgment, legal intelligence, and strategic solutions that safeguard client interests and create lasting business value.