Following a successful annual conference in Hanoi last October, LAWASIA and the Korean Bar Association are hosting the 39th LAWASIA Conference 2026 in Seoul from Monday, 14 September to Wednesday, 16 September 2026. The Conference concludes today, and Hugill & Ip is pleased to be participating in this important gathering.
Under the theme “Global New Order – Challenges and Perspectives”, the Conference provides a forum for bar leaders, jurists, professional organisations and lawyers to exchange views on the changing legal landscape and the challenges confronting the global profession. Its programme spans family law, human rights and the rule of law, business law, environmental law, alternative dispute resolution, criminal law and intellectual property, reflecting the breadth of issues now shaping legal practice across the region.
Set in a city where innovation and tradition meet, the Conference offers a timely opportunity to consider how lawyers can respond to rapid technological change, increasingly international client needs and a more complex regulatory environment. For Hugill & Ip, it is also an opportunity to contribute Hong Kong perspectives to discussions of practical importance to clients and practitioners across Asia and beyond.
Kajal Aswani: 21st Century Family Law Issues and Challenges Including AI and Digital Assets
Kajal Aswani participated in the panel “21st Century Family Law Issues and Challenges including AI and Digital Assets.” The discussion examined how family law is adapting to new technologies, new forms of wealth and the increasingly digital nature of modern relationships and financial affairs.
In Hong Kong, family disputes can now involve extensive electronic communications, online activity and digital records alongside more familiar questions of property, income and financial resources. Artificial intelligence has the potential to assist lawyers with document review, the organisation of complex material, chronologies, translation and the analysis of financial or communication records. Used appropriately, these tools can improve efficiency and help practitioners manage large volumes of information. They do not, however, replace professional judgment, careful verification or the court’s assessment of credibility and context.
The risks posed by manipulated digital material also form an important part of the discussion. AI-generated or altered images, messages, audio and video can be difficult to detect and may compromise the reliability of evidence in contentious family proceedings. Lawyers and clients must therefore approach electronic evidence with appropriate care, particularly where the authenticity, source or completeness of material is in question.
The panel also considers the broadening of the matrimonial asset pool to include cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets. These holdings can raise practical issues around identification, tracing, valuation and disclosure, especially where assets are held across exchanges, wallets or complex investment structures. The fundamental obligation of full and frank disclosure remains unchanged, but its application requires a more informed and forensic approach. Relevant evidence may include clear account identifiers, transaction records, dated wallet information and a cogent basis for valuation.
For clients, early planning is critical. Digital assets should be considered in wealth and family planning, including, where appropriate, pre- and post-nuptial arrangements. In contested matters, timely specialist advice, targeted disclosure and, where necessary, digital-forensic assistance can be essential to protecting a client’s position. Kajal’s participation brings a Hong Kong perspective to a discussion that is becoming central to the future of family law.
Polly Chu: Navigating Regulatory Fragmentation in Cross-Border Real Estate Transactions
Polly Chu participated in a separate panel addressing “Navigating Regulatory Fragmentation in Cross-Border Real Estate Transactions: Risk, Resilience and Opportunity from a Hong Kong Perspective.” Her contribution focuses on the changing role of the real estate lawyer in transactions that now sit within a far wider web of regulatory, commercial and geopolitical considerations.
Cross-border real estate investment is rarely confined to a single legal system. A transaction may involve a Hong Kong holding company, an overseas asset, financing from a different jurisdiction and capital originating elsewhere in Asia. Each element can bring its own requirements relating to beneficial ownership, anti-money laundering controls, tax reporting, environmental, social and governance obligations, data protection and foreign-investment screening. What appears commercially to be one acquisition may, in practice, require a series of parallel compliance exercises.
Polly considers why regulatory due diligence must be integrated into transaction planning from the outset. Lawyers increasingly need to look beyond title, financing and contractual documentation to understand who owns, controls and finances an investment, as well as where the capital ultimately comes from. Sanctions and geopolitical exposure may affect transactions that otherwise appear straightforward, particularly where there is uncertainty over beneficial ownership or the wider investment chain. Identifying these considerations early can reduce delay, preserve deal certainty and enable the parties to structure their transaction with greater confidence.
The session also explored the importance of planning for enforcement and exit. In joint ventures, development arrangements and other complex investments, dispute-resolution provisions should not be treated as boilerplate. Clear provisions on governing law, forum, arbitration, interim relief and enforceability can be decisive if a dispute arises, and can help prevent value from becoming trapped in avoidable procedural uncertainty.
Looking ahead, real estate transactions will continue to be influenced by ESG regulation, AI-assisted due diligence, smart-building technology, digital assets and data-protection concerns. From Hong Kong’s position as a gateway between Mainland China, Asia and international capital, Polly offers a practical perspective on how advisers can anticipate regulatory risk, coordinate across borders and help clients make transactions more resilient. The central message is simple: in a fragmented regulatory environment, durable outcomes depend on foresight as much as documentation.
