March 2021 – Duane Morris and Selvam

March 26, 2021April 25, 2023 by Duane Morris and Selvam

Non-fungible tokens – the rising trend in the world of cryptocurrency?

Non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”), a type of digital asset, are the latest crypto talk in town. On 19 February 2021, the NFT featuring the iconic Nyan Cat meme was sold for US$590,000. Barely three weeks later, the world’s most expensive digital art and the most expensive NFT – Mike Winkelmann’s digital art piece “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” – was sold for US$69.3 million, becoming the third-highest auction price achieved for a living artist, after Jeff Koons’ ‘Rabbit’ stainless steel sculpture and David Hockney’s 1972 “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” painting. On 22 March 2021, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s first tweet was sold for US$2.9 million. Most recently, TIME Magazine has released three special edition NFT magazine covers for auction, featuring the topical questions “Is God Dead?”, “Is Truth Dead?” and “Is Fiat Dead?”

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March 26, 2021April 6, 2021 by Duane Morris and Selvam

Effective Estate Planning

The thought of estate planning often brings to mind your will and your legacy. As you have spent your entire life on the acquisition, management and preservation of your wealth of assets for the benefit of your loved ones you leave behind, shouldn’t you pay as much attention to the prudent distribution of your assets upon your demise to ensure that your wishes are effective in bringing about the desired result and minimize the burden on your loved ones who inherit your assets? Of particular concern here is the legacy involving real estate property and joint bank accounts. The key to effective estate planning is knowing how the manner of holding such assets in the first place affects the right to transfer them upon death.

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March 8, 2021 by Duane Morris

Duane Morris & Selvam Statement on Myanmar Operations

SINGAPORE, MARCH 6, 2021—Duane Morris & Selvam issued the following statement in response to the on-going political uncertainty impacting Myanmar.

“We continue to carefully monitor the on-going situation throughout the country,” said Leon Yee, Chairman for Duane Morris & Selvam. “That said, we believe in the long-term future for the country and its economy, as well as for Duane Morris with our strong roots there. At this time, maintaining the on-going safety of our team and clients, and concern for the people of Myanmar, remains of our utmost priority.”

“Throughout the turmoil of the past weeks, our active and comprehensive counsel to clients in Myanmar and across Asia has remained firm and steadfast. We will always be here for our clients. The relationships our lawyers have established with business leaders in the region, as well as the operational and legal resources available to clients as a local office within Duane Morris’ robust global network, has positioned us well for continued seamless delivery of substantive legal counsel,” Mr. Yee continued.

He added further that lawyers and staff located in the Firm’s office in Yangon, Myanmar, are able to work both in the office as well as remotely, and that the Firm is accommodating in-office attendance consistent with local COVID-19 conditions.

About Duane Morris & Selvam

Duane Morris & Selvam LLP is the joint law venture between Duane Morris LLP and Selvam LLC, with its headquarters in Singapore. By way of its global platform and extensive range of legal services, the firm helps companies conduct business in and out of Asia, the United States, Latin America, the United Kingdom and beyond. In addition to the excellent skills of its lawyers, clients benefit from the cultural fluency and key relationships that the firm has developed over many years of practising law throughout the region. The firm has a presence in the key markets of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as offices in Shanghai and Yangon. Supporting these regional offices, the firm operates a series of country desks for India, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, as well as an alliance in Sri Lanka. It is regularly ranked among the region’s leading law firms by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000.