Lai Ling heads the Technology, Multimedia & Telecommunications (TMT) Practice Group. She works with a range of clients in the TMT sector, advising on commercial issues and drafting and negotiating IT and telecommunications contracts, including agreements relating to procurement, software development, maintenance and support services, outsourcing, service level agreements, e-commerce, cloud services and privacy policies. She also advises clients from a variety of industries on compliance with cyber laws. as well as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

Recently, Lai Ling represented a Malaysian statutory body in the negotiation of a strategic framework agreement with Blackberry Inc, which specialises in cybersecurity utilising artificial intelligence technology to predict and prevent cyber-attacks.

In another major project, Lai Ling led her team in acting for a leading healthcare service provider group with hospitals in South-East Asia on the procurement of a cutting-edge integrated total hospital information system as part of a major digitalisation project.

She has also advised a bank in respect of an agreement with a service provider for the implementation of a project to facilitate the bank’s mandatory reporting obligations to regulatory authorities and to automate the template for statutory and internal standard reporting of data preparation, calculation and summarisation/aggregation.

The well-known publication, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, in its 2021 – 2024 editions enrolled Lai Ling in its “Hall of Fame”, having in previous years listed her as a Leading Individual in TMT. She has also been ranked highly by Chambers Asia Pacific in its 2019 – 2024 editions. Another publication, asialaw named her as a Distinguished Practitioner in its 2021 – 2024 editions.

The Asia Business Law Journal has included Lai Ling in its 2024 A-List – Malaysia’s Top Lawyers.

She has been described in legal publications as ‘a recognised expert in this sector’, ‘meticulous, responsive and practical’, that she ‘really understands clients’ needs’ and that she has ‘experience and knowledge on IT and software agreements.’

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific has quoted clients as saying:

•  ‘Tong Lai Ling has strong TMT and data protection capabilities and knowledge‘;
•  “Tong Lai Ling is an outstanding lawyer with excellent client service standards‘;
• ‘Tong Lai Ling is ever-reliable and responsive, and delivers a consistently high standard of service and work product.’

The subject of data protection is another area covered by Lai Ling. Aside from issues arising under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, Lai Ling provides advice on data sharing agreements and cross border data transfer risk assessment. In recognition of the high quality of her work in relation to the law on data protection, the Who’s Who Legal 2023 has recommended Lai Ling as a National Leader for Southeast Asia – Data 2023.

TERTIARY QUALIFICATION

• Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (Victoria University of Wellington)

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

• Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
• Admitted to the New Zealand Bar: 17th December 1993
• Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya
• Admitted to the Malaysian Bar: 29th July 1999
• Member of the Malaysian Bar Council Ad Hoc Committee on Personal Data Protection
• Member of the Malaysian Bar Council Information Technology and Cyberlaw Committee 
• Vice Chair of the Inter Pacific Bar Association TMT committee
• Member of the Society for Computers & Law (UK)