Barrister (England & Wales)
Advocate & Solicitor (Singapore)
Visiting Fulbright Scholar (UC Berkeley)
Assistant Professor of Law (Nanyang Business School)
S3-1C-102, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
Tel: (65) 790 4630 | Fax: (65) 793 5189
Work Information
1. Assistant Professor of Law, Nanyang Business School
Currently the Lecturer for Business Law (undergraduate programme); Principal Lecturer for the Legal & Ethical Issues of Information Technology Law and E-Business: Law Policy & Strategy; Co-lecturer for the Management & Resolution of Business Disputes at the MBA Programme at Nanyang Business School. Co-lecturer for the Policies & Perspectives of Cross Border Electronic Commerce at the Nanyang Fellows Programme. He is also the Associate Editor (Digital Publishing) and Web-administrator for the Asia Business Law Review.
2. E-Business Law Consultant, to Messrs Peter Ng & Co., Advocates & Solicitors
3. Consulting Editor, FORTUNE magazine's Fortune Reader's Guide
Current Projects & Research Interest
#1. E-Business Law Policy & Strategy - an MBA Course being conducted currently at the MBA Programme, Nanyang Business School. This course was first conducted at the business school in March 1998 and has the involvement of cross-disciplinary base of students and top professionals of the IT industry as visiting lecturers. The course focuses on the management of the various legal risks involved in the widespread use of information technologies. In particular the ever-growing influence of the Internet in Business and in the workplace and the legal issues it brings.
#2. The Comparative Analysis of the Competitiveness of Singapore's Electronic Commerce in Asia Pacific - A research project in progress studying how various countries are managing their electronic commerce initiatives. The paper focuses on the effectiveness of the policies taken by governments to make their digital economies competitive.
#3. Internet Banking - Its regulation, technologies, risk exposure and implementation policies and the impact on the industry. Much of the findings from this research has been presented to industry.
#4. The development of Electronic Commerce Laws in Singapore - As part of the national drive to create a dynamic digital economy, new laws to expedite the interest, protection and development of electronic commerce is being prepared. These new laws are important, as they will put in place the basic legal infrastructure to overcome the concerns of the complex impact of digital technology on commerce and law. This project will look at the various methods used internationally to provide the basic infrastructure and hopefully focus on how the laws could be further enhanced through critical analysis as well as how the laws will affect commerce.
#5. Executive Training Programme for the Management of On-line Legal Risks. - As a result from the research study and teaching of this area, an executive programme has been developed to train corporations in the industry to deal with the legal risks of online commerce. For more information on this programme please see the E-Commerce Law Web site or contact Harry Tan directly.
#6. Resolution of Online Transaction Disputes - In the growing Digital Economies of online trade, there is expected to be a concurrent increase in the growth of disputes arising out of online consumer transactions. This research looks at the new types of consumer transactions and how they may be resolved quickly by new methods of resolution -such as online mediation, conciliation or adjudication.
#7. Impact of Globalisation of Electronic Commerce on Law & Regulation - When countries started adopting the new communications and Internet technologies for global electronic commerce, a floodgate of new legal issues begin to emerge. This research is designed to review the new issues arising and the various efforts at the domestic and international levels to overcome the barriers to global electronic commerce and the new issues arising.
#8. FORTUNE Inc. Reader's Programme - Business education cannot be found in books alone. In this project, working with FORTUNE Inc., a business student reader's programme was developed and published for students to focus on the developing new trends and business issues. In this reader's programme special attention is given to how new technologies are impacting on the way business is being done today.
Biographical Information
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Social Science, University of Keele. (Honours) Econs & Law Graduated with Upper Second Class Honours in both Law and Economics.
Barrister-at-Law, Council of Legal Education - Inns of Court School of Law. Called to the Bar in London at Lincoln's Inn, July 1988.
Advocate & Solicitor, of the Supreme Court of Singapore
Master of Law, Melbourne University, Australia.
Visiting Scholar, Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley
WORK EXPERIENCE:
After his call to the English Bar in 1988, Harry practised as an Advocate & Solicitor with two of the top law firms with commercial reputation in Singapore from 1989 to 1993 where upon he then joined the Nanyang Business School as a Lecturer. He was made an Assistant Professor of Law in January 1999.
At the University he has been teaching Business Law and Company Law to undergraduates and Principles & Practice of Arbitration and Legal & Ethical Issues of Information Technology at the MBA programme. He is also one of the three course lecturers in Management & Resolution of Business Disputes.
Conference Papers, Public Lectures, Consultancy & Executive Training
Presented Keynote Paper on Challenges of Auditing E-Business at the CPA Australia's Official Launch of the Public Sector Committee - 15th October 2001
"New Technologies in Cybercrime and E-Fraud" Workshop at Commercial Affairs Department Annual In House Training (Singapore Police Force) - 2nd September 2001
Presented Keynote Address on E-Business and Transactions Risks to the Permanent Committee on Banking Education at the 31st ASEAN Banking Council Meeting, ASEAN Bankers Association - 19th July 2001
"E-Commerce & Financial Services in the 21st Century: Securing E-Business, Internet Banking, Fraud & Cybercrime," 3-Day Worshop at United Overseas Bank Executive Training, December 2000
"E-Commerce & Legal Practice," at Harry Elias Ptrs., Advocates & Solicitors July 2000
"E-Business Law: Managing the Information Highway Potholes & Pitfalls," Excutive Training at Keppel Group (Bank & Securities) Singapore, May 2000
"Legal Issues and Implications of E-Commerce on the Banking industry," UOB Training Workshop, February 2000
"Development, Policies & Opportunities in the Emerging Digital Economies of Asia," Stanford University US-Japan Technology Management Center - The Transformation of Research & Development in East Asia and Japan Seminar Series, 30th September 1999.
(the series | abstract | presentation online )
"Managing the Risks of Electronic Commerce,"1-Day CEO Worshop at Singapore Information Technology Federation, June 1999.
"Development of E-Commerce in Asia," Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (Chicago, US), Executive MBA in Singapore, March 1999.
"Liability of Internet Service Providers: Should Privacy be Regulated?", Asia Pacific Policy & Legal Forum (APPLe) & Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) Conference, March 1999.
"Internet Banking: New Distribution Channel or the Future of Banking?" Standard Chartered & CREFS Seminar, November 1998.
"The Issues and Liabilities of the Millennium Date Change on Information Systems," Standard Chartered & CREFS Seminar, November 1998.
"The Impact of Electronic Transaction Act on the Law of Contract," Legal Research Committee Public Workshop, October 1998
"Managing Change and Risks of E-Commerce," COMDEX ASIA, Sept 1998
"Removing the Barriers to Electronic Commerce - the Singapore Electronic Transaction Act, Will it be Enough?" IMARC Seminar, September 1998. (Click for Slides)
"Managing Debt Collection in Era of Financial Crisis," SNEF CEO FORUM, Singapore National Employers' Federation, June 1988.
"Singapore's Electronic Transaction Act - The Framework for Electronic Commerce" IBM-Netrust E-Commerce Foundation Programme, August 1998.
1-Day Workshop on Managing Risks of Electronic Commerce - Centre for Continuing Education, NTU, August 1998
"New Technologies or Legal & Regulatory Changes: Which way forward for Singapore's Digital Economy?" - National Computer Board E-Commerce Workshop, June 1998.
"Legal & Security Issues of Implementing Electronic Commerce & New Technologies" - SNEF CEO FORUM, Singapore National Employer's Federation, June 1988.
"Implement E-Commerce Without Tears by Managing the Hidden Legal Obstacles" - 1998 Asia Pacific Conference on Business & Information Technology: Making Electronic Commerce Work.
"Examining the Revolution of Online Contracts" - International Conference on Re-engineering the Legal in-house Legal Function 1997, Singapore.
Executive Training Seminar: "Managing Legal Risks of Electronic Commerce" - Electronic Commerce and Cyberlaws Conference 1997.
"Formation of On-line Contracts: Issues of Cross Border Transactions and the Coming Changes" Electronic Commerce and Cyberlaws Conference 1997
"Re-Engineering the Legal Office with New Technologies," Re-engineering the Legal In House Legal Function Conference 1997
"Business Law for Singapore Enterprises" - Enterprise Professional Conferences, 1994.
Reports, Publications & Articles
Electronic Transactions Act: Issues of E-Contracting in Singapore, (submitted for publication)
Arresting Fraud on the Net: A virtual impossibility?, Asia Business Law Review (Singapore). (Accepted for publication.)
Toh See Kiat, Tan Soo Kiat, Harry, Tan Sin Liang, 2001, Researched & Drafted New E-Banking Laws for foreign government on appointment as consultant (in progress).
Toh See Kiat, Tan Soo Kiat, Harry, Professor Abubakar Mahmud (Malaysia), 2000, Researched & Drafted New Electronic Commerce Law for a foreign government on appointment as consultant (completed and submitted - to be enacted).
Toh See Kiat, Tan Soo Kiat, Harry, Abubakar Mahmud, 2000, Researched & Drafted New Computer Crime Law for a foreign government on appointment as consultant (completed and submitted - to be enacted).
Tan Soo Kiat, Harry, 2000, "Regulating Electronic Commerce Working Paper - Request for Comments on Electronic Transactions Act 1998" for InfoComm Development Authority of Singapore.
E-Commerce on the Internet- An Introduction 15, AsiaBLR, 67 Jan 1997.
E-Commerce on the Internet- Proof & Evidence 16 AsiaBLR, 73 Apr 1997.
E-Commerce on the Internet- Issues of Formation of Contract 17 AsiaBLR, 52 Jul 1997.
E-Commerce on the Internet- International Issues of Contracting On-line 18 AsiaBLR, 67 Oct 1997.
H.S.K. Tan & S.T. Fock, "Environmental Risks in Project Financing: New Hazard for Lenders?" 19 AsiaBLR Jan 1998.
Book Review : "Intellectual Property Protection in Asia" 19 AsiaBLR 1997.
Book Review: "Indonesia Business Law" Asia BLR, July 1998.
"Regulating the Internet: New Industry Guidelines and Revision of Code of Practice," 2 International Computer Law Observer, February 1998.
"Corporate Tax Incentives For Adoption of Electronic Commerce Technologies"- 3 International Computer Law Observer March 1998.
"New Amendment Bills To Modernise Censorship Laws" 3 International Computer Law Observer April 1998
Book Review: "Dispute Resolution in Asia", 24 AsiaBLR, April 1999.
Awards, Memberships & Professional Responsibilities
Awards:
Fulbright Scholar - Awarded the 1999 US Fulbright Scholarship by the Fulbright Commission and the Centre for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) for research in Electronic Commerce Law.
NTU ASDS Scholar - Awarded the ASDS Scholarship to read the LL M at Melbourne University Law School.
Memberships:
- Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn - Inns of Court of the Bar of England
- The Fulbright Association (Singapore)
- The International Bar Association
- Baron's Who's Who of Asia Pacific and Who's Who of the World 1999-2000.
- Global Computer Law Network - An international Network of Computer law professionals.
- Founding Member of BWW Society and Chairman of the BWW Internet Law Regulation & Policy Committee
- Founding Member and Moderator of Singapore Internet & Technology Law Network
- Charter Member of the Worldwide E-Commerce Fraud Prevention Network.
Professional Responsibilities:
Consultant - Messrs Tan Peng Chin & Partners, Advocates & Solicitors
Research Associate - Information Management Research Centre - IMARC NBS NTU
Legal Advisor - Committee for the National Health Information Service, Ministry of Health
Associate Editor (Digital Publishing) - Asia Business Law Review
Editor - FORTUNE Reader's Guide (FRG) - A business student supplement for FORTUNE.
Legal Advisor - NTU Computer Centre
Academic Counsellor - Nanyang Business School
Assistant Secretary - Fulbright Association Singapore