Global Young Entrepreneur Stars Recipient Tsung-Han Pai Drives Software Innovation in Brisbane, Leading the Tech Evolution in Real Estate Law

From the very first encounter over a casual dinner, one can immediately observe a young individual exuding confidence with a fluent command of both English and Mandarin. This young professional, well-acquainted with various aspects of Brisbane, passionately discusses real estate development and legal expertise. Meet Tsung-Han Pai, the recipient of the 2023 Global Young Entrepreneur Stars award from the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC). At the age of 31, Tsung-Han was already a partner at Bugden Allen Graham Lawyers and a director at OPEX Contracts, specializing in the legal intricacies of real estate investment.

Building Business Success: Mastering Investment Law in Property Development for a Strong Foundation

Looking back at Tsung-Han Pai's Journey to becoming a partner in a Law Firm, his story begins with his relocation to Australia from Taiwan in first grade. He earned dual degrees in Law and Accounting from the University of Queensland. Early in his career, a fortuitous encounter led him to Gary Bugden, a well respected lawyer renowned globally for his expertise in Strata Title, a special form of property ownership. Since joining Bugden's firm in 2014, Tsung-Han has actively seized opportunities, immersing himself in learning and cultivating expertise in various legal areas related to real estate development, such as strata title ownership, Torrens title system, community and company title, commercial litigation, business law, and banking law, among others. Over the past 8 years, his dedicated efforts have shaped him into a proficient lawyer and a valued partner in the business.

From its modest beginnings as a three-person startup, Bugden Legal Private Limited was founded in June 2017. Making consistent progress, by July 2019, Tsung-Han Pai had become one of the partners in the law firm. Never one to slow down, he persisted in actively recruiting qualified professionals and expanding the company. Today, the law firm, Bugden Allen Graham, operates offices across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne, with a team of around 60 individuals. The firm is poised for ongoing expansion, with aspirations to achieve an even larger scale, aiming to surpass the milestone of over a hundred team members in the near future.

Zero to One: Innovating Real Estate Law with Advanced Software Development

One of Tsung-Han Pai's key responsibilities at the law firm involves assisting developers in preparing and signing property pre-sale contracts. Back then, it was a common practice in the industry to use lengthy 5 to 600-page printed contracts for pre-sales, with each transaction necessitating two contracts, contributing to significant paper consumption. Storing these paper contracts also took up a considerable amount of space within the firm, resulting in various costs. This inspired him to explore the digitization of paper contracts. In 2017, through collaborative efforts between the law firm and a software team, along with continuous research and substantial investment, the outcome was the development of the first electronic pre-sale property contract platform in the Australian, known as OPEX.

Initially used internally within the law firm and for clients, OPEX rapidly improved the efficiency of contract signings. This allowed clients to review documents promptly and led to cost savings related to paper usage, transmission, and exchange. The benefits of digitization gained widespread recognition. In the fiscal year 2020-2021, OPEX secured an investment from publicly listed company PEXA, the property settlement platform with a market valuation of AUD 3 billion supported by the Australian government. OPEX was designated as the specialized platform for pre-sale property transactions and has successfully expanded its usage to developers across Australia. This progress aligns with the law firm's mission: to design and establish a world-class platform for law firms and real estate developers, fostering innovation within the real estate ecosystem.

Bugden Allen Graham specializes in the Strata Title domain, offering comprehensive assistance to developers in managing legal contracts and addressing various legal needs for property management companies. Building on Tsung-Han Pai's extensive experience on the entire spectrum of real estate development legal matters, he led the firm's partners to replicate the success of OPEX. Through innovative software technology, they developed Levy Collect, the first cloud-based SaaS software in the Australian industry for automated management fee recovery. Instead of relying on manual communication by lawyers to collect management fees from residents, the digitized platform now enables real estate management clients and their committees to monitor the firm's fee recovery progress in real-time. They can access and share crucial documents, check the status of updates, and even initiate new debt recovery tasks independently. This overall innovation not only optimizes traditional legal services in the industry but also significantly reduces the costs associated with legal processes.

By-laws Builder stands as another remarkable achievement for Tsung-Han Pai. He founded Australia's first platform capable of modifying Body Corporate by-laws. This platform empowers real estate developers, apartment owners, and property managers to independently, quickly, and effortlessly create, review, and electronically register community regulations. Users can draft regulations or choose from various templates. The system's unique workflow, merge fields, definitions, and variables assist in customizing regulations tailored to the community's specific needs. The development process faced numerous challenges. Following collaborations with software teams in India, Taiwan, and Australia, and after investing significant personal effort and a substantial financial sum totaling millions of Australian dollars, these efforts led to the successful development of this groundbreaking platform.

Guiding a United Team to Deliver Outstanding Services Globally

As one of the firm's key partners, Tsung-Han Pai upholds the core values of the organization. He has dedicated to fostering a corporate culture that encourages close collaboration among team members. Through effective teamwork, they successfully complete various projects, ensuring top-notch services for clients. Tsung-Han has also played a crucial role in establishing a systematic Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the firm. Using internally developed software tools, such as OPEX’s online signing feature, he has significantly improved the efficiency of immediate contract signing in the thriving overseas market, earning praise from developer clients.

The primary emphasis in legal services revolves around "talent," and attracting the right individuals in the labor market is no easy feat. Despite the challenges, the firm actively seeks qualified professionals, recognizing the pivotal role of talent in the legal sector. Tsung-Han Pai continues to contribute significantly to the firm's expansion efforts, creating an environment where "talent attracts talent." Moreover, He successfully promoted the well-received software services to international markets beyond Australia. With an open-minded approach and a commitment on technological innovation, he supports the firm's investments in upgrading office systems, aiming to gradually enhance efficiency and deliver high-quality legal services.

At present, the firm operates with legal teams across the world, each contributing expertise in their respective fields. These teams collaborate and provide mutual support, offering a novel range of services enriched by practical experience and professional legal knowledge. The goal is to offer top-tier legal services at more approachable prices by integrating technological innovation and software efficiency. At the same time, the firm remains committed to innovation, consistently identifying new demands and developing innovative software services to ensure clients have access to a diverse range of service offerings.

Valuing "Fun" at Work: Sparking Breakthroughs and Innovation

Throughout his career, Tsung-Han Pai has been and remains committed to assist Taiwanese enterprises with legal expertise in Australian real estate investment. He is actively involved in the upcoming publication of a book titled Introduction to Investment Considerations in the Australian Real Estate Market. Acknowledging the abundance of information in the local real estate market and the potential lack of accurate knowledge among overseas buyers, Tsung-Han Pai leverages his extensive expertise in real estate investment legal services. His goal is to assist clients in navigating the initial stage of entering the real estate market, minimizing risks and preventing unnecessary investment mistakes.

Tsung-Han Pai has consistently embraced the philosophy, "The harder you work, the luckier you get," emphasizing the idea that good luck and opportunities are products of dedicated efforts that require thorough preparation. Drawing on his extensive background in professional services and a keen awareness of industry demands, he embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of a young innovator. Leading his team to embrace technology, he unleashes innovative vitality, persistently engaging in "fun endeavors" that others may not have dared to explore. Through these efforts, he extends his influence, showcasing a remarkable impact on an international scale.

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