Dr. Sovath holds a Doctor of Law (Comparative Law) from Nagoya University Graduate School of Law, Japan. He has held research and teaching appointments at the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, the National University of Management, and the Royal University of Law and Economics. He has taught corporate and intellectual property laws within and outside Cambodia and published articles on intellectual property, public health, and other related issues. Sovath has practiced in the following areas: intellectual property, competition, data protection, public policy and law, corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), Oil & Gas, and commercial arbitration resolutions. His intellectual property practice covers both contentious and transactional issues, including patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution, licensing and commercialization, infringement, and enforcement. He has served as a legal expert and team leader providing legislative drafting assistance to government ministries funded by international originations covering a number of important sectors including intellectual property, public health and compulsory licensing, competition, food safety, antimicrobial resistance, petroleum and petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, water supply and sewerage system.
He is admitted to the Bar Association of Cambodia and is one of the first selected commercial arbitrators in Cambodia who has become a member of the National Commercial Arbitration Centre (NCAC). Furthermore, he is a fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitration (SIArb) and accredited as a mediator by the London-based, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.
He is a qualified Trademark Agent in Cambodia, a member of the Intellectual Property Association of Cambodia (IPAC), ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN IPA), and Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA).