Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Zaid Ibrahim & Co made some improvements to its already impressive banking and finance team in 2008, recruiting banking partner David Lee Kim Meng from Singapore firm Allen & Gledhill. Kim Meng joins a firm lauded by clients for its extensive expertise in Islamic finance, and its wide-reaching network of offices.

The firm advised CIMB Investment Bank and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia on the RM1 billion (US$285 million) trust certificate programme by the Islamic Development Bank. This was the first issuance of ringgit Islamic securities by a supranational and the first AAA-rated ringgit issuance.

ZICO also advised CIMB Bank on another first: an unlisted debt issue structured for retail distribution. CIMB’s US$1.1 billion offer of capital securities was stapled to an offer of subordinated notes made by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company.

Two of the firm’s banking partners, Chin Sook Kwan and Lilian Liew, are commended as market leaders. Both are highly active for the firm, with Liew head of banking and finance.

Zaid Ibrahim & Co’s corporate M&A department is led by Lim Kar Han. The practice has earned its top-tier ranking by acting on some of the largest deals in the market.

In June 2008, Sharon Tan and Idahani Ismas Ismail advised Saudi Telecom on its US$3 billion acquisition of a 25% interest in Maxis Communications. This was done through parent company Binariang GSM.

In May 2008, the firm also helped Germanischer Lloyd AG’s susbsidiaries acquire 75.1% of the shares in Trident Consultants Far East, which held 49% of shares in Trident Consultants. The US$19million deal was led by Wan Kai Chee.

Pauline Khor was recruited in early 2008 from Shearn Delamore & Co, but now heads the IP department at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. The firm, which has a strong alliance with Singapore based Allen & Gledhill, did a lot of work in 2008 for Pfizer and its subsidiaries in relation to patents over the blockbuster drug Lipitor. Another high profile client is Sime Darby, with the firm managing its entire IP portfolio worldwide.

Zaid Ibrahim & Co does similar work for Dutch electronics manufacturer Philips, taking care of all of its Malaysian IP work. Walt Disney and Mars Inc have also decided to do all their IP work with the firm.

Other new recruits to the practice include Tracy Hah Yan Shan and Sukhjit Kaur Gill from Shearn Delamore & Co, while senior associate Vasanthi Rasathurai left in February 2009.