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

With seven senior counsel and an ever expanding raft of talent on board, handling the full spectrum of disputes from defamation to corporate, Drew & Napier’s commercial litigation and arbitration practice takes a deservedly standalone top tier position ... [more]

With seven senior counsel and an ever expanding raft of talent on board, handling the full spectrum of disputes from defamation to corporate, Drew & Napier’s commercial litigation and arbitration practice takes a deservedly standalone top tier position again this year.

Under the guidance of renowned litigation lawyers Davinder Singh and Jimmy Yim, the team has built up a reputation as an accessible group of advisers that regularly goes the extra mile.

Describing corporate and commercial litigation and arbitration director Blossom Hing, one client says: “She is very responsive, determined, and an excellent person to work with.” Another describes her as “very capable with a good grasp of Indonesian legal matters”.

“Davinder Singh is very expensive, but you get what you pay for: top tier service,” says another client.

The practice group counts the MAS among its extensive list of frequent clients. In one landmark transaction this year, respected senior counsel Cavinder Bull is representing the MAS in two actions for breaches of the Securities and Futures Act.

In another highlight, director Indranee Rajah represented Schroder Asian Properties Fund and its subsidiary companies in a dispute with Silverlink Holdings.

Harpreet Singh Nehal, Hri Kumar and Joseph Grimberg are other names of note in this group.

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Allen & Gledhill LLP’s litigation and dispute resolution team offers “great client service”, comments one client.Covering a broad range of matters, from banking and corporate to medical and construction, the team has also been busy building up a strong ... [more]

Allen & Gledhill LLP’s litigation and dispute resolution team offers “great client service”, comments one client.

Covering a broad range of matters, from banking and corporate to medical and construction, the team has also been busy building up a strong track record on domestic and international disputes across the region in recent years.

Partner Edwin Tong is “experienced with a deep understanding of Singaporean law”, according to one peer, while partner Ang Cheng Hock is described as “intelligent and quick thinking”, by another.

In one notable case this year, partners William Ong and Kristy Tan are leading a team advising Balinese cub operator Ku de Ta Partnership in two related High Court suits. These are in relation to disputes arising out of the opening of a restaurant, bar and club named ‘Ku de Ta’ in the Marina Bay Sands Skypark in Singapore.

This complex case involves novel legal issues relating to the rights of the owners of a trade mark that is well known in the region, as well as factual disputes relating to the ownership of, and rights to licence the use of, a partnership asset.

Dinesh Dhilton and Andrew Yeo are key contacts.

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Rajah & Tann’s 19 partner commercial litigation practice group remains one of the more sought after in the region.Led by the “knowledgeable” Francis Xavier, the team has earned a reputation for resolving national and cross border disputes across an array ... [more]

Rajah & Tann’s 19 partner commercial litigation practice group remains one of the more sought after in the region.

Led by the “knowledgeable” Francis Xavier, the team has earned a reputation for resolving national and cross border disputes across an array of topics including corporate and capital markets, international arbitration and shipping.

A highlight this year saw partners Andre Yeap and Danny Ong represent Lehman Brothers Singapore in the defence of an action by a group of investors alleging fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation in the prospectus for a S$10 billion notes programme issued by Minibond.

Partner Adrain Wong successfully defended OCBC in a widely publicised claim for breach of banker’s duty. The landmark case involved a wealthy 89 year old OCBC customer suffering from dementia, who OCBC deemed mentally incapable of operating accounts totaling around S$9 million. The High Court decision, which was the first Singapore banking case involving suspected fraud on the elderly, was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal.

Gregory Vijayendran is described by one client as a “committed and diligent professional”, while Simon Goh and Lai Yew Fei are also regular contributors in the group.

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Asked to sum up the service provided by Rodyk & Davidson’s dispute resolution team, one client says: “Good rates, good advice, commercially sound, very helpful”.It has been a good year for the firm. The 60-member team has handled a consistent volume ... [more]

Asked to sum up the service provided by Rodyk & Davidson’s dispute resolution team, one client says: “Good rates, good advice, commercially sound, very helpful”.

It has been a good year for the firm. The 60-member team has handled a consistent volume of significant disputes in the corporate and commercial sectors, resulting in a well deserved move up the rankings to tier two.

Following a flurry of departures last year, the firm successfully bounced back by instigating a hiring spree that saw four new associates and two new partners, Mar Seow Hwei and Chan Chin Ling, join this year.

Among a series of notable mandates, banking and finance litigation head Herman Jeremiah is leading a team of advisers to ABN AMRO (now RBS Bank) in a US$10 million claim in the Singapore Courts against collateral manager CWT Commodities (SEA) for breach of contract and misrepresentation. The case has highlighted significant issues relating to the implied duty owed by the collateral manager to notify the bank when there was no movement of the goods.

In another matter, partner Rodney Keong is acting for oil and gas engineering contractor Transerve in prosecuting a High Court claim against Global Process Systems, and defending a counterclaim arising from the design, fabrication, procurement and installation of main elements of an Oil Rig. Lawrence Teh and Edric Pan have also been particularly active in the sector.

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WongPartnership’s 27 partner litigation and dispute resolution group handles a wide gamut of contentious and potentially contentious work focusing on banking and financial disputes, commercial and corporate disputes, international arbitration and infrastructure, ... [more]

WongPartnership’s 27 partner litigation and dispute resolution group handles a wide gamut of contentious and potentially contentious work focusing on banking and financial disputes, commercial and corporate disputes, international arbitration and infrastructure, construction and engineering.

Headed up by the well regarded Andre Maniam and led by four senior counsel, the group has kept a respectable reputation in multiple jurisdictions using ICC, LCIA inter alia and Uncitral rules.

In one noteworthy case, Maniam led a team of advisers to M+W Singapore in relation to the enforcement of its security over the assets of the Jurong Data Centre Development, involving claims in excess of S$200 million.

In another highlight, partners Sean Yu Chou and Smitha Menon acted for an international private equity firm in a complex shareholders dispute concerning its investment in technology company, Metalform Asia. The dispute has given rise to multiple legal proceedings between the parties in Mauritius and in Singapore.

Alvin Yeo, Chee Meng Tan and Christopher Chuah are also well regarded contacts in the practice group.

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Led by two senior counsel and comprising nine partners, Shook Lin & Bok’s litigation and dispute resolution practice has established a strong base for itself in banking and finance disputes, contractual and commercial disputes, company and shareholder ... [more]

Led by two senior counsel and comprising nine partners, Shook Lin & Bok’s litigation and dispute resolution practice has established a strong base for itself in banking and finance disputes, contractual and commercial disputes, company and shareholder disputes, local and cross border insolvency restructuring and infrastructure, construction and engineering disputes.

The firm also has a strong international arbitration practice across a number of industry sectors ranging from sports to fraud, asset tracing and trusts.

Over the past 12 months, the team has been actively involved in several high profile matters. These include a dispute over a sale and purchase agreement for shares in Golden Oriental, an appeal against a High Court decision in relation to Singapore’s first civil lawsuit for market manipulation, and the US$500 million liquidation of Petroprod. Sarjit Singh Gill and David Chan are key contacts.

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TSMP keeps a reputable disputes resolution practice. This year, executive director Derek Loh led a team acting for a specialist features and displays contractor in various disputes amounting to US$25 million relating to the Universal Studios Resorts ... [more]

TSMP keeps a reputable disputes resolution practice. This year, executive director Derek Loh led a team acting for a specialist features and displays contractor in various disputes amounting to US$25 million relating to the Universal Studios Resorts World Sentosa project. Director Melvin Chan also successfully acted in an adjudication claim for the principal structural works subcontractor for the Marina Bay Sands Resorts against the main contractor, SsangYong. The Adjudication Award was appealed by Ssangyong and the High Court dismissed Ssangyong’s appeal.

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ATMD Bird & Bird Handling a range of matters including employment law and cross border commercial disputes, ATMD Bird & Bird’s dispute resolution group has been involved on high profile civil litigation cases in the Supreme Court of Singapore. One ... [more]

ATMD Bird & Bird

Handling a range of matters including employment law and cross border commercial disputes, ATMD Bird & Bird’s dispute resolution group has been involved on high profile civil litigation cases in the Supreme Court of Singapore.

One highlight in the arbitration space saw partner Boey Swee Siang and associate Venisha Lakshmi Nair assisting a major Asian telecommunications company in a series of international arbitrations involving Indonesian parties and multi-million US dollar claims.

Straits Law Practice

Led by medical negligence specialist, director Palaniappan Sundararaj, Straits Law Practice’s litligation group has had an active year in this space. In one highlight, Palaniappan successfully represented Sujana Metals Products in an arbitration proceeding brought by Schnitzer Steel Industries concerning a dispute over the purchase of steel scrap of different grades at composite prices. The case was resolved on the first day.

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