The Legal 500 - Asia Pacific (2022)

Antitrust and Competition – Tier 1
Asia Pacific: Regional International Arbitration: Leading Firms – Tier 3
Banking and Finance – Tier 1
Capital Markets: Equity and Debt – Tier 2
Capital Markets: Structured Finance, Derivatives and Securitisation – Tier 1
Construction – Tier 1
Corporate and M&A – Tier 2
Dispute Resolution – Tier 1
Financial Services Regulatory – Tier 1
Insurance – Tier 1
Intellectual Property – Tier 2
International Arbitration – Tier 2
Investment Funds – Tier 1
Labour and Employment – Tier 1
Private Wealth and Family Law – Tier 1
Projects and Energy – Tier 1
Real Estate – Tier 1
Restructuring and Insolvency – Tier 1
Shipping – Tier 1
Tax – Tier 2
TMT – Tier 1
White-Collar Crime – Tier 1

Leading Lawyers:
Angela Lim – Banking and Finance

Anne Yeo – Investment Funds
Chia Kim Huat – Capital Markets: Equity and Debt
Desmond Wee – Labour and Employment
Elaine Tay – Insurance
Francis Xavier – Dispute Resolution
Hamidul Haq – White-Collar Crime
Kala Anandarajah – Antitrust and Competition
Lau Kok Keng – Intellectual Property
Lee Eng Beng – Dispute Resolution
Leong Kah Wah – Shipping
Muralidharan Pillai, SC – Labour and Employment
Norman Ho – Real Estate
Patrick Ang – Restructuring and Insolvency
Rajesh Sreenivasan – TMT
Raymond Tong – Capital Markets: Equity and Debt
Regina Liew – Capital Markets: Structured Finance, Derivatives and Securitisation; Financial Services Regulatory
Sandy Foo – Corporate and M&A
Shemane Chan – Construction; Projects and Energy
Simon Goh – Insurance
Steve Tan – TMT
Thong Chee Kun – White-Collar Crime
Toh Kian Sing, SC – Shipping
Vikna Rajah – Private Wealth and Family Law; Tax
Wee Hann Lim – Corporate and M&A

Next Generation Lawyers:
Benjamin Cheong – TMT

Benjamin Liew – Capital Markets: Structured Finance, Derivatives and Securitisation
Jasmine Chew – Investment Funds
Philip Yeo – Investment Funds

Rising Stars:
Ho Mei Shi – Banking and Finance

Phang Hwee Guang – Antitrust and Competition

Hall of Fame:
Andre Yeap SC – International Arbitration

Arnold Tan – Investment Funds
Lee Eng Beng, SC – Restructuring and Insolvency

Antitrust and Competition
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP handles an impressive mix of contentious and non-contentious matters. It handles an impressive range of cases in the areas of merger notification and competition investigations. The team played significant roles in a series of headline mergers and cartel investigations. It also has an excellent record in regional roles beyond Singapore. Kala Anandarajah has an outstanding reputation and leads the team, having influential roles on many of Singapore’s key merger notifications and is noted for her expertise in regional matters. Tanya Tang is the firm’s chief economic and policy adviser and has a particularly strong record in the TMT sector. Phang Hwee Guang is a talented senior associate.

Capital Markets: Structured Finance, Derivatives and Securitisation
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP brings together banking and finance and financial institutional regulatory experts to take on transactions involving listed and unlisted derivatives and financial products. The group is known for its regulatory prowess and its ability to handle novel issues, such as blockchain-related products. Jointly taking the lead are Regina Liew , head of the financial institutions group and expert in financial services laws and regulations; and Larry Lim  who is increasingly active in the fintech and digital currencies space. Benjamin Liew is recommended for his regulatory and licensing expertise.

Construction
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP has an illustrious record in complex construction disputes, coupled with a strong presence in infrastructure and power projects in Southeast Asia, South Asia and North Asia. The firm has acted for clients in a series of disputes relating to the construction of data centres and landmark projects in Thailand, Singapore and elsewhere. Clients include a range of developers and contractors. Soh Lip San and Ng Kim Beng both have more than two decades of experience in construction disputes and transactions. Shemane Chan and Sim Chee Siong are prominent figures in construction contracts and procurement platforms.

Dispute Resolution
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP's ‘approachable and commercial team covers a wide range of disputes with a vast team of specialists in industries such as real estate, energy, finance, military, and shipping. The team is experienced in representing clients before Singapore courts. Lee Eng Beng SC’s recent success before the Court of Appeal concerned the application of the restitutionary rule in a matter where multiple defendants are held jointly at trial; the team also included Jansen Chow. Francis Xavier and Alina Chia are experienced in multi-jurisdictional commercial litigation, including cases before the new SICC. Danny Ong, Tan Chuan Thye, and Murali Pillai are experts advising financial institutions on contentious regulatory matters.

Financial Services Regulatory
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP's practice revolves around advising financial institutions on regulatory issues relating to financial products, including listed and unlisted derivatives. The group is also increasingly active in the payment services space, recently advising Singapore Telecommunications on a multijurisdictional matter relating to its proposed cross-border payments system. Regina Liew  leads the group alongside her deputy Larry Lim . Benjamin Liew is another name to note.

Insurance
At Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, lawyers are well equipped to handle contentious and non-contentious insurance matters, with strong regulatory capabilities, and rights of audience before courts at all levels in Singapore. In terms of disputes, lawyers act for both claimants and insurer clients, with a particular specialism in personal injury and workplace injury cases. The group can also handle asset recovery, investigations and crisis management matters. Non-contentious specialisms include insurance-sector M&A and restructuring. Simon Goh heads the team, and handles contentious and non-contentious matters, as well as regulatory issues. Elaine Tay has developed expertise in property and energy insurance issues, including in relation to coverage issues. Ying Shuang Wang is noted for both regulatory matters and transactional work.

Investment Funds
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP has a principle emphasis on private funds, most notably funds formation and regulatory engagements. It is at the forefront of the trend to bring funds onshore into Singapore. It has experienced further growth in private equity funds, along with an increase in M&A and joint-venture arrangements. Arnold Tan has an outstanding reputation in the market, thanks to his experience and commitment to the investment funds segment. Anne Yeo is also highly rated, particularly for her regulatory expertise. Jasmine Chew and Philip Yeo are key names amongst the next generation.

Labour and Employment
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP has a large team of employment experts, covering the full spectrum of non-contentious and contentious matters. The firm has impressed in advisory matters, including employment policies and incentive plans, along with restructuring and retrenchment exercises, big-ticket employment disputes (including wrongful dismissal claims), and investigations. Desmond Wee is a leader in retrenchment exercises, employee terminations and incentive plans. Jonathan Yuen and Muralidharan Pillai, SC are at the forefront of employment disputes.

Private Wealth and Family Law
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP continues to up its emphasis on private wealth work, particularly in light of the growing number of engagements coming from ultra high net-worth families in India, China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The team has an especially strong record in tax structuring thanks to the presence of Vikna Rajah, who has excellent connections to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Economic Development Board. Chandra Mohan is an experienced name in matrimonial and trusts disputes.

Projects and Energy
Sponsors, contractors, service providers, financiers and government regularly instruct the team at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP to advise them on the full gamut of projects issues, particularly those concerning energy and resources, across the Asia-Pacific region. The practice, under the leadership of Soh Lip San, is especially well regarded for its dispute resolution expertise in the projects space. On the non-contentious side, Shemane Chan is the name to note for issues relating to procurement, while Larry Lim is a noted advisor on energy and commodities trading. In other key developments, Matthew Koh,  Alessa Pang and Devathas Satianathan all made partners in January 2021.

Real Estate
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP continues to make an impression in major commercial and residential real estate transactions, along with collective real estate sales and real estate financings. It represents an impressive number of corporates, developers and investment funds, among others. While Singapore deals remain its core focus, the firm is increasingly active in other markets such as Cambodia and Myanmar. Norman Ho is one of the most experienced real estate specialists in the market, while Elsa Chai is another with an established record in conveyancing. Benjamin Tay now leads many of the firm’s key deals.

Restructuring and Insolvency
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP‘s large and established team is highly rated for restructuring and insolvency. It has acted for key parties in a large proportion of major restructuring and insolvency matters involving the Singapore profession. It has recently cemented its standing with a series of headline engagements in the maritime and offshore sector, with Asia network chair Lee Eng Beng SC and Singapore managing partner Patrick Ang acting for the Hin Leong group, one of Asia’s largest oil traders, on a cross-border billion-dollar debt restructuring. Sim Kwan Kiat, Mark Cheng and Tan Chuan Thye SC are standout figures in the team.

Shipping
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is a t the forefront of maritime disputes, offering a sizeable team of shipping experts, many of which have many years of experience. The focus on marine and international trade includes an in-house Master Mariner, while its international client base features banks, shipowners, P&I Clubs, charterers and commodity houses. The firm has landed a series of headline engagements in shipping sector restructurings, liquidations, allegations of fraud, and instances of judicial management. Toh Kian Sing SC and Leong Kah Wah have outstanding reputations in shipping and international trade disputes.

TMT
Its breadth of expertise marks out the practice at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; data protection issues, fintech developments, regulatory matters, disputes and green technology projects all make up key parts of the firm’s regular workload. Rajesh Sreenivasan heads up the department, ably supported by deputy Steve Tan – the two also play key roles in Rajah & Tann Cybersecurity, a one-stop shop which combines legal and technical expertise to allow clients to mitigate against cyber attacks, minimise disruptions from security breaches and deal effectively with such incidents. Other core team members include Lionel Tan, who is regularly involved in cases dealing with internet defamation, fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information. Transactional specialists Benjamin Cheong and Tanya Tang hold extensive regulatory experience, making them well placed to advise on competition and policy issues.

White-Collar Crime
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP’s white-collar crime portfolio spans an extensive spectrum of white-collar defence, fraud investigations and advisory work, with the team widely recognised for its expertise in advising corporations and individuals in complex, and often multijurisdictional matters. It also has extensive experience in advising clients in major cases involving securities fraud such as market manipulation and insider trading, cybercrime, as well as corruption-related offences and criminal breach of trust and cheating offences. Hamidul Haq has previously completed stints at the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Commercial Affairs Department and is noted for his work in securities offences, business crimes, anti-money laundering, fraud and asset seizure litigation. Thong Chee Kun has extensive experience acting for clients in cases involving corporate and compliance breaches, corruption offences, and tax-related offences. 

Banking and Finance
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP houses a practice that combines transactional experts, led by Angela Lim with financial services regulatory lawyers, headed by Regina Liew, enabling it to provide a one-stop-shop to banks and financial institutions. Areas of transactional expertise include acquisition, trade, project, structured and property finance, in addition to Islamic banking structures. On the regulatory side, the team is deeply involved in the fintech sector, as well as advising on financial products and services offerings. Qualified in Singapore, England and Malaysia, Sey Ming Ng is a transactional finance lawyer with extensive cross-border experience. Cheryl Tan is a specialist in acquisition and venture debt financing deals; Ho Mei Shi is increasingly active in the green and sustainability-linked finance space.

Capital Markets: Equity and Debt
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP's capital markets group is known for its expertise across the waterfront of equity and debt transactions, and hybrid instruments. The group has significant experience in cross-border transactions, utilising the firm's regional office network, with recent deals including listings on the Hong Kong stock exchange main board. In 2020, debt-side specialists acted in a number of ground-breaking catastrophe bond transactions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. In February 2021, the team benefitted from the arrival of Raymond Tong from Clifford Chance, who is a veteran of equity deals across south east Asia. Kim Huat Chia  is the corporate and transactional group regional head and has experience in Singapore listings and take-private transactions. Evelyn Wee coordinates the capital markets group, known for advising listed companies on compliance issues and their transactions.

Corporate and M&A
Clients note Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP as ‘one of the most impressive law firms across the Asia-Pacific through its strong ASEAN footprint.’ The firm has offices in China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viternam, among other locations, and is geared to handle all manner of transactions, from acquisitions, divestments and takeovers to mergers, de-mergers and restructurings. Lawrence Tan  possesses an extensive track record in competing takeover offers of public-listed companies while Wee Hann Lim ’s practice often sees him engaged on multi-jurisdictional transactions involving biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. The duo jointly head the practice which is also active in the banking, real estate, technology, insurance and telecommunications fields and includes Sandy Foo, a lawyer who complements her M&A knowhow with banking and finance expertise.

Intellectual Property
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP has a strong focus on the areas of technology, new media, sports and gambling. The IP group operates at the more premium end of the market, notably in software licensing agreements and domain name disputes with a lesser of an emphasis on trade mark and patent registrations. Department head Lau Kok Keng is a leading name in the sports and gambling sectors, both in disputes and transactions. Nicholas Lauw is a key figure in technology, media and data privacy; this includes licensing and software agreements, and patent and copyright disputes.

International Arbitration
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP‘s international arbitration practice group combines strong regional coverage across South East Asia with local law capabilities. It has a particular reputation for handling disputes involving States and those within oil and gas sector, as well as arbitration-related litigation. Senior partner Andre Yeap leads the practice alongside Kelvin Poon who counts India-related disputes, construction and projects arbitrations among his areas of specialism. Other key contacts include Francis Xavier for investment-related claims and the ‘strategic‘ Ng Kim Beng for disputes arising from construction and infrastructure projects.

Tax
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP cemented its position as a leader in tax dispute resolution with the hire of Foo Hui Min, the former head of IRAS’s law division. She has joined the leader of the tax department Vikna Rajah, who himself has a background with IRAS and has had a pivotal role in elevating the firm’s status in the tax disputes arena over the last few years. This has led to a significant increase in engagements from large multinationals. Aside from disputes, the department has a flourishing advisory and transactional practice, including a significant uptick in the establishment of family offices in Singapore. It is also known for tax-driven capital markets transactions, including catastrophe bonds.

Asia Pacific: Regional International Arbitration: Leading Firms
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP has a strong reputation for investor-state disputes and energy sector international arbitration; it is regularly instructed on China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines related multimillion-dollar arbitrations. Practice heads Andre Yeap and Kelvin Poon are key contacts in Singapore, as is the regional head of dispute resolution group Francis Xavier, SC, while in Vietnam Chau Huy Quang is noted for investor-state disputes. It counts construction and healthcare disputes among its other areas of expertise.