Banking and finance
Work highlights
Acted for Bank of China in financing the acquisition of Cogent Holdings by COSCO Shipping International, via a voluntary general offer issued pursuant to the Singapore code on take-overs and mergers.
Key clients
ING Bank, Raffles Prestige Capital
Capital markets
Work highlights
Acted for DBS Trustee, the trustee of Sasseur REIT, in relation to the IPO of Sasseur REIT on the SGX. This is the first outlet mall REIT to be listed in Asia.
Acted for Kakao Corp in relation to the listing of about 8 million global depositary shares on the SGX.
Key clients
Aspial Corporation, Maxi-Cash Financial Services Corporation, Orchid 2 Investments, Q & M Dental Group (Singapore)
Construction
Work highlights
Advised a developer, SGX-listed real estate investment trust, on a project to develop and build a facility on industrial land which will be leased to an end-user. The property is built specifically in accordance with the detailed specifications prescribed by the in-coming tenant.
Key clients
ACL Construction (S), DIAP-SHAP, Digital Realty, Kyo Ei Denko, Unitex Engineering, VSL Singapore
Corporate and M&A
Work highlights
Advised the joint financial advisers to Nesta Investment Holdings in the takeover of Global Logistic Properties by way of a scheme of arrangement for approximately S$16 billion. This transaction is the largest-ever private equity buyout of an Asian company.
Acting as Singapore counsel to TDK Corporation in respect of the establishment of a $3 billion Singapore-based joint venture with Qualcomm to provide industry leading radio frequency front-end (RFFE) modules and RF filters for mobile devices and for other fast-growing business segments, such as drones, robotics and automotive applications.
Key clients
Citigroup Global Markets Singapore, Dormakaba International Holding, Heliconia Capital Management, Yanlord Land Group
Dispute resolution
Work highlights
Acting for one of the world leaders in marketing and communication services in an arbitration involving a dispute concerning breaches of warranty against one of the sellers under a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of the entire share capital of a Singapore company for approximately $12 million.
Key clients
Nippon Catalyst, Sinosteel Trading, Xing Bang International, WPP Singapore
Investment funds
Work highlights
Acting for Gordian Capital Singapore Private, a Singapore fund management company, on the establishment of Greater China Equity Market Neutral Fund, a Singapore unit trust fund with a targeted fund size of $1 billion. The fund was structured in collaboration with a large Chinese asset management company to invest directly in listed equity securities of companies in Greater China or in exchange traded funds or derivative instruments which are linked to such equities implemented through a model-driven individual stock long and short strategy.
Labour and employment
Work highlights
Advised the client in respect of the termination of an employee’s employment with the Singapore branch of the company.
Regulatory
Work highlights
Conducted a desk-top review of the ‘customer risk assessment methodology’ adopted by the client to evaluate the extent to which the customer risk assessment methodology is in compliance with the standards expected by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), as set out in the MAS Notice to Capital Markets Intermediaries SFA04-N02.
Key clients
Copper Basin Capital
Restructuring and insolvency
Work highlights
Acting for a creditor and a major shareholder of the operator of one of the world's largest petrochemical plants, on the Singapore law issues in relation to the debt restructuring and receivership of one of the world’s largest petrochemical plants worth $2.4 billion.
Client feedback
“Very good during pre-trial preparations. But the firm does lacks in cross-border disputes experience.” – Dispute resolution
“Provides good value for money among its peers. Sensitive to client's needs, practical in approach and values longer term relationships.” – Capital markets
“Exemplary advice from local lawyers with international magic circle experience. Highly supportive.” – Banking and finance
"Capable of putting customer at ease at the beginning; good and clear explanation regarding various stages of the law suit and what to expect; and responsive to my inquiries and doubts.” – Labour and employment
“Exceptional client service and response time. Well versed on the latest developments in the Singapore fund management and regulatory space. Provides good industry training/briefings that benefit the industry.” – Investment funds
“One of the firm's strength is in dispute resolution, where mastery of detail is important, with practical common sense.” - Tax
“The lawyer possesses expertise in the area, especially he has ex-regulator experience. I also like his response time.” - Regulatory
“Prompt, detailed and commercial. Take care of client's interests.” – Real estate
“The law firm has the necessary experience and capabilities to carry out the assignment and the client is able to reach out of court settlement without incurring significant costs.” – Restructuring and insolvency
“Very good client service. Lawyers are readily available and do their best to accommodate requests.” – Corporate and M&A
“Overall the level of expertise was excellent. Very timely responses and questions were answered with the best interests of our business as a focus. Additional consequences and or things for us to look into were also raised which was helpful. Communication with external parties was handled by the firm and this helped achieve the positive outcome.” – Banking and finance, Regulatory
“Excellent technical skills and client centric focus!” - Andrea Ng
“The partner is friendly, flexible and customer oriented. She is very willing to share her knowledge and is very experienced.” “Mei Choo is very knowledgeable in lease transactions and is customer-oriented.” - Chew Mei Choo
“Meticulous, analytical, positive and professional.” “Practical and intense focus on outcomes.” - David Chan
“Debby is sensitive to the client's needs and driven to achieve the best results.” - Debby Lim
“Very pragmatic and willing to state a position that's in the client's interest, even if it may not be music to regulator's ear. Wish to have a few juniors under him so that work can be progressed even without him around.” - Eric Chan
“Pro-client. Marketing oriented, good business acumen and network.” - Gwendolyn Gn
“Provides insightful and commercial advice. Can be trusted to protect our interests and get the deal done in a timely manner.” - Ho Ying Ming
“Sarjit Singh is one of the best legal minds in Singapore. He frequently gives practical and workable solutions to a difficult problem. He does not beat around the bush, and goes straight to tackle the key issues. I have known Sarjit for more than 20 years, and have benefitted greatly from his advice over the years. The firm, Shook Lin & Bok, punches above its weight.” “He is a very good advocate with practical common sense and an eye for detail.” - Sarjit Singh
“Exceptional client service and response time. Excellent understanding and appreciation of business requirements and able to provide advice that balance commercial interest and risk. Well versed on the latest developments in the Singapore fund management and regulatory space. Provides good industry training/briefings that benefit the industry.” - Tan Woon Hum
“Mae Shaan is very pleasant and smart. She has all-encompassing experiences in both debt and equity deals. She is able to spot issues quickly and understand our instructions easily.” “Mae Shaan was critical to the process and ensuring a positive outcome. She is very knowledgeable and easy to deal with.” - Teo Mae Shaan
