Wong & Partners

Clients respect Wong & Partners’s banking and finance team for its “high level of professionalism”, “constructive legal advice” and “prompt service”. Market-leading lawyer Mark Lim, practice leader, and Hsian Siong Yong, head of the real estate team, are assisting on an innovative solution in real estate finance. Lim and Esther Chik, a leading lawyer, advised a Malaysian diversified bank on a project finance transaction for the healthcare sector.

Wong & Partners’s practice is highly capable in private placements, conventional and Islamic medium term note programme and securitisation. Banking and finance market-leading lawyer Mark Lim, one of the team leaders, advised Kinabalu Capital on its formation and issue of RM3 billion commercial paper and medium term note programmes. Munir Abdul Aziz, a leading lawyer, and Sue Wan Wong assisted Morgan Stanley Seadrill’s private placement disposal of its 8.2% equity stake in SapuraKencana, a Malaysian oilfield services company.

Wong & Partners is a recommended practice for distribution agreements, merger clearances and price fixing matters. Market-leading lawyer Brian Chia, a team co-leader, advised a Japanese automotive retailer on a merger and joint ventures clearance, and audit and compliance issues. Andre Gan, practice co-head, assisted a global insurer during Malaysian Competition Commission’s investigation of price fixing about spare parts and labour charges for estimates of motor insurance claims.

Wong & Partners’s practice positions itself as excelling at leasing and mergers and acquisitions. “They are absolutely knowledgeable based on various experience,” remarks a client, “and always give us professional and timely advice.” Hsian Siong Yong, practice head, advised Mitsubishi Estate on a joint venture with IOI Properties to develop residential condos. “Efficient and talented lawyer” Yong delivers “appropriate level of involvement as senior lawyer and good team support”, says another client. “Faithful and reliable lawyer” Victoria Yap, who is involved in many matters with Yong, is a name to watch. “Team is proactive offering solutions and suggestions not just answers on legal questions,” adds a third client. 

Clients have effusive praise for Wong & Partners’s “great team”. “They provide exceptionally good service,” comments another client, “[and] provide us with practical and workable legal advice and solutions.” Market-leading lawyer Brian Chia, head of the team, has an “extremely good grasp of the law balanced with commerciality”, remarks a client. “Excellent negotiator, solutions orientated” Munir Abdul Aziz, a leading lawyer, and Sue Wan Wong with “great and in-depth knowledge of the law [and the ability] to advise quickly and on the spot” assisted Ekuiti Nasional on its proposed sale of its indirect stake in Icon Offshore and Orkim to UMW Oil & Gas.

Wong & Partners enters the highly recommended rating for its breadth of work including across sectors, for example, energy, IT and telecommunications, and practice areas, including intellectual property and regulatory. Market-leading lawyer Kherk Ying Chew, practice leader, and Eddie Chuah, promoted to partner in 2016, are representing a foreign oil and gas company against a publicly listed oil & gas company, as part of a cross-border (Switzerland and Singapore) joint venture dispute between parties. The legal issue has involved the client’s IP licensing to the joint venture without the venture paying for the license on time. Brian Law, IP disputes specialist, has left to become regional IP head of a rival.

Wong & Partners enters the tables as a notable practice. Banking and finance market-leading lawyer Mark Lim, practice head, and Siaw Wan Lim, who arrived from an outstanding rival in February 2017, are advising on an industrial petrochemical terminal. Lim is also assisting a Hong Kong waste management service provider on a waste-to-energy project.

Wong & Partners’s team has been successful in mergers and acquisition in the industry, in addition to working on large bancassurance agreements. Brian Chia, practice head, and Sue Wan Wong assisted Zurich Insurance on its entry into Malysia’s takaful (Islamic insurance) market through the RM525 million acquisition of 100 % of MAA Takaful from MAA Group and Solidarity Group. Chia and Wong and other partners in Baker McKenzie’s affiliate offices in Hong Kong and Singapore are advising Allianz on its 15-year bancassurance deal with Standard Chartered.

The team at Wong & Partners is “prompt in handling our work”, comments a client, “and always with professionalism and an in-depth appreciation of our legal needs”.  Practice head Kherk Ying Chew, a market-leading lawyer, advised a Fortune 500 company on a raid and seizure of counterfeit goods heading for Malta. Working with the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism’s enforcement division, Royal Malaysian Customs and the port police, the team successfully launched a time-sensitive raid while the ship was docked. Brian Law departed to become IP regional head of a Singaporean firm. “Most importantly,” adds another client, “their global network give[s] them that extra credit as compared to most other legal firms when we want to check on cross-border related issues”.

Kherk Ying Chew, who is head of the dispute resolution and IP teams, joins Brian Chia, leader of the corporate, commercial and securities group, and Adeline Wong in driving Wong & Partners’s practice. Even with “reasonable fees”, a client notes, “quality of work is excellent”. Munir Abdul Aziz and Chew advised Media Prima on its RM105 million acquisition of Rev Asia, a Malaysian digital media group. Hong Sze Chen’s “practical advice” makes her a name to watch. The team is “able to advise on commercial, business, operational matters as well”, adds a client.

Market-leading lawyer Wei Kwang Woo, who led the practice at Wong & Partners, passed away in October 2017. He earned praise from many clients. “We like Wei Kwang and his team,” says one, “because they are commercially savvy and practical, and the fees are reasonable and they are generally good at keeping to fee estimates. The “practical, responsive and commercial” Woo assisted a global luxury brand on a workplace privacy and data security project to comply with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. “The team is generally responsive and we find that the content of the advice is solid without being excessively detailed or overlaboured,” adds another client. Market-leading corporate lawyer Brian Chia is practice leader.

Wong & Partners’s team has had a strong year working on buyouts and exits, and public-to-private transactions. Brian Chia, practice head, Sue Wan Wong, and other partners in Baker McKenzie’s affiliate offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, advised Champ Private Equity, an Australia alternative investment firm, on its A$130 million acquisition of a 50 % stake in Containerchain, a software solutions provider to the logistics industry. Munir Abdul Aziz and Wong acted for a government-linked private equity firm on its proposed equity stake sale in vessel owners Icon Offshore and Orkim to UMW Oil & Gas.

Wong & Partners’s team excels at water, power and transport projects. Munir Abdul Aziz, a corporate leading lawyer, and practice head Mark Lim, a banking and finance market-leading lawyer, are acting for a government agency on a railway project. Lim and Siaw Wan Lim, joining from a top-tier practice in February 2017, are advising a Malaysian education service provider on a hospital project.

Wong & Partners enters the tables as a notable practice. Andre Gan, Ee Von Teo and Kherk Ying Chew, a practice co-head, advised McDonald’s on its divestment of Golden Arches Restaurants, a subsidiary, to Lionhorn, a McDonald’s franchise group in Saudi Arabia. The cross-border transaction involved restructuring Golden before the sale and managing a range of issues, including franchising and property rights to more than 200 franchisees.

The “highly proactive team” at Wong & Partners garners respect for its tax strategy, transfer pricing and base erosion and profit shifting advice. In addition, market-leading lawyer Adeline Wong, practice head, “is an exceptional lawyer who is highly experienced in [a] wide array of matters and able to issue spot effectively”, remarks a client. Wong is advising a large American semiconductor company on transactional tax matters about an acquisition. Yvonne Beh is another notable partner.