The Legal 500

Drew & Napier LLC is commended for ‘responsiveness, thoroughness and range of expertise’. Hri Kumar SC and ‘ethical and zealous advocate’ Cavinder Bull SC advised the Monetary Authority of Singapore on complaints following Lehman Brothers’ collapse. Bull represented UBS against two customers who sued for negligent advice following the global financial crisis. ‘Unparalleled litigator’ Davinder Singh SC, Hri Kumar SC and Yarni Loi successfully defended Asia Pacific Breweries against a S$100m claim by four foreign banks. ‘Superb negotiator’ Indranee Rajah SC is representing a private equity fund against a luxury resort chain. Wendell Wong and Tony Yeo are ‘diligent, sound in judgement and pragmatic in approach’.

Allen & Gledhill LLP’s ‘fast, responsive’ team impresses clients with its ‘high standard of delivery’. Ang Cheng Hock SC is acting for Drydocks World in a S$50m suit against two former directors, and together with William Ong, is defending Deutsche Bank against a former client. Edwin Tong represented RBS in Singapore’s first class action suit.

Clients recommend Rajah & Tann LLP’s ‘robust, responsive’ team. Andre Yeap and Danny Ong are representing the liquidators of Lehman Brothers entities across Asia in several prominent cases. Practice head Francis Xavier acted for Holcim in an appeal against the High Court decision relating to the 2007 Indonesian Sand Ban.

WongPartnership LLP provides ‘truly excellent service’. Managing partner Alvin Yeo and his team represented Unitas Capital in a complex shareholders dispute concerning its investment in Metalform Asia Pte, which involved proceedings in Mauritius and Singapore. High-profile mandates included representing the founder of private equity firm CMIA Capital Partners Pte Ltd against a claim brought by CMIA China Fund II.

Managing partner Philip Fong and his team at Harry Elias Partnership LLP handle numerous landmark cases. Name partner Harry Elias and Michael Palmer successfully acted for defendants in the long-running Raffles Town Club case. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently nominated Palmer as the next Speaker of Parliament.

Deborah Barker SC leads KhattarWong’s team, which has particular expertise in family law for expats and insurance litigation. K Anparasan was appointed by First Capital Insurance to represent Sembawang Shipyard Pte in a S$4m shipping arbitration. The firm receives regular instructions from India.

Lee & Lee’s 13-partner team, led by Quek Mong Hua, handles disputes involving banking, estates, insurance and medical negligence. Lee Han Tiong and Matthew Saw are leading names. Tan Tee Jim is strong in IP and copyright matters.

Rodyk & Davidson LLP wins praise for its ‘responsiveness and strong technical knowledge’. Herman Jeremiah is representing RBS against a collateral management provider. Lawrence Teh specialises in shipping cases. Lok Vi Ming SC and Low Chai Chong are representing Sands Spa against Marina Bay Sands in a multimillion-dollar High Court claim. The ‘professional, polished, calm and astute’ managing partner Philip Jeyaretnam SC is respected by peers and clients.

Shook Lin & Bok LLP’s ‘detailed, responsive’ team, led by Sarjit Singh Gill, is defending Minibond in a test case involving a $10bn structured note programme arranged by Lehman Brothers. ‘Powerful advocate’ Vinodh Coomaraswamy is representing Pheim Asset Management and its principal, in the Court of Appeal against a civil penalty of S$250,000 for share price manipulation. David Chan is a leading name.

Stamford Law Corporation hired ‘excellent, skilled’ practice head Tan Chuan Thye and Daniel Lim from Wong & Leow LLC. The ‘vibrant and expert group’ represented DBS in a claim for unfair preference by Jurong Hi-Tech Industries. Tan Chuan Thye and Eugene Thuraisingam are acting for the Fong family as majority shareholders of the largest pipe trading company in Southeast Asia.

Practice head Thio Shen Yi SC and Collin Seah at TSMP Law Corporation successfully represented Peter Lim against Raffles Town Club, which appealed against the decision. Ian Lim is representing Taiwanese Multi-National Foxconn Technology against Singapore Multi-National Creative. Ashok Kumar joined from Stamford Law Corporation and Ang Wee Tiong left Tan Kok Quan Partnership, to strengthen the practice.

ATMD Bird & Bird is strong in IP-related disputes, with managing partner Alban Kang successfully representing RecordTV against national broadcaster MediaCorp in the Court of Appeal. The ‘well-organised, responsive’ team represents major airlines and multinationals. Boey Swee Siang represented former shareholders of Yeo Holdings Pte. Former practice head Anand Nalachandran joined Braddell Brothers LLP.

Colin Ng & Partners LLP’s full-service litigation team handle local and international shareholder disputes, joint venture agreements and defamation claims. See Tow Soo Ling is a key contact.

At Pinsent Masons MPillay LLP, the ‘professional, approachable’ Christopher Chong successfully represented private banking client David Lam against Deutsche Bank in the High Court. Mohan Pillay, who is ‘well-respected for his expertise and gravitas’, handles construction-related matters, notably representing Subsea 7 in a dispute concerning a project in Vietnam.

At Tan Rajah & Cheah, the well-respected Chelva Rajah SC and his team handle civil and commercial disputes and criminal, bankruptcy and insolvency cases.

Wong & Leow LLC lost former practice head Tan Chuan Thye and Daniel Lim to Stamford Law Corporation. Practice head Andy Leck and Celeste Ang handle local and cross-border cases for clients in the technology, IP and banking sectors.

Wong Tan & Molly Lim LLC’s name partner Molly Lim has substantial expertise in banking and corporate litigation.

Ang & Partners provides maritime and insurance expertise. Chan Leng Sun SC is a SIAC panel arbitrator and adjudicator.

SIAC arbitrator Madan Assomull at Assomull & Partners ‘fights commercial cases tenaciously’, and is recognised for his expertise in medical negligence cases, handling Singapore’s first provisional damages case.

At ‘innovative, responsive’ litigation boutique Braddell Brothers LLP, the ‘aggressive, articulate’ Edmund Kronenburg and Tan Kok Peng handle high-end matrimonial, medical negligence, shareholder disputes and insolvency matters. Anand Nalachandran, former practice head at ATMD Bird & Bird, strengthened the team.

Donaldson & Burkinshaw’s senior consultant Lawrence Ang Boon Kong, former principal senior state counsel of the Criminal Justice Division (Attorney General’s Chambers), specialises in corporate offences and criminal law. Gooi Chi Duan handles IP-related disputes and general litigation, and Eric Tin Keng Seng specialises in medico-legal work.

Qualified arbitrator Engelin Teh at Engelin Teh Practice LLC handles white-collar fraud claims and cross-border commercial disputes.

Gateway Law Corporation specialises in IT and IP litigation. Max Ng and his team successfully represented the Robert Bosch group and Denso International Pte in a criminal prosecution for trade mark infringement, and acted for Challenger Technologies in a software licensing dispute. Patent agent Soh Kar Liang is the first Singaporean WIPO domain name panellist.

Kelvin Chia Partnership’s Thio Ying Ying acted for a local logistics company (member of a Japanese conglomerate) in securing interim injunctions and an Anton Piller order against a local competitor and its employees in connection with an S$8m damages case.

Kevin Kwek at Legal Solutions LLC successfully represented AIG against Asia Paper & Pulp, and is acting for TPC Korea in respect of the validity of its rehabilitation order in Singapore.

Boutique Legis Point LLC’s practice head and chartered arbitrator Samuel Chacko represents corporations and high-net-worth individuals in complex international disputes.

Loo & Partners LLP’s managing partner Loo Choon Chiaw and Chia Foon Yeow successfully represented the Taiwanese government in the High Court and the Court of Appeal in its claim for $30m designated for developing diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea.

Leading barrister and arbitrator Michael Hwang SC is Chief Justice of the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Straits Law Practice LLC hired banking litigator Suresh Nair from Allen & Gledhill LLP. N Sreenivasan successfully represented MDG in a shareholder dispute. Palaniappan Sundararaj is strong in medical negligence cases.

Insolvency litigator Kannan Ramesh at Tan Kok Quan Partnership represented minority owners in a dispute over costs incurred in the Horizon Towers en bloc sale dispute.

Tan Peng Chin LLC handles insolvency and arbitration work.