The Legal 500

Allen & Gledhill LLP’s Ronnie Quek and Andrew Chan acted on significant mandates including the scheme of arrangement for TT International. It also advised Nordea Bank Finland and Citicorp International on the high-profile bankruptcy of Korea Line Corporation, and acted for the bank creditor on restructuring S$360m of debt owed by subsidiaries of Jaya Holdings in bankruptcy.

Drew & Napier LLC’s restructuring team is ‘exceptionally smart, aggressive and creative in dealing with complex legal issues’. Mandarin speaker Julian Kwek is advising the Sawit Mas Group on its corporate restructuring. Davinder Singh SC and the ‘highly skilled and hardworking’ Blossom Hing successfully obtained an order to appoint provisional liquidators over Singapore-listed, China-based Celestial Nutrifoods. Kwek, together with Sushil Nair and Chan Wei Meng is acting for S-Chip companies Fibrechem Technologies and China Hongxing Sports Co.

Rajah & Tann LLP’s Lee Eng Beng SC, Sim Kwan Kiat and Ryan Loh act for a syndicate of banks regarding the insolvency and restructuring of Korea Line Corporation. Lee Eng Beng SC and Lynette Koh acted for creditors in the $100m restructuring of companies in the Drydocks World group. Lee Eng Beng SC’s team successfully represented the liquidators of Progen Engineering Pte and TT International in two significant Court of Appeal decisions.

According to clients, Shook Lin & Bok LLP ‘consistently performs to an extremely high standard’, advising on liquidations, receiverships, judicial management and schemes of arrangement David Chan, described as ‘proactive and commercially sensible in often difficult circumstances’, is acting for the Cayman Islands and Singapore liquidators of Petroprod. Sarjit Singh Gill SC and Vinodh Coomaraswamy SC are advising on Armada (Singapore) Pte’s insolvency.

WongPartnership LLP’s 25-lawyer restructuring group, led by Chou Sean Yu and Mark Choy, recruited restructuring expert Manoj Sandrasegara from Drew & Napier LLC. Signficant mandates included acting for TT International in its consensual restructuring, and advising M+W Singapore Pte on the assets of the Jurong Data Centre Development Pte in receivership. Sandrasegara acted for Korea Line Corporation to prevent the arrest and seizure of the company’s 186 vessels.

Rodyk & Davidson LLP represents international and local banks in transactional and contentious matters. Rodney Keong represented the provisional liquidators of China Sun Bio-Chem Techology Group in the High Court. Lawrence Teh successfully applied to the courts on behalf of Fortescue Metals Group to reverse the process of winding up its subsidiary FMG International Pte. Practice co-head Herman Jeremiah is ‘responsive and provides sound advice’.

At Stamford Law Corporation, practice head Tan Chuan Thye, recently hired from Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow along with Justin Yip, represents Ernst & Young Solutions LLP, the judicial managers of Sino-Environment Technology Group. Ashok Kumar left to join TSMP Law Corporation

TSMP Law Corporation recruited practice head Ashok Kumar from Stamford Law Corporation. Highlights included advising UOB as major lender to Nautical Offshore Services, principal shareholder of Jaya Holdings, and advising S-Chip company KXD Digital Entertainment on restructuring, corporate governance and debt.

Tan Kok Quan Partnership represents liquidators, judicial managers, receivers and managers from major accounting firms as well as acting for for creditors and directors of insolvent companies. Managing partner Ramesh Kannan and Eddee Ng are leading names.

Wong & Leow LLC’s dual-qualified James Huang acted on the $1bn Jaya restructuring. Emmanuel Hadjidakis has acted on cross-border debt restructurings across Asia Pacific. Tan Chuan Thye and Justin Yip left to join Stamford Law Corporation

Clifford Chance’s international finance strength underpins its pan-Asian restructuring capabilities. Nish Shetty and Andrew Brereton advised Credit Suisse on the complex $250m restructuring of Continental Chemicals. Brereton advised Barclays, as agent, and the lenders on Jindal Steel’s $250m debt restructuring.

Linklaters Allen & Gledhill’s Philip Badge and Kevin Wong advised Suzlon Energy on its restructuring. Richard Ginks advised HSBC Bank on the Jaya Holdings restructuring.

Allen & Overy is advising financial institutions that invested in the financing of over 50 aircraft under structures arranged by Allco Finance Group, and is assisting with the restructuring of the Transmile group in Malaysia and PT Domas Agrointi Prima in Indonesia. Leading names are Kayal Sachi, the ‘knowledgeable, technically sound’ John Richards, and Jason Humphreys ‘who understands Asian business’.

At Latham & Watkins LLP, Joseph Bevash in Tokyo, Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi and Stephen McWilliams advised on the S$2.65bn Senoko Power Project refinancing. Tjia-Dharmadi and David Miles represented the mandated lead arrangers in Protelindo’s $475m refinancing. Head of the Singapore law practice Sin Chei Liang handles capital and corporate restructuring.

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy’s David Zemans, Jacqueline Chan and Ong Ee-Ing advised creditors of Darma Henwa on the complex restructuring of its $205m syndicated senior secured facility.

Norton Rose (Asia) LLP’s Gervais Green, Guy Spooner, Daniel Yong, and Robert Driver advised on the Arpeni Pratama restructuring. Adam Summerly advised Bio Treat Technology on the restructuring of S$206m convertible unsecured bonds.

O’Melveny & Myers LLP’s Bertie Mehigan, Joel Hogarth, Damien Coles and Ashley Bell acted as sole international counsel to Mobile-8 Telecom Finance Company BV and PT Mobile-8 Telecom Tbk regarding the restructuring of $100m guaranteed secured notes.

Watson, Farley & Williams LLP’s ‘intelligent, practical advisors’ Chris Lowe and Madeline Leong acted for syndicates of banks and financial institutions on the restructuring of facilities totalling $150.4m to subsidiaries of Arpeni Pratama.

White & Case LLP’s William Kirschner represented Lehman Brothers Holdings in the amendment of Norton Gold Fields’ A$40m convertible fixed rate notes. Practice head Kate Allchurch and Guan Feng Chen are recommended.

Carl Dunton at Ashurst LLP acted for investors on the proposed restructuring of fully convertible debentures for an Indian real estate entity, and represented an investor in the capital restructuring of a Philippines-based energy entity

Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow’s James Huang advised Jaya Holdings on its $300m restructuring. Kiat Sent Lee is recommended. Tan Chuan Thye left to join Stamford Law Corporation

Sheela Moorthy and her team at DLA Piper Singapore Pte. Ltd. advise on cross-border restructurings.

Gibson Dunn’s John Viverito, assisted by Erin Rothfuss and Saptak Santra, is assisting with the restructuring of Lehman Brothers’ Asian real estate assets.

Herbert Smith LLP’s Michelle Chen specialises in debt equity matters, attracting debt restructuring instructions across Southeast Asia.

Schick & Associates LLC’s restructuring specialist Sandor Schick represented an international consortium owed $400m by affiliates of Asia Pulp & Paper. Clients recommend him as ‘thorough and analytical, with an exceptional eye for detail’.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP advised on Lehman Brothers’ sale to Nomura Holdings.