Ms Melissa Ng > Clifford Chance > Singapore, Singapore > Lawyer Profile

Clifford Chance‘s substantial Singapore office has a major focus on energy projects and transactions. The firm is widely rated for its expertise in M&A and fund investments in the energy sector. Singapore partner Nicholas Wong was previously co-head of the firm’s global energy and infrastructure group, and leads the team jointly with corporate partner Melissa Ng, who has made a particular impression energy M&A across Asia Pacific, historically with an especially strong record in Indonesia. The firm has an impressive client list of project sponsors and developers, funds and investors, and lenders. It is further distinguished by having a dedicated construction team led by Matthew Buchanan, that has played a pivotal role in large-scale offshore wind projects, amongst many other engagements. The Singapore team frequently works alongside colleagues across Asia Pacific, including those in Perth and Sydney. Ross Howard is another key project finance partner with particular experience in Vietnam and Japan.

Noted for its capability to advise on Singapore, English and New York law, the ‘all-star team’ at Clifford Chance covers the full spectrum of mandates, from M&A, joint ventures and divestments to general corporate advisory work across the energy and infrastructure, financial services, consumer goods and retail, healthcare and life sciences, TMT and private equity sectors. Praised as ‘one of the best M&A lawyers in Singapore’, managing partner Valerie Kong has built a strong portfolio of clients, including sovereign wealth funds, Singapore and Malaysia government-linked entities, multinational banks and corporates, with demonstrable experience in cross-border M&A, particularly in the Southeast Asia region. Kong jointly leads the team alongside Melissa Ng, who is commended for her ‘keen intellect, commerciality and extensive experience’ in M&A, divestments and joint ventures, and Tom Lin, who focuses on private equity transactions. Senior associate Ivan Chan is another key contact in the group.

Clifford Chance is renowned as a top-rate firm for its activity in Indonesia and Southeast Asia as a whole. The firm offers services across a wide array of practice areas within the jurisdiction, including capital markets, bank financing, M&A, construction, restructurings and dispute resolution. With a large pool of practitioners capable of operating on Indonesian matters, the practice regularly acts for clients in complex, cross-border issues that are often high-profile or high-value. Melissa Ng leads the firm’s Indonesia Group and handles M&A work for her longstanding clients. Thomas England specialises in leverage and acquisition finance, restructuring and insolvency, while Shaun Langhorne focuses his practice on complex, multi-stakeholder and cross-border restructuring matters across the region. In addition, Gareth Deiner is practiced in the debt capital markets sector and Matthew Buchanan is expert in construction matters concerning infrastructure.

Clifford Chance has extensive experience in advising national and multinational clients on various complex transactions in the Philippines and covers a wide array of matters from banking, finance, and corporate to restructuring and project financing. Other core areas of expertise span capital markets work and dispute resolution, while the firm also has a large arbitration practice. Paul Landless, who is based at the Singapore office, specialises in structured finance, derivatives and other financial markets products; he leads the team jointly with Hong-Kong-based Cameron Hassall, who has considerable expertise in Asia related to international arbitration and litigation. Melissa Ng is also recommended.