The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Singapore > Labour and employment: local firms

Allen & Gledhill LLP's sizeable team has 'a wealth of expertise in all employment-related issues'. It advises on cross-border employment arrangements, employee incentives, compensation and pension schemes, as well as representing employers in disputes arising out of wrongful dismissals, disciplinary proceedings and restrictive covenants. The team also assists corporate clients with internal and regulatory investigations. Sanjiv Rajan and Kelvin Wong jointly head the practice, which also includes Aaron Lee, who focuses on white-collar, regulatory and compliance and corporate governance matters; Vincent Leow handles contentious employment cases involving employee misconduct, and Wee Meng Tan is a key name on the non-contentious side.

Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow handles contentious, non-contentious, investigatory and day-to-day employment-related issues, with complementary expertise in employment-related tax and immigration matters. Disputes partner Celeste Ang advises clients on compliance and regulatory issues in multi-jurisdictional investigations, terminations, breach of fiduciary duties and enforcement of restrictive covenants and confidentiality provisions. Kelvin Poa, and senior associates Ng Zhao Yang and Clarence Ding, make up the other key figures in the team. Aran Alexander left the firm in September 2019 for an in-house role.

Drew & Napier LLC advises on the spectrum of employment law, including benefits, compliance with workplace health and safety and employee insurance legislation, as well as the employment-related aspects of transactions, advisory and contentious work. Kelvin Tan leads on the contentious side, with strong expertise in regulatory compliance, investigations and proceedings involving bribery, fraud and misconduct. Benjamin Gaw is experienced in drafting and reviewing employment contracts and handbook templates, promotion letter templates, sponsorship agreements and termination agreements.

The employment practice at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP 'has the resources and the experience to handle any size project', and acts for major international corporations and senior executives on all aspects of employment law and related issues. Key areas of activity include restructuring and retrenchment exercises, advising on the employment aspects of major transactions, advocacy in litigation and handling complaints, misconduct and investigations. Desmond Wee specialises in non-contentious employment, and is noted for his expertise in trade union matters, retrenchments and termination of employment exercises and structuring employment terms. K Muralidharan Pillai acts for employers in contentious matters, including enforcement of post-termination restrictive covenants, banking secrecy and preserving confidentiality. Jonathan Yuen has a strong record defending corporate clients in disputes involving wrongful termination, whistle-blower claims, work-place discrimination, constructive-dismissal and other related issues.

CNPLaw LLP, which acts for employers and employees, has 'a solid reputation' for assisting domestic and international clients with a range of issues, including drafting employee benefits, incentives and compensation packages and advising on the transfer of employees as part of corporate transactions, as well as handling immigration matters and employment disputes. Pradeep Kumar Singh and Bill Jamieson jointly lead the practice.

Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP's core areas of expertise range from employee benefits and schemes to internal restructuring, merger and downsizing exercises. Its team also advises on template employment contracts and on remuneration and termination issues. Key figures include Edric Pan, I-An Lim and Rodney Leong.

The employment team at Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC 'thinks strategically and delivers concise and practical advice' on the full spectrum of employment law matters, often with a cross-border element. The practice is also 'knowledgeable of current developments in the law and enforcement trends', in particular regulatory issues arising from the Employment Act and Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. The team also act as counsel to employers in contentious cases concerning wrongful termination, personal data protection and whistle-blowing. On the non-contentious side, the practice assists clients with day-to-day employment issues, including drafting and reviewing restrictive covenants, confidentiality agreements, disciplinary guidelines and termination agreements. Daniel Chia, Wai Ming Yap, Wendy Tan and associate Yanguang Ker, who is a 'rising star in the realm of investigations', comprise the 'outstanding team'.

Shook Lin & Bok LLP's team has 'significant bench strength' and is 'highly recommended' for organisational restructuring issues, redundancy exercises, outsourcing agreements and for representing employers in disputes involving wrongful termination, enforcement of restrictive covenants and fiduciary duties. Teo Mae Shaan and Joseph Tay are the key partners for non-contentious and contentious matters, respectively.

TSMP Law Corporation provides 'prompt, friendly, expert and practical guidance on Singapore employment law' and has a strong track record in non-contentious employment advisory work, as well as advocacy in employment claims tribunals and High Court disputes. The practice typically acts for a range of employers in contentious matters involving breach of non-competition, confidentiality, and fiduciary duties, large-scale redundancies, constructive and wrongful dismissals, as well as conducting internal investigations and advising on reports to the Ministry of Manpower. Practice head Ian Lim is singled out for his 'legal acumen and remarkably sound advice', particularly in relation to the employment aspects of international  transactions. Also of note is senior associate Nicholas Ngo, who is highlighted for his 'impressive legal knowledge and understanding'.

Virtus Law LLP - Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance continues to be heavily involved in contentious employment matters. Litigation partner Terence Seah, who leads the team, has a strong track record acting for employers in disputes involving non-competition obligations, termination compensation and alleged misconduct. On the non-contentious side, Jason Yang's practice covers employment contracts, service agreements, compliance and personal data issues as well as assistance with the employment aspects of M&A transactions. The practice is also a particular favourite with Japanese companies, with Nomura Research Institute and Konica Minolta among its clients.

WongPartnership LLP advises on the full gamut of non-contentious and contentious employment law matters, with niche experience in negotiating with unions, particularly concerning industrial relations, and challenging disciplinary and misconduct investigations. Department co-head Vivien Yui advises on the employment aspects of major corporate transactions, global share incentive plans and benefits and local policies, in addition to immigration law. Fellow co-head Jenny Tsin is noted for her experience in disputes between employers and employees, regulators and trade unions. She also assists clients with conducting investigations into whistle-blowing allegations and employee misconduct. Qi-Yang Chang is noted for employment-related disputes.  

Bird & Bird ATMD LLP has a strong offering handling domestic and multi-jurisdictional non-contentious and contentious employment issues, including investigations and misconduct, restrictive covenants, employee benefits, industrial relations and business immigration. Focusing largely on representing employers in high-stakes litigation, Seow Hui Goh is 'an excellent employment lawyer' and 'a safe pair of hands' for enforcement of restrictive covenants,  obtaining urgent injunctive relief and investigations relating to statutory non-compliance and employee misconduct. Susan de Silva retired in December 2018.

Simmons & Simmons is a popular choice for listed banks, insurers, funds and asset managers and is regularly instructed to represent employers in highly sensitive cross-border disputes and investigations. Key contact Mohammed Reza specialises in contentious matters involving termination of employment and enforcement of non-compete agreements.

Withers KhattarWong LLP has strengthened its capability in employment with the hire of Amarjit Kaur from Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC. Kaur is particularly experienced in guiding corporate clients through complex employment issues arising out of investigations, reduction in workforce exercises, business transfers and M&As. The practice acts for employers and employees alike in breach of employment contract disputes, including wrongful dismissal cases, termination of employment, retrenchment exercises and business immigration. Deborah Barker SC heads the practice.