Shook Lin & Bok LLP

Banking & Finance; Corporate Real Estate; Hospitality & Leisure

Partner

Kenneth Szeto has been in legal practice for over two decades, and is a corporate real estate and real estate financing specialist.

Kenneth works on a broad range of corporate real estate deals across the commercial, industrial and residential property sectors in Singapore. He represents multinationals, real estate investment funds, construction companies and collective sale committees in acquisitions, disposals, sale and lease back transactions, collective sales and purchases of land sites, and indirect property investment transactions including joint ventures, acquisitions and disposals of real estate holding entities. He also assists developers in the full life cycle of their development projects, from acquisitions of land sites and related financing arrangements to the redevelopment and off-plan sale of the new units.

In the commercial leasing space, he regularly acts for major building owner landlords in the lease of office, retail, commercial and industrial space. He also advises major anchor tenants in the negotiation of their leases.

Kenneth also represents lenders as well as borrowers in domestic and cross-border financing transactions, with a focus on secured land loans, holding entity acquisition loans, development and construction loans and en-bloc acquisition financing. He has acted for most of the leading Singapore and Singapore-based international banks and financial institutions, as well as an increasing number of private credit lenders. He also represents multinationals, sponsors and SME borrowers in the negotiation of their real estate-backed credit facilities and documentation with their lenders.

In the private client real estate space, Kenneth advises ultra-high networth individuals and family offices on their real estate investments and related debt-financing, asset management and real estate-related succession planning. He also advises family office clients (Singapore-based and offshore) on their Singapore real estate portfolios and real estate investment transactions, and coordinates advice for their real estate dispute matters.

Kenneth also has considerable experience in niche sub-sectors such as co-working and co-living spaces, branded residences, hospitality, well-being and leisure assets as well as self storage facility assets. Kenneth has been a key engagement partner of the Self Storage Association Asia since its establishment in 2014.

English, Chinese (Mandarin)

Solicitor, England & Wales, 2009
Advocate & Solicitor, Singapore, 2004
LLB (Hons), National University of Singapore, 2003