Firm Profile > Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill > Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Dispute resolution Tier 1

Lambert Rasa-Ratnam leads the dispute resolution practice at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill. Split into three sections: general commercial, banking and insolvency, and construction/real estate, it counts BMW and PricewaterhouseCoopers within its client portfolio. Specific areas covered include:  breach of contract, debt recovery, fraud, insolvency and foreign-seated arbitration. Notably, the firm pursues these matters for major companies in sectors such as construction, energy, real estate (it recently defended Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust in a 'tort of conversion' case) and telecoms. Key lawyers: Nitin Nadkarni (international arbitration), Kumar Kanagasingam (banking), Shanmugam SM ('an amazing lawyer') and Darshendev  Singh (infrastructure). Rosli Dahlan has departed to form Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership.

Islamic finance Tier 1

Representing clients such as Standard Chartered Saadiq and HSBC Bank Malaysia, the Islamic finance team at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill handles issues such as commercial papers and medium term notes. Directed by Weng Hwee Tay, known for his expertise in Musharakah, it also features Megat Hizaini Hassan, a partner adept at facilitating substantive complex multi-billion ringgit issuances. A recent highlight concerns the firm's role in advising RHB Islamic Bank on the review and revision of its standard legal documentation. Notably, this is utilised for the bank’s home financing products (Commodity Murabahah Term Financing-i and Equity Financing-i) and ensures compliance with the regulations issued by Bank Negara Malaysia.

Labour and employment Tier 1

The labour and employment team at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill is led by Heng Seng Lim and Dato Thavalingam C. Thavarajah. Providing clients with compliance advice on legislation and common law rights, it also reviews policies and documentation, covers managerial prerogatives, and counsels on trade disputes and collective agreements. The client portfolio features a substantive number of Fortune 500 companies as well as family-owned enterprises and non-commercial entities. Shariffullah Abdul Majeed advises on the dismissal of senior employees and internal investigations while senior associate Amardeep Singh is recommended for immigration law and the  management of foreign workers.

Real estate and construction Tier 1

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill offers a full service real estate and construction practice, acting on both contentious and non-contentious matters. The firm's client base consists of developers, contractors, financiers and institutional investors. Weng Hwee Tay is leading the team and working on real estate transactions, joint ventures and development projects, with over twenty years of experience in the field. Nitin Nadkarni is a key figure in the practice, with a focus on international arbitration, and handling construction, engineering and infrastructures disputes across Asia and Europe.

TMT Tier 1

Known for her role in establishing the National Digital Identity framework, IT expert Adlin Abdul Majid heads the TMT offering at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill. Notable for its regulatory advice in telecoms, the team also handles related litigation and arbitration on behalf of major industry leaders. In addition, it handles outsourcing matters affecting the IT sector and increasingly covers fintech and cloud computing issues. Moreover, the firm addresses legal issues pertaining to both GDPR and the Malaysian Personal Data Protection Act. These include data processing agreements as well as cross-border transfers of personal information. G. Vijay Kumar is experienced in disputes and recently represented Webe Digital in a multi-part defamation suit.

Antitrust and competition Tier 2

TMT and government expert Adlin Abdul Majid orchestrates the antitrust and competition offering at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill. Providing clients with specialist advice on both the Competition Act 2010 and self-regulated industries, it regularly acts for key players in the automobile, financial and telecoms sectors. Eunice Chan Wei Lynn complements the team with dedicated experience in franchising and distribution alongside a strong track record in related IP matters. Recent work highlights handled the legal aspects of mergers and acquisitions as well as product distribution.  

Banking and finance Tier 2

With a specialist focus on real estate and construction, Weng Hwee Tay directs the banking and finance offering at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill. The team handles work for major lenders and covers areas such as: syndicated loans, club deals, project finance, bankruptcy and restructuring. Led by the 'knowledgeable and efficient' Weng Hwee Tay, it also includes cross-border expert Bella Chai Yee Chu, a partner with substantive experience in the real estate industry. A recent  case concerns its work for Hang Seng Bank in respect of a USD150 million facility agreement made available to Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited. Notably, Eu Jin Ong departed for Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership in February 2020.

Capital markets Tier 2

Led by the 'knowledgeable and efficient' Tay Hwee the capital markets team at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill handles a broad spectrum of sector issues. Specifically, this includes: major debt offerings, (both conventional and Islamic), bond offerings, medium term note programs and sukuk issuances. A recent standout case is its work for Sabah Credit Corporation on amendments to its Islamic Commercial Papers and Medium-Term Notes Programmes. The offering is complemented by the skills of Megat Hizaini Hassan, a renowned expert in Islamic finance as well as the 'knowledgeable and efficient' partners Tay Weng Hwee  and Bella Chai Yee Chu.

Corporate and M&A Tier 2

Counting the Malaysian Airline System and AEON Credit Service as key clients, the corporate and M&A offering at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill is headed by capital markets expert Weng Hwee Tay. The team handles issues such as joint ventures, corporate reorganisations, private equity investments and foreign direct investment in addition to its general advisory work. Raphael Tay is said to have 'vast knowledge of the automotive industry' and has a significant track record in restructuring matters. Ooi Bee Hong recently departed for Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership.

Intellectual property Tier 2

Both Malaysian and international clients are served by the intellectual property team at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill. Its expertise spans media law, franchising, and licensing as well as patent, and copyright disputes. It undertakes matters such as pursing ex-parte injunctions and other court proceedings through to cases before the Trade Marks Office. It counts Samsung, McDonald’s and Apple among its client base. In particular, it recently focused its efforts on concluding a case for Philip Morris where it successfully prevented infringing goods from leaving Malaysian waters. Eunice Chan Wei Lynn and Chew Yi Hsien are the key names to note. Bahari Yeow Tien Hong and Zhi Jian Lim have departed for Gan Partnership.

Tax Tier 2

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill's practice has a 'great working knowledge of tax affairs in Malaysia.' The group advises on tax audits, transfer pricing cases and disputes. Co-team lead Nitin Nadkarni is notable for his dual tax advisory and tax disputes experience, having worked in the area for over two decades. He is active in multiple industries and several jurisdictions including Korea, Vietnam and Singapore. Jason Tan Jia Xin has appeared before all the courts of Malaysia on anti-dumping cases and tax appeals.

Projects and energy Tier 3

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill possesses a broad projects and energy practice, acting on transport infrastructure, mining, energy and chemicals matters. This includes the development and financing of projects. Steven SY Tee leads the department and brings his experience of cross-border financing to projects outside of Malaysia. Having worked at international firms in Singapore and Middle East, he has a comprehensive knowledge of foreign legal markets.