Practice Areas
Banking & Finance
Our Banking and Finance Practice provides the entire spectrum of legal services to some of the largest banks in Asia and a range of large conglomerates/borrowers from the region. We act on a full range of banking and finance matters, including but not limited to, advising on syndicated loans and club deals, project financing, aircraft and ship financing, equipment financing and leasing, the establishment of branch offices by foreign banks and other financial institutions, and regulatory compliance matters.
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Some of the key transactions which we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Establishing Singapore branch offices for foreign banks and financial institutions
- Structuring secured or unsecured financing transactions
- Opining on the validity and enforceability of banking, financial and security documents
- Drafting APLMA banking and financing documentation
- Advising on swaps, derivatives, and other hedging transactions (whether based on ISDA terms or otherwise)
- Advising on banking products, including custodian arrangements, factoring agreements, stock lending, bullion and other commodity trading, electronic banking services, and standard form documents
- Advising on bank mergers and acquisitions (regulatory and all other requirements, due diligence, and other transaction documentation)
- Advising on asset securitisation, syndicated loans, project financing, ship financing, equipment financing and leasing, leveraged acquisition financing, rescheduling and standstills, financial restructuring, and bankruptcy
- Advising on banking regulation and compliance
- Other related matters
Capital Markets
Our Capital Markets Practice advises on both equity and debt transactions, including but not limited to, pre-Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) investments, IPOs, Security Token Offerings (“STO”), Reverse Takeovers (“RTO”), Red-Chip listings, management, underwriting and placement of securities, debt securities and bond issuances, share buybacks, secondary listings and de-listings. We provide the full spectrum of services to our clients: pre-IPO investment, restructuring, due diligence, listing and post-listing compliance work.
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Some of the key transactions which we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Advising on pre-IPO investments
- Advising on initial public offerings (IPO)
- Advising on Red-Chip listings
- Advising on secondary financing
- Advising on management, underwriting and placement of securities
- Advising and structuring corporate finance transactions
- Advising on asset management and structuring funds
- Advising and structuring debt capital market transactions
- Advising and structuring debt securities, both secured and unsecured
- Advising on rights issues of securities or warrants
- Advising and structuring employee share option schemes
- Advising on bonus issue
- Advising on share buybacks
- Advising and structuring stock splits or combination
- Advising and structuring takeovers and reverse takeovers
- Conducting due diligence investigations
- Advising and structuring secondary listings
- Advising and structuring delistings
- Setting up and maintaining offshore companies
- Group restructuring and implementation
- Advising venture capital funds and angel investors
- Advising on private equity transactions
- Advising on transactions involving privately or publicly owned funds
- Structuring trusts
- Other related matters
Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions
Our Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions Practice handles high-value transactions for a diverse and global clientele – vendors, purchasers, and investors; investment and commercial banks; private equity and venture capital funds; institutional lenders; and management groups. We regularly negotiate purchases and divestitures by public and private companies, restructurings, joint ventures, spin-offs, leveraged buyouts, and public-to-private transactions. We also advise on structuring various takeover defence mechanisms for many of the firm’s corporate clients.
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Some of the key transactions which we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Public takeovers and general offers
- Schemes of arrangement
- Mergers
- Acquisitions
- Joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Disposals
- Restructurings and reorganisations
- Reverse take-overs
- Amalgamations
- Privatisations
- Other related matters
Corporate Compliance & Secretarial
We offer a full range of services to businesses from the moment they are legally formed, and thereafter, cater to their different corporate secretarial needs, including their dissolutions, where appropriate.
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Some of the key transactions which we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Registration and incorporation of businesses and companies in Singapore or offshore
- Post-registration (or post-incorporation) compliance issues in Singapore and abroad
- Advising on corporate governance
- Share buyback exercises
- Capital reduction exercises
- Joint venture agreements and shareholders’ agreements
- Agreements (i.e. agency and distribution agreements, franchising agreements, licensing agreements)
- Liquidation and striking-off
- Share Transfer
- Other related matters
Cross Border Transactions
In view of our regional capabilities, we operate as a one-stop provider of cross border transaction legal services. When we act in cross-border transactions, we tap the expertise of the most appropriate solicitor, counsel or attorney based in the relevant jurisdiction selected from our comprehensive network of correspondent law firms.
Financial Services & Regulation
Our Financial Services & Regulation practice offers pragmatic and commercial advice on a broad range of financial services regulatory and compliance matters in the fast-paced and ever evolving regulatory framework of today.
We possess deep knowledge and practical insights on the various regulatory regimes that govern financial institutions within Singapore, including but not limited to, the Securities and Futures Act, Financial Advisers Act, as well as the Banking Act. We have a wealth of practical experience in advising financial institutions on Anti-money Laundering (“AML”) / Know-Your-Client (“KYC”) matters, banking secrecy issues, financial institution outsourcing arrangements, and the various rules as well as regulations relating to the sales and marketing of investment products.
Fintech & Blockchain
With the digitalisation of every facet of our lives and especially financial services, our Fintech & Blockchain Practice has grown in tandem with the ever-evolving sector of FinTech & Blockchain. We have been actively involved in mandates for FinTech & Blockchain initiatives, which often require a nuanced appreciation for technology as well as the detailed rules and regulations governing the same in Singapore. We have worked with a whole range of local as well as overseas clients and had the privilege of advising and being an integral part of the entire process for multi-media blockchain projects, e-wallets, initial coin offerings as well as payment gateway companies.
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Some of the key transactions we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Advising on and drafting Payment Service Provider License applications
- Advising on compliance with the Payment Services Act and/or the Securities and Futures Act
- Advising on Initial Coin Offerings and Security Token Offerings
- Other related matters
Investment Funds
Our Investment Funds Practice advises private equity and venture capital fund sponsors or fund managers on investments in portfolio companies. We advise on all aspects of securities laws to which a fund manager is subjected to, including but not limited to, licensing and business conducts, compliance, and corporate governance. We also advise on the formation of new local and offshore funds, registration of offering documents and prospectuses, drafting and advising on investment documentations, and assist in the structuring of funds.
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Some of the key transactions we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Licensing or registration of Fund Management Companies in Singapore
- Formation and structuring of local funds (including VCCs) and offshore funds
- Applying for tax incentive schemes for funds and fund managers
- Registration of offering documents and prospectuses
- Advising and drafting of investment management or advisory agreements
- Other related matters
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Our Dispute Resolution Practice has its fair share of contentious work (i.e. litigation, arbitration and mediation), ranging from simple contractual claims to complex disputes. The firm’s niche clientele include banking and financial institutions (both local and foreign), foreign central banks, Chinese (PRC) and Taiwanese (ROC) government-linked corporations, multi-national corporations (“MNC”), local publicly listed companies, and local small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) aspiring to seek public listing.
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Some of the key transactions we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Debt recovery
- Building and construction disputes
- Disputes among shareholders
- Directors’ liabilities
- Confidentiality, trade secrets and restraint disputes
- Banking and financial transaction disputes
- Defamation
- Trust and equity
- Probate and estate administration disputes
- Contractual and tortious claims
- Cargo claims
- Freight claims
- Arrest of vessels
- Charterparty disputes
- Marine insurance claims (including hull and machinery coverage, and cargo coverage)
- General insurance (relating to property, fire, and motor vehicle claims)
- Employment disputes
- Product liability
- Commodity and futures markets disputes
- Intellectual property disputes
- Tax litigation and appeals
- International trade disputes
- Application for stay of proceedings
- Enforcement proceedings of local and foreign judgments and arbitration awards
- Cross-border multi-jurisdictional disputes
- Other related matters
Private Wealth & Trust Advisory
Our Private Wealth & Trust Advisory Practice offers bespoke advisory services to High Net Worth (“HNW”) individuals and families. We understand that every client has their unique background, needs and objectives. We adopt a client-centric approach by seeking to understand our clients’ short-term and long-term wealth planning objectives and needs (ranging from asset management, estate planning to philanthropy), so as to advise and propose the setting up of the appropriate structures to help our clients achieve their objectives. For multi-jurisdictional cases, we tap the expertise of the most appropriate professionals based in the relevant jurisdiction selected from our comprehensive network of correspondent firms.
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Some of the key transactions we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Planning, advising, and structuring of Family Offices (both Single Family Offices and Multi-Family Offices)
- Advising on family office governance and drafting of family office governance-related documents
- Applying for Securities and Futures Act (“SFA”) exemption for Single Family Offices
- Applying for tax incentive schemes for both funds and fund managers
- Advising on estate and succession planning
- Wills, probate and Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPA”)
- Setting up of trusts, advising on trust-related matters and drafting of trust-related documents
- Other related matters
Shipping
Our Shipping Practice has the privilege of acting on various local as well as foreign mandates for both wet and dry shipping. We are strong at ship financing, with secured mandates across the region. Even in a challenging shipping climate, we continue to provide strategic legal solutions to our shipping clients. With the benefit of continued correspondence with our shipping clients over several decades, we have accumulated a wealth of experience and expertise in the shipping legal industry that we can offer our clients.
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Some of the key transactions we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Ship registration
- Admiralty matters
- Commercial contracts including charterparties, collateral management agreements and port services agreements
- Other related matters
Start-ups
Our Start-ups Practice sees itself as a strategic legal and corporate partner to our various start-up clients and takes pride in our ability to understand the unique legal requirements that form the basis of our engagement. We have nurtured various start-ups from proof-of-concept to actualization and have advised them at every stage of their development – most prominently on corporate compliance, intellectual property protection, commercial agreements and fundraising.
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Some of the key transactions we undertake in this practice area are as follows:
- Licensing, patenting, and protection of intellectual property
- Constitutional documents including joint venture agreements, shareholder agreements, and customized Constitutions
- Commercial agreements including simple agreement for future equity (SAFE), licensing agreements, advisor agreements
- Advising and drafting of executive and employee share option schemes
- Drafting of employment contracts and related documentation
- Corporate governance
- Other related matters