This year, the ALB Asia 40 Under 40 had entries from over 400 lawyers and picking the top 40 was no easy task. The lawyers on this list span a range of countries and practice, and were selected based on quality of work, recommendations from clients and colleagues, and potential for future growth. The list is in alphabetical order and some lawyers have been profiled.
Chae Yeon An, 37, partner, Yulchon
With nearly 10 years of experience, An focuses on corporate and finance, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border M&A, fund/PE, financial regulation, and fintech matters.
An, who has been at Yulchon for the entirety of her career advises on numerous deals. Some of her clients are Samsung Group, Lotte Group, Hanwah Group, KT Group, KB Group, LG Group, Naver, Kako Group and Shinhan Group.
A few notable matters that An has acted on include advising Contents Alliance Platform (CAP) on the project in which CAP secured funds by issuing new shares to SK Telecom (SKT) and acquired the Oksusu business from SK Broadband by way of business transfer.
She also counselled PHC Group (PHC) on reaching an understanding with Valeo Group (Valeo) to combine their global torque converter businesses. Accordingly, the parties had to create joint ventures involving two companies of PHC and four companies of Valeo.
Furthermore, An advised Korea Development Bank on its issuance of ABL/ABCP to Moda-Innochips and successfully represented KT on its minor share investment in Yanolja.
“My long-term career goal is to build and expand on my knowledge and experience in new emerging industries, such as Fin-Tech, to become an expert in such fields,” says An.
A client praises her: “She is extremely dedicated to the client’s needs, often goes beyond the job scope in order to get the work done. Thanks to her dedication, we could complete a very complex transaction in a timely manner.”
Brandon Bang, 37, Partner, Bae, Kim & Lee
An international arbitration specialist, Bang has spent more than a decade in legal practice. Having begun his career at Chapman Tripp in Wellington in 2007, Bang later relocated to Singapore, where he worked at Shearman & Sterling from 2011, and finally joined Bae, Kim & Lee (BKL) in Seoul in 2020.
Bang, who is praised for his extremely thorough approach to cases, has acted on a wide range of matters involving major industries and arbitration rules. These include representing a French-German consortium in a €6 billion dispute subject to ICC arbitration in Stockholm in connection with a construction of a nuclear power plant in Finland and a Northeast Asian shipbuilding company in an arbitration in London against a Greek owner, conducted in accordance with the London Maritime Arbitration Association (LMAA) Terms. He also represented Asiana Airlines in a dispute against Gate Gourmet Korea in an ICC arbitration in Singapore. A merits hearing took place in November 2020.
With his international experience, Bang wants to “focus on the Korean market and help clients to navigate through a dispute.” He adds “[t]ailor-made, hands-on guidance is what clients need, as arbitration has become more complex and more expensive than it has ever been.” He is also focused on raising awareness of international arbitration and actively contributing to jurisprudence in Korea.
Tony DW Kang, head of international arbitration and litigation at BKL, praises Bang: “It has been a year since Brandon joined our firm and already our clients … are appreciating Brandon’s hands-on practice and his in-depth experience in arbitration practice.”
Hendra Setiawan Boen, 39, managing partner, Frans & Setiawan Law Office
Boen is a commercial litigation, intellectual property, and state administrative law specialist and has over 15 years of experience in the legal industry. In 2020, he was named on the list of ALB Indonesia’s Rising Stars.
Boen has advised on many high-profile matters including successfully defending a key witness in a closely watched cross-border litigation. He was the coordinator of the legal team of President Joko Widodo’s 2019 re-election campaign, in which he led a vigorous legal defence against the black campaign in mass and social media against Messrs. Joko Widowo and Ma’ruf Amin. Furthermore, he also acted in a similar role for Setya Novanto, then the Speaker of Indonesia House of Representative and Chairman of Golkar Party, in a case of prime national concern.
He has also represented PT Hitachi Transport System Indonesia during the process of relinquishment of its land to the Indonesian Government in relation to the development of a high-speed rail line from Jakarta to Bandung. Additionally, he counselled one of the largest Malaysian-based construction companies in claiming $50 million in damages against an Indonesian company and two of its former directors. as well as assisted creditors of Petroselat in a bankruptcy proceeding valuing at $15 million.
Boen’s work as a practicing trial attorney has been covered widely by local and international media. He is also often approached for his comments and opinions on legal issues by the Indonesian media.
“I have been working together closely with Hendra during our tenure at a first-tier Indonesian law firm. Hendra is a seasoned litigator with a solid track record in representing clients before the Indonesian court. He is able to dissect the key issues to deliver effective and practical solutions for clients,” says Ahmad Irfan Arifi n, senior partner, Arifi n, Purba & Firmansyah Law Firm.
Ben Bury, 38, partner, HFW
A construction expert, Bury has more than 16 years of experience. He joined HFW as a partner at the age of 35, having moved to Asia at the age of 28. Bury’s practice spans across almost every country in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, South Korea, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia. In the past 4 years, Ben has handled disputes in the region exceeding $6 billion in total.
Bury has acted as counsel on arbitrations seated in numerous jurisdictions and subject to the institutional rules of the HKIAC, ICC, SIAC and LCIA, as well as ad hoc arbitrations subject to the Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance and the UNCITRAL rules.
Qualified in Hong Kong and England & Wales, Bury is Co-Chair of HK45 and Secretary of the Society of Construction Law Hong Kong.” He has worked on several large-scale, complex, multi-jurisdictional matters in his career.
Shedding light on his future plans, Bury says that it’s his ambition to build a successful and sustainable construction practice in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
“Ben guided us expertly through an extremely difficult dispute with our (now former) business partner. His pragmatic, user-friendly advice helped us to achieve our goal in the face of some very tricky circumstances,” says a client. Another client praises his “clear, eminently usable and timely advice. A truly trusted advisor and gentleman.”
Eric Chow, 38, Hong Kong managing partner, Commerce & Finance Law Offices
With a focus on capital markets, Chow has worked in the legal space for 15 years. He advises on matters including initial public offerings, secondary offerings, mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, joint ventures, Hong Kong listing rules compliance matters and other commercial transactions.
In 2018, Eric founded the Hong Kong office of Commerce & Finance Law Offices. Since then, he has been the driving force behind the fi rm’s success and in the past 12 months, he managed to expand the firm by doubling its size in both the number of fee earners and revenue.
Chow has led on some significant deals, including advising Bank of Tianjin on its $948 million global offering and H-share IPO on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He also counselled CCB International, China International Capital Corporation, Morgan Stanley, CITIC Securities International, Merrill Lynch Hong Kong, Credit Suisse, BOCI Asia, UBS and DBS Bank, as the underwriters, on the $9.2 billion rights issue of China Construction Bank. This was one of the largest rights issues by an Asian issuer.
Says a client of Chow: “Eric is a very capable corporate partner who has great track record in his career with international law firms and has recently positioned himself well in tapping into commerce & finance’s vast network and expertise in Mainland China, and extending that to Hong Kong to better serve his clients.”
Chow himself says he encourages and supports his people to think differently, and share their ideas, regardless of their roles, enabling him to bring together the right people to provide and deliver innovative solutions and keep abreast of industry trends, both internally and externally.
Vipavee Kaosala, 35, partner, Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners
Vipavee has over 11 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate finance. She advises financial institutions, MNCs and private equity houses on cross-border M&A, public takeovers, joint ventures, business reorganizations, foreign direct investments, securities-related transactions and regulatory issues relating to financial services. Her transactional experience covers a wide range of sectors, including finance, consumer goods and retail, manufacturing, insurance, healthcare and real estate. Her deal experience spans a number of Southeast Asian jurisdictions, but with a particular focus on Thailand. She is qualifi ed in Thailand, and England & Wales.
Among her notable matters, Vipavee has advised a global private equity firm on its acquisition of a 50 percent stake in a leading consumer finance business based in Thailand. She has also represented a multinational steel company on the divestment of its Southeast Asian business, including Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Talking about her guidance during a deal, a client says, “Khun Vipavee and her team not only worked diligently to help us meet the timeline but also provided sensible and practical legal recommendation to allow us to efficiently solve the outstanding issues.”
Vipavee’s aspirations are to combine her deep understanding of the local market and regulatory framework with her international legal expertise and transactional experience so that she may deliver value-added and seamless services to her clients. She is also keen on dedicating more time to promote legal education to student communities, as well as assist the underprivileged who are in need of legal support.
Wasin Lertwalaipong, 36, partner, Baker Mckenzie
Wasin is highly proficient in his litigation practice in Thai courts as well as domestic and international arbitrations and has represented clients in an extensive range of areas including high-stakes and complex commercial, administrative, tax and customs, and competition law.
Some of his representative experience include having acted as a lead counsel for a Japanese automotive manufacturer in successfully defending $100 million customs tax assessments from the Customs Department and Revenue Department of Thailand and also various high-profile clients in defending tax and custom assessments and allegations in both civil and commercial cases. He further advised an asset management company in a $200 million claim made by a global financial institution as a result of complex credit facilities agreements.
Furthermore, Wasin represented one of Thailand’s biggest telecommunications companies in complex disputes in the Administrative Court, Civil Court, and in arbitration. He also handled highly contentions claims regarding consumer products as well as environmental issues involving large groups of people.
A client wrote to “commend the excellent work done by...Wasin Lertwalaipong,” and that the client is “grateful for the dedication and the high quality of the legal work.”
Lim Zhi Jian, 35, partner, Gan Partnership
Lim, who is well versed in intellectual property and dispute resolution, was among the lawyers who made it to the ALB Malaysia Rising Stars 2021 list.
He has acted for numerous well-known names ranging from multi-national giants to locally listed conglomerates.
Besides this, Lim sits as an IP committee member on the International Chamber of Commerce (Malaysia). In his pro bono capacity, he is a panel judge for an annual international moot competition.
In his role as a partner in a modern practise, Lim says that he aims to uphold diversity and inclusion in growing the practice, and as a legal professional, he intends to “continue
performing and meeting the expectations and trust that clients have placed in me.”
Lim is considered by his clients to be “resourceful, efficient, accommodating, committed and solution-driven”, who will “go the extra mile in order to secure the most favourable outcomes”.
Vu Thanh Minh, 35, partner, LNT & Partners
With a focus on banking and finance, capital markets, corporate and mergers and acquisition, projects and energy, and tax, Minh has 15 years of legal experience. She became the head of legal at Vietnam Chemical Finance Joint Stock Company (now Lotte Finance) in 2012.
Minh, who was promoted as a partner at LNT & Partners in July 2018, has led on significant financial transactions including Vietcombank’s $200 million syndicated two-step loan facility from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation as well as the financing project for Tan Cang Hai Phong International Container Terminal Company.
Minh advised Samsung on the launch of Samsung Pay, a mobile payment app allowing Samsung phone users to use their phones as a bankcard, in Vietnam. She was also a member of the legal team advising Petro Vietnam on the negotiation of an offtake agreement with Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical, and merger filing of Chrysaor Holdings in a reverse take-over of Premier Oil PLC.
“The LNT team, specific to Ms Minh’s team, is one of the best legal service team we ever worked with. Their quick response, commercial-oriented advice and responsive lawyers did provide big contribution to the success of the deals you were involved,” says a client. “One of the most valuable points of her [Minh] is that she always keeps clients updated on material changes of laws and guides us to be ready for such changes.”
Jan Willem Möller, 38, partner, Tanner De Witt
In his 13 years of legal practice, Möller has worked with Tanner De Witt for five years, and focuses on banking and finance, corporate/M&A, regulatory and restructuring and insolvency issues.
Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2012, to help set up leading Dutch firm Loyens & Loeff’s new representative office for the region, Möller was involved in a large number of high profile corporate and finance deals for clients such as Heineken, CVC Capital, Arcadis, General Atlantic, VolkerWessels, Royal IHC and Philips.
He was the lead associate on the 350 million euro ($408 million) refinancing of corporate service provider Intertrust Group in the acquisition by Blackstone in 2011. Möller was also a key member of the team advising Baring Private Equity Asia on its acquisition of Vistra Group and Orangefi eld Group for over $700 million in total.
Moreover, he advised China Cinda, a PRC state-owned enterprise on the restructuring of the Kimberley Hotel, a HK$5 billion ($640 million) transaction.
“Superb quality of work and dedication to serve the client was demonstrated during my time working with Jan. Together we drafted tender documents to credit bid in receivership sale of the Kimberley Hotel, and successfully won the tender,” says David Li, executive director, asset management department, China Cinda (Hong Kong) Holdings.
Kim Anh Nguyen, 37, counsel, Vilaf
With a focus on banking and finance, real estate, aviation, energy and infrastructure, Nguyen has worked in the industry for more than 15 years. She was made a counsel in Vilaf in 2020, the fi rm’s first female counsel in a decade. Nguyen has advised many multinational financial institutions and investors in complex cross border transactions.
Recently, she has advised JBIC B.Grimm Power Public Company, China Power International Development Limited, Goshawk Aviation and Avolon Aerospace Leasing in relation to the financing projects, power projects and aviation transactions in Vietnam.
Furthermore, Nguyen counselled Warburg Pincus in entering into a joint venture with Becamex IDC to develop industrial and logistic properties, to create the largest for-rent industrial and logistics real estate platform in Vietnam. She also advised Auchan in the sale of its retail business to Saigon that included 18 supermarkets nation-wide, including its e-commerce platform, via an auction sale and assist the founding shareholders of Thinh Phat Cables and Dovina in the sale of 100 percent of their equity stake in the business to Stark Corporation PCL, which is the largest inbound industrial transaction in Vietnam by a private company for the last three years.
“Ms. Kim Anh is our relationship counsel in Vietnam and has represented us on several aircraft leasing, financing and trading matters. The standard of her work is consistently excellent. She is extremely knowledgeable on the issues that matter to us,” says a client. “She is very thorough and provides comprehensive advice. Ms. Kim Anh has also shown herself to be adept at coming up with creative solutions to non-standard problems.”
Marcus Pollard, 39, counsel, Linklaters
Pollard, who is considered a “go-to” advisor for Hong Kong antitrust investigations and litigation, has been a competition specialist for over ten years in Asia and Europe. He has played a leading role on numerous Hong Kong antitrust investigations and the first-ever litigation cases in the Competition Tribunal and Court of Appeal.
He has been involved in the Asian and global merger transactions for major clients such as Intel, Hillhouse, China Merchants Ports, Kerry Logistics, Charoen Pokphand Group, Novartis, Bayer and Jardine Matheson.
Pollard continues to lead the practice in advising on various matters before the Competition Commission, as well as the first-ever abuse of dominance proceedings in the Competition Tribunal. He is recognised by clients for his great expertise in helping clients navigate through technical aspects of a case and in dealing with substantive and procedural issues under the fledgling antitrust regime in Hong Kong.
He previously served as in-house legal advisor to the Hong Kong regulator in its start-up phase running up to full enforcement of the law. Before moving to Asia, Pollard acted for Johnson & Johnson in the EU’s Phase 2 investigation of the $21 billion acquisition of Synthes and supported Vodafone on a number of transactions, including its acquisition of Cable & Wireless Worldwide.
Pollard continues to support the wider community and has been a member of the Hong Kong Law Society Competition Committee since 2018. He is also a key member of the Linklaters LGBT Network and works with external organisations on the pride agenda, and actively contributes to diversity and inclusion initiatives across Asia.
Gerard Quek, 34, Partner, PDLegal
Quek is a commercial disputes lawyer with a focus on fraud and asset recovery. He also advises on regulatory and corporate matters pertaining to the automotive industry, and one of his clients include Toyota Financial Services (TFS). Delon Siew of TFS stated that Quek “…was able to clearly visualise TFS SG’s business processes [and could offer]appro-priate solutions [while] balancing legal complexities and functional business needs.”
As for complex commercial disputes, Quek successfully argued to restrain several parties from selling their controlling shares in a public listed company and/or diluting such shares pending trial of the action. Quek also acted as lead counsel for 154 claimants in a representative action against 19 defendants in a multi-jurisdictional scam.
Other clients of Quek include Poh Tiong Choon Logistic Group and Charles Madhavan. Madhavan who is the CEO of Magnus Energy Group stated that he has “…great confidence in his [Quek’s] legal ability in multiple business disciplines.”
Reputable practitioners such as Sreenivasan Narayanan, S.C, managing partner of K&L Gates Straits Law stated that “Gerard Quek is a talented and dedicated lawyer…and is knowledgeable in multiple areas of the law. He is rapidly building a loyal client base.” Hong Chong Yi, counsel at Mishcon de Reya (Singapore) stated that “Gerard is an astute practitioner with the competence, maturity and confidence you would only expect from far more senior lawyers…He is a lawyer with both heart and brains...”
Quek also frequently takes on pro bono matters as he is resolute that one must give back to society.
Sriram Ramachandran, 38, partner, Phoenix Legal
Ramachandran, who is a partner in Phoenix Legal’s Mumbai office, has over 14 years of experience in legal practice. He specialises in advising private equity funds, corporates and investment banks on domestic and cross border mergers and acquisitions, private acquisitions of shares and businesses, primary and secondary equity issuances, joint ventures and general corporate work.
Ramachandran’s top clients include Apis Partners, Pine Labs, Sojitz Corporation, Messe Frankfurt, Jones Lang Lasalle and Eurofi ns Scientific. He recently advised Pine Labs in a fundraise of over $600 million from marquee investors such as Fidelity Management, BlackRock, Ishana, Tree Line, Neuberger, IIFL and Kotak. He has also advised Apis Partners in (a) its recent investment in Cashfree; and (b) the sale of its stake in Star Health to a consortium led by Westbridge Capital, Rakesh Jhujhunwala and Madison Capital and the rollover of a minority stake.
About his approach to clients, Ramachandran says that he tries to understand the client’s specific commercial requirements, be available and responsive to them, and be innovative when it comes to problem-solving.
When it comes to his future plans, Ramachandran says that he hopes “to be more involved in the management of the firm, in building teams with diverse backgrounds and in mentoring young lawyers – encouraging them to grab the unique entrepreneurial opportunities that law firms provides.”
Norihito Sato, 36, partner, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
Sato, who has practised law for 13 years, focuses on automotive and mobility business transactions, M&A, joint ventures and general corporate matters.
He was seconded to the Road Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, and serving as its general counsel. He led a team at the ministry which examined and implemented a reform of the Road Transport Vehicle Act to enable the safe deployment of automated vehicles in Japan.
Sato also drafted the Ministry’s report on determining civil liabilities caused by the operation of automated vehicles. He has also advised on M&A transactions of industry-wide significance: he advised Hitachi and Hitachi Automotive Systems on an agreement with Honda Motor, Keihin Corporation, Showa Corporation and Nissin Kogyo for the management integration and merger of Hitachi AMS, Keihin, Showa and Nissin (a significant merger of Japan-based auto part makers).
Sato says that he would like to work as a leading advisor in the automotive industry. “Together with my relationships built across the government and industry, and my experience in advising on key M&A and alliance transactions in the automotive industry, my ambition is to significantly contribute to the industry's dynamic and continuous growth in the future,” he notes.
Says a client about Sato’s guidance regarding a recent deal “Mr. Sato worked tirelessly throughout the transaction which was complicated by the COVID-19 situation. He provided valuable on-the-ground support to our teams, performed beyond our expectations and earned the trust and cooperation of all our members and the counterparty members.”
Shweta Shroff Chopra, 39, partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas
Shroff Chopra, who has close to two decades of legal experience, is an expert in competition law, and is among a few women lawyers in India who have made it to the top of the league in this practice area globally.
She has been practising competition law in India since its early days and has been involved in many high-profile enforcement cases and merger control matters.
Shroff Chopra recently advised Reliance Retail on obtaining CCI clear-ance for the proposed acquisition of Future group’s retail, logistics and warehousing business. She also represents Flipkart in relation to ongoing investigation proceedings by the Director-General for alleged anti-competitive agreements. In the past, she has represented Walmart on the $16 billion acquisition of Flipkart, Larsen & Toubro on the sale of the electrical and automation business to Schneider Electric, Temasek on their acquisitions in ANI Technologies, as well as Swiggy on the minority share acquisition by Softbank and other investors.
Some of her key clients include Temasek, Swiggy, Reliance Industries, Walmart Inc., Flipkart, JK Tyre, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, and BHP Billiton.
Furthermore, Shroff Chopra has been spearheading the Firm’s COVID response efforts as well as the Mental Health and DEI initiatives, which have provided invaluable support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Handoll, senior advisor, European and competition law, national practice head, competition law, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, says: “Shweta has been a partner in our competition practice for nine years. Her knowledge of the law is unparalleled. She is tenacious and leaves no stone unturned. She has wonderful interpersonal skills and has huge reserves of empathy.”
Siti Kemala Nuraida, 31, senior associate lawyer, Walalangi & Partners (in association with Nishimura & Asahi)
Siti Kemala (better known as Aida), who has been in practice for nearly a decade, focuses on M&A, capital markets, real property and construction issues.
She has been involved in numerous mega deals and transactions. She was a counsel to Mitbana, a joint venture company of Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Surbana Jurong (SJ), in the biggest (and first of its kind) advance smart and sustainable transit-oriented developments (TODs) in BSD City.
She further advised PT Dhost Telekomunikasi Nusantara in its financing and acquisition process of indoor telecommunication infrastructure assets from PT XL Axiata Tbk, one of the largest publicly listed companies in cellular telecommunications networks and services provider in Indonesia.
Additionally, Aida represented Tokyo Gas Asia, a wholly-owned Singaporean subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Co, in the acquisition of PT Super Energy Tbk (SE), PT Energy Mina Abadi, PT Gasuma Federal Indonesia and PT Bahtera Abadi Gas. She also assisted Japanese consumer credit supplier Orient Corporation on its post-Indonesian merger report in relation to the acquisition of a majority interest in PT. Mizuho Balimor Finance from Mizuho Bank.
A few key clients of Aida include Mitsubishi Corporation and its group companies, PT Dhost Telekomunikasi Nusantara, Tokyo Tatemono, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Mitbana Jurong, Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance, Tokyo Gas and DeClout.
Luky Walalangi, managing partner, Walalangi & Partners, says that Aida is “one of the associates with natural leading skills, who is constantly inspiring her team members.”
Mayuree Sapsutthiporn, 37, partner and head of Chinese practice, Kudun and Partners
Mayuree is a Chinese-born Thai citizen who is fluent in Chinese, English and Thai with 12 years of experience in the legal sector. She is the lead partner who established the first Chinese practice at Kudun and Partners – the fastest-growing law firm in Thailand.
She has a long and illustrious career in Thailand, where she is recognised as the go-to lawyer for Chinese-related inbound and outbound investments. Her noteworthy inbound matters include representing China Energy Engineering Group Shanxi Electric Power Engineering in a consortium with B. Grimm Public Company Limited to build the first and largest hybrid power generation in the world, representing a consortium consisting of Thai, Hong Kong and Japanese financial sponsors on a leveraged buyout transaction of the no. 1 insulation company in Thailand as well as representing Export-Import Bank of China in relation to the highly anticipated Nong Khai High-Speed Railway Development. She has assisted a host of Chinese conglomerates investing in Thailand including Shanghai Electric, Netease, eLong and others on various matters.
Mayuree has also assisted many Thai corporations in their outbound investment such as representing a leading Thai petrochemical company in its establishment and business entry into China, representing one of the largest public-listed auto parts manufacturers in Thailand on its outbound cross-border expansion to Taiwan via a private placement transaction and leading a negotiation between a major Thai listed agro-industrial & food conglomerate and multiple swine breeding farms and feed mill factories in China.
Beyond her legal expertise, Mayuree collaborates extensively with a diverse group of Chinese professionals, including the Chinese Embassy and various Chinese chambers in Thailand. Her engagement in promoting both social and economic growth between Thailand and China, as well as integrating Thailand’s EEC with China’s BRI helped Mayuree earn a directorship at the prestigious Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In addition, her passion to contribute back to the legal industry is evident by her frequent visit as a visiting professor at the Law School of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law (SHUPL), Shanghai as well as a guest legal lecturer at Bangkok Thonburi University.
Mayuree’s client-first mindset and problem-solving skill have also been appreciated by her clients and colleagues alike. “She truly understands what I, as a client, need and what is best for me as her client. She is a real problem solver and takes mission impossible assignments and pulls something extraordinary together,” says a client. Troy Schooneman, partner and head of international practice at Kudun, says: “Mayuree is one of a kind and a true leader in her field. Not only is she responsive and resourceful but she always goes above and beyond with her creative thinking and innovative ways of achieving the best outcomes for her clients.”
Amy Tan, 32, director, Drew & Napier
With more than a decade of experience dealing with a wide range of litigation and international commercial arbitration matters, Tan has acted for clients from Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the US, Europe as well as Singapore across various sectors such as healthcare, construction, coal, commodities, banking and finance, ship-ping, hospitality, food and beverage and telecommunications.
She has handled disputes pertaining to joint venture agreements, shareholder agreements, breach of fiduciary duties, licensing agreements, construction contracts, contracts for the sale of goods, tenancy agreements, employment agreements, trusts, and bankruptcy and restructuring.
Among her most noteworthy cases, Tan assisted a Chinese company in enforcing a CIETAC arbitral award, and successfully resisted an application to refuse enforcement on the grounds of excess of scope and public policy, which was upheld on appeal to the Court of Appeal. She has also assisted a Chinese MNC to obtain derivative leave to commence foreign arbitrations on behalf of its subsidiary’s subsidiary. And recently, she is acting for Beijing Hong Shi Tong Da Trade Group in a claim against Jia Bin, former chairman of the board of Shanghai-Hong Yuan Sheng Shi Investment Development, to enforce an outstanding Chinese judgment.
Tan hopes to run a sustainable arbitration and litigation practice, while concurrently nurturing and mentoring the next generation of lawyers and instilling them with the highest standards of the legal profession. She teaches civil procedure and advocacy to future lawyers, and also volunteers her time as a mentor to aspiring lawyers.
A client praised her, saying that her “integrity and character are both of the highest standard and she will not be swayed into taking shortcuts or the easy road.”
Tang Chong Jun, 38, managing partner, Tang & Co.(in association with Helmsman)
Tang is a specialist in the shipping and commodities field. He is qualified to practise law in both Singapore and Hong Kong.
With more than a decade of experience, Tang has successfully represented clients in both court proceedings and international arbitration disputes.
Recent significant shipping cases include assisting Toyota Tsusho with the recovery of more than $24 million against the Brightoil group in both Hong Kong and Singapore, in connection with bunker supply claims. In addition, he had successfully defended a Malaysian palm oil producer in two multi-million dollar GAFTA arbitrations in connection with alleged arsenic contamination claims, claims which attracted the attention of both the European Union and the Malaysian government.
On the general commercial litigation front, Tang and his team are currently representing Quaestus Capital in two securities fraud cases in Hong Kong, involving more than 150 million shares of a Hong Kong-listed company valued at an estimated HK$450 million ($58 million). He is also currently acting for a Chinese individual in an ongoing investor-state arbitration in London.
Some of Tang’s clients include The Swedish Club (Hong Kong) and Huachen International (Hong Kong) Financial Leasing Co., Limited.
With regards to his future plans, Tang says there are firm plans for the Hong Kong office to recruit the brightest minds in the market, and to grow in the shipping and international trade, insolvency, and commercial litigation sectors.
Pathorn Towongchuen, 39, partner, Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners
Pathorn is one of the leading lawyers in dispute resolution in Thailand. He is a seasoned litigator and has successfully represented major corporations in many of the country’s most complex and high-profile matters in domestic and cross-border litigation and arbitration. He has expertise in general civil, commercial and administrative law, class actions, concessions, construction, consumer products, insurance, labour and employment, media and entertainment, telecommunications, and white-collar crime, as well as restructuring and bankruptcy.
In a notable matter, Pathorn represented a leading Thai telecommunications services provider in arbitral proceedings in connection with a concession agreement and the replacement of equipment valued at $260 million.
“Pathorn Towongchuen is incredibly hard-working. Beyond that, he is an impressive legal strategy lawyer for managing multi-million Baht claim or dispute,” says a client. “His knowledge of arbitration and expertise in the cases with the government sector for telecommunication issue was a huge advantage to us. He can conclude all issues and guide for legal direction with the option to minimize legal risk and exposure to the client.”
Pathorn aims to be a trusted advisor for clients in all types of dispute resolution.
Eunice Yao, 38, partner, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson
Eunice, who focuses on cross-border transactions, is a corporate finance and M&A specialist with 14 years of legal experience.
Her clients, based in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan, span sectors like investment banks, medical groups, water treatment companies, payments plat-forms, real estate companies and oil and gas supply chain entities.
Some of Eunice’s key clients to date include Boustead Singapore, Coupang Corporation, Crops Corporation, DBS Bank, Haitong International Securities, OUE, PETRONAS, Red Dot Payment, UOB Kay Hian and Union Gas Holdings.
Among her significant matters, Eunice advised PETRONAS on the acquisition of 100 percent interest in renewable energy provider Amplus Energy Solutions (also known as M+).
Furthermore, Eunice also counselled Boustead Singapore on the sale of its wholly-owned water solutions subsidiary to Chip Eng Seng Corporation, as well as advised Hatten Land in its acquisition of a 20 percent stake in ECXX Global, which provides digital asset exchange services.
“I have known Eunice for about five years, and I am most fortunate to have her (who is ever ready) to help us on our matters, regardless of size,” says a client. “She is our go-to lawyer, especially when the going gets tough.”
THE LIST
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LAW FIRM |
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NEETIKA AHUJA CHAE YEON AN GEOFFREY ATKINS BRANDON BANG BEN BURY JASMINE CHEW ERIC CHOW ABIR LAL DEY RATHA GOVINDASAMY MANISH GUPTA KEITH HAN VIPAVEE KAOSALA YOKO KASAI PARDEEP SINGH KHOSA WASIN LERTWALAIPONG ZHI JIAN LIM MENGYU LU VU THANH MINH JAN WILLEM MÖLLER SUBHALAKSHMI NASKAR |
KIM ANH NGUYEN SITI KEMALA NURAIDA JI HYEONG PARK MARCUS POLLARD GERARD QUEK LEAH GLENDA J. QUESADA SRIRAM RAMACHANDRAN MAYUREE SAPSUTTHIPORN MAHARDIKHA SARDJANA NORIHITO SATO HENDRA SETIAWAN BOEN VINEET SHINGAL SHWETA SHROFF CHOPRA AMY TAN LAUREN TANG CHONG JUN TANG YUKA TERAGUCHI PATHORN TOWONGCHUEN POONAM VERMA EUNICE YAO |
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IN HOUSE |
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MENG CHOO CHEAH PENNY KOO PABLO MALAY BERYL SIT YU JANE YIN |
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