Legal Industry News & Trends: Oct Week 1

Legal, Weekly News
7 October 2024

Legal Industry News & Trends: Oct Week 1

1. Markets

i. Malaysia Woos Global Law Firms with SEZ and Arbitration Reforms

Malaysia is working to enhance its appeal as a legal hub for international law firms. This is achieved through the establishment of a new special economic zone in Johor with Singapore and reforms to its Arbitration Act to align with global standards. This includes legalising third-party funding, mandating the disclosure of funding agreements and the implementation of a code of ethics.

Takeaway: The initiatives aim to attract foreign investment and businesses, which in turn would require legal services. The government also plans to extend licenses for British law firms to draw international firms away from Singapore, which currently has a more established legal market. However, scepticism remains over whether these changes will benefit Kuala Lumpur’s legal market. Furthermore, in contrast to Singapore, Malaysia requires foreign law firms aiming for the Qualified Foreign Law Firm (QFLF) status to set up a “substantial” international Islamic finance practice. This includes having a resident international Islamic finance partner in Kuala Lumpur. The cost serves as another prohibitive factor for firms without a market for the Islamic finance practice or the dedicated partner.

Read the full article about Malaysia’s efforts to court law firms.

2. People Moves

i. SG and MY: Stephenson Harwood, Covenant, RDS and LAW

Stephenson Harwood: Stephenson Harwood added three memebrs from Penningtons Manches Cooper to its energy transition practice in Singapore.

Nick Dingemans, a corporate and M&A lawyer, joins as a partner. He specialises in the energy transition and is experienced in cross-border acquisitions, disposals, restructurings, joint ventures, and project development. Dingemans has previously served at Watson Farley & Williams, Norton Rose Fulbright and Clifford Chance.
John Zadkovich joins as a partner. He has close to 20 years of experience as a disputes lawyer. He specialises in international arbitration, litigation, and investigations, and covers energy transition, banking, finance, technology and cleantech. Zadkovich has previously served at Vinson & Elkins and McGrigors.
Lena Ow joins as an associate.

The appointments align with Stephenson Harwood’s strategy to grow its decarbonisation practice in Southeast Asia, particularly in renewable energy and low-emission projects.

Covenant: Singapore law firm Covenant Chambers appointee Edwin Sim as a director, enhancing its expertise in construction and engineering disputes. Sim has over 25 years of experience, and he previously co-founded Lexton Law Corporation. He has successfully represented listed companies in significant litigations and arbitrations. He is also a senior advocacy trainer and an accredited mediator.

RDS: RDS Partnership, a Malaysian law firm established in 2020, welcomed seasoned corporate and M&A lawyer Raphael Tay as a partner. Tay has nearly 40 years of experience and was recognised as one of the ALB Asia Top 15 M&A Lawyers. He previously led the corporate and commercial practice at LAW Partnership and has served at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, Chooi & Company, Tay Kuan Teck & Son, and Nordin Hamid & Co.

Specialisation: Domestic and cross-border transactions, with a focus on the energy, healthcare, and telecommunications sectors.
Takeaway: His appointment follows a period of notable turnover for RDS, during which three partners, including co-founder Ong Eu Jin, exited to form their own firm. RDS has also recently added several partners while experiencing some losses in its disputes team.

LAW: Malaysian law firm LAW Partnership enhanced its dispute resolution practice by hiring partner Shaun Tan and associate Rachel Tan from RDS Partnership. Both attorneys are experienced in construction law and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including arbitration and mediation. T

Shaun Tan: Shaun Tan is a construction disputes specialist at RDS. His portfolio includes infrastructure, utilities, and power plant projects. He has served at both Singapore and Malaysian firms.
Rachel Tan: Rachel Tan specialises in construction disputes, and frequently participates in Malaysian Courts and arbitration as co-counsel.
Takeaway: The announcement follows the recent departure of corporate head Raphael Tay from LAW Partnership to RDS.

Read the full article about Stephenson Harwood’s partners from Penningtons.

Read the full article about RDS’s partner from LAW.

Read the full article about LAW’s disputes duo from RDS.

ii. ID and TH: HBT, WFW and Tilleke

HBT: Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung (HBT), the Indonesian associate firm of Herbert Smith Freehills, added Makarim & Taira S’s Harris Toengkagie as a partner to its disputes practice. Toengkagie has nearly 20 years of experience, including 12 years at Makarim and stints at Lubis Santosa & Maramis and Weatherford. He specialises in litigation, dispute resolution, corporate compliance, competition law, employment advisory and real estate matters, particularly in land acquisition for power plants and property development. His addition is seen as a valuable asset for HBT’s corporate clients when structuring transactions and investments in Indonesia, a key investment destination.

WFW: UK-based law firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) appointed Sonya Kalnin as a partner in its Bangkok corporate team, enhancing its energy and infrastructure practice in Asia. Kalnin has over 20 years of experience, including 13 years at Linklaters and stints at the legacy Allen & Overy and Mayer Brown. She specialises in cross-border M&A, joint ventures, and project finance in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Tilleke: Tilleke & Gibbins, Thailand’s largest law firm, has strengthened its capital markets and tax practices by adding two experienced partners.

Patcharaporn Pootranon joins from Deloitte Legal. He has nearly 20 years of experience in capital markets and M&A transactions across industries such as energy, food and beverages, and retail.
Saravut Krailadsiri, formerly a partner at Kudun and Partners, specialises in the energy sector and tax and restructuring for cross-border M&A, especially in terms of risk management for group restructuring and entire business transfers.

Read the full article about HBT’s partner from Makarim.

Read the full article about WFW’s Bangkok corporate partner.

Read the full article about Tilleke’s caps market and tax partner.

iii. HK and CN: Campbell, Court, Hogan Lovells, Zhong Lun

Campbell: Offshore law firm Campbells welcomed Stuart D’Addona as a partner in its Hong Kong office. D’Addona joins from Walkers, where he worked for nearly ten years, and previously served at Australian law firms Gilbert + Tobin and MinterEllison. D’Addona was previously recognised as one of the ALB Asia Top Offshore Litigators in 2021 and 2022. He specialises in Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands law, with a focus on shareholder disputes, corporate governance, fraud, asset tracing, and urgent injunctive relief. His addition comes as the firm expands its footprint in Hong Kong, and is expected to strengthen Campbell’s capabilities, particularly in private wealth and family law.

Court: Nicholas Addison Phillips, an 86-year-old British judge, has stepped down from his role as a non-permanent judge at Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal after serving since 2012. He is the fifth foreign judge to leave the court this year, citing “personal reasons” for not extending his term, which officially ended on September 30, 2024. His decision follows the trend of other non-permanent foreign judges, with five resignations this year, including notable figures like Lord Jonathan Sumption. The Hong Kong judiciary remains committed to finding suitable replacements for these roles.

Hogan Lovells: Hogan Lovells has recruited a team of five lawyers, including two partners, from Dechert in Hong Kong.

Maria Sit joins as a disputes partner. She specialises in regulatory enforcement and dispute resolution in mainland China. She has also served at Davis Polk & Wardwell, the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, Herbert Smith Freehills and Reed Smith.
Michael Wong joins as a funds partner from Derchert, where he worked for close to eight years. He has also served at K&L Gates, Allen & Overy and Stephenson Harwood. Wong focuses on the structuring and formation of various private funds and provides guidance on regulatory issues related to private funds and fund managers.

The move follows Dechert’s decision to cease operations in the city, and leaves Dechert with two partners in Hong Kong, one of whom is said to be relocating to Singapore.

Zhong Lun: Zhong Lun Law Firm added three senior-level hires.

Sophie Chen joins its Beijing office as a senior counsel. Chen, a cross-border M&A specialist, has 27 years of experience and has previously advised on Australia’s largest mining deal in 2017. She focuses on mining and natural resources, and is experienced in dispute resolution and intellectual property. She previously worked at JunHe, MinterEllison and Gilbert + Tobin.
Li Wei joins the Shenzhen office as a partner. Li is a 20-year wealth planning expert who co-developed China’s first semi-standardised family trust product. He has led family wealth initiatives at previous firms, and he previously served at Yingke Law Firm, SD & Partners and Wisdom & Fortune Law Firm.
Ren Ke joins the Shenzhen office as a senior consultant. He is an intellectual property specialist with a track record in notable patent dispute cases.

Read the full article about Campbell’s partner from Walkers.

Read the full article about Phillips’s departure from the Hong Kong Court.

Read the full article about Hogan Lovells’ new hires from Derchert.

Read the full article about Zhong Lun’s three senior hires.

iv. JP: Huntons and Tokyo International

Huntons: Hunton Andrews Kurth hired White & Case’s Kristian Bradshaw as its only partner in Tokyo. Bradshaw, an energy and infrastructure expert, has over 15 years of experience in Japan’s energy sector. His expertise includes LNG, hydrogen/ammonia, CCS, solar, wind, geothermal, and cleantech. Bradshaw has worked on high-profile energy projects globally, including advising Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. on a $380 million LNG acquisition. Before joining White & Case, he served at a Japanese major INPEX, the legacy Allen & Overy, Ashurst, and Herbert Smith Freehills.

Tokyo International: Tokyo International Law Office added Earl Rivera-Dolera as a partner. The move comes response to an increasing demand for international arbitration services in Asia, as more cross-border disputes are being settled through international arbitration. Rivera-Dolera joins from Frasers Law Company, where she was head of international arbitration. She has extensive experience in international commercial, investment treaty arbitration, mediation and cross-border litigation. Her expertise spans various jurisdictions, including Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, the US, Japan, and the UK. The firm also hired Makiko Kawamura to launch a tax practice and Hojung Jun to focus on construction and project development.

Read the full article about Hunton’s partner from White & Case.

Read the full article about Tokyo International’s partner from Frasers.

3. Business Moves

Fangda Launches Singapore Office

Fangda Partners officially launched its Singapore office after receiving approval from the Singapore Legal Services Regulatory Authority. The Singapore team will be led by three partners:

Yingying Wang: Wang is a 30-year veteran and specialises in real estate, construction projects, and infrastructure. Her clients include high-end real estate developers and international real estate investment funds. She was consistently recognised as one of the top lawyers in the real estate and construction sectors in China by Chambers, Asia Legal Briefing, and The Legal 500.
Suyin Tan: Tan has over 20 years of legal experience in Southeast Asia, India, and China. She has represented MNCs, Southeast Asian regional companies, local enterprises, and Chinese enterprises in joint ventures, M&As, equity investments, venture capital, financing, and restructuring transactions. Her practice spans industries, including telecommunications, biotechnology, electronics manufacturing, industrial park development, infrastructure, mining, refining, and commodity trading.
Ivy Liu: Liu has lived and worked in Southeast Asia (including Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos) for over 10 years. She has worked with local legal teams in Southeast Asia to assist Chinese state-owned and private enterprises. Liu is also experienced in assisting investors, lenders, and contractors with transaction structuring, drafting and reviewing project and financing documents, strategic implementation, and local compliance advisory.

Takeaway: The move comes amidst the trend where more Chinese enterprises are leveraging Singapore as a base from which they expand their Southeast Asia operations.

Read the full Chinese article about Fangda’s Singapore office.

Discover More Industry Trends with JC

For the latest industry trends or to explore new career opportunities, connect with our legal recruitment consultants for a chat. With executive search firms in Singapore and China, and operations in key business hubs like Hong Kong, you can count on our team for timely access to regional insights that can create synergy for your career and operations.

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Image Credits:

Aseantechsec
Singapore Airlines
Hogan Lovells

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