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CHAN Wai Mun PARTNER HEAD, REAL ESTATE & CONVEYANCING PRACTICE GROUP T: +65 6349 8738 F: +65 6323 8282 > Email me Add to Outlook Contact

Biography

Chan Wai Mun graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1990 and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1991.

Wai Mun has adopted a broad-based approach in developing his technical skills and working experience in various aspects of practice.  He first commenced practice as a conveyancing lawyer but quickly broadened his job scope to take on litigation work with a particular focus on real estate and commercial litigation; believing that to be a critical grounding to enhance not only legal skills but also develop a better appreciation of the commercial issues in legal practice. 

After more than 10 years of experience in litigation and commercial work, his current focus is now centered on retail conveyancing and corporate real estate work with related commercial and advisory work.  Aside from retail conveyancing, his other relevant working experience includes the following:

Practice Experience

Real Estate Related

• Acting for the collective sale committees of 3 ongoing collective sales of residential condominiums and residential with mixed commercial developments with combined total reserve prices exceeding $2 billion.  Successful completion of 2 other collective sale projects.


• Acting for the collective sale committee in a dispute involving two marketing consultants contesting a claim to commission payable for a completed en bloc sale.


• Acting for Allco REIT and advising in negotiations for the acquisition of an office building cum commercial and retail complex known as KeyPoint at 371 Beach Road for $370 million.  Related due diligence investigations on the asset and income stream, preparation of novation and assignments of related contracts and thereafter the conveyancing related work including financing for the acquisition.


• Acting and advising in the negotiations for the joint acquisition of 2 sites comprising residential houses and a petrol station for collective redevelopment into a high-rise residential cum commercial building with related applications for change of use.


• Advising an offshore bank in negotiations for the lease renewal of its office space at Capital Tower.  Further acting for the same tenant in the lease of additional premises and extensive negotiations on renewal and redevelopment clauses.


• Acting as the landlord’s solicitors in negotiating, reviewing and advising on leases of office, retail  and commercial units in various malls and buildings comprising the assets of a listed REIT.


• Advising and negotiating the acquisition of a company which was the beneficiary of an option to purchase land subject to a building agreement for the construction of a workers’ dormitory.  The transaction was complicated by the fact that property in question was leased from URA and  was at the same time the subject of a mortgagee sale.


• Acting for the manager of Allco REIT to negotiate the acquisition and leaseback of SGX Centre and all related due diligence investigations.


• Acting and advising in the negotiations for the acquisition of Paradiz Centre and the corporate entity that owns the asset.  Legal and corporate due diligence work in the acquisition and general corporate work in structuring the transaction.


• Acting and advising in the negotiations for the acquisition of China Square Central by Allco REIT followed by its listing as a real estate investment trust on the Singapore Stock Exchange.  Involved in the legal and property due diligence and general corporate work in the acquisition of the asset in Singapore and the financing of the transaction.  This was a cross-border transaction involving Australian parties and financiers.  This was followed by further legal and property due diligence work related to the listing of the property trust fund together with other assets in Australia.

• Acting in the acquisition of 6 companies operating restaurants and cafes in the F&B industry and re-structuring the same under one entity and the related joint venture involving shareholders’, share option, loan and employment agreements.


• Acting for several Singaporean investors in advising on negotiations relating to investments in various joint ventures in Vietnam and related investment agreements, acquisition of shares and shareholders’ agreements.


• Acting for the Asian headquarters of a warehousing and logistics service provider based in Rotterdam with about 70 offices and operations worldwide.  The client is also a London Metal Exchange approved warehouse for the delivery and handling of base metals, plastics and steel billets.  Advising on related warehousing and services agreements from its various offices, and the issuance of warehouse warrants as title documents, as collaterals for banks and traders, for the facilitation of finance and trade.


• Advising in the acquisition of a Hong Kong company and its various businesses including publication of trade magazine and events management of conferences and exhibitions and related corporate due diligence investigations.

• Acting for a creditor to resist a debtor’s application seeking injunctive relief to restrain the creditor from commencing a winding up application where the issue relates to whether the debt is disputed.


• Defending an architect in disciplinary proceedings before the Board of Architects concerning professional conduct and ethics over an alleged act of supplanting another architect. A related issue concerns determination of when an architect is formally appointed by the developer in a development project involving a tender submission for land.


• Acting for a respondent to discharge various injunctive orders relating to discovery of electronic documents in computer hard disks, issues of breaches of confidentiality and ownership of electronic documents in a company’s computer network.  Acted in the underlying dispute amongst siblings who are fellow directors concerning minority shareholder oppression, misappropriation of funds amounting to USD4.6m and improper removal of directors within a group of family-owned companies.


• Advising a US company in the reassignment and secondment of the employees of their branch operations in Singapore.

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