Date Published: 9 February 2023
Key contacts: Lisa Theng and Pradeep Kumar Singh.
Lawyers ranked: Lisa Theng, Pradeep Kumar Singh, Tan Min-Li, Quek Li Fei, Bill Jamieson, See Tow Soo Ling, Subramanian Pillai, Ken Chia, Amit Dhume, Wong Pei-Ling, Daphne Tan and Venetia Tan.
CNPLaw LLP (CNP) is pleased to announce that seven of our practices and twelve of our lawyers have been “Recommended by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023”.
“Thank you Legal 500 Asia Pacific for this recognition. We are grateful for the trust and confidence that our clients have placed in us. Special thanks to our team of talented lawyers and staff, who embody our firm’s 2023 theme of Strength in Unity.”
– CNPLaw’s Managing Partner, Ms Lisa Theng
The practices recommended and the reviews provided by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023:
CNPLaw LLP has a versatile banking and finance practice, which is as comfortable in acquisition, project and corporate financings as it is in specialised areas such as asset finance and debt restructuring. Practice head Quek Li Fei has a strong pedigree for acting for lenders and borrowers in domestic and cross-border financing mandates; he has additional expertise in blockchain and cryptocurrency issues. Banks, financial institutions, investment funds and corporate borrowers also turn to English law qualified Bill Jamieson and Pei-Ling Wong for assistance in a variety of lending transactions.
Capital Markets – Debt and Equity:
At CNPLaw LLP, the corporate finance team acts for mid-market listed companies, high-net-worth individuals and corporate finance houses in a variety of capital markets deals, including equity, debt, equity-linked and structured securities. The fintech and wider technology sector are at the core of the practice, which often leads advice on placements, share buybacks, capital reductions and restructurings. Leading the department is Min-Li Tan, who focuses on corporate and financial services, with a special emphasis on capital markets transactions in Singapore and throughout the region. Pei-Ling Wong is a key contact for cross-border deals.
One client shared: ‘The team has proven their ability and dedication to really go all-in for the client’s process.’
At CNPLaw LLP, the team is active across Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, receiving engagement on M&A and divestment transactions in addition to more general corporate and commercial affairs. The practice caters to public and private clients alike, including a number of Chinese entities, and is headed by Lisa Theng, a lawyer with an intimate knowledge of the entertainment, healthcare, oil and gas, engineering, food and beverage, publishing and leisure industries.
Clients have shared the following testimonials relating to the practice:
CNPLaw LLP’s team is capable, prompt in their response and efficient in carrying out their duties.’
‘Lisa Theng is knowledgeable, kind and helpful in advising her clients holistically. I worked with the lawyers in her corporate team such as Ken Chia and Kenn Lim and Venetia Tan and find all to be professional and customer centric.’
‘Very collaborative. listens attentively before jumping in.’
‘Lisa Theng – listens well. Very pro business practical proposals (instead of textbook answers).’
‘Commercial savviness, can-do attitude, and excellent problem solving skills.’
‘Always makes time when advice is needed. Delivers robust solutions to complex problems very quickly. Understands commercial underpinnings of problems and offers alternative solutions besides the obvious ones.’
CNPLaw LLP is instructed across all aspects of civil and criminal litigation as well as alternative dispute resolution. Specifically, the practice advises clients within the consumer product manufacturing, financial services and real estate sectors. The team also offers expertise advising developers, main contractors and specialised sub-contractors across the breadth of construction and engineering disputes. The department is overseen by a leadership trio comprising Soo Ling See Tow , Venetia Tan and Subramanian Pillai ; the latter represents publicly listed companies, multi-national corporations and high net worth individuals in corporate and commercial disputes.
One client shared: ‘Innovative in suggesting solutions in dispute resolution. Able to think out of the box’’
Financial Services Regulatory:
CNPLaw LLP is noted for its dedicated blockchain, cryptocurrency and initial coin offerings group, which is particularly adept at advising clients on the new Payment Services Act 2019 and digital token offerings. Li Fei Quek, who has a background in banking and finance law, is the main point of contact in the team.
CNPLaw LLP has a well developed investment funds practice, including extensive experience in Singapore’s VCC regime. The team has impressive Singapore and regional experience, and combines local and international expertise to assist private equity, real estate and mutual funds, among others. Amit Dhume is a notable funds expert with a strong background in fund formation and regulatory matters, while Bill Jamieson provides further cross-border experience in the funds field.
One client shared: Cost effective, high quality, practical advice.’
Balancing both contentious and non-contentious work, CNPLaw LLP represents a significant number of Singapore and regional businesses, along with Singapore-based subsidiaries of multinationals. Drawing on the breadth of experience from across the firm, it has strong experience in employee transfer, employee incentives and has deep specialisation in employment disputes. Wong Pei-Ling has emerged as an important member of the team, alongside Pradeep Kumar Singh and Bill Jamieson.
Start-up and venture capital:
CNPLaw LLP has been endorsed as a firm to watch for Start-up and venture capital.
The lawyers recommended by the publication:
- Ms Lisa Theng for Corporate and M&A
- Mr Pradeep Kumar Singh for Capital Markets and Labour and employment.
- Ms Tan Min-Li for Capital Markets
- Mr Quek Li Fei for Banking and Finance, and Financial Services Regulatory
- Mr Bill Jamieson for Banking and Finance, Corporate and M&A, Investment Funds, Labour and Employment and Financial Services Regulatory
- Ms See Tow Soo Ling for Dispute Resolution
- Mr Subramanian Pillai for Dispute Resolution
- Mr Ken Chia for Corporate and M&A
- Mr Amit Dhume for Investment Funds
- Ms Wong Pei-Ling for Banking and Finance, Capital Markets and Labour and Employment
- Ms Venetia Tan for Dispute Resolution
- Ms Daphne Tan for Dispute Resolution
About the Legal 500 Asia Pacific
The Legal 500 ranks law firms based on client feedback, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers. In doing so, the Legal 500 provides a guide to the world’s leading law firms and lawyers.
The lawyers from the Banking & Finance Practice Group (BFPG) have always taken pride in providing a comprehensive range of banking and finance services to our clients, including domestic and foreign international banks, other financial institutions as well as non-bank lenders and borrowers, and foreign legal firms acting for parties outside Singapore.
Our banking & finance practice covers the whole spectrum of domestic and international banking & financing work, including restructurings, financings and financial institutions advisory work. We can draw upon a broad base of partners, senior, mid-level and junior associates, all with strong and varied banking & finance product line and country experience.
Our reach is further widened and enhanced by our ability to draw upon the resources of our network of correspondent firms in the region and globally.
We have a particular passion and interest in blockchain technology applications, cryptocurrencies and ICOs. We currently advise issuers of tokens, ICO advisors, venture capital firms and entrepreneurs involved in this space on Singapore legal issues and regulatory compliance for a range of planned business activities, ranging from utilization of blockchain to enable business applications in diverse fields (including money remittance, solar energy, consumer rewards, structured social interaction; music and entertainment industry; holiday & leisure industry; employment marketplace, consumer rewards, crypto asset security applications); to setting up cryptocurrency exchanges and issue of tokens on proprietary platforms.
Being a corporate lawyer is more than just translating legalese and churning out documents based on clients’ instructions. Our corporate lawyers understand that their role extends far beyond what is commonly expected. We seek to explore the spectrum of options with our clients and tailor an approach to suit each client’s personality and commercial needs. This is why our corporate lawyers are always keen to learn more than just a client’s business and industry; we want to understand the character of the business through its story and the parties involved in building it.
At CNPLaw, we aim to forge relationships beyond one-time transactions. We are committed to helping our clients grow their businesses, and play a part in its success.
Having handled transactions for numerous local and foreign companies across Asia, extending across a wide range of businesses and industries, we have accumulated significant experience advising on an extensive range of corporate finance transactions.
This includes Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), Right issues, Private placements, Convertible bonds issues, Warrants issues, Capitalisation issues, Privatisations, Takeovers and reverse takeovers, Share buybacks, Interested person transactions, Employee share option schemes and performance share schemes, Compliance with the requirements of the Singapore Exchange.
With globalisation providing not only a myriad of opportunities but also increased challenges in dealing with the various stakeholders, disputes are bound to arise in the normal course of businesses and transactions.
At CNPLaw, our dispute resolution lawyers seek to provide support to our clients through the lifecycle of transactions. At the very beginning, we seek to mitigate risk and avoid disputes. However, should it transpire to the latter, our lawyers work closely with our clients to either resolve the matter through alternative dispute resolution matters like arbitration and mediation, or through litigating the matter, either in the civil or criminal courts. We have extensive legal experience at every level of the Singapore courts of justice, and our lawyers have appeared in a number of cases reported in the Singapore Law Reports.
Employment issues are of fundamental concern to both individuals and corporations alike. This is especially so given the growing emphasis on human capital development across the world. Such issues involve an intricate interplay between commercial objectives and normative considerations. Here at CNPLaw, our lawyers strive to help our clients find the balance required to nurture a positive working environment. We advise both employers and employees (whether local or foreign) on the areas below.
We provide legal advisory services to fund managers, investors and investee companies in relation to both open-end funds and closed-end funds that deal with a variety of asset classes and employ different investment strategies including hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, mutual funds, commodity funds and exchange traded funds.
Each M&A deal entails the confluence of multiple legal disciplines. That is why we take great care when assembling a team for each deal, ensuring that there is an optimal mix of specialisation in the clients’ identified areas of concern, such as tax, employment and intellectual property, and necessary industry-specific experience.
We provide support to our clients at every stage of the deal. We will be there at the beginning of the process, helping to facilitate the negotiations between the parties and advising on the structure of the transaction. Once the parties have reached a consensus, we meticulously prepare the necessary documentation. Recognising that M&A deals are often the first page of a new chapter for the parties involved, we also provide post-transaction support to ensure a smooth transition such as the preparation of shareholder agreements, employment agreements, and other relevant commercial documentation.
Practice Areas:
Banking and Finance, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and ICOs, Capital Markets – Debt and Equity, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, Employment and Investment Funds