Quahe Woo & Palmer LLC — Singapore

About

The firm: We are a multi-disciplinary law practice led by a team of experienced lawyers with varying specialist expertise, capable of handling complex modern-day legal disputes and corporate transactions. More than just a provider of legal services, we see ourselves as our clients’ trusted partner as we navigate them through an increasingly challenging legal landscape brought on by ever-changing global economic and geo-political trends. We are also a member of a leading global network, Multilaw, where independent law firms work together worldwide to offer the most effective way of fulfilling clients’ international needs. At QWP, we distinguish ourselves by staying ahead of the game and being a client-driven practice with a strong ethos for consistent delivery of practical and effective legal solutions. Combined with the quality, breadth and depth of our legal expertise, we are able to serve and secure the trust of a broad range of client groups, including private high net-worth family offices, multi-national corporations, private equity funds and other institutional clients. With offices in the key financial centres of Singapore and Hong Kong, and having become part of Multilaw, a strong dependable and independent network of reputable firms within ASEAN, and most parts of the world through Multilaw, puts us in a unique position to support cross-border investment or business activities. QWP is ranked and recognised by Chambers, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific, Doyles Guide and various other leading publications. QWP Singapore: QWP was set up in 2009 in Singapore as a boutique practice primarily supporting ultra-high net-worth family office clients. Since then, the firm has grown rapidly into a multi-disciplinary practice with a broad range of major practices found in most full-service law firms in Singapore. Today, QWP has an established general litigation department led by experienced practitioners who have litigated a broad spectrum of matters in the Singapore courts and in arbitration tribunals. These include banking and securities disputes, commercial disputes, shareholder oppression actions, defamation actions, as well as insolvency and restructuring matters. The firm’s senior litigators have also been appointed as arbitrators and mediators on matters involving various complex and high-value claims. The firm’s corporate law department forms its other core competency. This comprises a mergers and acquisitions team that advises private equity funds, multi-national corporations and institutional clients on high-value transactions involving complex deal issues and a banking, finance and security team that handles both local and cross-border financing work including acquisition financing and asset-based financing. QWP Hong Kong: Our Hong Kong office was first opened in 2016, and we are a registered foreign law firm in Hong Kong. Strategically located, Hong Kong is an established leading financial centre of Asia and plays a unique role as a gateway to Mainland China to capture the opportunities offered by its mega economy, which continues to be one of the fastest growing and largest markets in the world. Our presence as practitioners of Singapore law in Hong Kong enables us to seamlessly serve and support clients in both North and South regions of Asia. From our base in Singapore, we advise clients on inbound investments into North Asia as well as North Asian clients (including state-owned enterprises, listed and private corporates, and high net-worth individuals) on outbound investments into ASEAN across a variety of industries and sectors. We are proud to be able to leverage on our experience and deep client and stakeholder relationships in region (in particular Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia) to assist clients in all aspects, whether working with joint venture partners and investors across Asia, advising on complex cross-border transactions, or being trusted counsel in disputes both abroad and at home. Our practices: As a client-driven practice, we have expanded with our clients to acquire expertise in new areas, while continuing to apply our brand of practical commercial analysis to every transaction and matter. We are able to advise and act for clients across a broad range of disciplines and industry areas. We are also able to leverage on an extensive local and international network to complement our services. - Aviation - Banking, finance and security - China - Clubs and societies - Corporate and commercial law - Criminal law - Defamation - Divorce and family matters - Employment - FinTech - Infrastructure, construction and engineering - Insolvency and restructuring - Intellectual property - Landlord and tenant - Litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution - Mediation - Mergers and acquisitions - Property and real estate - Private client and family office - Regulatory - Start-up / venture capital practice - Sustainability - Wills, trusts and probate Visit us at www.qwp.sg to find out more about us. ### Languages - English - Chinese ### Staffing Figures - 13 Directors - 6 Associate Directors - 1 Consultant / Counsel - 10 Senior Associates - 9 Associates

Practice areas

Lawyers in this office

Christopher Woo

Managing Director · Corporate & Commercial

Keith Lim

Associate Director · Construction

Keith Oh

Director · Banking & Finance

Khung Chye Yeo

Director · Banking & Finance

Laurence Wee

Director · Banking & Finance

Lawrence Quahe

Managing Director · Corporate / M&A

Liam Kheng Tay

Director · Mergers & Acquisitions

Melvin Lum

Director · Litigation

Michael Palmer

Managing Director · Corporate & Commercial

Michelle Woodworth

Director, Co-Head of Matrimonial Division · Family / Matrimonial

RT

Reuben Tan

Reuben is a Director in the firm’s litigation department, and graduated with First Class Honours in law from the University of Warwick. Reuben is also the resident director of our Hong Kong office. Reuben has over a decade of experience in civil litigation and international arbitration, with an emphasis on commercial disputes, as well as defamation, employment and insolvency matters. He has acted as both lead and assisting counsel in a wide range of contentious matters at all levels of Singapore’s courts, as well as in multi-jurisdictional arbitrations. Reuben is also experienced in advising on regulatory and personal data protection issues. Notable matters which Reuben has been involved in include: Acting for a US-incorporated group of companies in a claim involving a dispute over defective KN95 facemasks (reported in Dialectic PR LLC and another v Brilliante Resources International and another [2024] 4 SLR 165) Acting for distributors of electronic goods in pursuing suppliers for ‘missing trader fraud’ involving more than US$3M in purportedly fraudulent tax transactions. Acting for directors in an application for leave to bring a derivative action against them for negligence (reported in Ma Wai Fong Kathryn v Trillion Investment Pte Ltd and ors [2019] 1 SLR 1046 and Ma Wai Fong Kathryn v Trillion Investment Pte Ltd and ors [2020] 5 SLR 1374) Acting for contributories in opposing winding-up applications brought by a shareholder of 3 companies on just and equitable grounds (reported in Ma Wai Fong Kathryn v Trillion Investment Pte Ltd [2018] SGHC 88) Acting for the Claimant in a dispute under the rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre for the repayment of loans of US$4,000,000 which were made to the Respondents pursuant to agreements executed in Thailand; Acting for the liquidators of Ivy Lee Realty Pte Ltd in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal in respect of a challenge by a creditor to their decision to accept another creditor’s proof of debt, raising issues of moneylending and interest under the Moneylenders Act (reported in Evan Lim Industrial/Warehousing Development Pte Ltd v MWA Capital Pte Ltd and another [2018] SGCA 76) Acting for a junket company to recover monies unaccounted for by a former director of the company, in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal (reported in Alphire Group Pte Ltd v Law Chau Loon [2017] SGHC 297). Acting for bunker barge owners, after the collapse of O.W. Bunker, to defend claims by Phillips 66 International Trading Pte Ltd for alleged delivery of bunkers without production of bills of lading (reported in The “Star Quest” [2016] 3 SLR 128 and The “Luna” and another appeal [2021] 2 SLR 1054). Acting for a number of high-net-worth individuals to defend claims by Resorts World Sentosa Singapore in respect of credit and gaming (one of which reported in Resorts World at Sentosa Pte Ltd v Lee Fook Kheun [2018] 5 SLR 1039) Apart from the above, Reuben is Legal Advisor to the Singapore Archery Association, and heads the monthly Community Legal Clinic held at the Queenstown Community Centre where he advises members of the community on a pro-bono basis. · Litigation

Soon Keong Yeo

Director, Co-Head of Matrimonial Division · Corporate & Commercial

Sunil Sudheesan

Director, Head Criminal Department · Criminal Law

Wei-Jin Lee

Director · Corporate & Commercial