KhattarWong has lost approximately 105 staff and lawyers as managing partner Tan Chong Huat leaves – taking with him seven KhattarWong equity partners and 17 salary partners, to start up RHT law.
 
The letters of the new entity RHT represents the initials of senior partner Rajah Menon, senior partner Hee Theng Fong and managing partner and head of corporate & securities Tan Chong Huat.
 
The departures are understood to have been triggered by differences over the direction of the firm going forward.
 
At the annual partners’ conference earlier this year, the firm did not appoint a managing partner and the management of the firm is currently entrusted to an elected executive board.
 
KhattarWong is currently in process of recruiting a number of new lawyers in the practice areas of IPT and corporate & securities. Independent lawyer Jim Lim, has left his practice to take up an offer with KhattarWong as its new head of intellectual property & technology (IPT), replacing Wun Rizwi who will co-head RHT’s IPT practice with Jonathan Kok.
 
RHT will host its first event as a firm on 2 Aug 2011, with its five senior partners - Subhas Anandan, Rajan Menon, Hee Theng Fong, Tan Chong Huat, Anne Chua to address attendees.ALB

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