In a record-breaking year in which nearly 400 lawyers across Asia submitted their profiles, picking the annual 40 Under 40 list was no easy task. This year’s list, as in other years, features a diverse mix of lawyers, including the first-ever entrant from Bangladesh and the first from a PRC firm, as well as multiple law firm founders. The list is in alphabetical order. Certain lawyers are profiled in the accompanying feature.
The list is in alphabetical order. Certain lawyers are profiled below.
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DHRUV ANAND YOSHIYUKI ASAOKA MASAYUKI ATSUMI AVIK BISWAS DAVID BULLEY PARITHAT CHAMNONGSILP YU MI CHOI MONICA WY CHONG ANGIE CHU SUNNY HATHIRAMANI |
AMITA HAYLOCK HO WEI LIH SOHYUN (SOPHIA) HONG HYE JIN HWANG FILEMON RAY L. JAVIER PARIYAPOL KAMOLSILP SOSUKE KIMURA JI HOON KO PEERAPAT KUMPAYORM HUAY YEE KWAN |
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EDWIN LEE YONG CIEH SHUMIN LIN KATHERINE LIU LOH CHUN KIAT MIKE MCCLURE WIRAMRUDEE (PINK) MOKKHAVESA NIKHIL NARENDRAN THUY HANG NGUYEN DANIEL PARDEDE LING YI QUEK |
PROBIR ROY CHOWDHURY SAMEER SATTAR NATASHAA SHROFF DORA SI FREDERICK SIMANJUNTAK LYNN ARIELE SOH SIDDHARTH SRIVASTAVA CHRIS TANG SARAH THOMAS STEPHEN IGOR WAROKKA |
FIVE FROM IN-HOUSE
MIKE CHIH F. KUNG
39, executive director and senior counsel,
Goldman Sachs, Hong Kong
FELICIA LAI
38, director, legal & compliance, Asia-Pacific,
KKR & Co, Hong Kong
ERYNNE LIM
39, managing director, head of compliance,
The Blackstone Group, Singapore
VERNON JUDE SAMUEL
36, general counsel,
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, Malaysia
HARSHITHA THAMMAIAH
37, general counsel,
Xiaomi India, India
MASAYUKI ATSUMI, 38, partner, Miura & Partners
Atsumi, who is one of the founding partners of Miura & Partners, is a competition/antitrust, white collar defence/internal investigation and litigation and disputes expert. As an international antitrust lawyer, he has held various positions in private practice, competition agencies and a global company. He is qualified in three jurisdictions – Japan, New York and England & Wales enabling him to provide “one-stop” global antitrust legal service to his Japanese clients.
Atsumi says that joining Miura & Partners has been the most significant career move for him. He is heading the firm’s antitrust team and co-heading white-collar defence and internal investigation practice. He is responsible for training young associates. His clients include large TSE-listed corpo-rations with global footprint.
“Mr. Atsumi has a deep under-standing of our business needs, including the competitive environment and our future business growth plan, and provides practical advice as well as problem-solving proposals,” says a client. “We also like his communication style; he conveys his advice on difficult antitrust issues in a way that is easily understood regardless of the audience and their level of legal understanding. His advice is not only highly professional, but also reflects his motivation to always move our company’s business forward.”
Talking about his goals, Atsumi says that his career ambition is to make Miura & Partners a truly global law firm which can compete with international big names.
AVIK BISWAS, 38, partner, IndusLaw
An employment law and an anti-bribery & anti-corruption specialist, Biswas has spent 16 years in the legal industry. He joined IndusLaw in 2016 and started the firm’s employment law and anti-bribery practices.
Biswas has advised on various deals. His recent noteworthy matters include counselling on India’s largest fintech acquisition deal where the firm’s client PayU acquired a control-ling stake in Nexus Venture Partners-backed fintech start-up PaySense. He led, resolved and completed all employee and employment law related issues, transitions and complications, including regulatory approvals.
Biswas also structured and completed one of the largest reduction in force exercise for a pioneer in India’s gig economy sector, and also led and conducted one of the largest insurance regulatory investigations for one of India’s largest private insurers. The team’s report, which comprised seven months of investigation, was finally adopted by the regulator as part of its findings.
Shell India, Uber India, Zomato, Nielsen India, ICICI Lombard, Gates Corporation, InMobi, Mindtree, Kraft Heinz and Molson Coors are few of his key clients.
“Avik is one of the most commercially astute lawyers I have ever worked with,” says a client. “We rely on Avik for all our employment law advisory in India. His diligent, practical and systematic approach to problem solving is par excellence. We find that Avik always delivers sound advice that is both practical and ethical.”
PARITHAT CHAMNONGSILP, 33, senior associate, Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners
A corporate, mergers and acquisitions expert, Parithat advises domestic and international clients in mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures involving listed and non-listed companies and has substantial experience in capital markets as well.
He is well versed in the consumer goods and services and commercial real estate sectors, as well as the e-finance and payments sector.
Parithat has been a part of the team which represented Dusit Thani Public Company Limited, one of Thailand’s foremost hotel and property development companies, in a joint venture with Central Pattana Public Company Limited for the development of a large-scale, mixed-use real estate project with an estimated value of 36.7 billion baht (approximately $1.05 billion) in the central business district of Bangkok.
He also advised Plan B Media Public Company Limited in the acquisition of a 19 percent stake in Master Ad Public Company Limited, both key players in the out-of-home advertising media industry in Thailand, in a deal valued at 1.08 billion baht.
Parithat is the author of several articles on corporate mergers and acquisitions and merger control in Thailand.
Talking about his future plans, Parithat says that he wants “to be a trusted advisor to domestic and inter-national clients, guiding them through complex legal issues and working in partnership with them throughout the process to obtain the best possible outcome.”
YU MI CHOI, 38, partner, Yulchon, Korea
Choi has nearly 12 years of experience in the legal industry and is an expert in antitrust, subcon-tracting, broadcasting communications, healthcare and entertainment. She has advised clients on numerous issues including successfully represented Otis Elevator to obtain a dismissal of all charges in a KFTC investigation of Otis’ alleged violation of the Subcontracting Act.
Some of Choi’s clients include SK Group, Hanwha Group, Hyundai Group, Johnson&Johnson, Big Hit Entertainment, JTBC Content Hub, Samsung Group, KT and Lotte Group.
“Ms. Choi is an attorney with a rare combination: she consistently exhibits great skill and knowledge with a friendly, direct approach that is refreshing,” says a client.“ Her extensive experience in anti-trust disputes and focused attention to detail has proven to be a very useful supplement to our internal resources. She has contributed to our company’s ability to launch new business initiatives and has assisted in many transactions,” says another client of Choi.
“I would like to continue to grow as a professional. Working at a law firm helps me develop and refine my expertise because I can collaborate with talented professionals with extensive experience. Yulchon is already a great platform, and I would like to help it develop into a true one-stop shop where clients can receive practical advice that is relevant to their business in all areas of the law,” Choi says about her future plans. “My goal has been to defend the rights and interests of individuals and companies from unreasonably restrictive regulations.”
ANGIE CHU, 39, counsel, Conyers Dill & Pearman
Chu is a corporate lawyer with more than 16 years of experience in the legal industry.
Her practice includes all aspects of corporate law with particular experience in mergers & acquisitions including amalgamations/mergers and schemes of arrangement.
Chu qualified as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand in 2003 and joined Conyers’ Hong Kong office as an associate in June 2011.
She is also a registered associate in Bermuda.
Chu was promoted to counsel in May 2019.
Chu has been involved in a number of significant transactions including the HK$39 billion ($5 billion) Hong Kong IPO of Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Limited, a beer manufacturing company that produces and distributes over 50 beer brands including Corona, Hoegaarden and Stella Artois and the $579 million privatization and de-listing of Changyou.com Limited, a leading developer and operator of online games in China.
Other notable transactions that Chu has been involved with include the reorganisation of Joyce Boutique Holdings Limited and its group by way of a Bermuda scheme of arrangement and the privatisation of Jumei International Holding Limited by way of a Cayman short form merger.
Shedding light on her future plans, Chu says that she would like “to assist clients, especially in the current uncertain times due to COVID-19, in innovative ways with compassion.”
SUNNY HATHIRAMANI, 34, partner, Tanner De Witt
Hathiramani, who has been in the industry for 11 years, is one of the youngest high-profile insolvency and restructuring lawyers in Hong Kong.
He was appointed partner in 2019 and has been a protégé of Ian De Witt and Robin Darton, two of Hong Kong’s best-known insolvency lawyers, throughout his career.
Among his notable work, Hathiramani has advised Pininfarina S.p.A, a leading Italian car design firm listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, in relation to claims for breach of contract against a subsidiary of a Hong Kong listed company in the region of €10 million to €70 million ($12 million to $82 million) and successfully wound up the subsidiary in Hong Kong.
Hathiramani has been involved in successfully obtaining a recognition order on behalf of the Joint and Several Liquidators of a Cayman Islands exempted fund and obtaining summary judgment against the fund’s former director in excess of $11 million.
He also advised a Japanese bankruptcy trustee in claims with a value of over 140 billion yen.
“I have known Sunny and worked with him for around six years,” says a client of Hathiramani.
“Sunny has many positive attributes including excellent client handling skills, strong technical skills and also a pragmatic and commercial approach to problem solving. This is critical mixture and makes him a very able advisor,” the client adds.
PARIYAPOL KAMOLSILP, 37, partner, co-head of the dispute resolution and litigation practice group, Kudun and Partners
Pariyapol joined Kudun and Partners in 2016 and was promoted to be a litigation partner in 2017. With more than a decade of experience, he is well known in dispute resolution, domestic and inter-national arbitration related to administrative and commercial disputes, and debt restructuring and insolvency.
Pariyapol has spearheaded many cases representing numerous creditors objecting to rehabilitation cases for large debt-ridden public-listed industrial companies as well as major breaches of construction contract cases. He continues to represent companies from industries including engineering & construction, steel, manufacturing, mining and telecommunications.
Notable representation of Pariyapol includes Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) in claims filed in arbitration against a former state enterprise of the Thai government for over $645 million and a class action proceeding involving over 41 million users, and NCP Consortium, in challenging the unlawful order dismissing its bidding proposal for Laem Chabang Port Phase 3 Project of the Port Authority of Thailand valued over $5 billion.
Kom Vachiravarakarn, partner and co-head of corporate and M&A at Kudun & Partners, says, “Pariyapol assisted one of our firm’s major clients who was in a dispute with one of its suppliers related to the purchase of floating solar panels. My client is incredibly grateful to him as he was able to mitigate its risk and provide pragmatic and sound solutions to them. He is a team player and leader that is energetic and goes beyond to ensure his clients are well taken care of.”
LOH CHUN KIAT, 34, partner, Rajah & Tann
Loh is a corporate/mergers and acquisitions lawyer who has nine years of experience in the industry.
Loh has acted for Tencent in its $1 billion investment in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart and advised Arch Capital Management in its acquisition of Anson House for around S$210 million.
Loh was the Singapore counsel to Viva China Holdings in its acquisition of a majority stake in Bossini.
Loh also advised City Developments in its approximately $977.6 million divestment of Nouvel 18. He represented Brambles Limited in its restructuring and demerger exercise to facilitate the listing of Recall Limited and counselled Royal & Sons Organisation in the disposal of Royal Hiranandani, the holding company for the property known as Orange Grove Serviced Residences for approximately $160 million.
Some of Loh’s clients include Arch Capital Management, Universal-Investment-Luxembourg S.A., Keppel Corporation and City Developments.
He has also represented clients like CapitaLand, Royal & Sons Organisation, DWS Investments, SLB Development, OKP Holdings and Pageant Media Holdings.
A client says that Loh “is highly competent, responsive and very commercial. He knows the issues and gets transactions across the line and is a fair negotiator who provides commercial and practical solutions to issues.”
Another client of his says that Loh “is sharp, can distil the most critical issues out of any situation and land people where they need to be.”
SOSUKE KIMURA, 37, partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
Kimura, who has been with Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu for 13 years, is an expert in capital markets. He advises on capital transactions, covering all equity, debt and hybrid securities. He focuses on structuring securities with complicated terms and conditions, such as hybrid securities, and equity offerings amid turbulent market conditions, like when he handled transactions arising from, or during, the global financial crisis in 2008, the Japan earthquake of 2011 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Among his noteworthy cases, Kimura led a team of attorneys of Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu that acted for Open House, a leading real estate group based in Tokyo, as its Japanese counsel in connection with the global offering of its common stock conducted in July 2020. He represented NEC Corporation, a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, in the 64.4 billion yen offering of its common stock to NTT Corporation, the largest telecommunications corporation in Japan, to establish a new capital and business alliance in 2020.
Kimura’s clients include Open House, NEC Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Citi, SMBC Nikko and Mizuho.
Regarding his plans, Kimura aims to continue acting for clients in connection with capital markets and become more active in collaboration with investment banks in order to originate new capital markets products.
JI HOON KO, 38, partner, Bae Kim & Lee
Ko specialises in litigation (both civil and criminal) and has more than nine years of industry experience. He advised Samsung Electronics and Samsung SDI in the lawsuit over the issue of disclosure of working environment report in relation to its semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
He also counselled Yuanta Securities Korea (formerly known as Tong Yang Securities) on the class action suit over losses incurred from fraudulent commercial paper (CP) issuance and advised Korean and foreign financial institutes and won a case on lawsuit of collateral security expenses worth approximately $700 million.
Besides this, Ko also represented WiniaDaewoo (formerly known as Daewoo Electronics) in the damage claim lawsuit against Iran’s Dayyani group, a major shareholder of Entekhab in relation to the M&A trans-action involving Daewoo Electronics. He also counselled Berjaya Jeju Resort, a Korea-Malaysia joint venture, on the lawsuit with relation to the suspended construction of development project of a major tourist site in Jeju Island.
Ko has represented numerous clients, which include KT (Korea Telecom), Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, LG Electronics, GS Power, SK Engineering & Construction, Hanwha Engineering & Construction, Kumho E&C (formerly known as Kumho Industrial), MAN Truck & Bus Korea, Yuanta Securities Korea, WiniaDaewoo, NH bank, CHA Biotech, T’way Air, Export-Import Bank of Malaysia and Berjaya Jeju Resort.
PEERAPAT KUMPAYORM, 34, senior associate, Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners
Peerapat is well versed in mergers and acquisitions with significant experience advising on a wide variety of sectors, including e-commerce, oil and gas, retail and distribution.
Peerapat represented PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), Thailand’s largest energy firm, in an oil retail spin off and 120-billion-baht (approximately $3.75 billion) restructuring. PTT restructured its oil marketing and retail business, renamed as PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (PTTOR), including more than 1,400 service stations, representing 40 percent of Thailand’s petrol station market. The deal involved the transfer of assets, undertakings, licenses, IPs and contracts in more than 20 jurisdictions.
Peerapat also represented TCC Assets (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in relation to the joint investment through Siridamrongdham Co., Ltd. and Bhakdivattana Co., Ltd. with GMM Grammy Public Company Limited in digital television, radio and online broadcasting and content provider businesses by the subscription of 50 percent newly issued shares in GMM Channel Trading Co., Ltd. The deal was valued at 1 billion baht.
A client of his says, “Peerapat has been a pleasure to work with. He is always responsive to our queries and demonstrates a high degree of responsibility. Peerapat is well-equipped with legal, technical, and, in particular, commercial knowledge, all of which enable him to have a multi-dimensional view on the issue at hand and effectively tailor solutions that best suit our needs in those contexts.”
HUAY YEE KWAN, 39, partner, Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance
A shipping and offshore finance expert, Kwan is a key member of the asset finance team at Stephenson Harwood. She has established herself as the “go to” lawyer for PRC clients, including many major state-owned lessors and corporates. She has advised on the $185.2 million financing of two containerships chartered to a global logistics giant through a Japanese operating lease with call option structure. This was one of the first vessel JOLCO transactions for a Chinese leasing company in the market.
Her highlight matters further include advising a major Chinese lessor on the lease financing of five mega container vessels which will utilise LNG technology which has been hailed as “the way forward” in the liner sector’s efforts towards addressing environ-mental issues.
She regularly advises on award winning mandates, most recently, a landmark ships-for-shares deal for a fleet of 29 ships chartered to Trafigura, and sold to Scorpio Tankers and Frontline Ltd.
In addition to growing her shipping and offshore practice, Kwan plays an integral part in the wider practice’s expansion, by leading on learning and development and CSR initiatives. She is the first female Singaporean to be admitted to the international partnership of Stephenson Harwood, and spends considerable time mentoring female associates and championing them to senior leadership of Stephenson Harwood. She sees this as the most important part of her future legacy with the firm.
EDWIN LEE YONG CIEH, 35, managing partner and co-founder, Lee & Poh Partnership
Lee is a corporate, commercial and technology expert. Among his notable work, he assisted in negotiations and documentation for a sale of business of a food coating, seasoning, sauces, dressing and process flavours manufacturing company in Malaysia to a UK public-listed company. He was also part of the team assisting in due diligence and documentation in relation to a sale of the largest energy business in Asia and Middle East to a Malaysian GLC.
In addition, Lee advised in negotiations and documentation for an Asia-based private equity firm on the acquisition of shares and trademarks of the second largest cereal and snack producer in Indonesia as well as a property from an Indonesian company. Lee also led a team of eight lawyers to conduct and complete end-to-end PDPA compliance exercise for 30 clients with businesses involved in logistics, public transportation, banking, retail, property development etc.
In recent years, Lee has helped an equity crowdfunding platform to secure a license from the Securities Commission Malaysia and he has since been appointed as the exclusive legal partner for the platform, helping all issuers and investors with their legal documentation. He also has advised two peer-to-peer financing platforms and was involved in legal work for Asia’s first fully licensed digital asset stock exchange in Labuan.
Lee was named in ALB’s Malaysia Rising Stars list for 2020, and was a finalist for the Young Lawyer of the Year at the ALB Malaysia Law Awards this year.
KATHERINE LIU, 39, partner, Stephenson Harwood
Liu is co-head of the regulatory practice at Stephenson Har wood’s Hong Kong office. Liu has experience in advising sector participants such as banks, securities brokers, asset managers and money lenders. She has dealt with most regulators in Hong Kong who have supervisory functions over the financial services industries.
Additionally, as lead partner for the firm’s regulatory and fintech practice, Liu advises clients on the application of new technologies to finance. She was one of the first lawyers in the market to advise on the regulatory aspects regarding the e-wallet/e-payment regulations in Hong Kong. Among her notable work, Liu advised HKT Flexi on their successful launch of its credit services through a mobile financing platform. She also regularly speaks at seminars and conferences on financial services regulations, seeks to raise people’s awareness on topical issues and considers how new technological and legal developments can impact the financial services industry.
Shedding light on her future plans, Liu says: “Given the rapid change of the regulatory environment, I hope that I can use my expertise to contribute to the legal and financial services industry. My aim is to help the firm build and expand the regulatory team. In my spare time, I will continue to contribute by volunteering and doing pro bono legal work.”
HO WEI LIH, 38, partner, Rahmat Lim & Partners
Ho specialises in cross-border M&As, representing multi-national corporations and private equity funds as lead counsel in transactions spanning the ASEAN region. Her advisory roles are extensive, ranging from public takeovers, private investments in public equity and privatisations to acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses by public listed corporations.
Ho leads the firm’s China practice group and has advised various Chinese listed companies on M&A transactions. “Her bilingual command of the Chinese and English languages advantages us in decisive negotiations, as well as easing management pressures on us for results,” says a Chinese MNC executive.
Well regarded for her expertise and innovative deals in the technology, education, energy, healthcare and real estate sectors, Ho’s forte in matching client needs with customized solutions has won her wide clientele appeal and respect by competitors. “She is proactive, providing comprehensive solutions that satisfy our commercial objective. She is our preferred legal advisor for all outbound cross-border transactions,” notes a private equity client.
Ho is equally at ease as a leader or in teamwork as circumstances dictate, with client satisfaction and staff motivation as her primary focus. “Technical capability aside, she displays an in-depth understanding of local market practices and is both perceptive of needs and responsive to timelines. We value her strong support,” says an international law firm senior partner.
SHUMIN LIN, 35, director, Dispute Resolution, Drew & Napier
Lin is a dispute resolution expert with over 11 years of experience in the legal industry.
She regularly acts in complex commercial disputes and has particular experience with freezing injunctions.
Lin recently acted for the leading data centre provider in Indonesia in a multi-jurisdictional shareholders’ dispute where the sum in dispute was in the region of $50 million.
She has also acted for several notable entities, including Intel Capital Corporation and private equity firms TPG Capital Asia and Affinity Equity Partners.
In addition, Lin recently success-fully resisted a winding-up application which had been made on the basis that the company had failed to repay a loan which exceeded S$100 million, and she successfully resisted a novel application to reinstate the company to the ACRA register for the purpose of enforcing the loan.
She also led the mediation of a S$40 million dispute, which resulted in a favourable settlement for the client, who was a high net-worth individual. The dispute was multi-faceted involving issues in Singapore, Brunei, and other jurisdictions.
“Shumin is knowledgeable, analytical, reliable and meticulous,” says a client. “Often working on tight deadlines, Shumin can be counted on to respond, even on weekends. We are very pleased with the legal advice and attention that Shumin has provided. She is very quick to grasp the issues and thorough in her analysis and advice.”
QUEK LING YI, 30, resident partner, Dentons Myanmar Limited
Accelerated to partnership in 2019, Quek is the resident partner of Dentons Myanmar Limited (DML), and one of the partners under the regional practice group of Dentons Rodyk & Davidson.
Quek specialises in regional investments, with a focus on investments in Myanmar. She has advised various clients on investment structures, Myanmar business climate and legal regulations, and has provided compliance training to companies. Most recently, she led DML to recognition as a ‘Notable Firm in Myanmar’ in a leading guide for financial and corporate law firms and lawyers.
Some of Quek’s key clients include Brother International, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, Delivery Hero, BASF, Fraser and Neave Group, Naza Automotive and UMW.
“Ling Yi understands commercial realities and the nature of cross-border transactions. She is responsive, quick and ensures smooth completion of transactions – an instrumental partner to our transactions,” says a client.
When asked about her future plans, Quek recognises that legal work in the ASEAN region has a huge potential for growth, and she hopes to be able to contribute to this growth by strengthening DML’s presence in Myanmar and expanding the regional practice of Dentons Rodyk. “Our corporate clients prefer to have the flexibility of structuring investments into developing markets via more developed markets, and our expertise across all sectors coupled with our experiences on global deals gives our clients added comfort”, says Quek.
NATASHAA SHROFF, 36, partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas
Shroff, who specialises in general corporate matters with 14 years of industry experience, is a partner in the M&A and private equity practice group at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas. She has experience on a wide range of M&A activity such as control and minority acquisitions, public and private M&As, cross-border investments, corporate restructuring, amalgamations, business unit acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity investments. Her clientele includes Indian and international corporate groups, private equity funds, public and private companies.
Some of her significant deals include Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart (approximately $16 billion); Facebook’s investments (along with 9 other investments) in Jio Platforms (approximately $14.33 billion); and ONGC’s acquisition of HPCL (approxi-mately $5.78 billion/ 369.15 billion rupees).
Among her achievements, Shroff was awarded the Young Lawyer of the Year at ALB India Law Awards 2019. Several of her transactions have won deal of the year awards over the years.
“Natashaa is a bright, dedicated and ambitious lawyer who, at a relatively young age, has gained valuable experience of working on some of the largest and complex mergers & acquisitions in the country,” says Raghubir Menon, regional practice head-Mumbai, M&A and private equity, general corporate, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas. “Her client-centric approach is a key ingredient in her success that will go a long way in ensuring a promising and rewarding career for her.”
SIDDHARTH SRIVASTAVA, 38, partner, Khaitan & Co
A banking & finance and restructuring & insolvency expert, Srivastava has spent 14 years in the legal industry. He is advising NBCC (India) Limited in the acquisition of Jaypee Infratech Limited under the insolvency process as well as representing Resolution Professional in relation to the insolvency proceedings against Era Infra Engineering Limited (one of the Dirty Dozen cases). He also counselled Resolution Professional in the first of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ corporates referred by RBI to insolvency (Jyoti Structures). His most recent deal involved advising Brookfield in relation to purchase of certain real estate assets of Jet Airways (under insolvency). It was one of the first transaction under the IBC where a material asset was sold during the IBC process outside the normal course of business, with the approval of the NCLT.
Srivastava has done his masters from Columbia Law School, New York and is currently pursuing Ph.D. in Law from one of India’s premier law schools, NALSAR Hyderabad. He has also written multiple articles on topical subjects published in various newspaper and journals.
Additionally, Srivastava was one of the founding members of CAN Foundation. It is a foundation established to help students and aspiring fresh graduates by supporting them financially and mentoring them to hone their professional abilities. CAN Foundation has already help generate more than one million rupees to support multiple students pursuing education with reputed national law schools.
STEPHEN IGOR WAROKKA, 35, partner, SSEK Indonesian Legal Consultants
Warokka, who has more than a decade of legal experience, specialises in M&A, shipping, labour, expatriate work permits, immigration, construction and general corporate matters.
Warokka is currently advising and representing an Indonesian offshore oil and gas services company in its restructuring and licensing. He is also representing an Indonesian shipping company in connection with a multimillion-dollar facility agreement with syndicated lenders in respect of a floating production storage and offloading unit. He has represented various shipping companies in the acquisition and sale of vessels.
Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS) Ketenagakerjaan (the Indonesian Manpower Social Security Administrator), Sanofi, Terma A/S, Zippo Manufacturing Company, Ensco plc, Fugro, BW Offshore, Van Oord Equipment B.V., Coeclerici, Wilhelmsen Ships Service (S), McDermott, General Electric and Mead Johnson are some of the clients that Warokka has represented.
This year, Warokka successfully organised and moderated an exclusive webinar for Japanese investors (both potential and existing), “Indonesia – Japan Trade and Investment post- COVID-19,” which was co-hosted with the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, and the Indonesian Capital Investment Coordinating Board. In 2019, Warokka was heavily involved in the process of helping to shape the contents of a new Indonesian Minister of Manpower decree on positions that can be held by expatriate employees in various business sectors, meeting with foreign business chambers in Jakarta to help coordinate their input on the draft decree, helping their communication with the Ministry of Manpower, and meeting with the Ministry, the Vice President’s Office and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs.
“Stephen is an excellent lawyer and a pleasure to work with. I have always been impressed by Stephen's quality of work, his professionalism and his leadership skills in getting the best out of his team and everyone he works with,” says Denny Rahmansyah, managing partner of SSEK. “He is also an excellent team member and mentor in the office for the younger lawyers, leading by example and always making time to help out when needed.”
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