Anna Quah, vice-president, legal, Asia-Pacific at UPS, talks about how she became “general counsel by accident,” why opening her inbox sometimes feels like opening a box of chocolates, and why those considering a career in law need to ensure they enjoy the taste of coffee.
ZJ Jennifer Lim, a former disputes partner at U.S. law firm Sidley Austin, has joined Duxton Hill Chambers (Singapore Group Practice) as a member.
Virtus Law, UK law firm Stephenson Harwood's Singapore alliance firm, has hired corporate lawyer Eunice Yao as a partner from Dentons Rodyk & Davidson.
Ropes & Gray has advised Swedish investment firm EQT AB on its offer to acquire New York-listed Singapore-based online real estate platform PropertyGuru for $1.1 billion.
Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has expanded its energy capabilities in Singapore with the addition of former White & Case counsel Ee Lynn Tan as a partner.
Shanghai-headquartered Fangda Partners has launched an office in Singapore with the addition of M&A partner Ivy Liu from Watson Farley & Williams.
Veteran litigator Sreenivasan Narayan SC has left the managing partner role at K&L Gates Straits Law to set up his own dispute resolution and advisory firm in Singapore, Sreenivasan Chambers.
Allen & Gledhill, TMI Associates, Haiwen & Partners and YKVN have advised Nanofilm Technologies International on its S$510.1 million ($383.53 million) initial public offering on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading (SGX-ST), with Allen & Overy and JunHe counselling the issue managers and bookrunners.
Mayer Brown has hired Paul JP Teo as a partner in Singapore from Baker McKenzie, where was the Hong Kong-based head of the firm’s international arbitration practice for Greater China.
Virtual hearings were not unheard of pre-2020. The family courts for years experimented with allowing counsel to appear virtually for pre-trial conferences subject to certain conditions being satisfied. Likewise the State Courts, although the response was lukewarm. Teething issues with technology for the conduct of virtual hearings were never really properly ironed out; or perhaps the inertia was because the lawyers preferred the camaraderie of bantering in person.