Malaysian law firm RDS Partnership has significantly strengthened its practice offerings with the addition of five partners, led by intellectual property veteran Michael Soo, who joins as head of the IP practice, and Wai Ming Yap, who was managing director of Singapore’s Morgan Lewis Stamford.
The other new partners are Rajeswari Karupiah, David Lee, and Hayden Tan.
The hires come as RDS has announced a strategic alliance with DeHeng Law Offices, one of China's largest firms that’s been expanding across Southeast Asia through regional tie-ups. With this alliance, RDS aims to place itself as a leading regional player in multiple high-demand practice areas, the firm said.
Soo brings over 40 years of experience in intellectual property law. He was formerly the managing partner of Malaysia’s Shook Lin & Bok, where he spearheaded high-profile IP enforcement cases. He previously served as president of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association.
Yap comes with more than three decades of experience in corporate finance and fintech with dual qualifications in Malaysia and Singapore. Apart from being a partner in RDS’ corporate and M&A practice, he will also be a consultant with Singapore’s Harry Elias Partnership.
Karupiah has expertise in employment law and industrial relations. She previously served as chairman of Malaysia's Industrial Court and as a legal advisor to The World Bank in Washington DC. Recently, she was appointed deputy chairman of the National Wage Negotiation Council by the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources.
Lee brings nearly 30 years of experience to RDS's corporate and capital markets practice. He has advised on significant IPOs and M&A transactions in Malaysia and internationally, with expertise spanning public offerings, cross-border transactions, and regulatory compliance.
Tan, who rejoins RDS after serving as a foreign lawyer at Singapore’s Quahe Woo & Palmer, specializes in restructuring, insolvency, and fraud defence, with a focus on commercial litigation and asset recovery.
These appointments follow a year of significant changes for RDS. In October, the firm saw the departure of founding partner Ong Eu Jin with a team of 10 lawyers, including partners Lee Zai-Lii and Diane Ngu Dai En, to establish Ong Eu Jin Partnership, a boutique focusing on capital markets and M&A.
RDS also welcomed Raphael Tay, corporate head at LAW Partnership, as a partner, while Steven Perian joined as head of economic crimes, fraud and anti-money laundering practice, and Vinayak Sri Ram strengthened the disputes practice.
Earlier in the year, the firm added disputes partners Steven Perian KC and Vinayak Sri Ram, and corporate partner Falisa Abu Bakar, the latter from Zul Rafique & Partners.
The firm also lost two disputes partners last year- Nur Syafinaz Vani joined Zul Rafique & Partners, while more recently, Shaun Tan moved to LAW Partnership.
