22 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – NOVEMBER 2023 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM COVER STORY “Lee Kee Min has an excellent grounding in banking and finance law and is passionate about his chosen area of practice. Clients love him for his responsiveness and ability to translate complex concepts into easily digestible nuggets of information for them. His practical and commercial approach has facilitated the smooth closure of myriad transactions,” says a senior partner at his firm. Mark Lee 32, associate, Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee Mark Lee is an international arbitration lawyer at Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee. He handles complex, high-value international disputes, focusing on the region’s large-scale infrastructure and renewable energy disputes. He acts as counsel in arbitrations and provides advice on contentious issues and dispute avoidance. Lee has a background in construction and was involved in two highly complex construction litigations in the Singapore Court of Appeal at an early stage of his career. He is currently advising two of the largest offshore wind projects in North Asia through their construction phase, and is also acting as counsel in an ICC arbitration arising from the construction of a water desalination plant in the Middle East. In addition, Lee also handles highvalue cross-border commercial disputes. He recently represented the buyer consortium in an M&A dispute involving the acquisition of shares worth over $ 1.5 billion. Another case he handled involved one of the world’s largest IT service providers in a $50 million dispute against a major international bank. Currently, he is representing a major fintech company in defending a GBP 12 million ($14.8 million) claim. Clients describe Lee as “possibly the most prominent lawyer amongst his peers”, and praised him for being “commercially agile and fluent” and his ability to deal with legal challenges “directly, succinctly and with the knowledge and confidence of a lawyer twice his age”. They also appreciate his ability to “very quickly identify the key issues and deal with them methodically”, providing “sound legal advice that strikes a fine balance of addressing commercial and legal risks and considerations”. Lee is known for his intelligence, commercial astuteness, and ability to deal with multi-jurisdictional sensitivities within his firm. His partners say he “brings not only legal ability and specialist construction expertise but a strategic understanding of arbitration which cannot be taught”. They also note that he has a “significant role to play in attracting high-value instructions” and has “found real strength in building client trust and confidence”. Jaime Lye 30, director, Meritus Law Jaime Lye is a litigator and a director in Meritus Law’s dispute resolution practice. She was made partner before the age of 30, which marked her as a notable rising star in the competitive field. Lye’s areas of expertise include commercial litigation and international arbitration, and she has been involved in numerous complex and high-value disputes across various sectors, such as commercial transactions, construction, infrastructure, energy, and banking and finance. In a recent case, Lye secured an urgent ex-parte Mareva injunction against an individual worth over $6.6 million. She also played a significant role in securing a substantial final award for a major petroleum company based in Malaysia from the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), in a case that will be the first arbitral award to be enforced in Timor-Leste under the New York Convention. Clients and colleagues laud Lye as an “excellent lawyer” who is “armed with strong commercial awareness and sound strategy”. A legal counsel from an institutional client notes that Lye “leaves no stone unturned in her quest to serve her clients to the best of her abilities.” “Having worked with lawyers from both the public and private sectors, it was very apparent to me early on that Jaime was a cut above her peers,” says Alfred Lim, managing director of Meritus Law. “In delivering her work, Jaime has consistently punched above her weight and has handled cases that are usually dealt with by more senior practitioners,” he adds. Renu Menon 39, co-head, banking & finance, director, corporate & finance, Drew & Napier Renu Menon, a distinguished legal professional with over 15 years of experience. She is currently the co-head of banking and finance and a director in the corporate and finance department at Drew & Napier. Throughout her career, Menon has demonstrated exceptional achievements, which propelled her to a leadership position within the firm. As a deputy head of banking and finance in 2019, Menon has made her mark as a trailblazer in the field just six years after joining Drew & Napier as a senior associate. She was recognised for her expertise and was promoted to equity and appointed co-head of banking and finance in 2022, demonstrating her strategic acumen and leadership prowess. Menon’s notable accomplishments extend beyond her corporate roles. She played a pivotal role in developing and launching the Pro Bono National Indigenous Arts Registration Service for indigenous art centres in Australia, earning her the Arts Law Centre of Australia Pro Bono Award in 2013. In her practice, Menon stands out for one-of-a-kind, first-in-market mandates and has been instrumental in various financing matters, including complex debt restructuring, debt capital markets, green financing, and secured financing transactions. She recently advised on one of the largest debt offerings in the U.S. for Pfizer, and her other prominent clients include Tuan Sing Holdings, Metro, and United Overseas Bank.
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