Singapore's 2nd largest international law firm

Acted together with MEAG, the asset manager of Munich Re (one of the world's leading reinsurers and risk carriers) and ERGO (one of the major insurance groups in Europe) in the SG$549 million refinancing transaction obtained by Queensley Holdings Limited for the commercial building in Singapore known as 'Capital Square'. Our Client subscribed for all the SG$151 million secured junior notes and SG$78 million of the preferred shares issued by Queensley Holdings Limited as part of the refinancing.

Our Singapore team successfully acted for LG Electronics Inc. in a trade mark opposition filed by headphones manufacturer Beats Electronics, LLC against the registration of the mark 'QuadBeat' before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, securing a favourable decision.

Withers represented an individual in a dispute involving a successful limited liability company that provided global financial consulting and advisory services. Withers successfully avoided a public lawsuit and negotiated a successful resolution. This complex matter involved parties in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Belize.

We successfully represented our client in Zhao Hui Fang and another in a case that challenged the application of stamp duty to a residential purchase by a charity. The High Court of Singapore ruled that the additional buyer’s stamp duties regime does not apply to residential property purchased by a charity. The landmark decision had wide-ranging impact on charities and the non-profit sector in Singapore.

A European-based investment advisor approached Withers for advice on structuring its worldwide operations and other issues in the US. Because of our in-depth of knowledge of international markets, we were able to help with US withholding obligations as well as reporting obligations for US customers and accounts.

In the case of Lim Meng Suang and Kenneth Chee Mun-Leon v Attorney-General [2014]SGCA53 we acted in our client's appeal involving constitutional issues of public importance, namely, whether Section 377A of the Penal Code infringes the constitutional rights to equality, life and liberty. This was Singapore’s First Constitutional Challenges to the Criminalization of Male Homosexual Conduct in Singapore.

Our cross border dispute resolution team acted for a Korean digital entertainment business in a multi-million dollar ICC arbitration on a construction and commercial disagreement involving two Korean businesses and a Chinese company

Representing the sole executor of the estate of the late Ng Hock Seng, we successfully defended a claim by Ng Li-Ann Genevieve for a share of alleged matrimonial property, based on fraud, breach of trust and unjust enrichment.

We acted in the High Court of Singapore in disputes relating to market manipulation and freight forwarding agreements, and involving violations under the Securities and Futures Act (Cap. 289) and successfully resisted a striking- off application

We represented SMRT Trains in a High Court case involving the duty of care owed by a mass rapid transport operator and regulator to a commuter claiming SGD $3.4 million in damages. The Plaintiff’s claim was dismissed by the High Court Judge, whose decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

We appeared in the Court of Appeal in a matter involving losses arising out of the flow of water from the Appellant’s land to a neighbouring fish farm.

We advised our client (the Claimant) in a cross border arbitration under the SIAC Rules involving claims of USD $70 million. Our client entered into a funding arrangement with a private equity firm, allowing the funder to acquire shares and/or control in a company which acquires, runs and manages schools, and the arbitration concerned the corporate structure and approach to governance and controls.

We are representing a Malaysian bank on an arbitration in Singapore under the ICC Rules regarding claims arising out of a software contract with a Swiss multinational corporation. The contract involved the replacement of the bank’s central banking system, with far reaching cross border implications, given the bank's status as a public institution. The claim relates to the Islamic status of the core banking system with a contract value in the region of USD $17 million.

Acted for an International trust in Singapore in the sale of US$165 million worth of debt owned by Indonesian company to several international banks.

We successfully defended a claim in the High Court and the Court of Appeal arising from a refusal to grant a renewal of a lease of a site on prime land, involving allegations of misrepresentation

We acted for a German bank, a Finnish bank and a Norwegian bank in Singapore in the discharge of mortgages over 41 Singapore-flagged, Hong Kong-flagged and Liberian-flagged vessels owned by an Indonesian shipping company. The discharge of mortgages was made simultaneous with the refinancing and global restructuring of that Indonesian shipping company’s debt.

We acted for a bank in the financing to an international school in Singapore for the construction of an additional building to its existing campus.

We have advised banks and borrowers in Singapore on project financing for the development of hotel/office/shopping complexes, residential estates, highways, pipelines, petrochemical plants and other industrial developments, and financing for the acquisition of hotels, hospitals, plantations, commercial and industrial buildings and complexes and the takeover of companies, secured against all kinds of assets and guarantees, in jurisdictions such as Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and others.

Acted for a foreign branch of a Singapore based bank in a transferable loan facility of up to Japanese ¥1.23 billion for a borrower in Mumbai. The facility was secured by a hypothecation deed with security agent being a national central bank.

We successfully acted for the Singapore Economic Development Board in a claim in the High Court and the Court of Appeal arising from a refusal to grant a renewal of a lease of prime land, involving allegations of misrepresentation

Acting in two matters for the Singapore Sports Council in relation to separate claims separate involving the use of a public swimming facility. We acted for the council both at the Coroner’s Inquiry and also managed the common law claims.