LEGAL LUMINARIES
Young at Law: The most influential lawyers aged under 40 in 2021 Twenty-one new lawyers from 15 law firms have been chosen as some of the most promising lawyers in the industry for the seventh year of Singapore Business Review’s Legal Luminaries aged 40 and under in 2021. These lawyers have advised clients in matters such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), criminal litigation, international arbitration and dispute resolution, with expertise ranging from banking and finance, to investment markets, and white collar crime. The lawyers from this list are arranged from youngest to oldest. 1
Victor Looi, 29, Atlas Asia Law Corporation Victor is a senior associate, experienced in advising numerous clients on Singapore law matters in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and reorganisation, data protection, and payment services. He graduated from Singapore Management University with high distinctions in Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business Management (Finance). A firm believer in public service, he also volunteers at a pro bono legal clinic. 2
Nadia Ahmad Samdin, 30, TSMP Law Corporation Nadia is part of TSMP’s corporate transactional team with a specialisation in M&A, along with other areas of practice such as equity capital markets, banking and finance, and employment law. She has worked with Mainboard-listed public firms, startups, and foreign entities. Outside of law, she is currently an elected Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC and has served for the National Youth Council and the Singapore Council of Women Organisations, and as a panel adviser to the Singapore Youth Court. 3
Niklas Wong, 31, TSMP Law Corporation One of TSMP’s youngest male associate directors, Niklas has worked on complex litigation and arbitration matters. He 44
SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW | MARCH 2021
has acted for the plaintiffs in one of the country’s largest trust disputes and regularly acts in probono matters. He has taught an elective course on shareholder deals and litigation at the Singapore Management University. 4
Sinyee Ong, 31, Sharpe & Jagger Sinyee is a dispute resolution practitioner focusing on the construction, hospitality, insurance, and oil and gas sectors. She has advised clients on political risk from the Hong Kong riots, and is acting on behalf of hospitality and real estate firms seeking insurance recoveries from the financial losses triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a CFA charter holder and is qualified in four jurisdictions, namely Singapore, England & Wales, New York, and Western Australia. 5 Farrah Isaac, 32, Harry Elias Partnership Farrah is a senior associate in the firm where she specialises in civil and commercial litigation and dispute resolution. She assisted in a successful defense of a client in a multi-million dollar High Court trial and also obtained the largest ever party-and-party costs award in Singapore’s legal history. Farrah graduated from the University of Bristol with Upper Second Class Honours. 6 Geraint Kang, 32, Tan Kok Quan Partnership A senior associate, Geraint has handled matters related to banking law, insolvency and restructuring, and building and commercial law. Some of his most recent cases include acting for the provisional liquidators of SuperPark Asia Group against the firm’s majority shareholder. He graduated from the University of Bristol in 2012. 7
Keith Hsu, 32, Emerald Law A managing partner at Emerald Law, Keith acquired the practice when it was still known
as B Rao & K S Rajah. He was lead counsel in various High Court cases and is also a former member of the Law Society’s Anti-Money Laundering Committee. His expertise lies in fintech, particularly in handling the sale and purchase of shares of private companies. 8 Hazel Ho, 33, CNPLaw Hazel is a senior associate in the firm’s corporate advisory team. Her main areas of practice include M&A, joint ventures, private equity, capital markets, and general corporate advisory. In her first two years at CNPLaw, she helped the firm establish working collaborations with various professional organisations which continue to generate business for the firm. She holds a Master of Laws (Distinction) from BPP Law in London. 9 Gerard Quek, 33, Peter Doraisamy Gerad is a partner at Peter Doraisamy and was included in the top 30% cohort of the University of Tasmania. His expertise lies in fraud and asset recovery, commercial disputes, financial services law and regulation, and shipping litigation. Gerard regularly takes on matters on a pro bono basis with the support of his firm, and was recently shortlisted as a finalist in the Asian Legal Business Southeast Asia Law Awards 2020 for the Young Lawyer of the Year category. 10 Kevin Tan, 34, Rajah & Tann Singapore Kevin specialises in commercial litigation and international arbitration and was formerly a Justices’ Law Clerk and Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court. Some of his notable cases include acting for the Philippines in a UNCITRAL Arbitration relating to a water concession agreement, and for a Malaysian firm and a Marshall Islands-registered company in an O&G dispute before the Singapore International Commercial Court. The Ministry of Law has recently named him as
