K&L Gates Straits Law, the Singapore office of K&L Gates, has added Ed Bennett as a partner to the asset management and investment funds practice. He joins from Morgan Lewis Stamford, where he was a partner and co-leader of its Singapore investment management practice group. Bennett has extensive experience advising on a wide range of investment fund and corporate transactional matters, including direct and co-investments by funds, private equity, M&A, capital markets, secondary buyout, refinancing and fund formations. He regularly works with fund managers and institutional investors across the globe on the structuring, establishment and commitments to these funds. After relocating to Singapore from London in 2011, Bennett has advised clients on complex transactions across Asia. He has focused his work on Southeast Asian cross-border corporate transactions and fund formations, involving investment teams in the wider Asia-Pacific region, including involvement with offshore private equity investment in Indonesia.
Saraf and Partners has added Manmeet Singh as a partner in its Dispute Resolution – Arbitration & Litigation and Insolvency & Restructuring practices. Previously a partner in L&L Partners, Singh has 17 years of extensive experience. He has represented various stakeholders, including financial institutions, private equity investors and Indian conglomerates, in complex and high value commercial matters across varied sectors, with a specific focus on energy and infrastructure sectors. Singh will also be part of the Management Committee, the highest decision-making body in the firm.
Squire Patton Boggs has added Ivan Chia as a partner in the corporate practice and commodities and shipping industry group. He was previously a partner at HFW and Watson, Farley & Williams. Dual-qualified in Singapore and England, Chia is a transactional specialist, with particular focus on international energy, renewables and infrastructure projects. He has advised on the development, procurement, joint venture and M&A transactions for significant projects, involving onshore and offshore wind farms, utility scale and commercial and industrial solar PV projects, ports, LNG and petrochemical plants, offshore and floating energy assets, and other infrastructure projects across Asia.
Withers has continued building its litigation and international arbitration practice in Asia with the addition of new partner and commercial litigator Michael Chik. He joins the firm in Hong Kong from Bird & Bird, and focuses on financial and commercial disputes and regulatory matters. Chik is an experienced litigator, representing a broad range of institutional and individual clients in all aspects of commercial disputes. This includes complex and high-value commercial transactions, trusts, shareholder’s disputes, financial institution disputes and estate or probate disputes. He is also a trusted advisor to corporate clients on regulatory matters, including compliance issues, such as those in relation to the Securities and Futures Ordinance and the Listing Rules in Hong Kong. Additionally, Chik advises on highly contentious regulatory work and investigations by regulatory authorities, such as the Securities and Futures Commission and the Competition Commission, ranging from market misconduct, breach of directors’ duties and precious metal price riggings. He brings experience in international arbitration under various institutional rules, including proceedings conducted under the ICC, SIAC and HKIAC rules.