Singapore (asialaw)

Aquinas Law Alliance distinguishes itself in Singapore through a combination of sophisticated capital-markets capability, an established listed-company corporate secretarial practice and a disputes team experienced in complex cross-border litigation. The firm regularly handles less conventional corporate exercises, including transfer listings and hybrid fundraising structures, while its contentious lawyers advise on shareholder, joint-venture, insolvency, lending and international enforcement disputes. Strong relationships with Chinese businesses, supported by wider ASEAN and international alliances, give the firm a particularly useful platform for matters connecting Singapore with China and other regional markets.

The capital-markets practice covers primary and secondary listings, reverse takeovers, transfer listings, delistings, privatisations, rights issues and placements. The team also supports issuers with continuing listing obligations and other corporate actions on both the Mainboard and Catalist boards of the Singapore Exchange. Its lawyers are experienced in responding to regulatory queries, coordinating sponsors and other professional advisers, and preparing the announcements, circulars and applications required to implement corporate exercises.

A notable feature of the practice is its work on transactions that depart from conventional fundraising structures. The firm is among the relatively small group of Singapore practices regularly advising on transfer listings as an alternative to initial public offerings and reverse takeovers. Its recent mandates have also included combined placements of shares and convertible bonds, share-option arrangements and sequences of rights issues, placements and bond conversions. These matters require the team to assess how one corporate action affects another while managing shareholder, regulatory and timing considerations.

The firm’s corporate secretarial capability complements its transactional practice. Its lawyers act as company secretaries to private and listed companies and provide continuing advice on governance, compliance and responses to Singapore Exchange queries. Members of the partnership also serve as independent directors of listed companies. This combination gives the team a practical understanding of the challenges boards and management encounter before, during and after significant corporate actions.

China-facing work is another defining feature. The firm’s joint managing partners have developed close relationships with Chinese clients and have experience assisting businesses with Singapore listings, delistings, cross-border transactions and shareholder matters. The wider corporate practice encompasses securities and debt offerings, secured and syndicated lending, guarantees, structured finance, project finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring.

Aquinas Law Alliance’s disputes practice handles contractual and commercial claims, joint-venture conflicts, investment disputes, shareholder and partnership disagreements, and personal and corporate insolvency. Its lawyers appear at all levels of the Singapore courts and undertake arbitrations governed by the rules of leading international and regional institutions. The team is particularly active on cases involving assets, counterparties or proceedings in more than one jurisdiction.

The contentious practice has experienced growth in both the value and complexity of its instructions. Recent work includes disputes involving alleged breaches of fiduciary duties, oral joint-venture arrangements, enforcement of foreign judgments, loan defaults, construction contracts and cross-border sales of goods. Its lawyers are frequently required to coordinate investigations, overseas service, foreign-law advice and asset tracing as part of a wider litigation strategy.

Through the ASEAN Legal Alliance, the firm works with firms across the region, while its participation in the Warwick Legal Network and PraeLegal broadens its access to overseas counsel. These relationships help the firm coordinate multijurisdictional mandates while retaining the direct partner involvement associated with an independent Singapore practice.

Joint managing partner Lim Kok Meng leads the capital-markets practice and heads the corporate practice group. His experience encompasses securities and debt offerings, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, restructuring and continuing corporate advice to listed companies. Joint managing partner Aloysius Wee also advises on capital-markets matters, supported by partners Nichola Koh and Titus Yeo. The disputes practice is led by Mark Cham, whose work includes litigation, arbitration and cross-border disputes. The group also includes Ng Keng Chye, an experienced commercial litigator and mediator, and Goh Hui Hua, who joined from Covenant Chambers in 2025 and has strengthened the team’s commercial, insolvency, employment and appellate capability.

Through its combination of capital-markets knowledge, listed-company support and cross-border disputes experience, Aquinas Law Alliance offers a distinctive platform for clients navigating corporate change, regulatory obligations and complex commercial conflicts in Singapore and across the region.

Client feedback

“The team is professional.” – Capital markets

Kok Meng Lim

“He is professional and provides innovative solutions.”