Rajah & Tann
Encyclopedia
Rajah & Tann LLP is a transnational law firm
headquartered in Singapore
with offices in Bangkok
, Ho Chi Minh City
, Kuala Lumpur
, Shanghai
and Vientiane
. Founded in 1955, it is the largest law firm in Southeast Asia
with over 300 lawyers and fee-earners. The firm is incorporated as a limited liability partnership
in Singapore. It has practices in banking, competition
, corporate governance
, corporate finance
, dispute resolution
, information technology
, infrastructure
, insolvency
, insurance
, mergers and acquisitions
, shipping
, telecommunications and trade. The firm is additionally known for its China
, Japan
and South Asia
specific practice groups.
Rajah & Tann's clientale ranges from multinational and Fortune 500
corporations to emerging high-tech enterprises and start-ups. The firm's well known alumni include V.K. Rajah, Steven Chong
and Sundaresh Menon
. Eng Beng Lee SC
has been the managing partner since 2010.
. At that time, Rajah & Tann was the only law firm founded and run by Singaporeans.
In 1987, V. K. Rajah was appointed as the managing partner. He oversaw the growth of the firm from 6 lawyers to more than 160 lawyers and 200 staff. In 1998, Steven Chong
was appointed as the joint managing partner. In 2004, he was appointed as sole managing partner when V. K. Rajah was elevated to the bench as a Judicial Commissioner
.
On 1 January 2008, the partnership law firm of Rajah & Tann converted to a limited liability partnership.
In 2009, S.R. Nathan
, former President of Singapore
, appointed Steven Chong and deputy managing partner, Quentin Loh to the bench. Subsequently, Sundaresh Menon and Eng Beng Lee were appointed as managing and deputy managing partners respectively.
In September 2010, Eng Beng Lee took over as the managing partner when Sundaresh Menon was appointed as the Attorney-General of Singapore
.
with 329 lawyers and fee-earners. In 2003, the firm established a representative office in Shanghai. Kuala Lumpur based Kamilah & Chong is an associate law firm since November 2007.
In 2011, Rajah & Tann set up offices in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane. There are plans for further expansion in Cambodia
and Indonesia
over the next year. The firm earns up to 25 percent of its total revenues from regional and international work.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
headquartered in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
with offices in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
. Founded in 1955, it is the largest law firm in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
with over 300 lawyers and fee-earners. The firm is incorporated as a limited liability partnership
Limited liability partnership
A limited liability partnership is a partnership in which some or all partners have limited liability. It therefore exhibits elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP one partner is not responsible or liable for another partner's misconduct or negligence. This is an important...
in Singapore. It has practices in banking, competition
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
, corporate governance
Corporate governance
Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...
, corporate finance
Corporate finance
Corporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
, dispute resolution
Dispute resolution
Dispute resolution is the process of resolving disputes between parties.-Methods:Methods of dispute resolution include:* lawsuits * arbitration* collaborative law* mediation* conciliation* many types of negotiation* facilitation...
, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
, insolvency
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
, insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
, shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
, telecommunications and trade. The firm is additionally known for its China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
specific practice groups.
Rajah & Tann's clientale ranges from multinational and Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
corporations to emerging high-tech enterprises and start-ups. The firm's well known alumni include V.K. Rajah, Steven Chong
Steven Chong
Steven Chong Horng Siong SC is a Judge of the High Court of Singapore. A former litigation lawyer and managing partner of Rajah & Tann, he is one of the leading shipping lawyers in Singapore. Chong obtained his LL.B. from the National University of Singapore in 1982. In that same year, he, together...
and Sundaresh Menon
Sundaresh Menon
Sundaresh Menon SC is Singapore's Attorney-General. He was sworn in on 1 Oct 2010. Menon graduated with first class honours from the law faculty of the National University of Singapore in 1986 and later obtained his LL.M. from Harvard University. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008. He served a...
. Eng Beng Lee SC
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
has been the managing partner since 2010.
History
Rajah & Tann was founded by Tamphore T Rajah and Tann Wee Tiong in 1955. Thampore Rajah and Tann Wee Tiong were also the founding members of People's Action PartyPeople's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
. At that time, Rajah & Tann was the only law firm founded and run by Singaporeans.
In 1987, V. K. Rajah was appointed as the managing partner. He oversaw the growth of the firm from 6 lawyers to more than 160 lawyers and 200 staff. In 1998, Steven Chong
Steven Chong
Steven Chong Horng Siong SC is a Judge of the High Court of Singapore. A former litigation lawyer and managing partner of Rajah & Tann, he is one of the leading shipping lawyers in Singapore. Chong obtained his LL.B. from the National University of Singapore in 1982. In that same year, he, together...
was appointed as the joint managing partner. In 2004, he was appointed as sole managing partner when V. K. Rajah was elevated to the bench as a Judicial Commissioner
Judicial Commissioner
A Judicial Commissioner in Singapore is appointed to the Supreme Court by the President of Singapore on the advice of the Prime Minister, and has the powers of a Judge. A person may be appointed a Judicial Commissioner if he/she has been a "qualified person" within the meaning of section 2 of the...
.
On 1 January 2008, the partnership law firm of Rajah & Tann converted to a limited liability partnership.
In 2009, S.R. Nathan
S.R. Nathan
Sellapan Ramanathan is a Singaporean politician who was the sixth President of the Republic of Singapore. Usually referred to as S. R. Nathan, he was first sworn in on September 1, 1999. In 1999 and 2005, he was elected President in uncontested elections. In 2009, he surpassed Benjamin Sheares to...
, former President of Singapore
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
, appointed Steven Chong and deputy managing partner, Quentin Loh to the bench. Subsequently, Sundaresh Menon and Eng Beng Lee were appointed as managing and deputy managing partners respectively.
In September 2010, Eng Beng Lee took over as the managing partner when Sundaresh Menon was appointed as the Attorney-General of Singapore
Attorney-General of Singapore
The Attorney-General of Singapore is the legal adviser to the government of the Republic of Singapore and its public prosecutor.The office was founded in 1867 as the chief legal officer of the British crown colony of the Straits Settlements. The current requirements for appointment as...
.
Reputation
Rajah & Tann is the largest law firm in Singapore and Southeast Asia, and the 22nd largest law firm in AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
with 329 lawyers and fee-earners. In 2003, the firm established a representative office in Shanghai. Kuala Lumpur based Kamilah & Chong is an associate law firm since November 2007.
In 2011, Rajah & Tann set up offices in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane. There are plans for further expansion in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
over the next year. The firm earns up to 25 percent of its total revenues from regional and international work.