The Legal 500 - Asia Pacific (2019)

Antitrust and Competition - Tier 1
Banking & Finance - Tier 2
Capital Markets - Tier 4
Corporate and M&A - Tier 1
Dispute Resolution - Tier 3
Intellectual Property - Tier 1
Labour and Employment - Tier 2
Projects and Energy - Tier 1
Real Estate and Construction - Tier 3
Shipping - Tier 1
TMT - Tier 1

Leading Lawyers:
Christopher Lee - Projects and Energy
Clive Selvapandian - Shipping
Deepak Pillai - TMT
Eileen Yeoh - Projects and Energy
Intan Haryati - TMT
Kuok Yew Chen - Corporate and M&A, TMT
Ong Chee Kwan - Shipping
Sri Sarguna Raj - Intellectual Property

Next Generation Lawyer:
Kimberly Goh - Corporate and M&A
Yong Shih Han - TMT

Antitrust and Competition
Headed jointly by Yon See Ting and Kuok Yew Chen, the practice at Christopher & Lee Ong is active in a range of sectors, including aviation, financial services, logistics and fast-moving consumer goods; it handles contentious and non-contentious work for high-profile clients. Yon represented Prudential Assurance Malaysia in the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC)'s investigation of an alleged insurance cartel; she also has experience in advising on the antitrust aspects of M&A, reviewing distribution and supply agreements, and horizontal and vertical corporate structuring.

Banking & Finance
Christopher & Lee Ong's department frequently handles large corporate, project and structured finance mandates, and has excellent strength in depth; it is especially active on the borrower side. Christopher Lee is noted for his 'remarkable ability to understand and dissect complex oil supply contracts'; he heads the practice jointly with Fiona Sequerah and Jack Chor. Jenny Hong left for a role in-house at China Construction Bank (Malaysia) in March 2018.

Capital Markets
Though it handles sukuk issuances, Christopher & Lee Ong's 'responsive' practice is best known for its equity capital markets work. Key contact Yon See Ting advised Regent Wise Investments on its application to the Malaysian Securities Commission for an exemption from making a mandatory takeover offer after buying a 17% stake in MCT. Por Chuei Ying was Malaysian counsel to FSM Holdings on its IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Corporate and M&A
Christopher & Lee Ong's department regularly acts on high-value, cross-border mandates, and has impressive strength in depth. Lee Hock Chye and Por Chuei Ying acted for Top Glove on its RM1.37bn purchase of Aspion from Adventa Capital; Yon See Ting and Kelvin Kho advised Financière Esterel on its purchase of a 60% stake in Pyrometro Services. Tracy Wong made partner in January 2018; Yau Yee Ming and Kuok Yew Chen are also highly active M&A practitioners.

Dispute Resolution
Christopher & Lee Ong fields an experienced team of litigators and arbitrators. John Mathew and Heng Yee Keat defended Maybank in a case brought by Bank of Nova Scotia regarding an allegedly unfair bank charge. Corporate and commercial litigator Niak Hiong Keong, who made partner in 2018 together with shipping and commodities expert Clive Selvapandian, acted for Leading Innovative Technologies & Systems in resisting an injunction filed against it relating to a parking app. Ong Chee Kwan co-heads the practice with Mathew. Han Li Meng is recommended for construction disputes.

Intellectual Property
The 'very knowledgeable, highly trusted' three-partner practice at Christopher & Lee Ong is increasingly busy in trade mark registration, though it handles a wide complement of matters. Steven Cheok , Ng Kim Poh and 'brilliant, dedicated' group head Sri Sarguna Raj defended Powerscan in a patent infringement case brought by Nuctech, and represented Phi Orion in a copyright infringement case that involved alleged breaching of confidential data. DNC Asiatic Holdings is another copyright client; Coca-Cola Refreshments Malaysia is a client on the trade mark side.

Labour and Employment
Corporate expert Kelvin Kho and litigator Han Li Meng are the key employment partners at Christopher & Lee Ong; Han acted for Vale Malaysia Minerals on contesting a judicial review brought by an ex-employee alleging unfair dismissal for misconduct. Rubini Murugesan represented Ichikoh (Malaysia) in a dispute with the National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Industries Workers. Other clients include H&M Retail, NS BlueScope Malaysia and Malaysia Life Reinsurance Group.

Projects and Energy
Christopher & Lee Ong's practice provides a 'top-notch service', 'very good response times' and 'rational advice', and is commended for its industry knowledge; it handles all manner of projects around Malaysia, but has been especially busy recently in solar projects and infrastructure. Christopher Lee and Jack Chor acted for Scatec Solar on its investment in three solar projects in peninsular Malaysia totalling 197MW. Eileen Yeoh advised Coca-Cola Bottlers (Malaysia) on the RM500m expansion of its built-for-purpose Malaysian warehouse. Shemane Chan is also recommended.

Real Estate and Construction
Particularly well versed in construction and development, Christopher & Lee Ong also has significant experience in high-value transactions. Eileen Yeoh acted for Coca-Cola Bottlers (Malaysia) on the construction of its RM500m built-for-purpose warehouse. Kelvin Kho acted for CI Medini on its development, alongside Library Mall Development, of a six-storey commercial complex in Johor named Pusat Perdagangan ION Akses. Ikano Johor Jaya instructed Shemane Chan on the RM600m construction of a new shopping centre in Johor Bahru. Yeoh heads the practice jointly with Lee Hock Chye and Lim Hui Ming.

Shipping
Christopher & Lee Ong's full-service department is noted for its 'quick responses, commercial approach and practical advice'. The 'very objective, sharp and solution-oriented' Clive Selvapandian is a shipping and trade disputes specialist; he and Ong Chee Kwan assisted Bureau Veritas with attempting to recover unpaid classification fees owed by the owners of the MV Newlead Victoria. Jainil Bhandari, who heads the team jointly with Ong and ship finance expert Por Chuei Ying, represented Maersk Malaysia in a RM120,000 dispute with a logistics company regarding the transport of a shipment of rubber blocks to Turkey, which was claimed by a third party not named in the Bill of Lading.

TMT
Noted for its 'good service and response times', Christopher & Lee Ong's practice comprises a deep bench of lawyers with particular expertises: Deepak Pillai handles cloud work, privacy matters and cutting-edge IT contracts, often for blue-chip corporates; Intan Haryati handles complex IT contracts, disputes and cloud matters; Kuok Yew Chen is a telecoms expert who counts household-name clients among his client roster; and corporate partner Tracy Wong is experienced in fintech. The 'attentive' Yau Yee Ming is 'a good negotiator' who provides 'strong advice', and Yong Shih Han is a highly active senior associate. Data protection clients include the Association of Banks in Malaysia. Anissa Maria Anis has joined from the in-house team Astro.