Top 20 under 40: The young lawyers leading Singapore's biggest deals

One of this year’s awardees advised on a landmark $21b restructuring and privatisation-plus-listing scheme.

Eight women and 12 men have earned a place on Singapore Business Review’s 2025 list of the country’s most influential lawyers under 40.

This year’s honourees are recognised for their work across corporate and M&A, dispute resolution, banking and finance, competition, restructuring, energy, infrastructure, and maritime law, advising major clients such as Great Eastern Holdings Ltd., CapitaLand Ltd., and Olam Agri Holdings Ltd.

They practise at leading firms, including WongPartnership LLP, Drew & Napier LLC, Rajah Tann Singapore LLP, Shook Lin & Bok LLP, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP, Stephenson Harwood, Reed Smith, Virtus Law LLP, and TSMP Law Corporation.

The honourees have played key roles in landmark transactions and disputes, from billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, and cross-border financings, to sustainability-linked loans, and major energy and infrastructure projects.

Leading the pack is WongPartnership LLP with five representatives, whilst the youngest honouree comes from TSMP Law Corporation. The lawyers are listed below, from the youngest to the most senior by age.

Chow Wai Yin Brenda, 30
TSMP Law Corporation

Brenda is a key member of TSMP Law Corporation’s Corporate Real Estate and Banking & Finance practices, advising on high-value corporate and real estate transactions. She represents banks, REIT managers, and developers, delivering end-to-end counsel across acquisitions, disposals, and financing. Notable work includes representing Chiu Teng in its acquisition of industrial project developments, BDx on its $140m industrial building acquisition, and leading trustee-change exercises for ESR-LOGOS REIT and ALOG Trust. Beyond deal work, she supports charities through pro bono corporate governance and secretarial guidance.

Shaun Woo, 33
Shook Lin & Bok LLP

Shaun is a partner in the Banking & Finance practice, advising local and international banks, corporates, and sponsors on acquisition, real estate, development, and working capital financing across APAC. He handles bilateral and syndicated facilities, including cross-border transactions. Key deals include $235m commercial property acquisition and refurbishment in Singapore, adviser for $5.185b syndicated loan to a global insurer, $194.5m sustainability-linked facilities to a palm oil producer, and $158.6m Japanese real estate financing. Shaun blends technical structuring expertise with practical execution across complex, high-value financing mandates.

Sally Lee, 34
Shook Lin & Bok LLP

Sally is a Corporate Finance partner specialising in M&A, handling private equity and venture capital deals, strategic joint ventures, takeovers, and exits across Asia. Notable work includes acting for Dymon Asia Private Equity on a significant number of investments and exits, TPG-backed Pathology Asia in its sale valued at $2.6b, and forestry fund New Forests' ($10.4b AUM) first investment in Vietnam. Sally contributes to Singapore’s venture capital investment model agreement (VIMA) initiative and has been recognised by Asialaw and Legal500 for her expertise and being “always on hand to problem-solve”.

Samuel Koh, FCIArb, 34
Drew & Napier LLC

Samuel is a dual-qualified commercial dispute resolution lawyer in Singapore and New York. As a Director in Drew & Napier, he handles complex, cross-jurisdictional, international commercial litigation and arbitration matters across various industries, and has secured favourable outcomes for clients including government-linked entities and ultra-highnet- worth individuals. Notably, he obtained and resisted the annulment of a $188m SIAC arbitral award for Shanghai Electric Group Co Ltd. Recognised for his legal acumen and advocacy, Samuel was previously appointed as a Justices’ Law Clerk and a Young Amicus Curiae of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

Chiang Yuan Bo, 34
WongPartnership LLP
Yuan Bo is a partner in the Corporate M&A practice, advising on public and private M&A and corporate transactions across a spectrum of industries including healthcare, real estate, fintech, consumer staples, and hospitality. More recently, he led the $2.35b Olam Agri sale to SALIC, the largest Asia-Pacific consumer M&A in a decade and a landmark sovereign wealth fund acquisition. Yuan Bo also advised on other strategic high value and novel transactions, including Eu Yan Sang’s $694m sale and GXS Bank’s acquisition of Validus Capital and its loan book. Formerly a disputes lawyer, Yuan Bo combines transactional expertise with litigation experience.

Yin Li Lim, 34
Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow

Yin Li is a Senior Associate specialising in restructuring, insolvency, banking and finance, recognised for dual capability across contentious and non-contentious matters. He advises borrowers, sponsors, and lenders on complex cross-border court-supervised and debtor-in-possession restructurings, and high-value syndicated loans. Recent highlights include advising syndicated lenders on PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur’s $907m sustainability-linked term loan and local institutional creditors on Sri Lanka’s S$16.204b (US$12.5b) international sovereign bond restructuring. Yin Li is regarded as a leading “lawyer for all seasons,” with expertise to guide clients through bull and bear markets alike.

Sim Bing Wen, 35
Drew & Napier LLC

Bing Wen is a director in the dispute resolution department, specialising in complex commercial litigation, investigations, and arbitration. He acted in some of Singapore’s biggest-ever disputes, including the $4.537b Hin Leong litigation— where he secured worldwide Mareva relief and consent judgments—and the ongoing $3.500b 1MDB-related claim for Standard Chartered Bank. His clients include PwC, Singapore Post, UBS, DBS, and Standard Chartered. He also prosecutes for healthcare regulators, serves on the National Cancer Centre’s Clinical Ethics Committee, and worked as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and Justices’ Law Clerk.

Soong Wen E, 36
WongPartnership LLP

Wen E is a partner in WongPartnership LLP’s Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions practice, specialising in public and private M&A, private equity, and venture capital transactions. She has advised on several billion-dollar, market-shaping deals, including advising Great Eastern Holdings (GEH) on OCBC’s $1.4b offer and the proposal to resolve GEH’s trading suspension; acting for CLA Real Estate in CapitaLand’s landmark $21b restructuring and privatisation-plus-listing scheme; and advising ESR-REIT’s manager on its $1.4b merger with ARA LOGOS Logistics Trust. Wen E is also recognised in Legal 500 Asia Pacific and the IFLR1000 list.

Daniel Gaw, 36
WongPartnership LLP

LLP’s Commercial & Corporate Disputes, Commodities and International Trade Disputes, and International Arbitration practices. He represents corporates and sovereign states in high-stakes disputes across oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, engineering, and commodities. His work includes acting for the Republic of Korea in SICC proceedings to set aside an investment-arbitration award, and representing the Republic of Poland in PCA arbitrations exceeding $1.383b under the Australia– Poland BIT and Energy Charter Treaty. Daniel also serves on the YSIAC Council and lectures regularly on dispute resolution.

Bernadette Tan, 36
WongPartnership LLP

Bernadette is a partner in the Banking & Finance practice, specialising in banking and finance transactions having acted for lenders and borrowers in numerous complex and high-value domestic and cross-border financings, including syndicated loans, acquisition and privatisation financings, green and sustainable loans, real estate and project financings. She advised Blackstone on the $20.57b (A$24b) AirTrunk acquisition, the $1.2b acquisition financing for Soilbuild REIT, and the $341.5m green financing for ESR-REIT. Bernadette is recognised in Chambers Global & Asia- Pacific, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, IFLR1000, and ALB Singapore Rising Stars 2025.

Ron Oong, 37
Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP

Ron, partner and co-head of the Infrastructure and Project Finance groups, is dual-qualified in Singapore and England & Wales. He advises on complex cross-border transactions across energy, infrastructure, and technology, spanning banking and financing, large-scale M&A, energy offtake and trading, and major infrastructure development. He led deals exceeding $1b and often acts as lead counsel on flagship projects across Asia-Pacific. Recent work includes GlobalFoundries’ landmark long-term power purchase arrangement with Keppel, Serentica’s award-winning $550m (US$425m) financing, and major power, chemical and data-centre developments.

Matthew Seah, 37
Stephenson Harwood LLP (a member of Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance)

Matthew is a maritime and finance lawyer in Singapore’s top-ranked Maritime, Trade & Offshore Finance team, recognised for his expertise in cross-border asset financings, restructurings, and sustainability-linked loans. He advises on complex, award-winning transactions including Hyundai Merchant Marine’s $796.9m sustainability-linked facility for methanol-fuelled container ships and BW LNG’s $187.9m FSRU financing in the Philippines. Matthew also advises on distressed loans facilities, vessel enforcements, and multi-jurisdictional sales. Known for his pragmatic, commercial approach, he maintains strong APAC sector relationships and contributes actively to thought leadership.

Adzfar Alami, 38
Rajah Tann & Singapore LLP

Adzfar, a partner in the Banking & Finance Practice Group, regularly advises major financial & non-banking financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, REITS, and global conglomerates. His expertise includes acquisition financing, real estate and construction financing, project financing, and Islamic financing. Key transactions include advising OUE REIT on its $978m sustainability-linked financing and Southeast Asia’s first sustainability-linked Islamic revolving facility in the shipping industry. He combines technical expertise with landmark execution in high-value financing transactions, earning recognition in Chambers Asia Pacific 2025 and Lexology Index 2025.

Pradeep Nair, 38
Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow

Pradeep’s expertise spans all facets of dispute resolution, including pre-litigation strategic counsel, mediation, litigation, and international arbitration. He is a trusted adviser on a broad spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law, investigations, and compliance matters. With over a decade of experience advising clients ranging from global corporations to start-ups on high-stakes legal issues, clients have consistently recognised his business acumen and legal knowledge, describing him in leading legal directories as “very commercially minded,” a “superb lawyer,” and being “very responsive and [having] a superb understanding of business aspects”.

Joshua Seet, 38
Rajah Tann & Singapore LLP

Joshua is known for his expertise in competition and trade law. Dual-qualified in Singapore and Hong Kong, he advises on complex Singapore and cross-border merger control, regulatory investigations, and trade compliance matters. Key highlights include LINK REIT’s $2b acquisition of various Singapore malls, and Coca-Cola, F&N and Pokka’s beverage container recycling collaboration. Two high-profile investigations have previously also been nominated by GCR as “Matter of the Year”. Joshua is a Future Leader (Lexology Index), Notable Practitioner (asialaw), and Legal 500 Key Lawyer in competition law.

Joel Quek, 38
WongPartnership LLP

Joel specialises in commercial and corporate disputes, representing States, state-owned enterprises, multinational corporations, and high-net-worth individuals in complex, high-value matters across finance, commodities, energy, technology, and healthcare. Key work includes enforcing an investment-arbitration award for Deutsche Telekom against India, minority oppression suits for the Mustafa Centre founder, and employment and governance disputes for the former Noble Group chief executive officer. A former Justices’ Law Clerk, Joel is recognised as a Benchmark Litigation Future Star, ALB Rising Star, and Lexology: Arbitration Future Leader. 

Kit Fei Wong, 38
Shook Lin & Bok LLP

Kit Fei is a partner in the Corporate Finance practice, specialising in public and private M&A. She has acted in major cross-border public transactions, including advising the joint financial advisers in a consortium’s $15.053b buyout of Global Logistic Properties, one of Asia’s largest ever private equity takeovers, and Taylor Maritime Investments’ $656.2m acquisition of Grindrod Shipping. Her private M&A experience spans private equity and strategic mandates, and advising Chinese clients in overseas investments. Kit Fei is recognised in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2025 as a “great partner” with strong technical expertise.

Sheetal Sandhu, 39
Virtus Law LLP (a member of Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance)

Sheetal has over 15 years’ experience guiding clients through cross-border M&A, with a focus on the maritime, technology, energy, and healthcare sectors. She is a trusted adviser for deals in Singapore and across Southeast Asia. Sheetal was part of the team advising on one of Asia’s largest co-investments—a landmark transaction involving Seraya Partners and global LPs that led to the $861.6m (A$1.1b) privatisation of MMA Offshore. Her recent work spans headline acquisitions, strategic alliances, and regulatory matters, all supported by strong client endorsements and has displayed notable thought leadership.

Alina Chia, 38
Rajah Tann & Singapore LLP

Alina is a partner with over 15 years of experience in international arbitration and litigation. Frequently entrusted with complex matters which require clarity of thought and strategic insight, she has acted in high value, cross-border disputes involving government entities, greenfield projects, joint ventures, and shareholder issues. Alina also regularly handles arbitration-related litigation. Alina has appeared before the Singapore High Court (including the Singapore International Commercial Court) as well as in Singapore International Arbitration Centre, ICC and ad-hoc arbitrations.

Aditi Aparajita, 39
Reed Smith

Aditi is a Counsel specialising in energy transactions and renowned for high-value, cross-border project and corporate financings. She advised the lender consortium on PacificLight’s $1b+ refinancing, one of Singapore’s most significant power sector transactions. She has also led financings for corporates such as Chevron and Shell across Asia. Aditi has structured sustainable and green finance and worked on the $97m loan to Cleantech Solar, the then largest green loan in Asia Pacific’s C&I renewables sector. Combining technical precision with commercial acumen, she is a mentor, industry leader, and champion of inclusion and pro bono initiatives in the legal profession.