Team size: 10

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Recently, our legal team has participated in of many relevant cases for our company. We led the negotiations of the rapid transit system link project which connects Johor Bahru, Malaysia and Singapore. This operation will cost around US$3.2bn and will connect millions across the causeway and deepen economic, social and cultural ties. A cross-border venture of this scale required intensive effort from everyone in our team. Additionally, we have been active on expansion areas of responsibility, to cover sustainability, through governance, and compliance, through a code of conduct, anti-bribery and personal data protection, making us a key contributor to the group’s ESG report. Lastly, we have been deeply involved in digital projects, including a collaboration to develop Singapore’s first sky screen attraction, a suspended 200m long video screen, and a joint venture with DST electric vehicle rental, in China, to find viable ways to provide EV services in Singapore and the region. This collaboration is a key part of our programme to provide end-to-end solutions using electric vehicles.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

In-house counsel will need to be more than just lawyers. Lawyers will need to develop greater knowledge of the business and have financial acumen. This enables them to better advise the company in the context of the business and strategic issues and not merely dispensing pure legal advice. The team also needs to distinguish itself from traditional in-house lawyers by expanding its expertise beyond pure legal practice, including compliance, corporate governance, data protection, ethics and risk management. With the introduction of various technologies, a corporate legal team in modern day must also be adaptable, open-minded, and willing to learn.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

To build strong relationships with business partners requires in house lawyers to be knowledgeable about the businesses, operations and the evolving macroeconomics and trends. Armed with such expertise, in house lawyers can provide commercially sound advice which enables businesses to take a risk-based approach. Other enabling practices would be to train business partners, engage them to better understand each other’s roles, as well as review the working processes, especially with the help of AI, to reduce business making decisions. Knowledgeable business partners will be more empowered and work better with in-house lawyers.