Team size: 54
Key team members: Winston Cheng, Karen Mok, Dilip Vasu Theavan, Nicholas Neubronner

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

The team has been involved in a series of cases and transactions recently. Firstly, we have been involved in the implementation of Singapore’s next generation Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) System. LTA Legal guided the strategic approach and drafted agreements for the large-scale installation of On-Board Units (OBU) to implement Singapore’s next-gen ERP system, ensuring LTA’s interests were safeguarded.

We were also involved in the nationwide deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging points in HDB carparks. LTA legal aided in a significant LTA tender for 12,000 EV charging points in 2,000 HDB carparks by 2025. They also advise the National Electric Vehicle Center within LTA on contractual matters with premise owners/contractors and statutory requirements for EV charger deployment in Singapore.

The team have been involved in the incorporation of EV-Electric (EVE) Charging. LTA legal played a crucial role in establishing EV-Electric (EVE) Charging (“EVE”), a wholly owned subsidiary. EVE is responsible for deploying EV charging points in public carparks and managing the enhancement of the necessary electrical infrastructure for EV charging.

Finally, the team were actively involved in the procurement and administration of civil contracts for public infrastructure. LTA Legal assists in constructing secure public infrastructure for Singapore’s transportation needs, spanning pathways, roads, and rail. They offer guidance and support throughout the entire lifecycle of public infrastructure contracts, including procurement, administration, construction, completion, and maintenance. This encompasses the development of adaptable commercial and non-commercial agreements tailored to project-specific requirements.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

The covid pandemic highlighted the importance of having a strong knowledge management (KM) system. LTA legal recently adopted Microsoft Teams as its centralised platform for storing and accessing KM resources. The streamlined process encourages staff to develop the habit of archiving. The result has been increased productivity and an improved quality of legal advice. Notably, as Microsoft Team is an existing software, adopting it in our practice incurred no additional expense.

Can you sum up the team culture or ethos?

LTA Legal has 54 members across six divisions, but despite its size and structure, it is a very close-knit team. New members are introduced to the various portfolios within each division, with a great emphasis on fostering collaboration and encouraging innovative thinking across divisions. We tap into a wide range of legal expertise to deliver seamless and practical legal support to both policy and operational divisions.

How does the in-house legal team contribute to the overall dispute resolution strategy of the organisation?

Many of our in-house lawyers possess dispute resolution experience from their work in both private practice and public service. In addition to being familiar with the risks and benefits of various dispute resolution methods, they excel at protecting interests and designing solutions for a specific project. We recently established a dispute resolution division to offer consolidated legal support for a wide range of disputes, including insolvency matters.