Two long-time partners have left law firm Dentons Rodyk while former judicial commissioner Edmund Leow has joined its tax practice.
Former Law Society president and Senior Counsel (SC) Lok Vi Ming left on Dec 31 after three decades at Dentons to start his own dispute resolution practice. Corporate real estate partner Norman Ho ended 36 years at Dentons to join Rajah & Tann's corporate practice today.
Mr Lok, 55, began learning the ropes at Dentons under the tutelage of senior lawyer and former Member of Parliament P. Selvadurai. He said starting his own practice is "the fulfilment of a personal ambition".
"I have spent my entire working life at Rodyk. I received here some of the best training in the law; and have enjoyed a long and fulfilling career."
Dentons Rodyk chief executive Philip Jeyaretnam said: "Vi Ming has contributed a great deal over the years to our success. While we are sad to see him go, we are happy for him as he embarks on this new challenge. We fully expect to work closely with Vi Ming in his new incarnation."
Mr Ho, 60, who began his career at Dentons, said: "I have seen the firm grow from a 14-lawyer firm to one of the largest in Singapore and am proud to be associated with the firm." He left with four other Dentons partners - Ms Chou Ching, Ms Cindy Quek, Ms Gazalle Mok and Ms Shijie Tan. They and two associates will form Rajah & Tann's corporate practice team.
Managing partner Lee Eng Beng said: "We are delighted to have Norman and his team join us at Rajah & Tann Singapore. He is an acknowledged leader in his field, having been involved in many of the major real estate transactions in Singapore and the region."
Mr Ho is best known for his work in collective sales, which includes giving advice on legislation.
Mr Leow, 53, joined Dentons Rodyk's tax practice on Jan 1. He has 29 years of legal experience, advising multinational organisations on cross-border tax planning, transfer pricing and tax disputes. He also has expertise in Customs, the World Trade Organisation and free-trade agreements.
Mr Jeyaretnam said: "The ability to provide complex tax advice to our clients completes the full service nature of our legal services."
