Freehills is a leading Australian and International commercial law firm with a long history working in Asia. The firm has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to Singapore in particular, having maintained its regional headquarters in the City State since 1985. Led by Managing Partner, John Dick, who has spent the past 19 years with Freehills in Asia, the Singapore office now comprises 17 staff, including two partners and 13 lawyers.
As international counsel, Freehills Singapore differentiates itself by its exceptional projects capability. Its partners and lawyers specialise in assisting multinational clients in the development, management and delivery of major projects across different sectors. Sound commercial law capabilities are a given, with Freehills’ distinguishing features being its deep understanding of how projects work in Asia, and its ability to proactively provide innovative, solutions-focused advice of the highest quality.
The firm’s Singapore client base includes multinational companies, financial institutions and government agencies from Asia and Australia, the US and Europe, who undertake significant and often groundbreaking transactions and investment projects throughout ASEAN and India. Locally, Freehills is renowned as a market leader in the fast-growing Public Private Partnership sector in Singapore.
While this significant experience and expertise covers various industry sectors, the firm has a particular focus on and capability in the infrastructure, corporate real estate, energy (oil and gas) and resources sectors.
Freehills offers a truly regional service from its hub in Singapore. Through strong relationships with local counsel elsewhere, including having an on-the-ground presence with its correspondent offices in Indonesia (Soemadipradja & Taher) and Vietnam (Frasers Law Company), Freehills Singapore provides a one-stop-shop for cross-border transactions.
The firm’s service scope has widened with the development in recent years of a strong corporate real estate and property funds capability, and the establishment of a workplace law & advisory practice covering all of Asia. An international dispute resolution service is also available.
These adjuncts to the existing Freehills Singapore practice mean a more complete international counsel service offering to all clients with investments and projects throughout the region.
Some recent matters of note undertaken by Freehills Singapore include:
- Indonesia – resources: Acting for an Indian MNC in acquiring an interest in certain coal assets in Indonesia. Freehills Singapore and its correspondent office in Jakarta combined to meet the client’s needs in India, Indonesia and Singapore. The work undertaken included due diligence of complex structures and international financing issues.
- India – energy: Acted for a Malaysian MNC in acquiring an interest in certain electricity assets in India. This involved a team of around 40 Freehills lawyers led by Freehills Singapore, working closely with local Indian counsel to deliver the Indian project to the Malaysian client.
- Singapore – PPPs: Secured a lead advisory role in each of Singapore’s PPPs to date, including projects in the water, defence, waste management, education and sports infrastructure sectors. Recent examples include the Changi NEWater Project, Ulu Padan NEWater Project and the Singapore Sports Hub Project.Singapore/Malaysia/Vietnam – corporate real estate funds: Acting for foreign funds establishing and marketing property funds in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, including a recent scoping study for a prospective REIT in Singapore.
- Vietnam – oil & gas: Acted for a foreign MNC establishing a joint venture with PetroVietnam.
- Australia – inward investment: Acted for a Singapore listed companyin a major hotel redevelopment project in Western Australia. Freehills Singapore was able to provide Australian law services locally for the Singapore client.
- Singapore – banking and finance: Acting for the Singapore branch of a major Australian bank as arranger of an AUD 77 million syndicated loan facility.
- Asia – workplace relations matters: Numerous multi-jurisdictional employment contract and policy reviews for MNC clients, covering Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong SAR, PRC, Japan and India.
- India – comprehensive workplace relations auditing: Acted for a major multinational banking corporation’s BPO and IT operations in India in relation to a comprehensive audit of its workplace relations practices.
Freehills Contacts
John Dick
(Managing Partner, South-East Asia)
Tel +65 6236 9948
John Dick is Freehills' managing partner, South-East Asia, and is based in Singapore. John has spent over 19 years in South-East Asia advising on regional investment projects, particularly in infrastructure and energy and resources. With a focus on cross-border regional investment projects, John has represented clients in a number of industries and investment destinations in South-East Asia. John was named as a leading individual for Projects in the Singapore section of Asia-Pacific Legal 500 *(2007–2008 edition). He is the current President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce, Singapore.
Simon Taskunas
(Partner, Singapore)
Tel +65 6236 9946
Simon Taskunas is a Partner in Freehills’ Banking and Projects group based in Singapore. He was admitted to the firm’s partnership on 1 January 2008. Simon practises predominantly in the area of corporate real estate development and investment (including REITs), and also advises clients undertaking cross-border investment projects in other sectors including infrastructure and resources. He has spent the past 10 years working across Asia and Australia with international clients from different cultural backgrounds.
George Cooper
(Practice Leader, Singapore)
Tel +65 6236 9941
george.cooper@freehills.com
George Cooper is based in Singapore and leads Freehills’ workplace law & advisory – Asia practice. George has specialised in workplace relations for many years. He works with corporate employers to identify and implement solutions to their workplace law and strategy issues across the Asian region. He is experienced in both contentious (including advocacy) and non-contentious workplace matters, ranging from individual engagements and terminations, and multi-jurisdictional employment contract and policy reviews, through to larger scale M&A and project-related work, retrenchments and out-sourcing. He has worked on matters in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, the PRC, Hong Kong SAR and Japan. George is a member of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, Law Institute of Victoria (Litigation and Workplace Relations Sections), Australian Human Resources Institute and Industrial Relations Society of Victoria.
Andrea Wookey
(Senior Associate, Singapore)
Tel +65 6236 9948
Andrea Wookey is a Senior Associate in the Banking and Projects group based in Singapore. Andrea previously also spent 3 years in the Freehills’ Vietnam correspondent office. Andrea has considerable experience in banking and finance law across Australia and Asia, with particular emphasis on preparation of finance and security documentation, assignments of debt and security, security audits, debt recovery, receivership appointments and general insolvency issues.
Nicholas Watts
(Senior Associate, Singapore)
Tel +65 6236 9970
nicholas.watts@freehills.com
Nicholas Watts is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution Team in Singapore. Nicholas practises in a broad range of general commercial litigation and international arbitration disputes, including cross border disputes in Asia, particularly in Indonesia and Singapore. His arbitration experience includes arbitration proceedings conducted ad hoc and under the rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, International Chamber of Commerce, American Arbitration Association and the Indonesian Centre for International Arbitration (BANI). Nick has also practised in the area of investment treaty arbitration