Acton Law is a boutique law firm specializing in corporate and commercial law. We are set apart from other firms because of our unique approach to legal practice and our distinct expertise. Three aspects to our approach differentiate us from other firms. We deliver legal services: with a commercial focus on the client’s needs; built upon sound technical ability; and executed efficiently.
About Us
Our Approach
Commercial Focus: We put our clients’ needs centre stage and know that practical commercial solutions lie at the heart of those needs. We are able to understand and anticipate their individual legal needs because we’ve been investors and entrepreneurs; company directors and business managers; business owners and employers.
Dexterity: Our lawyers are subject area specialists with the dexterity to receive instructions on any matters relating to corporate and commercial law.
Efficiency: This versatility enables us to field fewer people for transactions and we are always economical about time and cost because we are naturally lean.
Our Expertise
Our clients are involved in multifaceted businesses and they deserve legal advisors who consider the entire chessboard; and not just individual chess pieces. Our lawyers know the commercial aspects of our clients’ businesses. We apply well tested technical rigour to our broad commercial experience and offer tailored solutions.
By thoroughly assessing the risks and commercial issues involved, we are able to provide legal and strategic commercial advice. In turn, the quality of our advice enables our clients to set up their chess pieces and see the chessboard from opening move to end game.
Our Services
Our corporate and commercial work is at the heart of our practice. Our clients include a range of Singapore and international clients in every sector and we advise on a broad spectrum of corporate and commercial work.
As each of our lawyers is experienced in both contentious and non-contentious matters in a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters, our clients always receive strategic and comprehensive legal advice.
We have extensive experience and expertise in every legal aspect of private equity work. Our versatile lawyers advise on the full range of transactions and disputes from:
- Mergers and Acquisitions & Joint Ventures
- Shareholders’ Disputes & Director Litigation
- Banking & Financial Transactions
- Financial Disputes & Corporate Fraud
- Corporate Insolvency & Restructuring
Mergers and Acquisitions & Joint Ventures
Our experience includes acting for vendors and purchasers; investment funds; and companies raising finance; in venture capital investment to complicated cross-border mergers and acquisitions and from initial investment through to exit.
Notable matters that our lawyers have acted in are:-
- the sale of subsidiaries by a major Singapore private education service provider in the S$46 million restructuring of its operations in the PRC.
- joint ventures by two Singapore sovereign wealth funds in their investments into the development of smart cities in the PRC worth RMB100 billion.
- capital raising transactions through the issuance of redeemable convertible preference shares in a FinTech company in the PRC.
- joint ventures to finance, build and operate infrastructure projects in the petrochemical industry in Malaysia.
- the sale of shares in a Malaysian joint venture company by a leading United States commodities trading company to a Dutch conglomerate in an acquisition worth US$45 million which raised issues of Malaysian foreign investment regulations and corporations law.
- acting for the majority shareholders in a restructuring of a group of companies worth approximately S$300 million. Issues arising out of the restructuring included the collective sale and collective development of real estate properties in Singapore.
Shareholders’ Disputes & Director Litigation
Our lawyers have acted in minority oppression litigation; joint venture disputes as well as in contentious matters involving breaches of directors’ duties.
Notable matters include:-
- acting in the Judicial Management of a prominent Singapore construction company involving various claims against its former directors and with the Government of Singapore of approximately S$8 million.
- acting for a client in defending claims involving shares in a Malaysian public listed company involving issues of forum non conveniens and choice of law.
- acting for the minority shareholders and related companies of a Singapore tin company with operations in Indonesia and Singapore in a dispute with its PRC majority shareholders over the validity of a shareholders’ agreement and concerning allegations of financial and operational mismanagement.
Banking & Financial Transactions
Our lawyers have acted in banking and leveraged financing transactions, including senior, mezzanine and subordinated debt; asset finance for capital assets to general corporate loan finance; non-bank lending and other alternative sources of debt financing.
Notable transactions include:-
- acting for a syndicate of lenders from 4 different jurisdictions in a mezzanine lending transaction with a PRC based toy manufacturer with operations in the PRC, Hong Kong SAR and the United States. Issues included advising on the enforcement of security over multiple jurisdictions and the issuance of 2 different classes of convertible securities.
- acting for the lenders in an exchangeable loan agreement worth US$7 million through a special purpose vehicle which entailed the structuring of rights between the lenders, the vehicle and the borrower.
- acting in the amendment and extension of a revolving loan facility between 2 BVI lenders and a Hong Kong SAR borrower.
Financial Disputes & Corporate Fraud
Our lawyers have acted in lending disputes; structured financial product disputes (including mis-selling and professional negligence claims relating to finance transactions); to legal proceedings and investigations relating to corporate fraud and recovery of assets.
Notable matters include:-
- acting as counsel for an international bank in its claim against a former client for losses incurred by the client in the course of trading in a variety of derivatives.
- acting for a Singapore exempt fund manager in Monetary Authority of Singapore investigations which involve allegations of impropriety on the part of its majority shareholders and in the relocation of its fund management business from Singapore to Hong Kong SAR.
- acting for a leading Norwegian international operational risk manager in the oil and gas industry in an investigation by Indonesian competition regulators into a major energy project worth US$100 million.
- acting for a German liquidator in proceedings before the Singapore High Court for recognition of German insolvency proceedings and to recover assets which were fraudulently transferred.
Corporate Insolvency & Restructuring
Our lawyers have acted for companies in financial distress as well as advising creditors and insolvency practitioners; in schemes of arrangement, judicial management and voluntary and court winding up proceedings.
Such matters include:-
- acting for a group of Korean shipping companies in a global debt restructuring which included applications for the sanction of a cross-border scheme of arrangement before the Singapore High Court.
- acting for the Judicial Managers of a Singapore public listed company with subsidiaries and operations in the PRC. Negotiation of a scheme of arrangement between the company’s creditors and shareholders which included a capital injection from a consortium of PRC sovereign wealth funds investors and a reverse listing on the Singapore Exchange.
- acting for an Austrian investor in the liquidation of a Singapore clean energy company which involved the enforcement of an Austrian government investment guarantee.
- acting in the Liquidation of a Singapore Government linked information technology company with subsidiaries in the PRC involving issues of conflicts of corporations, insolvency and contract law.
- advising various Japanese and United States petrochemical trading houses on claims, approximately US$60 million, in the potential insolvency of their trading partners involving issues of choice of law and jurisdiction.
Commercial law work, particularly intellectual property, is at the heart of our practice and is core to everything we do. Our lawyers have experience in providing intellectual property law advice and general commercial advice to stand-alone companies and global corporate groups.
Our lawyers have extensive experience in advising on a broad range of commercial agreements and disputes including matters relating to:
- Distribution
- Supply
- Outsourcing
- Franchising
- Joint ventures
Our lawyers also have expertise in all aspects of intellectual property law including advising on:
- Intellectual property disputes
- Protection and commercialisation of intellectual property rights
- Intellectual property-related agreements
- Intellectual property aspects of corporate transactions
Intellectual Property Disputes
Our lawyers have advised on disputes involving the full range of intellectual property rights: from patent, trade mark and copyright infringement actions to disputes concerning ownership and validity.
Notable matters include:
- advising a European multinational food company on alleged trade mark infringement and passing off by supermarket chains.
- advising a major United States pharmaceutical company on alleged patent and trade mark infringement issues in relation to generic competitors.
- advising a Californian owner of patents relating to dental products on its enforcement strategy in Europe.
- advising Australian winery on alleged infringement of trade marks and copyright.
- advising a European multinational company in an international arbitration. concerning an alleged breach of a trade mark licence with an Asian licensor.
- advising in an arbitration concerning an alleged breach of the payment provisions of a patent and know-how licence in the pharmaceutical area.
Protection and Commercialisation of Intellectual Property Rights
Our lawyers have many years’ experience advising on the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property rights, and on the tax-effective structuring of cross-border intellectual property commercialisation transactions.
Notable matters include:
- advising a national intellectual property office on the compliance of the country’s laws with international intellectual property conventions.
- advising a regional government on aspects of its copyright laws.
- advising a Californian corporation on a joint venture for the exploitation of plant varieties.
- advising a French food multinational on its international trade mark strategy.
- advising an internationally-renowned architect on the protection of his moral rights in various countries around the world.
- advising an Australian drinks company on the protection of its trade marks.
- advising a multinational tobacco company on trade mark-related issues.
- advising a Swiss multinational company on tax aspects of the structuring of its intellectual property exploitation.
Intellectual Property-related Agreements
We have experience in drafting and negotiating intellectual property-related agreements such as informational technology outsourcing, selective distribution arrangements, patent and know-how licences, franchising and merchandising agreements, copyright and all aspects of copyright exploitation.
Some notable matters include:
- advising a Japanese electronics company on its distribution and branding strategy.
- advising a multinational tobacco company on licensing of its brands for use on non-tobacco products.
- advising on the outsourcing of the global information technology function of a Swiss-based multinational engineering company and of a United States based multinational food company.
- advising on the branding strategy of a major Southeast Asian drinks company.
- advising a major United Kingdom engineering company on the distribution of its products globally.
- advising on co-marketing and co-promotion agreements for a multinational pharmaceutical company.
- advising Canadian and Czech breweries on international branding and brewing arrangements.
Intellectual Property-related aspects of Corporate Transactions
Our lawyers have extensive experience in advising on the commercial and intellectual property aspects of corporate transactions.
Notable transactions include:
- conducting due diligence and advising on the intellectual property aspects of an acquisition of a multinational mineral water company.
- conducting due diligence and advising on the intellectual property aspects of a merger of two multinational pharmaceutical companies.
- conducting due diligence and advising on the intellectual property aspects of the sale of a major Asian tobacco company to a multinational.
- advising on the intellectual property aspects of the merger of two Indian media companies.
- advising on the intellectual property aspects of a proposed acquisition by a PRC insurer of a European insurance company.
- advising on and negotiating a joint venture between a United Kingdom university and a PRC biotechnology company.
- conducting due diligence and advising a world-leading defence and aerospace company on intellectual property issues involved in multinational collaboration projects.
Our People
Legal Updates
We produce a variety of client legal updates covering the range of legal services offered by us.
We also organise regular seminars for our clients covering many topics. These seminars are aimed primarily at legal and secretarial teams but may also be of interest to finance professionals and other executives.
Our publications and seminars examine legal and market developments and industry issues that could have an impact on our clients’ businesses.
Publications available on this site provide general information only and do not constitute legal advice.
- CASE COMMENT: Duncan, Cameron Lindsay and another v Diablo Fortune Inc and another matter [2017] SGHC 172
- Changes to the Regulation of Physical Commodity Forwards and Intangible Commodities: Securities and Futures (Amendment) Act 2017
- CASE COMMENT: Global Yellow Pages Ltd v Promedia Directories Pte Ltd and Anor matter [2017] SGCA 28
Join Us
Our lawyers are educators at heart and they love training. Acton Law offers one internship per academic term to penultimate and final year law students. Should you be interested in joining us as an intern, email us at joinus@actonlaw.sg.
Your email should briefly describe yourself and include a CV containing:
- Contact details
- Academic transcripts at “O” levels, “A” levels (or its equivalent) and in law school to date
- Awards, prizes and scholarships
- Extra-curricular activities
- Elective subject choices
- Anything else that you would like to share with us
By submitting your application, you consent that ACTON LAW LLC may collect, use and/or disclose the information / personal data contained in your application for the purpose of processing your application. Where your application contains the personal data of third parties, you confirm that you have obtained all necessary consents to provide us with such personal data and that we may collect, use and/or disclose such personal data in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2012.
