Private Wealth and Trusts

We advise High Net Worth (“HNW”) and Ultra High Net Worth (“UHNW”) individuals and families on the creation of trusts and matters relating to wealth preservation and protection. With a team of lawyers led by Founder-CEO Patrick Tan TEP, a full member of the prestigious Society for Trust & Estate Practitioner (“STEP”), a Finalist and sole Singapore nominee for the 2021 STEP People’s Choice – Trusted Advisor of the Year Award, we advise on wealth preservation and succession planning through various mechanisms, including through living and testamentary trusts, and buying or holding property on trust.

Estate and Succession

One of our key areas of expertise is in the field of Estate and Succession Planning. Our Founder-CEO Patrick Tan TEP is a long-time member of the Law Society’s Probate Practice and Succession Planning Committee and is the founding and current Legal Advisor of the Asia Estate Planning Association.

Our lawyers regularly advise and represent clients in all aspects of Estate and Succession Planning, including Wills, Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPAs”), Deputyship applications under the Mental Capacity Act and applications for Probate and Letters of Administration (including for foreign-domiciled individuals with assets in Singapore, and for estates with an inter-jurisdictional, cross-border element). Where matters turn contentious, our lawyers have in-depth experience in representing clients at all levels of the Singapore Courts. We recognise the sensitivities involved in these disputes and bear this in mind to achieve holistic outcomes for our clients through various dispute resolution tools and channels.

Our Team also provides advisory and professional executorship services, so our clients can be assured of trusted administration of their estates.  We possess vast experience in both advising executors/administrators and administering estates of those gone before us. Our lawyers are highly sought after speakers and trainers who conduct training courses and public education talks on Wills & Estate Planning. We are also the only firm in Singapore to have 2 lawyers (our Eunice Chua and Andrew Wong) listed in the Office of Public Guardian’s “Top 10 visited LPA Certificate Issuers”.

Real Estate and Conveyancing

We regularly represent HNW and UHNW individuals and families in their high value and premium real estate and conveyancing matters. At this level, every transaction is unique and we routinely customise bespoke solutions that work for our clients in their acquisition, management and divestment of their assets. In short, we do not simply provide cookie-cutter solutions. Stamp duty mitigating strategies, multi-generational structures, financing options, decoupling, 99-1 strategy, and buying or holding property on trust are some of the bespoke solutions that we provide to our valued clients.

We have handled multi-million dollar transactions involving foreign ownership and applications to the Land Dealings Approval Unit, prestigious Sentosa Cove properties, luxury condominiums and premium commercial units. We believe in providing personalised service even for the most routine of transactions, and our Real Estate lawyers are on hand to personally attend to your queries. This level of service quality is what sets us apart from other firms.  

Our Founder-CEO Patrick Tan TEP is an accredited trainer by the Council of Estate Agencies (“CEA”), who provides Continuing Professional Development training courses and a legal advisor to the Singapore Estate Agents Association (“SEAA”). We also represent real estate salespersons in disciplinary proceedings before the CEA.

Matrimonial and Family

Our team possesses vast experience in all areas of matrimonial law, from non-contentious pre-nuptial agreements and deeds of separation to contentious divorces and ancillary matters. We are skilled in dealing with complex and high stakes contentious family matters involving international child abduction, cross-border custody disputes and division of matrimonial assets involving complex assets structures and multi-million dollar assets. Our lawyers, led by Founder-CEO Patrick Tan TEP and Associate Director Ho Chee Jia, are familiar with all aspects of family law, and have obtained several reported decisions between them, including the 1st landmark Court of Appeal judgment in Singapore regarding the Hague Convention on Child Abduction in BDU v BDT [2014] 2 SLR 725.

We understand the immense stress that the breakdown of a marriage brings and the high emotional stakes that often come with it, especially where children are involved. When it comes to divorce or other family disputes, our lawyers prioritise utmost care and empathy. We serve our ever-diverse clientele with sincerity and compassion, and envision ourselves as your trusted partners to achieve the best outcomes for you and your children while minimising the trauma and pain that a divorce brings, in line with the Family Justice Courts’ emphasis on therapeutic justice.

Crime and Regulatory

Being charged with a crime is a harrowing experience for anyone. Our lawyers are well-versed and fearless in defending our clients’ interests in criminal matters. From drink driving and assault to tax evasion and drug trafficking, we have the requisite experience and empathy to ensure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring that our clients’ constitutionally protected rights to due process are defended.

As lawyers, we firmly believe that the time-honoured presumption of innocence is the hallmark of any civilised human society. We believe in the moral worth of every individual and treat every client with dignity and compassion. Our goal is to ensure that justice for every client is a reality and not a mere mirage. Even where a crime has been committed, we will seek to temper justice with mercy and compassion, and fight to ensure that any punishment imposed is fair, just and proportionate.

Civil and Commercial Disputes

The adversarial process in Court can be daunting. We are a team of experienced lawyers well-versed in representing clients in civil and commercial disputes, including areas as varied as contractual and shareholders disputes, bankruptcy, debt recovery, negligence, defamation, fraud and misrepresentation to real estate and probate disputes. We count listed companies to HNW individuals as clients and are well-placed and adept at advising a myriad of clients on the whole gamut of disputes. If you encounter litigation or legal disputes, you will have on hand competent and reliable lawyers who are forceful advocates in the Courtroom and robust negotiators in mediation or at alternative dispute resolution forums. We listen and propose commercially-sensible solutions to deal with or resolve disputes. You can be assured that we are client-centric but cognizant of commercial realities when advising you on your disputes.