The World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 revealed the world’s leading trademark professionals in the fifth edition of their directory, published in January 2015. RHTLaw Taylor Wessing is proud to announce that Partner Jonathan Kok, Head of the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice, has been ranked as a recommended individual for transactional work in Singapore. Simultaneously, the firm has also been recognized by WTR 1000 as a “recommended expert” in this field. WTR 1000 conducted an extensive research process over a four-month period by a team of full-time analysts which involved nearly 1,500 face-to-face and telephone interviews with trademark specialists across the globe. The Management, Partners and staff congratulate Jonathan on this achievement!

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing is pleased to announce the addition of Mr Ng Hwee Chong as a Partner in our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice with effect from 13 January 2015. Hwee Chong is a versatile lawyer with extensive private practice and in-house experience. He has previously worked in two multi-national technology companies as the ASEAN regional counsel and the senior Asia compliance officer respectively. In private practice, he has more than 13 years commercial litigation experience and has acted for both corporate and individual clients in a broad range of corporate and civil litigation matters that included banking, insurance, company law, contractual, employment and international arbitration disputes. He was part of the team that successfully defended SilkAir MI185 air-crash and acted for Singapore Airlines in litigation arising from the SQ006 air-crash, and was named in the Euromoney Guide to the World’s Leading Aviation Lawyers from 2002 to 2004.

Singapore, 20 January 2015 – RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP (“the Firm”) announces the appointment of former Attorney-General Professor Walter Woon SC as the Non-Executive Chairman and a Senior Consultant of the Firm.   As the Non-Executive Chairman and a Senior Consultant, Professor Woon will further strengthen the Firm’s capabilities and scholarship in its various areas of legal practice including corporate and securities law, whilst providing strategic counsel and leadership to the Firm and its management board.   Professor Woon is the David Marshall Professor of Law and Deputy Chairman of the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore (“NUS”) and the Dean of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (“SILE”).   Professor Woon brings his wide experience in academia, law, politics and diplomacy to the Firm, having served in all functions throughout his three-decade career. Amongst his previous accomplishments, Professor Woon served as Sub-Dean and Vice Dean of the NUS Law Faculty between 1988 to 1995, was a Nominated Member of Parliament between 1992 to 1996, Legal Adviser to the President of Singapore and Council of Presidential Advisors from 1995 to 1997, Solicitor General from 2006 to 2008 and Attorney-General from 2008 to 2010. He also served in a number of diplomatic functions for the Government of the Republic of Singapore as Singapore’s ambassador to the European Union, Germany, Greece, Belgium and Luxembourg from 1997 to 2006. Professor Woon has also been the Judge Advocate-General and a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights and the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.   He was formerly a director of Intraco Ltd (serving as audit committee chairman) and Natsteel Ltd. His book ‘Company Law’ is used as a standard text for law and business schools in Singapore and Malaysia. ‘Woon’s Corporations Law’ is also a standard reference book for company law. He chaired the Steering Committee for Review of the Companies Act, the recommendations of which form the basis for the current amendments to that Act. Professor Woon is also an honorary Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors.   RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP Managing Partner Mr. Tan Chong Huat said, “The appointment of Professor Walter Woon – one of Singapore’s top legal minds – as the Non-Executive Chairman of RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP will be very significant for our Firm. Professor Woon’s high standing in the academic, legal, political and diplomatic communities as well as his professional integrity and reputation will provide transformational leadership to the Firm, guide and help us to fulfill our ambition to be the leading international firm in Asia with Singapore origins.”   “Professor Woon’s extensive knowledge, experience and leadership will also significantly add to our Firm’s capabilities as it continues to provide highly sophisticated and diversified legal and professional services to clients in the Asia-Pacific region. We are grateful, privileged and honoured to have Professor Walter Woon join us as our Non-Executive Chairman and as a Senior Consultant.”   Professor Walter Woon said, “It is with great pleasure that I accept the chairmanship of RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP. I look forward to contributing to the Firm’s endeavours throughout the ASEAN region and internationally, and to helping the Firm achieve its ambitious goals for the coming years.”   “As a leading local international law firm, RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP will also allow me to stay close to the practice of the law as well as provide real life practice issues to benefit my students at NUS and SILE.”   The Supervisory Council of the Firm which comprised the late Subhas Anandan, Rajan Menon and Tan Chong Huat was instrumental in seeking Professor Walter Woon’s chairmanship to lead the Firm.

Good evening Honourable Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs Mr Shanmugam, Vimila, Sujesh, members of Subhas’ family and all others present who are near and dear to Subhas. On their behalf and members of my law firm RHTLaw Taylor Wessing, I want to thank all of you for your compassion and for being present here today to celebrate and honour Subhas’ illustrious and amazingly fruitful life — a life of love extended, commitments kept, and faith observed.  All of us have come here with the grief which his death evokes, for, his character and fame are now public property. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Rajan Menon, having known Subhas since 1967 when I joined the then University of Singapore as a law student. I am Subhas’ fellow senior partner in the Law Firm. As Subhas’ friends poured into his flat yesterday I was struck but not surprised, by how many distinct sets of friends he had who had come to pay sincere and honourable respects. My very good friend and professional colleague Subhas Anandan personified a highly principled warrior from his early age, student days, kampong boy, undergraduate, social thinker, legal advocate and supporter of a fair and just society. He defied convention and criticism to help the underdog, the righteous and his friends and colleagues especially the young ones who felt less than rightly assessed. Unfortunately he was much misunderstood many a time in this regard Throughout his life, I may dare say, he has constantly been the most loved, and most implicitly followed by family, relatives, friends, and the most dreaded by opponents. Subhas' predominant sentiment, from first to last, was a deep devotion to the cause of human liberty and right – a strong sympathy with the underdog everywhere, and an ardent wish for their elevation. With him, this was a primary and all controlling passion. Subsidiary to this, was the conduct of his whole life. He loved his family immensely, friends devotedly and most importantly Singapore because he believed it was his own country despite his birth in what is publicized as God’s own country, Kerala India; and he burned with a zeal for the advancement, prosperity and glory of each one, because he saw in each, the advancement, prosperity and glory, of human liberty, human right and human nature. While in the University of Singapore in the late 60s, his extreme warmth, care and concern was very evident to me, the many undergraduates, the academia and not forgetting the then late bursar Peter Lim, the vice-chancellor the late Dr Toh Chin Chye, law lectures and its dean and others he connected and engaged with. He was an active sportsman and though not a very studious one, got through his exams with little effort. After graduating in 1970, he quickly got into the depths of legal practice and competently equipped himself with the knowledge and strategy to deal with many challenging cases that came to him. During his colourful career he was feared, sometimes hated but always respected by the prosecutors, practising members of the legal community and officers of the law regulatory bodies. He was a strong head and shoulder in the founding of my law practice, RHTLaw LLP in 2011. He threw himself immensely and unreservedly into establishing the Firm into what it is today with the rest of the Partners and staff of the Firm despite the acute difficulties we faced. Thank you very much, Subhas. As I said recently in a tribute to Subhas, the Singapore Criminal Bar, unlike the criminal bar of some commonwealth jurisdictions, has not been fortunate to produce many well regarded legendary criminal practitioners. But Subhas was a man of exemplary integrity, boundless energy, passion, compassion, generous and a staunch defender of the Rule of Law. All these called for very hard work and commitment which Subhas gave whole heartedly. In the 44 years of legal practice, he became an outstanding and legendary Criminal Lawyer of the Singapore Criminal Law Practice. Having come from a kampong in Sembawang where his family moved to after his father retired as a clerk in the British Royal Navy, Subhas saw how circumstances can force people to turn to crime and yet not be able to defend themselves. Access to justice was a dream which he enthusiastically helped turn to reality. He said:  “While criminal law is not the most lucrative line of legal work, since many clients cannot afford a lawyer, receiving the gratitude of those he represented was enough.” Some of them even offered him their organs. He also said "I may not have made so much money, but I think the goodwill and affection I got, even the richest lawyer in Singapore will not have.” My dear Subhas, you have left a lasting legacy of a tireless, compassionate and competent lawyer. I have seen taxi drivers stop, out of awe and regard, to give way whenever Subhas was crossing any road. All of us, let alone aspiring lawyers, can fondly look at him, draw tremendous inspiration in how and what he did and be encouraged to follow his footsteps. Subhas, you will be remembered by everyone as honourable, diligent and ever ready to help one in need and the downtrodden. On Monday 5 January night when Subhas spoke to me, he expressed very deep frustration about his painful ailments and requested me to speak to my Guru, Amma, to end it. Little did I realise that that would be my last conversation with him. I did not anticipate the turn he chose, as he always wanted to be in charge, yesterday morning while undergoing dialysis. May I humbly invite everyone here to join me in prayer to Almighty God to bless this very Good Man, Subhas Anandan.