The dispute resolution offering at Ascendant Legal was bolstered last year with the onboarding of influential insolvency partner Meiyen Tan from another domestic firm. The disputes team is now led by veteran lawyers with decades of experience in litigation, arbitration and mediation. It represents both domestic and international clients, notably in the financial institutions, shipping, commodities, energy, and technology sectors. Ascendant has been in a formal law alliance with global firm Norton Rose Fulbright since 2018, a partnership that has allowed the firm to offer clients cross-border and holistic coverage in contentious regional and global matters. The key figures are firm managing director and head of disputes Kei-Jin Chew and Tan, head of insolvency.
The Singapore arm of BP has enlisted the team for its defence in multiple suits arising from the Hin Leong Trading insolvency.
Client feedback
“Excellent client management and solutions.” – Banking and financial services
“Very meticulous and detailed execution of all work processes.” – Banking and financial services
“NRF Ascendant, being an international law firm with more than 50 offices worldwide, provides a one-stop service, which many other local Singapore law firms are unable to provide. Through Ascendant, they have the ability to represent us in the Singapore courts, so we get the best of both worlds. Their advice and representation are of the best quality. Their service is attentive, prompt and reasonably priced, especially for an international law firm. They have a large team and can take on large matters on an urgent basis.” – Bankruptcy
“NRF Ascendant is one of the few international law firms in Singapore that has seamless international and local representations. Meiyen Tan is the only practice head for restructuring and insolvency who covers both the international and Singapore pieces, which makes it very convenient for my clients and me. Needless to say, their work is of an extremely high standard, comparable to other magic circle firms.” – Bankruptcy
“We appreciate their legal strategy and practical advice on the proceedings.” – Bankruptcy
“The team is good at understanding cross-border issues with respect to complex restructuring and insolvency issues. Mei Yen is great at advocating for the client and is always prepared.” – Bankruptcy
“With good relationships with external parties, the firm has strong legal insolvency and bankruptcy and dispute expertise.” – Bankruptcy
“They offer quality advice and are very responsive. They managed the dispute well and liaised with counsel from other jurisdictions flawlessly.” – Commercial and transactions
“Value for money, responsive. Provides advice and explanations that are accessible to non-legal practitioners.” – Commercial and transactions
“Ascendant has been very good at understanding the pain points of the in-house counsel and the companies and gives advice in a pragmatic way.” – Labour and employment
“Very responsive, documentation is excellent and the lawyers have a solid grasp of legal and commercial issues.” – Securities
“Very thorough, with detailed and organised advice and guidance on all related legal matters.” – Shipping
“The team had a deep appreciation and understanding of our company’s business, and the commercial risks and considerations that needed to be managed in preparing our case for trial.” – Shipping
“Excellent outreach to clients.” – Shipping
Jeremiah Chew
“Responsive, professional and business-sensitive.”
Kei-Jin Chew
“He has in-depth legal knowledge and is very reassuring from a client perspective.”
“He is a very experienced and careful counsel.”
“He is very experienced and picks things up quickly, is a seasoned and eloquent litigator, has a calm demeanor, and is great with managing clients' expectations and down to earth.”
Edgar Chin
“Edgar is very accommodating of the client’s needs and requirements, and is highly responsive to queries.”
“Comprehensive and timely communications, customer-oriented, knowledgeable and transparent.”
“Responsive, reliable, very competent and proactive.”
“He has a deep appreciation of our business and an ability to manage our commercial risks and concerns.”
“Experienced, innovative. He reaches out to clients and understands the market.”
Samantha Ch’ng
“She always listens to my concerns and enquiries, and gives goods suggestions or options in return.”
Meiyen Tan
“She has great client management, is proactive in case management, adapts quickly according to client’s needs, and is result-focused, yet practical on steps.”
“Great advocacy. She is able to ‘read the room’ during hearings. Understands cross-border disputes, and how restructuring and insolvency proceedings work in Singapore. Great at managing difficult clients. Very efficient and organised. Communicates clearly.”
“Highly knowledgeable, respected and accessible. Manages her team well.”
“Great client management. Out-of-the-box solutions. Timely and responsive.”
“Meiyen and I have worked on many matters over the 20 years that I have known her. She has always been extremely responsive. Her work is meticulous, precise and of the highest quality. Her team is very well trained by her, and they also possess the same professional attitude and skill set. She is a strategist and applies her deep knowledge of the law to provide very practical and commercial solutions. When I engage her, I know I am in safe hands and will receive the best outcome of any given situation.”
“Meiyen is exceptional. She is what I consider to be an all-rounder. She is the combination of an excellent advocate and a savvy perceptive negotiator. I engage her because she always delivers the best results for my clients.”
“We know Meiyen from her previous firms. Meiyen has good technical knowledge. She has experience in restructuring and schemes. She is commercial and practical.” – Bankruptcy
