Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill is pleased to announce the admission of Nicola Tang Zhan Ying, Chris Toh Pei Roo, Nurul Aisyah Hassan, Lim Chee Yong, and Joyce Ong Kar Yee as Partners, with effect from 1 January 2024.

Nicola Tang Zhan Ying — Corporate & Commercial Dispute Resolution

Nicola started her journey with the firm in 2013 as an intern. A recipient of the JPA Scholarship, she graduated with an LLB (Hons) from King’s College London and was admitted as a Barrister-at-Law (Middle Temple). Nicola returned to the firm in 2016 as a pupil and was subsequently admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2017.

She acts for private clients and corporations on matters concerning civil fraud, fraudulent trading, directors’ and shareholders’ disputes, breaches of directors’ duties, minority oppression, and contractual/tortious disputes. She also advises on corporate insolvency and contentious winding-up proceedings. An ardent advocate, Nicola regularly appears in all tiers of the Malaysian Courts for the conduct of trials, hearings, and appeals. Out of court, she is involved in international and domestic commercial arbitration. She acts for clients in a diverse range of industries including investment holdings, construction, manufacturing, plantation, logging, banking, automotive, education, insurance, and healthcare. Her international clientele includes corporations from the United Kingdom, China, and Japan.

She is a regular contributor to the Malaysian Civil Procedure and Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Malaysian Precedents of Pleadings. She also co-authored various articles published by the firm’s Corporate & Commercial Dispute Resolution and Banking & Insolvency practice groups. Nicola is proficient in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese).

Chris Toh Pei Roo — Tax, Customs & Trade

Chris represents and advises taxpayers in all aspects of tax law. He holds a First-Class law degree from the University of Leeds, and an LLM in International Commercial Law from University College London. He was awarded the St Philips Chambers Prize for Commercial Dispute Resolution during the Bar Professional Training Course.

He is particularly well experienced in judicial review, having represented and advised leading multinational corporations, charitable bodies, listed companies and prominent individuals in challenging decisions by the Director General of Inland Revenue / the Inland Revenue Board, the Director General of Customs / the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, and the Ministry of Finance in a wide spectrum of tax disputes. He has also acted for taxpayers in tax appeals, defending civil recovery proceedings initiated by the Government of Malaysia, and resisting applications by the Inland Revenue Board under the Companies Act.

Chris speaks regularly on tax issues for various professional and trade organisations, including the Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia (CTIM), the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. He is an Associate Member of CTIM and an examiner in Revenue Law for CTIM’s Professional Examinations. He has been published in the Tax Disputes and Litigation Review, The Private Wealth & Private Client Review, and the Current Law Journal. He is also a contributor to the Malaysia Civil Procedure 2021 (White Book) on Order 53 (Judicial Review).

Chris was recently recognised as a “Rising Star” for Tax in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 rankings, receiving recognition for his ability to “provide relevant and solid practical advice with a quick turnaround time”. Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024 has also ranked Chris for Tax, “following market and client commendation for his tax practice in Malaysia”.

Nurul Aisyah Hassan — Employment & Industrial Relations

Aisyah holds a law degree from the University of Exeter. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 2015 and later admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2017. Additionally, apart from earning a Master’s in Litigation and Dispute Resolution from University College London (UCL), she is also a member of the Malaysia Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association.

Regularly acting for employers at the Industrial and Civil Courts in disputes relating to unfair dismissal claims and litigation arising from breaches of employment contracts, Aisyah provides advisory services on best practices in exercising managerial prerogatives of employers, managing grievances and constructive dismissal claims, performance management, transfer and migration of employees following mergers and acquisitions, retrenchment of employees and handling employee misconducts. In a niche capacity, she often advises large companies on complex cases that interact with other investigations and audits.

Aisyah is one of the contributing editors to the Annotated Statutes of Malaysia – Industrial Relations Act 1967 [Act 177] (LexisNexis Issue 189) and the Annotated Statutes of Malaysia – Trade Unions Act 1959 [Act 262] (LexisNexis Issue 191). She also co-authors various articles published by the firm.

Furthermore, she frequently speaks on various current issues, such as amendments to the Industrial Relations Act 1967, revisions to the Employment Act 1955, topics related to sexual harassment, mental health in the workplace, and ESG considerations in the context of employment law.

Lim Chee Yong — Energy, Projects, Infrastructure & International Arbitration | Oil & Gas

Chee Yong holds a first degree in Mechanical Engineering and Business Finance from University College London. Subsequently, he pursued law at postgraduate level and has been called to both the English and Malaysian Bars. He is an Incorporated Member of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia, and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

He is actively practicing in various forms of international and domestic dispute resolution. His expertise often involves high-value contentious matters within the energy, utilities, and construction sectors. Chee Yong’s background is particularly evident in technical disputes where he has the ability to understand and dissect complex engineering matters. He has considerable experience within the oil & gas industry through his extended stint as a secondee to a major oil & gas joint venture in the region. This afforded him the unique opportunity to be exposed to commercial, technical, and regulatory aspects of the oil & gas industry, in particular the downstream segment, and has rendered him well versed with dealing with multi-party disputes involving proprietary technology licensors.

Chee Yong is also often instructed to advise both domestic and foreign contractors on project risk management and dispute avoidance, covering the entire life cycle of construction projects. Such experience, coupled with his in-depth understanding and familiarity with on-the-ground construction issues, guides his pragmatic approach in arriving at strategic legal and commercial solutions in resolving disputes.

Asialaw Profiles describes Chee Yong as “attentive” and “able to grasp and understand any issues presented to him quickly”. According to the Legal 500, his “ability to decipher technical information and asking complex technical questions, turning it into a clear easily understandable concept” is an added value that sets “this firm apart from the rest.”

Joyce Ong Kar Yee — Energy, Projects & Infrastructure | Corporate and M&A

Joyce read law at the University of Reading and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2018. She spearheads the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability Practice at the firm. Joyce has advised and continues to advise clients on infrastructure projects, refinery and petrochemical plants, other oil and gas related facilities, and has also on the development of commercial buildings. In this regard, she is well-versed in the preparation of engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contracts, power purchase agreements as well as related agreements such as operation and maintenance and offtake agreements.

Joyce is also involved in corporate matters and private equity transactions. She advises local and international clients, including multinational corporations and government-linked companies, on various high-value and cross-border transactions in both the corporate arena and the field of projects.

Additionally, Joyce maintains an active franchise practice where she regularly advises clients on franchise regulations and registration in Malaysia. Her expertise in ESG-related affairs covers a broad spectrum, including energy transition, carbon capture, use and storage projects, energy efficiency regulations and developing anti-bribery and corruption, whistleblowing, sanctions, and code of conduct frameworks.

4 January 2024