Baker McKenzie Continues Growth of Global M&A Practice with High-Calibre Team Hire in Singapore

Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, the member firm of Baker McKenzie in Singapore, announces the upcoming addition of a team in Singapore, led by principals Shirin Tang and Ang Lip Kian. The team joins from Morrison Foerster, where Shirin served as managing partner of the Singapore office and on the firm's global executive committee, among other leadership roles.

Shirin will join as co-head of the Singapore M&A practice, jointly with Boo Bee Chun. Shirin brings more than 20 years of experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions across Asia and the US, with a focus on complex and innovative transactions, including capital raising platforms, joint ventures and club deals, portfolio restructuring and exits. Her practice spans the institutional real estate, technology/e-commerce, life sciences and consumer sectors. Over the past several years, Shirin has led transactions worth over USD 35 billion in aggregate.

Shirin is a widely recognized lawyer. Best Lawyers named Shirin their 2024 Lawyer of the Year (Singapore) for Mergers & Acquisitions, and she is recognized as a leading practitioner in The Legal 500 "M&A Private Practice Powerlist: Asia Pacific 2024". She was also named a Woman Leader in Private Equity/M&A by IFLR1000 and is ranked as a Leading Individual for Corporate/M&A in Singapore by Chambers Global, The Legal 500 and Best Lawyers.

Lip Kian represents international funds, multinational corporations and financial institutions in large cross-border private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and fund transactions. His work spans a wide range of sectors, including real estate, fintech, life sciences, technology, and consumer goods. Lip Kian has significant experience in executing transactions involving cutting-edge technologies and assisting clients in entering into new strategies. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular interest in sustainability, education, and refugee protection.

Among other recognitions, Lip Kian is ranked as a leading individual for startups and emerging companies in Singapore in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024 and recommended as a next generation partner for Corporate and M&A: Foreign Firms in Singapore in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024. He was also named a Rising Star Partner for M&A - Singapore by IFLR1000 2023.

Boo Bee Chun, Principal and co-head of the Singapore M&A Practice, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow commented: "We are thrilled to welcome Shirin, Lip Kian and team to our M&A/Private Equity team, to which they will add further depth. With dealmaking and growth potential strong in Singapore and Southeast Asia, the wealth of experience and deep sector expertise that they bring will be of significant value to our clients. I look forward to collaborating with them to support our clients on their most complex, cross-border deals."

James Huang, Managing Principal, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, said: "This team brings stellar experience and credentials in private equity, cross-border M&A and restructuring transactions to the Firm. Their joining is further evidence of our commitment to further expanding our bench strength in Singapore, whose status as a leading global financial and business hub is expected to continue to grow significantly in coming years. We are excited to welcome Shirin, Lip Kian and team to the Singapore office."

Steven Sieker, Baker McKenzie's Asia Chief Executive, added: "The market reputation, calibre and experience that Shirin, Lip Kian and team bring to Baker McKenzie complement our regional offering perfectly. This team hire underscores our commitment to further strengthening our M&A/private equity capabilities across key money markets in Asia and cements our position as the transactional firm of choice in the region. We are thrilled to have them onboard."

Shirin commented: "I am excited to be joining the Baker McKenzie team. The Firm's depth in Asia, including its strong and diverse practices in Singapore and other key markets, combined with its truly international platform were major draws for me. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in Singapore and around the globe to bring the Firm's full-service offering to clients with complex transactional needs in Singapore and beyond."

Lip Kianadded: "Baker McKenzie's reputation in Asia is second to none and I am delighted and privileged to be joining a powerhouse global M&A/Private Equity practice which leading corporates and financial sponsors consistently look to for their most complex deals. I look forward to working with my new colleagues and the team to deliver exceptional service to our clients."

With 1,300 M&A lawyers globally, Baker McKenzie has the broadest M&A footprint of any law firm, providing clients with unmatched experience on complex transactions and cross-border deals. Shirin and Lip Kian's arrival adds further depth to the Firm's global M&A/private equity offering and transactional platform, which, over the past 18 months, has seen the addition of more than 50 partners in key financial centres. In April, the Firm welcomed a transactional teamin Los Angeles and in October last year launched a historic joint venturewith leading Korean law firm KL Partners in Seoul, spanning key practices including Transactional/M&A. The Firm also recently welcomed M&A/Private Equity partners Colleen Lee (Palo Alto); Tobias Knapp (New York); Colin Bowes-Carlson(Chicago); Eric Schwartzman(San Francisco); Erika López (Chicago); Hannah Luqmani (London);and Theodore Heng(Singapore).

Shirin is admitted to practice in New York. Prior to joining Morrison Foerster as a partner in 2014, she spent 10 years at Shearman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman) in both the New York and Singapore offices. Shirin holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and an LL.B. from the National University of Singapore. Lip Kian, who is qualified in England & Wales, holds an M.B.A. and an LL.B. from the National University of Singapore.

Baker McKenzie is a transactional powerhouse. With more than 2,500 lawyers in 45 jurisdictions, the Firm excels in complex, cross-border transactions; over 65% of our deals are multijurisdictional. Baker McKenzie has been consistently recognized as a top-three firm for cross-border M&A by volume over the past decade. The teams are a hybrid of 'local' and 'global', combining money-market sophistication with local excellence.