When I sent my car for repair, I paid a deposit for the mechanic to diagnose the issue. Once the issue was identified, I was provided with a fee quote. After agreeing to the fee quote, I was asked to pay 50% of the charges upfront before any further work …

I attempted to negotiate a discount with my dentist only to be met with a firm response regarding their fixed price. The justification given was that the clinic had incurred expenses in acquiring equipment to enhance services provided and it’s the same price for everyone for the same services. I …

When conducting legal due diligence for M&A or other corporate exercises, despite thorough planning, I often find my team under time pressure. This is due to the narrow window between receiving the necessary information from the relevant parties and our delivery deadline. I’m often asked when we can provide our …

My colleague prevented me from inadvertently voting for “I prefer to work than going on the Firm’s trip”. Our Sports Committee sent an internal email to everyone at Tay & Partners to vote for our preferred destination for our firm’s annual trip. Failure to vote would be deemed as preferring …

I bought this book to seek solace during a period when I was up to my neck in running corporate transactions simultaneously, each with pressing deadlines. When working as part of a group of advisers for a mutual client’s corporate exercise, no adviser wants to be the one to drop …

I find one of the most challenging aspects of an M&A transaction in Malaysia is the regulatory regime in which the target company operates. If the target company requires certain licences for its operations or operates within a regulated industry, the M&A process must take into account the relevant regulatory …

One evening, feeling rather concerned, I walked into a colleague’s room in office to seek advice on an interpretation of licensing requirements. If you are familiar with the Malaysian regulatory landscape, you would understand that some licensing requirements are not laws that can be addressed solely through one’s experience and …

In the context of an M&A transaction, why can’t shareholders solely rely on a shareholders’ agreement after completion of the transaction? Where there is more than one shareholder after completion, the next step after execution of a shareholders’ agreement is to either amend or adopt a constitution that is consistent …

In the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey described the frantic sense of loss he felt when the things were not in order. He had a number of papers laid out, chapter by chapter, on a table in a room when suddenly, the breeze picked up …

I typically don’t talk about my LinkedIn posts in conversations unless someone else brings up the topic. Occasionally my posts become a conversation starter when I catch up with people who have seen them. I have been asked whether I write the posts myself or if I have junior lawyers …