Freehills delivers innovative, tailor made commercial legal advice and strategic solutions to clients across the Asia Pacific, through the combined resources and know-how of more than 1000 lawyers, including around 200 partners. With an established presence in Singapore spanning three decades and associated firms in Indonesia and Vietnam, we are well placed to utilise our vast network of contacts with key industry players, governments and local law firms across the region to ensure clients obtain commercial success.

Clients benefit from our broad experience, creative legal and project management advice, exceptional quality of service and competitive market rates. Together with our understanding of the commercial context in which businesses operate, our commitment to clients and the region is confirmed.

Our experience in dedicating the necessary skills from our regional office and from our vast pool of talent is a significant contributor to our clients’ success. Staff are ‘flown in’ to the project site as required and have access to our ‘virtual office’ from any location around the world at any time, effectively providing 24 hour service.

Our decision to combine our Singapore office and associated offices in Indonesia and Vietnam with a ‘virtual office’ rather than establishing multiple offices across the region, means we offer clients some of the most competitive market rates in the world. Australian-based expertise supports offshore staff and is charged at local Australian pricing. When compared to our European and American colleagues, the cost saving to clients is profound.

John Curtis, International Managing Partner, says it’s a natural evolution for international companies to expand their business interests into the market economies of Asia. ‘The region offers corporates outstanding opportunities to grow their business and seize emerging opportunities. This makes Freehills the partner of choice for companies wanting to make their mark in the Asia Pacific’.

We are skilled in working on major projects across the region in a range of industries, including energy & resources, real estate, banking & finance, infrastructure, property/funds management, workplace relations, international disputes, corporate and commercial law.

Our experience extends across many areas of practice including:

• financial and project management advice on large public and private projects
• corporate and regulatory advice to clients investing in Australia and Asia
• combined regional knowledge led by senior lawyers with broad international corporate experience and an understanding of local sensitivities, and
• the provision of seamless legal services regardless of location, and project management expertise including multi jurisdictional legal services.

A selection of our experience in Asia is listed.

Water & waste

• Public Utilities Board of Singapore – advising on their Ulu Pandan NEWater Project.
• Fichtner Consulting / Public Utilities Board of Singapore – advising on the first ever desalination plant in Singapore, and
• Department of Environment, Singapore – advising on the design, build, own and operate PPP for the fifth waste incineration project in Singapore and the first to be delivered on a PPP basis.

Energy & Resources

• Tata Power Company Limited – acting for India’s largest private power utility in its US$1.3 billon acquisition of 30 per cent equity stake in major Indonesian thermal coal producers PT Bumi Resources. The financing was in the form of a US$950 million secured bridge facility
• InterGen – advising on the development, construction and financing of Singapore’s first independent, foreign-owned power station
• ConocoPhillips (project operator) – advising on its participation in the Bayu-Undan LNG project involving the development of $8 billion of infrastructure including two offshore platforms, a 500 kilometre subsea pipeline and the construction of a new LNG plant in Darwin.
• Advising a consortium on bidding for the construction and operation of a 1220 MW coal-fired power station in Java with our associated firm in Jakarta. We also advised consortia proposing to build the Tanjung Jati-B project and the 100 MW Pontianak power project
• Semgas – advising on the swap of certain assets to PowerGas as part of the restructure of the gas market in Singapore, and
• Newmont Mining Corporation – advising on all aspects of the project financing and construction of the Batu Hijau gold and copper mine in Indonesia.

Transport

• ERG Ltd Motorola Consortium Alliance – advising on the Singapore Enhanced Integrated Fare System Project valued at approximately S$135 million
• Keppel – advising on the establishment of ship repair yard joint ventures in Indonesia and Vietnam, and
• Australian National Line – advising on the international terminal development for its Port Kelang floating container loading ramps.

Telecommunications

• Project company – advising on the refinancing and construction of a telecommunications network in Kalimantan, pursuant to a Joint Operation Agreement with Telkom Indonesia
• New T&T – advising on a new entrant to the Hong Kong market on its interconnect arrangements with the incumbent carrier, and
• Telstra – advising on their Vietnamese telecoms projects, including arrangements with Vietnam Post and Telecommunications to develop the international network in Vietnam.

Property & construction

• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology – advice on the construction, development and operation of Vietnam’s first international university.
• Lend Lease – advice as co-joint venturer with its Indonesian partner in the construction, development and financing of the Cempaka Shophouse development in Indonesia.

Finance

• Leighton Finance International – advising on its participation in the US$404 million financing of the acquisition by PT Bumi Resources of PT Kaltim Prima Coal, one of the world’s largest coal exporters
• International Finance Corporation, Nissho Iwai Europe plc and Exim Bank lead consortium of Thai banks – advising on the US$186.6 million project financing of the Holcim cement project (a US$383 million project) in Vietnam
• Aneka Tambang – advising on the project financing of the Mt Muro mining project and the expansion of the Gunung Pongkor Gold mine in Indonesia, and
• Bank – conducting a comprehensive review of workplace relations practices and compliance for a leading bank in their Bangalore business processing and IT operation, and reviewed a set of HR policies intended for roll-out in Bangalore.