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Jo Yan LIM
Jo Yan LIM

ljy@limjoyanco.com

Jo Yan heads Lim Jo Yan & Co. He was previously a partner and head of the Corporate & Commercial Practice Group at MahWengKwai & Associates.

 

Jo Yan graduated from Oxford University, and was called to the Bar in 2005. He practised as a litigator before becoming an advisory and transactional lawyer.

 

He advises on mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, joint ventures, private equity, real estate and immigration. His portfolio of corporate work also encompasses advising on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, employment disputes and corporate and commercial matters.

 

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Career To Date
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2017   Lim Jo Yan & Co

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2012   Partner, MahWengKwai & Associates

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2007   Associate, Wong & Partners (a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International)

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2005   Associate, Shook Lin & Bok

Affiliations​
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  • One Asia Lawyers
     

  • Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC)
     

  • Oxbridge Society Malaysia
     

  • Victoria Institution Old Boys Association

Educational Achievements
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2004   Certificate of Legal Practice

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2003   Bachelor of Arts (Jurisprudence), Oxford University

Corporate and Commercial Experience
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Merger and Acquisition
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  • Advised a Middle Eastern special purpose vehicle in its general offer and privatisation of three Malaysian publicly listed companies for a total consideration in excess of RM1.4 billion.

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  • Advised a special purpose vehicle of a consortium of Middle Eastern investors in its general offer for the shares of two Malaysian publicly listed construction companies for USD132 million.
     

  • Advised a Korean telecommunications company in its maiden investment in a Malaysian telecommunications company in the value of USD100 million.
     

  • Advised a conglomerate of private equity investors in the acquisition of the entire stake in a manufacturing company for RM110 million.
     

  • Advised a Malaysian company to be listed on Bursa Malaysia in respect of the disposal of shares to a cornerstone investor amounting to RM424 million.
     

  • Advised a Japanese listed company to bid for and acquire a food and beverage business of a Vietnamese entity listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange.
     

  • Advised in the acquisition of a piece of land from a consortium of owners for RM95 million.
     

  • Advised a Danish manufacturing and distribution company in respect of a capital reduction exercise.
     

  • Advised an Irish national entity in the acquisition of a stake in a hydroelectric project in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised the independent adviser in respect of the merger between one of Malaysia’s leading commercial banks and Malaysia’s leading stockbroking firms.
     

  • Advised a Singaporean property developer in the due diligence exercise for the purposes of setting up a REIT in respect of commercial properties in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
     

  • Advised an American oil and gas company in the acquisition of a substantial stake in an Australian entity from a listed entity in Malaysia.

  • ​Advised a leading global insurance broking company in its acquisition of a stake in a Malaysian insurance broking company.
     

  • Advised various multinational companies on the clean development mechanism in respect of the sale and purchase of carbon credits in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised a multinational manufacturing company on environmental legislation in Malaysia pertaining to the disposal of effluents on land.
     

  • Advised a Hong Kong retailer in the acquisition of a group of retail companies.
     

  • Advised a Hong Kong private equity firm in the due diligence for the acquisition of a stake in a Malaysian bank.
     

  • Advised an Australian travel and tour company in the acquisition of a stake in a Malaysian travel and tour company.
     

  • Advised a Finnish fund investor in the acquisition of a stake in a group of Malaysian companies in the timber and reforestation industry.
     

  • Advised a British security company listed on the London Stock Exchange in the acquisition of a regional security consultancy company.
     

  • Advised a multinational insurance company in Malaysia in the issuance of a rights issue approximating RM400 million.
     

  • Advised a British media company in the business acquisition of an event organizer in Malaysia and in the South East Asia region.
     

  • Advised a German retailer in its acquisition of the business of its distributor in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised a Japanese company to bid for and acquire a Malaysian public company for RM462 million.

Joint Venture
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  • Advised on a joint venture with a Saudi Arabian company involving a capital injection of USD2.5 billion.

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  • Advised on a joint venture with a global French trading company palm oil and commodities trading industry.
     

Corporate Reorganization
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  • Advised a US-based oil and gas company in its global restructuring exercise from a Malaysian corporate, regulatory and tax perspective. The deal is valued at approximately USD12.5 billion.
     

  • Advised a multinational insurance company in the reorganization of its business in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised a British broadcast industry equipment supplier in the establishment of its business operations and joint venture in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised a direct sales marketing company of health products in the reorganization of its business in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised a multinational oil and gas company in the consolidation of its corporate structure to qualify for Petronas’ vendor development programme.
     

  • Advised a multinational tobacco company in the novation of its IT contracts in 40 over countries.
     

  • Advised a public listed company on the removal of a director from the board of directors.
     

  • Advised a Canadian land banking company on the operations of its business to be in compliance with local laws.
     

  • Advised a luxury fashion brand in the registration of its franchise in Malaysia.

Corporate Insolvency
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  • Advised a large American automobile company on the winding up of its operations in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised the largest microchip processor in the world on the winding up of its operations in Malaysia.

  • Advised a private equity firm on the winding up of one of its healthcare investments in Malaysia.
     

Advisory
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  • Advised on equity crowdfunding platform in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised on crowd factoring platform in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised on currency exchange platform in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised on e-commerce and marketplace platform in Malaysia.
     

  • Advised on regulatory and corporate compliance.
     

  • Advised on company, competition and environmental laws.

  • ​Advised on employment law, employment contracts, performance and disciplinary issues, and workplace health and safety.
     

  • Advised on anti-corruption and personal data protection laws.
     

  • Advised on exchange control, real estate and dawn raid laws.
     

  • Drafting and review of commercial contracts.

Real Estate Experience
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  • Manage the real estate team that is retained by our buyer-client as the team filters opportunities from those available on the public market and handles with discretion the entire process, from arranging the viewing of a screened shortlist to negotiation of the terms of purchase.
     

  • Drafting, reviewing, preparing and attending to the execution of Sale and Purchase Agreements in respect of:

    • Direct Purchase from Developer (without title); and

    • Sub-sale (with and without title).

  • Preparing loan documentation and relevant security documents.
     

  • Drafting, reviewing, preparing and attending to the execution of Tenancy Agreements.

Immigration Experience
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  • Advised on in-bound immigration applications.

  • Advised international financial institutions and multinational conglomerates in obtaining relevant work related passes for employees at technical, executive and managerial levels who have been assigned to work in Malaysia.

Thought Leadership
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Articles
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  • Understanding How Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) Applies to You in Malaysia (2016)
     

  • A Guide to Art Licensing (2016)
     

  • An Overview on the significant changes in the Malaysian Code on Takeovers and Mergers 2016
     

  • Companies Bill 2015: The Real Estate Perspectives

  • Malaysia chapter of the Corporate Governance Review 2015.
     

  • Financier Worldwide’s February 2015 issue on M&A Activity in Malaysia.
     

  • CrowdFunding Framework in Malaysia.

International Speaking Engagements
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  • Structuring & Managing Your Real Estate Wealth In Malaysia, Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong (2015)
     

  • Doing business in Malaysia, League of Lawyer’s International Networking Event at JPC Law, United Kingdom (2015)

  • M&A in Malaysia, Shanghai (2013)
     

Malaysian Speaking Engagements
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  • Key Insights into the Companies Act 2016 (2016)
     

  • Regulatory Framework for Fintech in Malaysia (2016)
     

  • The Legal Framework of Equity Crowdfunding in Malaysia (2016)
     

  • Implications of Legal and Regulatory Environment, MBAN Angel Investing Program (2016)
     

  • Negotiating Series-A Term Sheets in Malaysia & Singapore (2016)
     

  • Contract Law Workshop (2015)
     

  • Managing Risks in Exiting a Joint Venture (2015)
     

  • Equity CrowdFunding in Malaysia (2015)
     

  • Understanding the Companies Bill (2014)

  • Risk Management in Mergers & Acquisitions (2014)
     

  • An Assessment of the Enforcement of the Competition Act (2014)
     

  • The Malaysian Corporate Governance Framework (2014)
     

  • Structuring and Managing your Real Estate Wealth (2014)
     

  • Complying with the Personal Data Protection Act (2013)
     

  • Your Business under the Competition Act (2013)
     

  • The Life Story of a Shareholders’ Agreement (2013)
     

  • Framework of a Share Purchase Agreement (2013)
     

  • Navigating a Legal Due Diligence (2013)

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