Jeff Leong, Poon & Wong was founded in 1999. Our founder partners were part of the regional cross-border team of a leading law firm in South East Asia with extensive experience in cross-border investments, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets.
From 2001 to 2011, we were affiliated with an international law firm operating across many jurisdictions within Asia Pacific region. From an initial team of 3 founder partners in 1999, we have prospered and grown to 38 lawyers comprising 10 partners and 28 associates today. As a group, we have 110 fee earners.
Aviation
Biotechnology
Construction
Education
Energy
Financial Services
Franchising
Funds
Information Technology & Telecommunications
Insurance & Reinsurance
Manufacturing
Media, Leisure & Entertainment
Medical
Mining
Oil & Gas
Oil Palm Plantations
Pharmaceuticals
Real Estate
Retail, Trading & Distribution Sector
Renewable Energy
Shipping
Steel
Stockbroking
Telecommunications
Timber
Jeff is the senior partner of Messrs Jeff Leong, Poon & Wong, Malaysia. He is also serving with the Law Association For Asia And The Pacific (LAWASIA), the peak body for national bar associations and law societies in more than 40 jurisdictions in the Asia Pacific region as Chair of the Corporate, Securities & Investment Law and Co Chair of the Belt And Road Initiative Standing Committees. He leads a Special Projects team, structure and run complex M&A deals, resolve critical problems faced by clients such as crisis management, regulatory investigations, shareholder fights and board tussles and advise founders, business owners and senior management on business transactions. With numerous IPOs and M&A deals over 30 years, he is often consulted by clients in Shipping and Logistics, Technology and Digital Economy, Oil & Gas and other heavily regulated industries on complex, urgent and critical matters. Jeff has been included on Asia Business Law Journal’s A List of Malaysia’s Top 100 Lawyers and Legal 500’s Hall of Fame for Corporate and M&A for Malaysia. He is also an accredited Mediator of the Malaysian Mediation Centre, the International Commercial Mediation Centre For the Belt And Road Initiative, Benchmark Chambers International & Benchmark International Mediation Centre, Shenzhen Qianhai International Commercial Mediation Centre, CCPIT/CCOIC Hangzhou Mediation Centre and Hainan International Arbitration Court. Jeff founded JLPW in 1999 during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis with 2 other founders, and acted in corporate rescues and mergers of banks, insurance companies and stockbrokers to resuscitate the bleeding Malaysian economy, working on some of the major corporate rescues of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Affiliations with Deacons Graham & James 2001- 2012 and Dacheng (now Dentons China) 2012-2016 quickly followed. In 2012, Jeff founded JLPW CROSSBORDER ASIA, a regional law firm network. In JLPW, he developed the current due diligence system adopted and used by industry participants in capital markets transactions in 1999. He also assisted the review of the 2020 Due Diligence Guide for Malaysia with investment bankers, accountants, capital market lawyers and other industry participants. Jeff currently lead JLPW’s Japan Services Group, assisting Japanese companies venturing into Malaysia and South East Asia with market entry strategies, M&As and post-merger integration advisory together with a Japanese speaking team. He is also leading our China Services Group and regional JLPW Belt and Road Services Group assisting Chinese companies investing and undertaking Belt and Road projects in Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. As leader, strategist, chief talent scout, builder and problem solver, Jeff initiated and developed various practice groups in JLPW and is now leading our Legal Tech initiatives to better support our clients in the new Digital Economy.
Mr. Kenny Poon is a Senior Partner and one of the 3 founding partners of the firm. He co-heads the firm’s Corporate, Commercial & Corporate Finance Practice Group and he has been recognised as a leading lawyer in the Corporate and M&A practice areas by Asialaw Profiles and recommended for Corporate and M&A, Capital Markets and Banking and Finance by the Legal 500 in 2012. Mr. Poon’s practice includes takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, foreign investments, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and initial public offerings and listings. He has experience in privatisation transactions, including selective capital reductions and scheme of arrangements. He has acted for a large number of leading companies, foreign as well as domestic and has coordinated multijurisdictional transactions through acquisitions, disposals, IPOs, joint ventures and other transactions. He has advised on aircraft financing, ship financing, technology contracts, franchising, and various commercial contracts. He has also advised foreign banks taking security in Malaysia as part of global financing transactions. He is frequently instructed to issue formal legal opinions and advise on local law and central bank requirements. In active legal practice since 1991, he has acted in a primary role for IPOs and listings of companies on stock exchanges in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and London and in various M&A transactions involving companies in the Asian region. His clients include commercial and investment banks and other financial institutions in all aspects of corporate finance transactions. As a founding partner, Mr. Poon has played a pivotal role in building and leading the firm, which has been recognised/recommended by The Legal 500, IFLR1000, Chambers and Asialaw Profiles among other accolades. Mr. Poon also co-heads the firm’s Myanmar Practice Group.
James is a Senior Partner and is one of the 3 founding partners of the firm. James heads the Financial Services Practice Group and the Islamic Finance Group and has extensive experience in various forms of fundraising exercises ranging from equity issues, private debt securities (PDS) issues and borrowings. Equity issues include initial public offerings, rights issues, private placements and venture capital participation. James also provides advice and prepares documentation for various PDS issues, including conventional and Islamic based PDS issues. His involvement in loan and securities documentation ranges from syndicated borrowings to cross border project financing. James was involved in a cross border offshore USD financing involving multi-jurisdictions and a multi currency syndicated loan facility in excess of RM1 billion. James has also been involved in a number of corporate and debt restructuring exercises with issues of various securities and convertibles papers. James regularly provides advice on corporate laws and establishment, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and regulatory concerns including environmental laws in Malaysia. James also provides advice to local banks on the setting up of derivatives departments and derivatives related documentation. James has also been involved in a number of property development projects, acquisitions and disposals. James is a regular speaker at public conferences and in-house bank seminars on topics ranging from laws relating to initial public offering, due diligence, securitisation, banking and property.
Joy was called to the Malaysian Bar in 2010. She practices corporate law and she specializes in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate advisory. She has advised local and foreign clients from various sectors including financial services, manufacturing, food and beverage, plantation, oil &gas and mining industries and on a wide range of matters including M&A transactions, restructuring, initial public offerings (local and abroad), joint ventures as well as general corporate and commercial advisory. Joy has also worked in the Compliance function for one of the largest foreign banks in Malaysia. In that previous role, she has worked on policy governance and implementation as well as regulatory risk management. She is an Affiliate Member of the International Compliance Association (ICA) and she holds the International Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance awarded by the ICA.
Floor 19-25, Building 2 of CP Center, No. 20 Jinhedong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020 China
