Tan & Omar

Advocates & Solicitors

Our Firm

We are a boutique law firm based in Kuala Lumpur, set up to provide tailored legal services across a wide range of practice areas, with a strong emphasis on corporate, commercial and IT law.

Our small team of senior and seasoned lawyers have decades of experience between them, gained in some of Malaysia's leading law firms and top multinational corporations.

We are focused on providing timely and personal attention to each and every client. We deeply value the relationships we build with all our clients, and will take the time to understand their business needs and objectives in order to provide clear, sound, practical and business-focused legal advice.

Our Practice Areas

  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Joint Ventures and Partnerships
  • Venture Capital Investments
  • Information Technology
  • Banking and Finance
  • Foreign Direct Investments
  • Debt and Equity Restructuring
  • Corporate Compliance
  • Commercial Law
  • Capital Markets/Corporate Finance
  • Real Property Ventures and Transactions
  • Franchise and Other Licensing Contracts
  • Labuan IOFC Work

Our People

Tan Yang Wah

Yang Wah has more than 19 years of experience in practising corporate and commercial law. Over the years, she has advised on various restructuring and reorganisation exercises involving both public listed companies and small and medium enterprises. These include a reverse takeover of a public listed company, selective capital repayments, mergers carried out pursuant to the Companies Act and various restructuring and reorganisation involving private limited companies.

Yang Wah also advises on various other corporate and commercial matters, ranging from the establishment of joint ventures and other investment vehicles to business acquisitions and corporate takeovers.

She has advised on debt and equity capital market work as well as initial public offerings and flotation on Bursa Malaysia and the issuance of private debt securities.

She has also been involved in advising clients on information technology contracts and other commercial contracts.

In terms of banking and finance matters, she has acted for both lenders as well as borrowers in respect of corporate and retail loans. Yang Wah has also advised on land matters and joint land development agreements. She has also been involved in Labuan IOFC work.

Yang Wah graduated with LL.B (Hons) from King's College, University of London, United Kingdom and was admitted as a Barrister with Lincoln's Inn in 1997. She was the top student being called to Lincoln's Inn in July that year. In 1998, she was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. Yang Wah received her secondary education in Singapore under an ASEAN Secondary Scholarship from the Singapore Ministry of Education.

She was a Senior Associate with the Corporate & Commercial and Foreign Investment practice group in Zaid Ibrahim & Co. prior to setting up Foong & Partners in 2003. She briefly joined CSHee & Co as a partner in 2010 before leaving to set up Tan Partnership (now Tan & Omar).

Shahnaaz Omar

Shahnaaz has over 20 years of experience gained in large law firms and top multinational companies.

Shahnaaz spent her early years of practice at two of Malaysia's leading law firms; Lee Hishammuddin (now Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill) and Skrine. She handled corporate, securities and banking litigation, routinely appearing before the courts. The intensive and rigorous preparation necessary for litigation readiness, provided a strong foundation of knowledge and experience for her subsequent years of practice as senior in-house counsel.

In her role as a senior in-house lawyer in IBM and CSC, Shahnaaz advised on large IT government and private sector deals across diverse industries. For over a decade, she drafted and negotiated hundreds of high-value and complex IT contracts with local and international entities. Shahnaaz also has vast experience in contract management, and worked closely with the business and technical teams to provide legal advice and navigate through complex issues, without compromising business objectives and project goals.

Shahnaaz has substantial experience in post-acquisition/merger integration activities, having managed and advised on the legal and operational issues arising in the post-acquisition phase, which would primarily include the employee transfer process, the novation or termination of customer contracts, the assignment of leases, the liquidation or deregistration of the acquired entity, the transfer of real estate and stamp duty issues, and intellectual property protection for trademarks and domain names.

Shahnaaz additionally has years of experience in employment advisory work, and has advised on numerous employment-related issues, with particular reference to remuneration and benefits, separation schemes, insubordination and other disciplinary issues, performance improvement plans and suspension or termination of employment.

Shahnaaz graduated with LL.B (Hons) from University of Malaya and was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1998. She graduated in the top 10% of her class, receiving a book prize and gold award for her outstanding results in one of her final year subjects.

Loh May Ann

May Ann commenced legal practice in Malaysia in 1999 and was primarily engaged in corporate advisory work involving acquisitions of shares, advising on corporate restructuring, setting up of companies and joint ventures, carrying out due diligence audits and drafting of commercial contracts.

In 2005, May Ann switched paths and became in-house counsel for a US BPO company, and for the next decade, was counsel in several global IT companies, including CSC, IBM and BAT before resuming legal practice again in 2015 focusing on corporate, commercial contracts and advising on and drafting contracts in relation to information technology.

May Ann graduated from the University of Wales, Glamorgan with First Class Honours and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1999.

Major/Recent
Transactions

  • Drafting of documents and negotiations for the acquisition by a state-owned corporation of various companies in the business of water treatment and distribution, and conducting the relevant due diligence exercise and advising on the structure of the acquisitions.
  • Reviewing and advising on water related enactment and regulations and drafting of agreements relating to water licensing for state-owned corporation.
  • Advising a major telco player on substantial information and communication technology contracts.
  • Advising a foreign publicly listed client on the proposed sale of coal for power generation in Malaysia.
  • Drafting and negotiating agreements relating to the sale, installation, customisation and commissioning of proprietary software by a publicly listed client to various financial institutions.
  • Drafting of various franchise and licensing agreements for both local and foreign clients setting up worldwide franchise/license in the food and beverage industry and retail industry and liaising with foreign law firms to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations.
  • Advising venture capital fund in various matters relating to their investee companies.
  • Drafting of sale and purchase agreements relating to the sale and purchase of industrial, commercial and residential lands and properties.
  • Advising on joint venture involving property investments by a group of private individuals.
  • Advising clients on various joint ventures involving the setting up of a traditional medicine practice and health and wellness practice.
  • Advising on ambassadorship agreement in connection with a marketing campaign.
  • Drafting collaboration agreements for medical research involving stem cells.
  • Drafting and negotiating agreements relating to the acquisition of a stem cell banking company.
  • Drafting of documents and negotiations for the acquisition and investment by a venture capital fund in a group of companies in the business of the construction of power transmission lines and substations and conducting relevant due diligence exercise.
  • Drafting of documents and negotiations for the acquisition of a group of companies in the business of manufacturing and sale of telecommunication and power cables and aluminium rods and conducting relevant due diligence exercise.
  • Drafting of documents and negotiations for the sale of a company which owns a hydroelectric power generation business.
  • Drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements for a foreign publicly listed client relating to the construction of Biogas Plants in Malaysia.
  • Advising a foreign publicly listed client on a joint venture involving the sale of renewable energy under the Renewable Energy Act, 2011.
  • Advising a foreign publicly listed client on a joint venture involving the mining of iron ore in Malaysia.
  • Drafting of facility agreements and security documents for an investment bank in respect of various term loans, bridging loans and margin facilities granted to its customers.