About the Chambers of GG Cheng & CE Lee LLC (GGC Law)

CHOOSING GGCLAW – AN OVERVIEW

The Chambers of GG Cheng & CE Lee LLC (“GGCLaw“) is the keenly awaited chrysalid evolution of the former practice of Glenn G Cheng Law Chambers, a well-regarded Singaporean set of specialist chambers which started life in 2022 as a sole proprietorship. Expansion plans were promised at the outset to a loyal and very long-standing book of clients, and those plans have now come to fruition with the joining of a new Director to launch GGCLaw in the fall of 2024.

Mr Glenn George Cheng continues to lead GGCLaw as an international specialist practitioner and independent arbitrator with almost 30 years of experience in energy projects (focusing on offshore E&P and onshore plant developments), on/offshore civil and marine heavy engineering and infrastructure construction, as well as onshore built-environment projects (including housing, and mixed-usage land and real estate developments). Mr Cheng is widely known in the industry for high-valued and technically complex projects in the areas of offshore (hydrocarbon) exploration work, rig/vessel/platform and associated asset design and fabrication projects, on/offshore heavy engineering and infrastructure (particularly in large blue-water civil and marine engineering and on/offshore ports) construction work. The move to establish GGCLaw as a highly exclusive and bespoke practice follows a long and distinguished career as a Singapore-based partner in renowned private international practices including British and European multi-national brands: Norton Rose, CMS Nabarro, Kennedys Legal Solutions, as well as US global giant K&L Gates Straits Law. Mr Cheng is joined in GGCLaw, by the following specialists.

Mr Lee Chau Ee is likewise an international specialist practitioner with almost 30 years of experience in construction and engineering law and takes a particular focus toward energy and infrastructure projects. Having been based in London, Dubai, Beijing and Singapore, Mr Lee’s storied career has spanned decades in partnership duties with internationally renowned marquee brands, including US multinational Reed Smith where he held administrative, management and leadership duties including that of office managing partner, head of practice, member of the global leadership team, as well as being one of the founding members of its Dubai office (which in turn he established and led its Middle East Construction and Engineering practice); thereafter returning to Singapore, where he headed up Drew & Napier’s Construction & Engineering group (and acted as co-head of its Projects Energy & Infrastructure group) before moving to join King & Wood Mallesons in its Singapore and Beijing offices. Upon his (second) return to Singapore in late 2019 (and until most recently) he served as the Singapore-based partner of UK construction veterans Addleshaw Goddard, establishing and leading its Construction & Engineering practice for Asia. Mr Lee is a past chairperson of the Society of Construction Law (Singapore) (2020-2022). Additional to the law, Mr Lee possesses an MSc in Construction Management (Project Management) and has authored a dissertation evaluating the use of FIDIC’s 1999 Silver Book in major international infrastructure projects.

Mr Kewee Kho is equally experienced with close to 30 years focused on investments, corporate and financial advisory to institutional and private clients. His experience spans multiple roles between markets in the US and Asia-Pacific. These roles have involved investment banking, private equity, venture capital, investments, corporate and business development, corporate finance, entrepreneur, and business management responsibilities covering a broad spectrum of industries. Mr Kho is an independent director of The Private Museum, SGX-listed MS Holdings Limited and Zhongmin Baihui Retail Group Ltd. He was previously a board member of Lee Metal Group Limited and Courts Asia Limited. Mr Kho has been involved in over 200 SME, MNC, private and public company transactions during his professional career and personal investments, executing capital raising, M&A, private equity, and proprietary investment deals. The sum of all transaction deals executed at this stage of his career is valued in excess of US$2.5 billion. Mr Kho is a non-legal advisor to GGCLaw’s clients, and he sits as a non-shareholding consultant in GGCLaw. He is a Fellow of Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors.

Together, GGCLaw stands for close to 90 years of professional and entrepreneurial experience. Together we are emblematical of our branding strapline: True Experience.

GGCLaw’s ideology today is to provide a direct client-facing bespoke suite of legal services comprising the following scope:

• (Outsourced) “External-In-House” Project Counsel, or “Trusted Advisor” roles in commercial and legalistic/technical matters.
• Major energy/infrastructure/engineering and construction projects related advisory services comprising a complete and holistic “tender-to-completion-commissioning” scope of bid assessment support, contractual drafting and negotiation, day-to-day advice on delivery controls and performance risks, preparations, “sense checks” and management of claims and defences, emergency advisory involvement in events of default and unforeseen disruptions, advising termination strategy and contractually regulated dispute resolution (namely, neutral evaluations, contractual adjudication, expert determinations and DAB/DRB tribunal hearings).
• Structuring of global cross-border and domestic corporate transactions including investment funding, mergers, and acquisitions.

In disputes related works, GGCLaw offers a unique brand of specialised care and representation in the following areas:

• International arbitration, DAB/DRB, mediation Leading Counsel and Co-Counsel roles;
• Special Counsel (multi-jurisdictional representation limited to project-led technical and commercial issues); and,
• (Independent) Sole and Party/Chair Arbitrator roles.

It is essential to understand that GGCLaw is a specialist set and acts in essence as a “barrister-cum-project-advisor”. It is not your typical full service large firm which means that as a practical matter, GGCLaw is better prepared to be commercially flexible and competitive with the professional fees that it charges, whilst guaranteeing direct and personalized service in terms of the set’s expertise.

GGCLaw will explore different cost models and adopt innovations to promote efficiency, including “teaming arrangements” with client’s resources and (external) Singaporean, and other locally qualified counsel where it is agreed that such collaborations would be beneficial to the case, or project in question. Where necessary, GGCLaw will keep the discretion to seek yours, or your client’s approval to “carve-out” the instructing/supporting solicitors’ role and to instruct external firms of solicitors of our choice and onward recommendation to you or your client.

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Practice Areas

FRONT-END PROJECT ADVISORY WORK

GGCLaw has been working with us on the Tuas Mega Port Project. Given the nature of the Project, and the associated Contract, we regularly encounter difficult and complex legal and contractual conundrums.

Their advice on these various matters has been pivotal to us being able to formulate a commercial and contractual strategy associated with these thorny issues.

Penta-Ocean Construction Company Limited
(Japan, Singapore)

SCOPE OF SERVICES

• Commercial Contracting;
• PPP, and Concession-based DBOO(T) Projects;
• Traditional, Turnkey (Design and Build), and EPC/EPC(C/IC) Projects;
• Design and Professional Services (and Consultancy) Agreements;
• Energy (Oil & Gas) Exploration, Production (Offshore), Joint Development, and Production Sharing Projects;
• Subsea and Engineering Support Services;
• Energy (Renewable) Concession and Production Sharing Projects;
• Power Supply and Purchase Arrangements (and Off-take Agreements);
• EPCM Agreements;
• Operation and Maintenance Agreements;
• Plant (Onshore – Process Engineering) Design and Build Projects;
• Civil and Marine Engineering Projects;
• (Seabed) Dredging, Land Reclamation and Environmental Management;
• (Seabed) Submarine Cable Systems;
• Built-Environment (Foreshore Defence and Fortification);
• Built-Environment (Onshore Infrastructure and Utilities);
• Built-Environment (Onshore Ports and Transportation);
• Built-Environment (Onshore Buildings and Structures);
• Built-Environment (Onshore Townships and Industrial Zones); and,
• General Project Performance Controls and Supply Chain Management Advice.

Over the years I have really come to treasure those lawyers who listen to what clients want.

He’s a technical expert in his field, he has the ability to convince. It is very much like watching a King’s Counsel at work. Of our many war stories over the years and upon reflection, all share the common theme of (Mr Glenn Cheng) digging us out of trouble.

In one phrase to encapsulate him, I’d say he’s really user-friendly.

Clough
(Australia, Indonesia)

BACK-END REPRESENTATION, ADVOCACY AND TRIBUNAL WORK

SCOPE OF SERVICES

• Contract structuring, negotiations, drafting, and associated advisory work;
• Project feasibility and delivery risk analyses;
• Advice on the evidence, as well as on the merits of claims (and defences to claims);
• Advice on contractual controls and events of non-performance;
• Advice and support on the preparation of claims and associated submissions;
• Advice and support on intra-contractual and (external or independent) alternative dispute resolution;
• Statutory adjudication work;
• Dispute (Adjudication and Review) Board work;
• Independent (Referee or) Determination work ;
• (International) Arbitration Counsel work;
• Domestic Litigation Counsel work;
• Independent (International) Arbitrator work; and,
• Emergency (International) Arbitrator work.

Mr Glenn George Cheng is a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (FSIArb) and the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (FMIArb). He sits on the panels of Arbitrators and the panels of Emergency Arbitrators of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and the Asian International Arbitration Centre [f.k.a the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration]. He also sits on the panels of Arbitrators of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA), the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), and the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA); as well as being included in the accredited databases of potential arbitrators with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).

In his experience with claims and disputes, Mr Cheng appears as Counsel and acts as [instructing] Solicitor as needs require. He also sits as Arbitrator and Emergency Arbitrator in both international and domestic proceedings. As Leading Counsel, Mr Cheng successfully led, advocated, and won for his client all the multiple claims made on behalf of that private sector developer against the sovereign defence authority and armed forces’ state-owned land developer of a South Asian country, plus damages and a full reimbursement award on legal costs, in a complex case of the wrongful termination of both a joint venture and its accompanying concession agreement to execute a PPP/BOT land development project. Also as Leading Counsel, Mr Cheng was appointed to advise the resolution of over 400 claims and disputes which arose during the winding down of a crude oil and petrochemical trading division of the national oil and gas authority of Indonesia. During the COVID-19 pandemic “lockdown” periods internationally, Mr Cheng advised numerous key clients and projects across Italy, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the UAE.

Mr Lee Chau Ee has represented clients in the resolution of construction and engineering disputes through litigation, adjudication (statutory and ad hoc), arbitration (domestic and international) and alternative forms of dispute resolution (including conciliation, mediation, expert determination and dispute adjudication board). He has appeared as counsel, co-counsel and lead solicitor in disputes under the auspices of international arbitral institutions (such as the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), the Thai Arbitral Institute (TAI), the Indonesia National Board of Arbitration (BANI), the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) and the ICC), in ad-hoc non-institutional arbitrations adopting the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules and the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) Rules, and in construction industry-specific arbitration rules such as the UK’s Construction Industry Model Arbitration Rules (CIMAR).

Why GGCLaw?

WHAT OUR CLIENTS KNOW, AND THINK ABOUT US

MR GLENN GEORGE CHENG

In his experience on global projects, Mr Cheng has acted on PPP projects in Singapore including the Tuaspring (Tuas II) SWRO Desalination Plant, the Kranji Wastewater Reclamation and NEWater Plants, and the Singapore Sports Hub. In other infrastructure projects, he has acted on PPP/DBOO(T) projects across Singapore and the SEA-Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Cheng has a singular industry reputation in civil/marine and blue-water heavy engineering projects, having acted for respective JV head contractors since 2014, and leading sequentially, the project advisory work on each of the Jurong Island Westward Expansion (JIWE), as well as Phase One and Phase Two stages (comprising “Finger 2” and “Finger 3“) EPC (Turnkey) packages on the Tuas Terminal “Mega-Port” project.

The Tuas “Mega-Port” in Singapore is designed to cost (on plan) SGD($)20 billion and will stand as the world’s largest port infrastructure when all (four) Finger piers are completed. Mr Cheng’s tenure on the Tuas “Mega-Port” Project is now approaching its 10th year, which constitutes to date, and by far, the longest uninterrupted tenure of any international (and/or domestic) lawyer advising on that project. As his clients take on new projects in Saudi Arabia and the greater Middle East region, Mr Cheng’s experience is proving reliably invaluable in these new applications. In other traditional procurement platforms he has also advised on BOT / DBOO(T) wharf construction projects in Indonesia, India and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Cheng is further specialised in a range of seabed dredging, foreshore defence and reclamation, and submarine cable trenching, laying and burial projects on which he has advised across Singapore, the (former) Shell-Eastern Pulau Bukom, as well as offshore Malaysia, across North Africa and the Middle East. In energy projects, and specifically in terms of offshore exploration and production, he has acted on multiple oil and gas MODU/rigs new-buildings, RLEC works and oil and gas asset sale and purchase transactions around the world. He has also acted in civil and marine engineering projects on the Upper Zakum Field “artificial refinery islands” project in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

Working with Glenn Cheng is an absolute pleasure. He is obviously a highly skilled lawyer, but more than that, he understands the commercial and political implications associated with a given contractual and legal strategy and can provide tailored advice to take these aspects into consideration. Glenn is extremely personable and a pleasure to work with and is always available to provide high quality and rapid advice at a moment’s notice. 

His professionalism, integrity, and unwavering dedication to our project are truly commendable. Thanks to his legal expertise and guidance, our reclamation project at the Tuas Mega Port continues to be for us at this stage an ongoing success. I wholeheartedly recommend Glenn Cheng and GCC Law to anyone seeking legal counsel in the field of reclamation projects or any other legal matters. He is not just a lawyer; he is a trusted partner in achieving your goals. 

Penta-Ocean / Hyundai / Boskalis Joint-Venture
Tuas Terminal Reclamation, Wharf Construction and Dredging Phase 2 (TTP2) Project
(Japan, S. Korea, The Netherlands, Singapore)

I have been working with Glenn (Cheng) and his team on several matters during the past few years. Our requests have always been very challenging both in terms of time delivery and subject-matter.

We have always received very high-quality results, and the documents produced by Glenn have by far exceeded our expectations.

The distinctive characteristics of the advice that we received from this lawyer are for sure – clarity and reasonableness – two characteristics that are essential for people like us (working not before Tribunal, but) at Project level and on the operative side.

 Maire Tecnimont SpA
(Italy, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore)

MR LEE CHAU EE

Mr Lee Chau Ee has consistently been ranked as a leading lawyer and expert in Construction in leading international legal directories such as Who’s Who Legal in Construction (Thought Leader) and Southeast Asia – Construction, Legal 500 Europe Middle East Africa and Asia Pacific, and Chambers Global, and Chambers Asia Pacific.

With a particular focus on energy and infrastructure projects, Mr Lee has a “cradle-to-grave” international construction and engineering transactional, advisory and dispute resolution practice advising clients from conception, inception to completion of a project life cycle, having worked on such projects in jurisdictions including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong), Republic of China, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Canada and the UK.

Chambers Global rates him as a “construction specialist” who is “well-respected”. He is recommended in Construction in Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Legal 500 Europe Middle East Africa.

Clients praise “his attention to detail and great interpersonal skills; ….he really targets important areas of exposure and comes back with a specific solution”.  “Mr Lee Chau Ee is a meticulous counsel who is thorough with his work ….he is able to manage the expectations of clients who are not familiar with the role of the expert witness which makes communications between an expert witness and the client so much easier”

He is commended as “very knowledgeable about construction matters, hardworking and able to meet our requirements under tight deadlines”. Clients are “most impressed with the overall high standard of advice” he provides. Mr Lee Chau Ee and his team “demonstrates in-depth experience of construction litigation”.

“Peers commend his technical ability and knowledge of the law…. [H]e is known for his strong contentious practice”

“…. he and his team are ‘diligent and dedicated’ and ‘up there with the rest of the international law firms but somehow less stuffy and more approachable as the construction and engineering team, which is strong in energy and infrastructure.”

“Widely acknowledged for his expertise in the Middle East”. One impressed client commented that Lee’s input to a case was ‘clear, concise and helpful to the tribunal in question. Clients say ‘[H]e gives timely advice and is able to highlight the salient legal points to us in layman’s terms.”

Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific.
Legal 500 Asia Pacific; and Legal 500 Europe Middle East Africa

Mr Lee has worked on non-contentious matters in which he advised on legal, contractual, technical and operational elements of the project life cycle. He has advised on, negotiated and drafted contracts (concession agreements, EPC contracts including under a BOT/DBO-type project delivery, O&M contracts, off-take agreements, development agreements, and bespoke/amended forms of construction and engineering contracts including using and adopting various internationally recognized standard forms such as FIDIC, ICE, NEC and JCT) with parties up and down the supply chain.

Mr Lee has advised on the contractual and communication links of various procurement modes such as partnering, including the implementation of a two-stage early contractor involvement. He has also advised on technical and operational issues concerning the selection of an appropriate pricing mechanism including the cost-reimbursable method (cost-plus or target price with GMP slant), risk management issues and the adoption of appropriate mitigation strategies during the project life cycle.

Belt and Road Initiative

Since 2016, Mr Lee has developed an international dispute avoidance, dispute resolution and international arbitration practice acting for clients such as government-owned investment enterprises and diversified conglomerates, quasi-government agencies and multinational corporations on their Belt and Road Initiative (“BRI”) projects in relation to issues across a broad spectrum of business sectors, mainly in financial services, transportation and industrials, real estate, and energy and infrastructure including renewable energy , and natural resources in South-East Asia, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East North Africa regions. He contributed a chapter “Chapter 7: The role of Chinese state-owned enterprises and the Belt and Road Initiative” in the recently published book “ASEAN and the Belt and Road Initiative: Connectivity through Law and Commerce” by Academy Publishing (March 2021). He has also contributed articles on the BRI in leading publications. Links below:

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/singapore-academy-of-law_understanding-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-ugcPost-6855699613828079616-rJa3; and,
• https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3223183/sustainability-drive-will-colour-belt-and-road-green-over-next-decade, being the most recent in the post-Covid times.

Thought Leadership

Chau Ee is a past chairperson of the Society of Construction Law (Singapore) (2020-22).

During his time as Chairman of the Society of Construction Law (Singapore), Chau Ee set up two new committees being the Thought Leadership and the Strategic Leadership committees that led to the Society contributing to the wider international construction industry specifically in the fields of construction dispute resolution mechanisms among others. He also set up an Environmental Law and Sustainability Focus group to work on sustainability-related matters of concern in the international construction industry. In furthering emerging trends and more innovative construction dispute resolution mechanisms, Chau Ee was one of a select few of distinguished speakers alongside Sir Vivian Ramsey KC IJ (Judge in the Singapore International Commercial Court) and Mr Gerard Sanders (General Counsel at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) at the first Legal Symposium held at the Asia infrastructure Forum 2021.

Mr Lee has sat on two international and Singapore judiciary with Ministry of Law (Singapore) construction law working groups examining best practices in management of disputes in the construction industry. Mr Lee has furthermore tutored the UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Dubai branch’s arbitration courses, as well as the National University of Singapore’s Built Environment Department on construction law and constructed-related subjects such as Project Management.

Kewee Kho is focused on investments, corporate and financial advisory to institutional and private clients. His work experience over the last 25 years has been across multiple roles involving investment banking, private equity, venture capital, investments, corporate and business development, corporate finance, entrepreneur, and business management responsibilities covering a broad spectrum of industries in the US and Asia-Pacific.

Kewee is independent director at The Private Museum Ltd and SGX-listed Zhongmin Baihui Retail Group Ltd. He was previously a board member of Lee Metal Group Limited, Courts Asia Limited, and MS Holdings Limited.

Kewee has been involved in over 200 SME, MNC, private and public company transactions during his professional career and personal investments, executing capital raising, M&A, private equity, and proprietary investment deals. The sum of all transaction deals executed at this stage of his career is valued in excess of US$2.5 billion.

Kewee is a Fellow of Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, member and Senior Accredited Director of Singapore Institute of Directors. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University, and Graduate Certificate in International Arbitration Law from National University of Singapore.