Raphael Tay Choon Tien

Raphael Tay is a Partner at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, a leading law firm in Malaysia. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1986. He has been a Notary Public since 2007 and a Registered Trade Mark Agent since 1998. He graduated in Law and Politics in 1983 from the University of Bournemouth and obtained a post-graduate diploma in South East Studies from the University of Kent, Canterbury in 1984. Prior to joining Lee Hishamuddin, he was a partner in the law firm of Chooi & Company.

Having been in practice for over 30 years, encompassing both local and international work, he has extensive experience in various areas notably Corporate and Commercial, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Information and Technology Law. He has advised on various international projects, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, divestments and general corporate and commercial work. Raphael has developed an extensive regional practice over the years.

In 2017, he advised on a share sale transaction in GHL Systems Berhad to a London-based private equity fund Actis Stark which was identified by The Edge Malaysia as the Best M&A Deal of 2017. His team was also nominated as a finalist for the category of ‘Overseas Practice Law Firm of the Year’ in the Asian Legal Business Malaysia Law Awards of 2018. In the 2020 ranking by International Financial Law Review (IFLR), Raphael was recognised as a Notable Practitioner for M&A in the “Technology and Telecommunications” category.

Clients have commended him for having not only “an in-depth understanding of both the legal aspects and commercial needs in respect of ICT matters” but also an appreciation for “the pitfalls of the IT and software industry” and the ability to provide “practical legal solutions to our problems.” He provides “sound legal advice” and helped clients “see things from the business perspective, which was very crucial.”

Raphael has been the Chairman of the LAWASIA Moot Standing Committee since 2008 and is the current Vice Chair of the Legal Development and Training Committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA). He is also the Director of the AESAN+6 Mergers and Acquisition Programme at The College of Law Asia and Adjunct Lecturer of the ASEAN Business and Investment Law Course at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Raphael was recently recommended in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 ranking.