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Benjamin Gaw

Director, Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions

Head, Healthcare & Life Sciences (Corporate & Regulatory)

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Practice Areas

Qualifications

  • LL.B. (Hons), National University of Singapore (2002)
  • Admitted to the Singapore Bar (2003)
  • Specialist Diploma in Molecular Biotechnology, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (2007)
  • Admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of the Supreme Court of England & Wales (2009)
Overview

Benjamin is a Director in the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Groups, as well as Head, Healthcare & Life Sciences – Corporate & Regulatory. He is also a member of the Telecommunications Media and Technology and Information Technology Practice Group and the Employment Practice Group.

Benjamin regularly acts for and advises clients on a wide spectrum of mergers and acquisitions and other transactional and corporate and commercial matters. These matters include sale and purchases of companies and corporate assets, amalgamations, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, corporate restructuring as well as general commercial law.

Benjamin heads up the Healthcare and Life Sciences - Corporate and Regulatory practice, and advises on a full spectrum of matters involving the biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries. His experience includes reviewing and drafting clinical trial agreements, patient access programmes, research and development agreements, review of compliance policies, advising on regulatory and ethical concerns, including data and personal privacy concerns especially in the healthcare sector, product liability issues and product recalls.

In relation to technology and corporate intellectual property matters, Benjamin regularly advises on legal issues in the commercialisation and exploitation of intellectual property rights, such as research and development agreements, IP licensing and cross-licensing agreements, IP assignments and also franchises and franchising businesses. Benjamin also regularly reviews software licensing agreements, IT procurement and related contracts, website terms of use, and other IT and technology contracts. He also advises on start-ups and early stage investments in technology companies. He also regularly advises on ICOs and other fintech matters.

Benjamin’s practice also includes a strong emphasis on employment law, and he regularly advises clients on a range of employment issues arising from the course of an employment relationship, from hiring to talent development and retention, and exit management. These include preparing and reviewing the employment contracts and handbook templates, promotion letter templates, sponsorship agreements for its employees and termination agreements.

Benjamin has handled many significant matters. Here are a few:

Corporate and Transactional

  1. Assisted a multi-national telecommunications corporation on its proposed acquisition of an international media services company.

  2. Assisted on the Singapore law aspects of Novartis’ sale of its vaccines business to GSK, and its purchase of GSK’s oncology business, including advising on the local sale, distribution and marketing arrangements involving the various vaccines and oncology products in Singapore.

  3. Acted as Singapore counsel for a provider of global capacity telecommunication services, in connection with the obtaining of a financing package consisting of facilities aggregating US$165 million from a syndicate of international banks.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

  1. Advising and acting as coordinating counsel for a leading global medical device company in the clear aligner orthodontic industry, in respect of various regulatory, and corporate and commercial matters in 17 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including ASEAN, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

  2. Advising a leading world-leading lens manufacturer, in its regional advertisement compliance requirements.

  3. Acted for the vendors in the multi-million dollar sale of the assets and businesses of several dental practices, including advising on and reviewing the transactional documents.

Corporate and Transactional

Asialaw Leading Lawyers
Corporate/M&A 2018 – Market-Leading Lawyer for 2 consecutive years

“Benjamin was the most responsive and very helpful.”

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Who’s Who Legal
Global Elite Thought Leader for 2 consecutive years – Life Sciences 2020
Leading Lawyer for 10 consecutive years – Life Sciences 2020
Recommended Lawyer for Patent Litigation, Product Liability, Regulatory, and Transactional – Life Sciences 2020

Benjamin Gaw of Drew & Napier is “precise, knowledgeable and extremely commercial” in his approach, and is “particularly god with biotechnology and high-tech issues associated with medical devices and medical systems”. Peers call him “efficient and always a delight to work with”.

“Clients “warmly endorse” Benjamin Gaw for his excellent work in the field of patent law. He is particularly well regarded for his deep knowledge life sciences and pharmaceutical regulation.”

“Benjamin Gaw is one of the region’s foremost lawyers in pharmaceutical and healthcare regulatory matters.”

Practical Law Company Which Lawyer?
Life Sciences: Regulatory and Transactional 2013 - Leading lawyer for 3 consecutive years

Corporate Intellectual Property & Technology

Best Lawyers International: Singapore (2021 edition)
Information Technology Law – Endorsed individual

Asia IP Experts 2013 – 2017
Leading individual in Pharma & Biotech

Who’s Who Legal
Telecommunications Media & Technology 2016 – Leading Lawyer

Employment

Who’s Who Legal

Labour & Employment 2019
– Leading Lawyer for 7 consecutive years

Pensions & Benefits 2015 – Leading Lawyer

The Asia Pacific Legal 500

Employment 2020 – Recommended lawyer for 6 consecutive years

““True subject matter expert” Benjamin Gaw is “practical and efficient, able to deliver timely and accurately pitched advice”

“Benjamin Gaw handles non-contentious work such as data protection, immigration and post-acquisition matters. He is praised for his ‘quick turnaround time’.”

Chambers Asia-Pacific
Employment 2020 – Recognised Practitioner

“Clients report that “the firm is very good to work with,” also highlighting the team's "knowledge and appropriate advice.””

“I find them very responsive and their written work is of a very high quality.” 

"Extremely professional, sound advice and very prompt in serving their clients."

"I am continually impressed by their thoroughness."

Singapore Business Review

Singapore’s 70 most influential lawyers aged 40 and under in 2016 – Listed lawyer

  • Member, Inquiry Panel
  • Member, Law Society of Singapore
  • Member, Singapore Academy of Law
  • Member, National Arthritis Foundation Executive Committee
  • The Singapore Chapter of the “Legal 500: Employment Country Comparative Guide Update” published by The Legal 500 & The Inhouse Lawyer
  • “Medicinal product regulation and product liability in Singapore: overview”; in Practical Law Company Life Sciences Global Guide 2016/2017
  • “Pharmaceutical IP and competition law in Singapore: overview” in Practical Law Company Life Sciences Global Guide 2016/2017
  • The Singapore chapter of Life Sciences, Getting the Deal Through, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016.
  • The Singapore chapter on Employment & Labour Law 2015, International Comparative Legal Guide (The Global Legal Group)
  • Drew & Napier’s Your Guide to the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 (2015)
  • “Life Sciences Jurisdictional Guide to Singapore” in Practical Law Company Multi-Jurisdictional Guide 2013
  • “Ethical Guidelines for Human Biomedical Research Legislation in Singapore” in Asian Legal Business November 2012
  • The Singapore chapter of “International Public Procurement” published by Thomson Reuters/West, 12/2011
  • The Singapore chapter of “Global Pharmacovigilance Laws & Regulations: The Essential Reference” published by the Food & Drug Law Institute, which has been described as a “groundbreaking book” and a “landmark guide”
  • “Legislating medical devices in Singapore” in Financier Worldwide: Biotechnology & Life Sciences e-Book 2010
  • “Employment Contracts – Safeguard Your Intellectual Property Rights” in the Singapore Biotech Guide 2007/2008
  • The Atkin’s Court Forms – Singapore, Insolvency (Chapter XLIV), Lexis Nexis, 2007 Ed“
  • Legislating the Fruits of Biotechnology: Suggestions for Regulating Bio-engineered Food” by the Singapore Law Review (See (2001 – 2) 22 Sing LR)