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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 also co-heads 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 and fintech and blockchain 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 issues relating to the Payment Systems Act, blockchain and cryptocurrencies and other fintech matters.

Benjamin’s practice also includes a strong emphasis on employment law, and he regularly advises clients on the full range of employment issues in the course of an employment relationship, including reviewing employment contracts and handbooks and policies, employee stock option plans, trade unions and collective agreements, to retrenchment and termination of employment. These include preparing and reviewing and advising on employment contracts and handbooks and policies, employee stock option plans, disciplinary matters and investigations, restrictive covenants, retrenchments and contentious and non-contentious termination of employment.

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

Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions ​

  1. Acted for one of the two Integrated Resorts in Singapore in relation to further investment in Singapore to expand its non-gaming facilities as well as to obtain certain gaming concessions. The total investment commitment of the two Integrated Reports amount to SGD 9 billion.

  2. Assisted Aptiv-nuTonomy, in its USD 4 billion joint venture with the Hyundai Motor Group, which aims to advance the design, development and commercialisation of autonomous driving technologies.​

Corporate IP & Technology & FinTech and Blockchain

  1. 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.

  2. As part of United Engineer’s S$455 million sale of luxury car distributor Wearnes Automotive to StarChase Motorsports, we advised WBL Corporation on the structuring, negotiation and drafting of the assignment of WBL Corporation’s trade marks in Singapore, Malaysia and China.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

  1. Acted for Lucence Diagnostics in relation to its Series A funding round, which raised US$20 million. The funding round was led by Parkway Holdings Limited, which was coming in as a strategic investor, and was looking to, among others, co-develop solutions with Lucence. The Lucence group, which has offices in the US, Hong Kong and China, develops liquid biopsy tests to detect cancer early and improve treatment selection.

Corporate and Transactional

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

“Excellent comms with the client. Was cool and composed during the negotiation process with our counterpart. Managed his team well and meeting quick turnaround time and deadlines well.”

“Benjamin was the most responsive and very helpful.”

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Who’s Who Legal
Thought Leaders Global Elite Guide: Life Sciences – Regulatory 2023
Thought Leaders Global Elite Guide: Life Sciences – Transactional 2023
Thought Leaders Guide: Life Sciences -Regulatory 2022– Global Elite Thought Leader
Thought Leaders Guide: Life Sciences - Transactional 2022 – Global Elite Thought Leader
Global Guide: Life Sciences 2022 – Leading Lawyer for 12 consecutive years
Recommended Lawyer for Patent Litigation, Product Liability, Regulatory, and Transactional
National Guide: Southeast Asia - Life Sciences 2022 – Leading Lawyer for 2 consecutive years

“Benjamin Gaw drills deep into the issues to provide comprehensive and comprehensible advice.”

“Benjamin’s substantial experience in fund-raising in the health science space leads to winning outcomes.”

“Benjamin Gaw is “professional, calm and able to effectively manage counterparties in M&A transactions”, with sources further noting his deep regulatory understanding of the life sciences sector.”

“Benjamin Gaw is a top-tier lawyer, who is sought after for his expertise in M&A, joint venture transactions and restructurings.”

Benjamin Gaw is known as “a responsive and prompt advocate who gives clear advice and brings a calm and professional approach to matters”.     

“First-class practitioner who expertly advises on complex issues”

“Benjamin Gaw is a well-regarded name in Singapore for patent disputes”.

“Held in high esteem for his excellence in joint ventures and M&A transactions in the life sciences sector”

“Extremely well informed of the needs of life sciences clients”

“Benjamin Gaw is recognised for his dynamic corporate and commercial practice, where he excels at handling a wide range of complex matters for clients in the life sciences sector.”

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
Information Technology Law 2023 – Endorsed individual for 3 consecutive years

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
Global Guide: Labour & Employment 2022 – Leading Lawyer for 10 consecutive years

National Guide: Southeast Asia – Labour, Employment & Employment 2022 – Leading Lawyer for 2 consecutive years

Pensions & Benefits 2015 – Leading Lawyer

“Benjamin Gaw applies his vast experience to complex employment disputes and advisory work spanning across multiple sectors.”

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Employment 2023 – Recommended lawyer for 9 consecutive years
Fintech and Financial Services Regulation 2023 - Recommended lawyer

“Benjamin Gaw is always available and understands the issues well.”

“Benjamin Gaw is highly rated as a non-contentious employment specialist.”

““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 2023 – Band 3 for 3 consecutive years

Employment 2020 – Recognised Practitioner

"Their advice is always led by strong sense of commercial issues. This is definitely one of their greatest strengths. They do not advise in a vacuum - they are quick to pick up on commercial direction."

Benjamin understands the issues we're trying to deal with and offers succinct advice, giving the key points.

Very helpful and extremely responsive"

“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
  • Assessor, Panel of Assessors for COVID-19 Temporary Relief, Ministry of Law
  • Asia Pacific Regional Forum Liaison Officer, Healthcare and Life Sciences Law Committee, International Bar Association
  • Honorary Secretary, National Arthritis Foundation Executive Committee
  • Member, Inquiry Panel
  • Member, Law Society IT Sub-Committee
  • Member, Law Society of Singapore
  • Member, Singapore Academy of Law
  • The Singapore chapter of Product Liability and Safety Global Guide, Thomson Reuters, 2023
  • The Singapore chapter of Fintech, Global Legal Insights, 2022
  • Annotated Laws of Singapore – Industrial Relations Act, LexisNexis
  • The Singapore chapter of Employment & Labour Law, The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guide, 2022 and 2023
  • The Singapore chapter of Employment, Chambers Global Practice Guide, 2021 and 2022
  • The Singapore chapter of Corporate M&A, Chambers Global Practice Guides, 2021 and 2022
  • The Singapore chapter of Life Sciences, Lexology Getting the Deal Through, 2021 and 2022
  • The Singapore chapter of Life Sciences, Chambers Global Practice Guides, 2020 2021, 2022 and 2023
  • Practical Law’s Practice Note on Terminating Licences of IP Rights (Singapore), Thomson Reuters, 2022
  • 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 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021
  • “Pharmaceutical IP and competition law in Singapore: overview” in Practical Law Company Life Sciences Global Guide 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021
  • The Singapore chapter of Life Sciences, Getting the Deal Through, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2020
  • The Singapore chapter of Employment & Labour Law 2015 and 2023, 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)