Career & Experience

GTRZ, where Mr Tan has resided since 1998, benefits from his immense legal know-how, especially in land and property issues. In his 15 years as legal director of the UMW Holdings group, he became well-acquainted with matters like sales and purchases of land, leases and tenancies. He also played a major role in negotiations and drafting of agreements that led to the forming and activation of Malaysia’s second national car maker, Perodua.

Local and international assignments alike in corporate and conveyancing matters are part of his specialty. His entire journey in the legal industry has honed his diplomatic character, be it his endeavour to get his Bar admission, his past life in another legal firm where he also worked for 15 years, his years in UMW Holdings, or his current post in GTRZ.

Mr Tan is also the undisputed resident purist when it comes to English. Precise and meticulous, he can refine the most perplexing legally-sensitive documents and spot the slightest errors in agreements. In short, you can count on him to ensure your transaction does not fall apart because of mere discrepancies.

While he holds high regard for following rules and regulations, legal and linguistic alike, Mr Tan is also one of the most good-humoured lawyers around, able to quickly put clients and colleagues at ease. With honesty as one of his strongest personal values, without doubt he has impacted the values of GTRZ and its founder, Gideon Tan, as a whole.

Career & Experience

Starting with the firm in 1998 after she completed her pupillage, Pin Yen went through growing pains with the team, and later became a partner of the firm in 2006. Although she began as a litigation lawyer in GTRZ handling injunctions and execution proceedings, it was not long before her knack for leadership was discovered. Together with Tock Ken, she now heads the rapidly-growing corporate conveyancing department.

With her cheerful and calm poise, Pin Yen effortlessly puts others at ease. Her innate tact also makes her superb at negotiating agreements for multiple parties, to keep them out of litigation battles - or to assist in settlements after a court trial. Her effectiveness in oiling the transaction wheels explains why many of GTRZ’s conveyancing clients stay with the firm for decades.

She often functions as her clients' internal legal advisor, attending board meetings with the team to help them structure and close deals, and basically guide them through the maze of legal complexities. For instance, she helps developers from their projects' earlier stages - acquiring and financing land purchases - to negotiating bridging-financing and drafting contractor agreements, all the way to obtaining end-financing for the purchasers of individual units.

To date, she has also drafted various media agreements covering sponsorship contracts, licensing agreements, and broadcasting contracts with TV stations for international sports events. She also advises clients on various corporate, commercial and telecommunication services transactions.

Out of work, she enjoys a good Mandarin Chinese book now and then. Her multilingual skills also come in handy at work, as she is able to negotiate for Chinese-speaking clients and help them draft Chinese documents.

Career & Experience

Tock Ken, a self-professed DIY-er and technology enthusiast, is not so much the kind to take apart furniture or gadgets just to see their inner workings. By nature, he is more of a constructor, with some of his happiest moments spent assembling a new piece of furniture or fixing a broken device.

This tendency to build shows in his work. He finds joy in helping clients evade thorny situations by devising a range of legal solutions. For example, if you are buying or selling a property, trying to obtain commercial, corporate or retail banking loans, seeking project financing, or getting a trademark registered, he is able to advise you through the whole process. He has also advised on public offers to take over public listed companies.

Having joined GTRZ in 2003, Tock Ken was appointed as a partner in 2006. Colleagues in the department he co-helms often bring up his patience and supportive style of leading. In fact, before Cynthia was sent to Singapore as sole representative of GTRZ, he was one of the senior partners who prepared her to steer through potential obstacles.

He is also a whiz on advising clients about legal issues related to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), property transfers and intellectual property protection. And with his humble and amiable charm, you can be sure that consultations and stuffy legal procedures become a lot less sombre.

Career & Experience

Brian’s first meeting with GTRZ founder Gideon was not in GTRZ’s boardroom during an interview. Rather, they met as opposing counsel in court in 2002. Brian must have made quite an impression - when he was looking to leave his old firm in 2008, Gideon made him an offer.

For eight years now, Brian has been practising within the litigation team of GTRZ. Together with Gideon, he heads a team of junior lawyers, practising an open-door policy with them. His guiding style of communication translates into his interactions with clients, who benefit from his open, concise counsel on innovative and cost-effective ways to navigate the legal system.

The changing, unpredictable nature of litigation keeps Brian passionate about law. Having practised litigation since 1998, he has a wealth of experience in all areas of civil litigation, particularly those involving corporate, commercial and contractual disputes. Leading his team, he has helped clients resolve Securities Commission prosecutions, smoothen out construction disputes or recover the value of their stolen land and homes swiftly.

When not out at trials or tackling cases, Brian enjoys reading real-life war accounts, stepping into the shoes of war veterans and survivors. Once an ardent biker, he also likes watching motor sports, be it track or drag races - a blend of sheer adrenaline rush and deliberate strategy that appeals to his driven, principled nature.

Career & Experience

In 2007, GTRZ’s foreign law practice was established in Singapore, with Cynthia as its pioneering representative and lynchpin. Already proficient in conveyancing and due to stints in GTRZ Malaysia and a Singaporean boutique law firm, she took to the challenge of managing the office’s overall operations with zeal.

Fuelled by guidance from GTRZ’s top-tier partners, as well as persistent research, networking and self-development, she built up an efficient practice as one of the rare firms in Singapore advising on Malaysian law-related matters. Fluent in English, Malay and conversational Chinese language skills, she is able to easily grasp the legal needs of diverse clients and respond promptly, saving them time and cost.

Under her direction, the Singaporean practice has proven responsive and reliable. Many a client has benefited from her solid advice on manoeuvring the cultural, social and political differences when investing, performing transactions or setting up businesses in Malaysia.

With her methodical and hands-on, yet adaptable, approach to work, Cynthia is also a brilliant coordinator between clients and other legal professionals for law-related issues. These involve the highly-technical areas of international arbitration, as well as conveyancing and regional corporate agreements.

Enjoying the therapeutic calm of the outdoors, Cynthia also goes for golfing and occasional diving excursions.