Speech by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong SC, at Ramdas & Wong’s 50th Anniversary Reception, Held in Conjunction with ALFA International Asia Regional Meeting 2024

Mr Selvam, Managing Partner of Ramdas & Wong

Mr David Wong, Founder of Ramdas & Wong – It is a pleasure to meet with you. When I came out of school, Ramdas & Wong was one of the top firms that you might apply to for pupillage. So, I am very glad to be able to meet with you in person today.

Mr Sham Chee Keat, Partner of Ramdas & Wong, and some of you know, my erstwhile law school mate, who of course looks much younger today, compared to me.

Mr Edward Hayes, Chairman of ALFA International

Ms Jessica Zaroski Bauer, CEO of ALFA International

Members of ALFA International

Distinguished guests

Many clients around the world

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

1.          Good afternoon. It is a real honour and privilege to be invited here today, to join Ramdas & Wong in celebrating a milestone.

Ramdas & Wong’s Achievements

2.          50 years is a true milestone, a serious milestone, because Singapore itself as a country will only celebrate our 59 years of independence later this year. So, you can see that Ramdas & Wong has been an integral part of our history.

3.          In Singapore, the legal industry is one where it is not uncommon, especially for small and medium sized firms, to be closed down, set up again, reformulated, new partners coming in, merged, and so on. But Ramdas & Wong has been one of those firms that is still true to its original calling, and as you have heard from Mr Selvam earlier, expanded its practice areas to keep relevant, stay current, and evolve with times. I will add that we, in the government looking after the legal industry, are very proud of firms like Ramdas & Wong.

4.          There are many jurisdictions in the world where, with developments, with progress, with opening up and having foreign firms come into the jurisdiction to practise, sometimes local firms become marginalised. They either merge or shut down. And oftentimes, you lose a local identity. That is what we do not want to see in Singapore.

5.          In Singapore, MinLaw is committed to ensuring that our Singapore law practices remain strong, remain current and remain highly relevant, as we move ahead. In fact, we take whatever steps we can, to make sure that our Singapore firms level up and continue to give the best services, the best advice, and serve the legal industry in Singapore, side by side with the foreign firms. In fact, we, Singapore firms, can measure up and stand up to as good a practice as any foreign firms.

6.          So, I am very proud of Ramdas & Wong, and I want to send my congratulations to all your partners and clients who supported you over many years, so that you are here today celebrating this milestone occasion.

7.          The fact that we are here celebrating this occasion itself demonstrates the strong leadership over the years, and I would add, strong and selfless leadership. It takes selfless leadership to pass on, so that the firm carries on stronger from time to time, from one succession to another, having a line of vision for the firm across generations of partners – to understand the legal landscape, to understand the legal industry, and to know how to service the clients best.

8.          The ability of the firm to remain relevant, adapt to market conditions, gain the continued trust of the clients, the good reputation the firm has been built on, the ability to attract young legal talent to continue to ensure that there is a pipeline of good lawyers coming through the doors of Ramdas & Wong – all these are highly important attributes. I think we see that very much in 50 years of Ramdas & Wong, which is why today is really a great cause for celebration.

The Art of Negotiation: A Case Study of Taylor Swift Concerts in Singapore

9.          For my speech today, my erstwhile classmate gave me a couple of options. He said that I can talk about Singapore as a seat for dispute resolution, or I can talk about business opportunities from AI, or I can talk about highly esoteric theories like the jurisprudential basis of cross-border transactions in the Commonwealth world. Or he said I can talk about the art of negotiation, including the lessons that I have learnt from bringing Taylor Swift to Singapore.

10.      So, it is obvious what I chose. So, this afternoon, I will talk to you about the cross-border implications. I am joking! I will tell you a little bit about Taylor Swift, because I think there is a lesson in that, in terms of how those concerts were organised, and also some lessons as we reflect on the legal industry.

11.      There are some similarities, which I will highlight in a moment, but this option for my speech illustrates a little bit of the quirkiness of my classmate. It also illustrates the progression, and the ability to look beyond just the law. That, in itself, also reflects a very strong Ramdas & Wong.

12.      So, how is this topic highly relevant to an event like this?

13.      Fundamentally, lawyers have to be good negotiators. We have to negotiate with the prosecutors, for those of you who do criminal defence work, to reduce the charges. I remember, as a counsel, I spent a lot of my time, having to negotiate with fellow counsel, to try to argy-bargy a little.

14.      In those days, we used to sit outside the chambers, waiting for our turn for the pre-trial conference, and we sometimes had a few hours of time to have a coffee with friends at the Bar, even the opposing counsel. I think that ability to try to put aside the fluff, and focus on the key issues in dispute between your client and the other side was very important. And sometimes, they would sharpen after two cups of coffee at Ya Kun, right across the road from the Supreme Court.

15.      The ability to be able to negotiate, to talk, to canvass, to see other points of view are really important elements and attributes of a good lawyer. Sometimes, you might even have to negotiate with your own clients, and oftentimes, you have to work out what your interests are. I think that ability to connect, to settle, to mediate, to work out differences, and to come to consensus is really important.

16.      So, I had to bring some of my own experience – and I spent 25 years at the Bar – before I thought about and went into negotiations with Taylor Swift’s team to bring the concert into Singapore. I thought I would share three lessons from the episode.

17.      First, it is important to have a clear goal in mind – what are your objectives, what do you want to do, before you get into the negotiations.

18.      A little bit of history – the Sports Hub in Singapore used to be owned as a PPP project. So, it was in the hands of the private sector. There was certain legal fees that was paid to the private sector to run the Sports Hub, and in turn, we get a certain number of event days, and so on.

19.      We took the view that we came to the point in time that the Government was ready, and that the industry was stable enough, for us to run the Sports Hub. And to run it in a way, which allows us to open our doors to Singaporeans, to allow more Singaporeans to be part of the Sports Hub.

20.      One complaint I regularly heard when I took over the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth was that we do not know the Sports Hub, apart from seeing it from afar, across the river. We seldom go there, we do not know what programmes take place there.

21.      It saddens me, because I remember the National Stadium as a student, as a young sportsman. We used to play our ‘C’ Division, ‘B’ Division boys’ football final at the National Stadium. And it was a big occasion – both schools will be there, teachers would be there, parents sometimes. It was a real spectacle, a real carnival, and it bonded schools together closer. It made playing school sports a real prestige. I thought it was important.

22.      So, we wanted to bring Sports Hub back into the Government, so that we did not look at financial bottomline as being the key KPI. We looked at social return as the key KPI – can we bring people back here, can we celebrate Family Day and Racial Harmony Day, can we bring the National School Games back into the Sports Hub, can we celebrate festive occasions like Hari Raya? And we did that all last year.

23.      It is important for us, but at the same time, it is also important that when we were able to do commercial events, we could do them well – that we could bring the A listers into Singapore. We wanted to ensure that we could bring the vibe and vibrancy back. We felt that the Sports Hub was a great tool, a great asset for us to do that.

24.      That was the vision we set out to achieve, as we went to the US to meet with a variety of different people, not just Taylor Swift – people looking at stadium management, event management, and also artiste management. We thought it would benefit Singapore overall, not just in terms of social outcomes, but our reputation as a strong cultural hub with diverse offerings.

25.      With this in mind, we decided to pay a visit to LA. You need to know your objective. It is not possible to do this in a typical “government style”. You cannot say that we are the Singapore Government, so let’s have a team come to Singapore, and have a coffee across the table, and we meet to negotiate. The industry takes a different approach, and so, we decided on a different approach.

26.      That brings me to my second point – one of timing.

27.      As any lawyer worth his salt would tell you, time is absolutely crucial – when to speak in court, when to interject, when to object when your witness needs protection, how you are going to intervene and interrupt your opponent, and sometimes, but not too often, how not to get on the nerves of the judge. All that requires calculation, precision, timing, and a sense of perspective.

28.      We went to the US in February 2023. We picked the timing, because we knew that she had announced her US tour dates, but not other venues yet. It was going to be a massive tour. Those of you who have seen the concert would know that it is a very different spectacle, a very different genre of concerts. We wanted to see whether we could be the first on the list when she went out of the US.

29.      With this in mind, we went off to LA, and met a couple of different agents. One of them was Taylor Swift’s agent. Very quickly, we sort of worked out that they have not yet settled the dates for Asia, or indeed, for Southeast Asia. They were considering Japan, which they eventually went to, and cities in North Asia. And so, we said why not come to Singapore. For those who read the papers would know, we made a pitch for her to be only in Singapore. We thought that would work out well for Singapore, if we could anchor the show in Singapore over several nights.

30.      So, we asked for two things. One was to be only in Singapore. And the other condition that we put on the table was for Singapore to be the last stop of a particular leg of the show. We knew she was running the concerts for two or three years, and there would be breaks in between. We wanted a show that would be at the end of a particular segment in Singapore. The reason for that is because if the show was successful on launch, we could then consider extending it, without needing to consider any other commitments that she has, which we got in the end.

31.      If you remember the tour, she went from Europe to Tokyo. After Tokyo, she bypassed Singapore, which would have been a natural stop, and went to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and then came back to Singapore, and finished the last stop of the Eras tour in Singapore. We opened up for three nights, and of course, the demand was overwhelming. We decided we could exercise our right for a further three nights, and that was also overwhelming. So, that was the thinking when we went into it. The timing we saw was perfect, as she had not yet announced her tour dates. And eventually, we were able to produce 3 x 2 nights.

32.      The third point I would make is to speak to different scenarios. We went in with that objective, and we were able to emerge with a pretty successful outcome – having Taylor Swift perform in Singapore.

33.      But I would say for all the lessons in negotiation – and I mentioned three points, I think the key ingredient for us is really not so much ourselves as a team, what we put on the table, and so on.

34.      In my view, we were dealing with a team that was very professional. I never met with Taylor Swift, I kept it at arm’s length, and only dealt with the agents and her team. They were absolutely professional – they knew exactly what they wanted, and they were very much on top of their demands. They were also very professional about how you looked at the organisation and running of the show.

35.      I would say that for all the levers that we have, the most important lever we had was really this – it was as simple as saying that we come from Singapore, we want you to perform in Singapore, and we will give you the Singapore experience. I thought that was crucial for us. In a moment, I will explain why I think that is also important for the legal industry.

36.      Singapore has a strong reputation for doing what we say we will do, and in some cases, going beyond that, and doing better than others. We take it upon ourselves to do that.

37.      When I came back from the trip, I told my team from Sports Hub that we will have to ensure that she not just gets whatever she wants based on the contract, and we deliver what we agreed to, but it must be an experience that will make them want to come back. That is going to be our KPI.

38.      There is also a high level of trust in the Singapore brand. Whilst the team was here to do research, and when she was here over the two weeks, I chatted with her managers, people who run the shows. They said one of the key criteria for them is this – what is the infrastructure of the city we are performing in? Can my fans come into the city safely, and more importantly, leave safely. It is a long show. They finish at 11pm at night. In many other cities, many of the fans spent the night overnight, before they get back home the next morning. In Singapore, you are back home before midnight.

39.      We were surprised ourselves that they said this was what made Singapore special and distinctive. Things like safety, security, that the shows will go on, that there were enough contracting parties with the expertise and skills, to provide all the different services that they wanted. It is the whole experience. It is not just about what we, in Government can offer alone, but really what Singapore can offer in terms of infrastructure.

40.      In the context of making sure that we deliver on this, we set up a team specially to look after the needs. We were very conscious of making sure that we went above and beyond what was simply our functions.

Government’s Approach to Developing Singapore’s Legal Industry

41.      Apply that to what we see in the Singapore legal industry, and by that I mean all practitioners here – whether you are local or foreign practising in Singapore, practising from Singapore, or in some cases, just practising through Singapore.

42.      First, you can avail yourself of all the Singapore experience and infrastructure. By that, I mean, amongst others, a clear adherence to the rule of law. We are absolutely, utterly focused on ensuring that we do nothing, except through the rule of law, and by the rule of law.

43.      Second, it is a safe, secure legal jurisdiction. It means that if you put an investment into Singapore, it will not be lost in any other way except through the rule of law. And if you have a difficulty or disagreement, your dispute will be resolved, in accordance to the rule of law, with transparency, and with as much expediency and efficiency as possible. That is our assurance to the legal industry.

44.      Beyond that, I will say we have a very forward-looking, business-centric outlook. My Ministry of Law looks after the legal industry, but we are very much aware that law follows business. Picking up on what Mr Selvam said earlier about the clients being the lifeblood, and the whole raison d’etre behind the existence of the firm, it is the same for us in the Government – we know that the legal framework is nothing, if we do not use that to develop the business in Singapore.

45.      So, we are very forward-looking, very commercial minded, very mercantile driven in how we make rules. The benefit we have is we are a small and tight jurisdiction. Small, in the sense that the moment we know there is a trend changing in the world, shifting in the world, we change.

46.      For example, when we needed to introduce quickly emergency arbitrator provisions, to deal with quick, expedited clearance, we did so. When we realised that we wanted to have foreign counsel appear in some cases, particularly in restructuring cases which nowadays are very cross-border, we tweaked our rules. And now, in the SICC, foreign counsel appear, side by side with local counsel, to address the court, to ensure that there is no arbitrage between two different sets of proceedings in different parts of the world.

47.      We make tweaks quickly, and adjust our rules quickly. We do not shy away from amending our legislation from time to time. MinLaw is a relatively small Ministry, but we are responsible for almost one third of every Bill that has gone through Parliament in the past 5 or 6 years, since the time I joined. That shows the extent to which we have been very ready to make changes, to adapt, to ensure that the tools we have in the legal industry are forward-looking, are fit for purpose, and evolve with times.

48.      We continually improve on our product. One of the things I take great joy in doing is to keep in contact with the legal industry, and I think that is really important for us. I have been out of practice for coming to 6 years, so while I still understand and remember practice – fondly in most cases, I think we need to be tapped into the legal industry. Again, by that, I mean both local lawyers, as well as foreign lawyers practising here. We ensure that we lean on you, understand how you see your clients’ needs, and make shifts based on that.

49.      We have adjusted the schemes – the QFLP, JLV, FLA schemes. We continue to tweak them, so that their raison d’etre, the purpose for which they exist, is always maintained. We adjust our arbitration rules very often. We have changed our Companies Act from time to time. We realised some years ago, we had to look at a different form of restructuring, so we imported Chapter 11 almost wholesale into our Companies Act, and now it is in our Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act (IRDA).

50.      It is really through interactions constantly – sometimes through social conversations, sometimes more formal – with the Bar, the Bench, the academia, and the immediate stakeholders like the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), general counsel in the different MNCs. All that informs us of the sentiments.

51.      One of the things that we can do well in Singapore is to move fast, move quickly. All of these, I believe, just like Taylor Swift, will also be relevant for any practitioner or any client operating in, from or through Singapore. These, I think, are our major assets.

52.      So, to all of you who have views and feedback, come and attend our regular consultations, because the views you give to us as stakeholders is vital and critical – helps us to remain open, relevant, and evolve.

53.      I hope that gives you a little bit of perspective as to why our work with Taylor Swift was also relevant to our work with the legal industry in a comparative way.

Conclusion

54.      But once again, I come back to the point about why we are here today, to celebrate the occasion. I wish Ramdas & Wong all the very best. The foundation you have built is very strong. Sometimes, to move forward, we have got to look at lessons in history as well. I think you will learn many lessons from your own experience – how you evolved, how you grew practices, extended practice areas, worked with clients, tapped into network of ALFA to grow.

55.      As you look forward to the next 50 years, I want you to do that, with the knowledge that, as far as the Government is concerned, we want every Singapore law firm to stand on your feet, and we want the brand of Singapore law firms to remain as strong as possible.

56.      Thank you very much.

Last updated on 22 May 2024