Case studies in extraordinary thinking

Some of David’s most memorable cases are as illuminating as they are unconventional.
 

As honorary legal advisor to a hotel concierge association, he helped members navigate a global industry norm that conflicted with local anti-corruption laws - finding a delicate legal balance between everyday practicality and the letter of the law.

In another case, a long-time client asked him to uncover why a timber concession was losing money. What began as a legal investigation turned into a week-long adventure across Irian Jaya, where he not only uncovered financial misappropriation in the timber concern, but also discovered that bore-logs on neighbouring land had struck gold.

 

Acting on this information, he restructured the business into a timber-and-plywood mill, while setting up a separate company to prospect for gold on his client’s land. He then helped the client raise millions in capital on the Vancouver Stock Exchange to fund what would turn out to be a very fruitful exploration for gold. As is typical of David, he went far beyond the original brief and over-delivered on the client’s goal of increasing profits.

In yet another case where David acted for minority shareholders of a holding company, David’s keen observation of a simple prayer before a meal led to him learn about a family charter written by the organisation’s founding patriarch, urging faith and family harmony. The document was used in court to show that despite the public listing of the family business, it was still run in accordance to the charter. In his judgement, the Learned Judge first read out the charter and then held that despite the listed status of the business, the holding company was still a “quasi-partnership”, allowing his client to find a fair-value exit to the company.

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Finding opportunity in adversity

David has also applied his creative problem-solving towards turning challenging situations around. He noticed that a listed client with a solidly performing core business was suffering losses due to the early start-up of its tissue mill division, causing a drop in share price. He quickly proposed that the client buy out the loss-making division and nurture it as a private business. Once this was carried out, the share price soon recovered. David’s proposal gave the tissue business the time it needed to turn profitable, and eventually achieve exceptional returns during the Covid years.

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Living the law in all its dimensions

David has represented multinational corporations and listed companies across sectors as diverse as banking & finance, oil & gas, healthcare, IT, construction, hospitality, and shipping. He sits on boards of companies across the region. Yet he has never lost touch with the simple values of hard work, resourcefulness and integrity instilled since his younger days helping his family to manage a rubber and palm oil plantation.

 

Today, with his encyclopaedic understanding of business and the law, and an ever-inquisitive mind, David remains a consummate problem-solver - seizing the opportunity in every challenge and always seeking to create value, build trust, and make the world work just a little better.

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