Donovan has been recognised as a recommended lawyer for labour and employment law by Legal 500 Asia Pacific in their 2017 and 2018 rankings, where he is described as "understanding, efficient and direct" and "the name to note".

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Donovan assists corporate clients on various employment law issues, including drafting of employment contracts and handbooks, advising on workforce reductions, termination of employees and compliance issues, and representing them in employment litigation such as unfair dismissal claims and judicial review proceedings involving the decisions of the Industrial Court or the Minister of Human Resources.

 

Donovan also has extensive experience in dispute resolution and has represented international corporations in a wide range of matters, including commercial and civil litigation, international arbitrations, intellectual property disputes and construction adjudication.

 

He was the former regional legal counsel for South East Asia of PPG Industries, one of the largest paints and coatings manufacturers in the world. In this role, he oversaw the organisation's in-house legal services in South East Asia, supporting business units in the region across 6 countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

 

Donovan is also a registered foreign lawyer with the Singapore International Commercial Court. He is a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He also sits on the Malaysian Bar's Professional Standards and Development Committee and the Industrial and Employment Law Committee.

Shawn was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2006. He was recognized by Legal 500 Asia Pacific, for Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions in 2018.

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Shawn has represented his clients in corporate acquisitions, restructuring exercises, joint venture arrangements, shareholder agreements, employee share options and franchise businesses. He regularly advises Malaysian startup founders and has assisted venture capital funds in Seed, Series A & B funding rounds.

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Shawn's practice also extends to real-estate transactions and advising on real-estate related tax planning, including stamp duty, use of tax efficient investment structures for property investment, real property gains tax, goods and services tax and income tax in Malaysia.