WHY TANJONG COUNSEL
What sets our practice apart
A focused insolvency and restructuring practice has advantages that a generalist firm simply cannot replicate — in depth of knowledge, procedural familiarity, and the quality of judgment applied to each matter.
← Back to HomeCOMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES
What working with Tanjong Counsel means in practice
Dedicated Insolvency Practice
We do not dabble in insolvency work between other matters. Debt restructuring, winding-up, and creditor advisory constitute our core — which translates into current procedural knowledge and substantive depth.
Procedurally Current Under the IRDA
Singapore's insolvency landscape changed significantly with the IRDA 2018. Our team works within this framework daily — understanding moratorium mechanisms, rescue financing provisions, and updated scheme approval processes.
Plain Communication
Insolvency law carries its own vocabulary. We translate statutory requirements and procedural steps into clear terms — enabling clients to engage meaningfully with decisions rather than deferring entirely to counsel.
Both-Sides Awareness
Having advised both debtors and creditors, we understand the perspectives and pressures on each side of a restructuring or negotiation — which informs more realistic proposals and better-structured settlements.
Timely Engagement
Early legal advice in a financial difficulty situation often preserves more options. We are available for prompt consultations and set realistic timelines from the outset rather than allowing matters to drift.
Central Business District Access
Located in Samsung Hub at 3 Church Street, we are positioned close to the Singapore courts, ACRA offices, and the financial institutions and professional advisers that often feature in restructuring matters.
Professional Expertise
The lawyers at Tanjong Counsel bring twelve to fourteen years of dedicated insolvency and restructuring experience. This is not a peripheral practice area — it is the work we have built our professional knowledge around. The depth this provides extends beyond familiarity with legislation; it means having navigated varied creditor structures, contested moratorium applications, and complex scheme approvals across different industry sectors.
- Active practising certificates from the Law Society of Singapore
- Over 200 insolvency and restructuring matters handled
- Cross-sector experience: manufacturing, services, real estate, F&B
Structured Process
We begin each engagement with a structured assessment: understanding the debt profile, identifying statutory deadlines, and mapping the procedural options available. From there, we develop a clear work plan with milestones and defined responsibilities. This structured approach prevents matters from drifting and ensures statutory requirements are not overlooked amid the commercial pressures that typically accompany financial difficulty.
- Initial debt and creditor profile assessment
- Mapped engagement plan with clear milestones
- Regular updates and client review points
Client Service Quality
Financial difficulty is not an abstract legal problem — it has real consequences for directors, shareholders, employees, and creditors. We engage with this reality. Clients have direct access to the qualified lawyer handling their matter. Calls and correspondence are responded to promptly. Advice is given in plain language, with space for questions.
- Named qualified lawyer for each engagement
- Responses within one business day
- Plain language advice at every stage
Transparent Fee Structure
We provide fee estimates at the outset of each engagement and communicate promptly if scope changes. Our published starting prices for each service area — S$170 for restructuring advisory, S$380 for voluntary winding-up, S$660 for creditor negotiation — reflect genuine entry-level engagements and are not promotional figures. Scope and complexity are discussed before fees are confirmed.
- Published starting fees for each service area
- Written fee estimates before work commences
- Prompt notification of any scope changes
Outcome-Oriented Approach
Legal work in insolvency should always serve a defined purpose: preserving going-concern value, achieving an orderly wind-down, or reaching a workable settlement. We keep the defined objective in view throughout each engagement and assess procedural choices against it — rather than defaulting to the most complex option available.
- Objectives defined and documented at engagement outset
- Procedural choices assessed against client objectives
- Post-matter review for lessons and follow-up
HOW WE COMPARE
Focused practice vs. general advisory
When legal work involves insolvency and restructuring, the nature of the firm advising matters. Here is how a focused practice compares to the alternatives.
| Area | General Practice Firm | Tanjong Counsel |
|---|---|---|
| IRDA procedural knowledge | Limited | Yes |
| Published fees per service area | ||
| Named qualified lawyer for each matter | Varies | |
| Both debtor-side and creditor-side experience | Varies | |
| Creditor negotiation within scope | ||
| CBD location for court proximity | Varies | |
| Dedicated restructuring track record |
Comparison reflects generalised characteristics of practice types and may not apply to every firm.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
What we offer that others may not
Integrated restructuring-to-settlement capability
Many matters begin as restructuring conversations but evolve into negotiated settlements — or vice versa. Because Tanjong Counsel covers both restructuring and creditor negotiation, there is no need to change advisers when circumstances shift.
Early consultation without commitment
We make an initial consultation available to help businesses understand their position before they commit to any course of action — acknowledging that clarity itself has value at an early stage.
Director-level engagement understanding
Directors of companies in financial difficulty carry personal obligations under the Companies Act and IRDA. Our advice addresses these obligations specifically — not just the corporate situation in isolation.
Relationship-preserving approach
Where commercial relationships are worth preserving, we structure advice with that in mind — seeking outcomes that allow future dealings between debtor and creditor rather than defaulting to adversarial positions.
RECOGNITION
Professional milestones
2024
Singapore Legal Alliance
Recognised Practice in Corporate Insolvency
200+
Matters Completed
Across restructuring, winding-up, and negotiation
12
Years in Practice
Focused insolvency and restructuring advisory
ISCA
Affiliated Practice
Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants affiliate
NEXT STEPS
Speak with a practitioner who works in this area daily
The advantages of a focused practice become clearest in the early stages of a matter — when the right framing of the situation shapes every decision that follows.
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