Sheng & Co, now officially operating as Teng Sheng & Fatima (TSF), undertook a rebranding following the admission of corporate M&A lawyers George Teng and Athira Fatima as new partners.
“The timing (of the rebranding) is deliberate. Malaysia is seeing a surge in M&A activity and foreign investment interest, driven by a strong governmental push for foreign investments in Malaysia. TSF Law, as a firm spearheaded by three partners who specialise in corporate and M&A matters, is well positioned to ride this wave,” said TSF’s founding partner David Lim.
Lim added that the firm saw an encouraging trend in the region, with clients, including larger corporations, increasingly opting for boutique firms for their specialised knowledge and more personalised approach.
The three partners operate under an equal partnership model with no fixed managing partner. Teng focuses on business development and external relations, while Fatima leads talent development and HR.
Teng and Fatima have worked closely with Lim in prior roles, having previously been colleagues at D&P Law Group where Lim served as a partner.
Teng, who most recently worked as a corporate and commercial associate at Donovan & Ho, has joined the firm as a partner and brings extensive experience in M&A, joint ventures, fundraising and cross-border structuring.
On the other hand, Fatima has been promoted internally to partnership from her senior associate role at Sheng & Co. Formerly with Wong & Partners, a Malaysian member firm of Baker McKenzie International, she primarily focuses on M&A, licensing and regulatory compliance with niche expertise in media and entertainment law.
Lim has also observed a trend in which Malaysian companies are scaling across borders faster than ever, and legal needs are becoming increasingly complex and cost sensitive.
He added that while such matters were previously dominated by international firms, there was growing confidence in local boutique firms bringing the same strategic insight with greater flexibility and closer client alignment.
“While we are a newly established firm, we have already developed strong working relationships with law firms across Southeast Asia,” said Lim. He noted that many of their clients, including KJTS Group, Gobi Partners, and Kairous Capital have operations spanning multiple Southeast Asian jurisdictions.
He also said the transition to TSF enables them to support these clients more holistically by serving as a central point of contact, backed by a carefully curated regional network. This approach streamlines cross-border legal co-ordination, allowing their clients to tap into the network without having to engage multiple firms across different jurisdictions.
Aside from the rebranding and the admission of two new partners, no other leadership changes are currently planned.
In terms of services, the firm is broadening its scope to cover capital markets, commercial real property transactions, as well as advisory on laws and agreements relating to the entertainment industry and ESG compliance.
With the admission of Teng and Fatima, TSF currently counts three partners and three associates in its ranks.
