Frances graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1986 with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree in 1986 and was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1987. Apart from a period of 2 years as in-house counsel with one of Singapore’s leading property developers, she has been in private practice.

Frances has an extensive and diverse practice in corporate, financing and real estate transactions. She has in the course of her practice, handled and advised on joint ventures and the sale and acquisition of shares and businesses. On the real estate front, she has advised on matters involving acquisition of resort islands and other real properties, property and project financing, leasing, applications to government and statutory authorities in connection with issues concerning change of use, alienation of state land, upgrading of tenure, foreign ownership of properties and tax issues, property due diligence and all types of related real estate work.

Frances’ work involves advising, drafting, reviewing and negotiating transactional documents. Her experience includes:

• acting for property developers in the acquisition of development sites;
• acting for property developers in the sale of units in residential, commercial and industrial development projects;
• acting for sellers or buyers in the collective sale and purchase of residential units;
• acting for sellers or buyers of multi-tenanted buildings, industrial buildings, JTC properties, HDB properties, landed properties and condominiums;
• financing of development sites/projects;
• the sale of buildings to Real Estate Investment Trusts and the leaseback of such buildings;
• acting for Real Estate Investment Trusts in the acquisition and lease of commercial and industrial buildings;
• advising financial institutions in the structuring of loans and other financial transactions;
• drafting and/or reviewing lease documentation for landlords or tenants involving residential properties, commercial and/or industrial complex, food and beverage outlets, medical centre, entertainment and/or food and beverage outlets.

In dealing with real estate transactions, she has acted for parties including financial institutions, management corporations, the Central Provident Fund Board, property developers, vendors and purchasers (both individual and corporate, foreign and local clients) and statutory authorities. Her advice or views has been sought by statutory authorities before the implementation of laws.

Frances is a member of the Law Society of Singapore and the Singapore Academy of Law. She has also tutored conveyancing in the Post Graduate Practical Law Course for 2 years and was appointed an Adjudicator (a statutory appointment under the Conveyancing and Law of Property (Conveyancing) Rules) for the Law Society’s Expedited Adjudication Scheme under the new conveyancing regime in 2011. She has also been volunteering her legal services pro bono for the needy.