Shalini Kumar

I am a Restructuring & Insolvency associate with Mergers & Acquisitions experience based in Singapore. I guide clients through complex cross-border distress and special situations, and deliver related transactional expertise.

I specialise in cross-border distress and special situations across a diverse range of sectors. I have experience in both contentious and non-contentious aspects of corporate restructuring and insolvency, general corporate advisory work, and distressed financing and mergers and acquisitions deals. I advise corporate clients, creditors, debtors, insolvency professionals, funds, and regularly work with international counsel.

I value a client-focused and business-oriented approach to deliver practical solutions using creative strategies that help clients navigate complex legal challenges. I appreciate Bird & Bird's collaborative environment, supported by a diverse and highly experienced network of lawyers, which fosters a robust ecosystem driving impactful solutions for our clients.

I find great fulfilment in leveraging my legal background to meaningfully support underserved communities through grassroots and pro bono legal work. I am especially passionate about creating safer online spaces for youth and supporting the legal fraternity as a member of the Law Society's Young Lawyers Committee and Information Technology Committee.

• Assisted with the successful multi-jurisdictional restructuring of US$1.5 billion in liabilities of the Duniatex Group and obtained a recognition of the Indonesian restructuring proceedings under the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency and common law.
• Advised and represented the Singapore-incorporated debtor companies of FTX, previously one of the biggest players in the crypto industry valued at US$ 32 billion, in US Chapter 11 proceedings and the liquidation in the aftermath of the high-profile FTX exchange collapse.
• Advised Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. And Mitsui & Co., Ltd. on the S$800 million acquisition of approximately 86 per cent. of the ordinary shares in Eu Yan Seng International Ltd and the pre-conditional mandatory general offer to acquire all of its remaining ordinary shares.
• Advised Grab on a digital banking joint venture with Singtel to establish GXS Bank, Singapore's first digital bank for the retail market targeting financially underserved segments of small companies and gig economy workers.
• Advised on a distressed mergers & acquisitions transaction on the wind-down of a downstream Singapore entity where due diligence was tailored to concerns typical of distressed contexts, including time constraints, termination or continuity of key contracts, and indemnity claims.