• People
  • People
  • People
Expertise
Insights
Insights

CMS lawyers can provide future-facing advice for your business across a variety of specialisms and industries, worldwide.

Explore topics
Offices
Lau, Horton & Wise LLP
Insights
Trending Topics
About CMS
More about CMS
Steven Tran - 600 x 600
Partner

Steven Tran

Languages
  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese

Steven Tran is a corporate partner based in our Hong Kong office and working closely with the corporate team in our Singapore office. He acts on M&A and private equity transactions across the Asia region. 

Steve has over 25 years of experience advising multinational corporations, as well as global and regional private equity funds and their portfolio companies, on complex multi-jurisdictional M&A, private equity, and joint venture transactions across Asia.

He is particularly active on deals across Southeast Asia, and primarily focuses on the Consumer, Industrials, Business Services, Technology, and Real Estate sectors.

Steve is highly regarded by clients as “one of the best PE/M&A lawyers in town, with a work ethic and passion for his clients that is second to none”. He is described as “hands-on, commercial and immensely knowledgeable about all aspects of M&A and private equity” and “always on top of the key issues”. Clients also comment that Steve has “impeccable client service and responsiveness” and that he is “a born pragmatist – able to sift the really important issues from the pack and focus on delivering true value to clients”.

Based in Asia for over 23 years, Steve has worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney.

Steve is qualified as a Solicitor in Hong Kong, England and Wales, and Australia. He speaks English, Vietnamese and Japanese.

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    "Not only is he immensely knowledgeable on the law, but he is a born pragmatist – able to sift the really important issues from the pack and focus on delivering true value to clients.”
    Legal 500 – Corporate and M&A: Singapore – Foreign Firms, 2024
  • Quote
    “Notable Practitioner for Private Equity in Hong Kong”
    IFLR 1000, (2022‒2023)
  • Quote
    “Recommended in China Private Equity: Foreign Firms”
    Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, (2021‒2022)
  • Quote
    “Impeccable client service and responsiveness.”
    IFLR 1000, 2021
  • Quote
    “One of the best PE/M&A lawyers in town, with a work ethic and passion for his clients that is second to none.”
    IFLR 1000, 2021

Relevant experience

  • Grab Inc. on its acquisition of Chope, a restaurant reservation app operating across Southeast Asia.
  • An Asian sovereign wealth fund on its real estate co-investment in Vietnam with a Singaporean strategic partner.
  • A global private equity fund on its proposed acquisition of a Singapore fintech company.
  • An Asian private equity fund on its proposed acquisition of a Singapore company that owns a proprietary data center platform software.
  • LimeTree Capital on the disposal of its portfolio of real estate assets in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Palau; its Indonesian joint venture to acquire and develop a real estate project in Bali; its joint venture with a Thai partner in respect of Thai real estate investments; the offshore shareholders’ agreement relating to its acquisition of real estate assets in Japan; and the post-completion restructuring of its investment in a Chinese car park management business.
  • CITIC Capital on its investments in LanzaTech (a biofuels company), Hilong Holding (an oilfield equipment manufacturer and integrated oil services provider for petroleum and natural gas development), and China Tianyi Holdings (China’s largest manufacturer of frozen concentrated orange juice).
  • Founder of Hop Lun Group (an international fashion lingerie and swimwear company with operations in Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, and Hong Kong) on his sale of a controlling stake to Platinum Equity.
  • Tricor Group (a former portfolio company of Permira) on the restructuring of its Vietnam and Thailand operations, and its acquisitions of Richful Deyong, Madison Pacific Group, and a Japanese business services company.
  • GPA Global (a former portfolio company of EQT Partners) on its acquisition of the European packaging manufacturing business of ASG Print Holdings (a portfolio company of Atlas Holdings).
  • Unified Industrial Group (a logistics and industrial real estate asset manager with operations in Japan, China and Hong Kong) on an equity investment from Macquarie Asset Management.
  • A US multinational corporation on its sales and distribution joint ventures in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Myanmar with an Asian strategic partner.
  • A US private equity fund on its acquisition of a US multinational corporation’s precision laser and surveying equipment manufacturing business in China.

Awards & Rankings

  • IFLR 1000 (2022‒2023):  Notable Practitioner for Private Equity in Hong Kong
  • Legal 500 Asia-Pacific (2021‒2022):  Recommended in China Private Equity: Foreign Firms

Education

  • Bachelor of Laws, The University of New South Wales, Australia
  • Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies), The University of New South Wales, Australia
  • Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, The College of Law, Australia