Morgan Lewis will further strengthen its global tax team with the addition of Kai Lee Lau as a partner of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and a director of Morgan Lewis Stamford, and Rajiv Rai as an associate. The pair, who add local Singapore tax capabilities for the first time, will focus on civil and criminal tax litigation and supporting clients’ tax-related needs. Both will join the firm later this month following Kai Lee’s 12-year service and Rajiv’s three-year service with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
“Expanding our contingent of former government officials worldwide, this experienced team will bring a nuanced perspective from a public regulator to help guide clients on their tax issues and the anticipated increase in enforcement activities,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “In addition to their deep familiarity with the procedural regulatory landscape, their corporate advisory insight will be key as global taxation continues to evolve and adapt to developments around ecommerce, remote working, and digitalization, to name a few.”
Kai Lee has more than 17 years of experience in tax law. He began his career as a tax lawyer at another top-tier law firm before joining the IRAS, where he served as lead counsel for over a decade. At the IRAS, he led numerous high-value and complex disputes across all tax types, including matters related to corporate income tax, personal income tax, goods and services tax (GST), property tax, and stamp duty.
Kai Lee is also a chartered accountant (Singapore) with the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and has been appointed as a mediator on the panel of the Singapore Mediation Centre. During his time with the IRAS, Kai Lee was awarded a full post-graduate scholarship and attained a Master’s in Law from the National University of Singapore.
“Throughout Singapore, Asia, and beyond, Kai Lee will be a great asset to our multinational clients as they navigate often highly complex tax issues across borders,” said Bart Bassett, who leads Morgan Lewis’s tax practice. “His diverse skillset aligns closely with our integrated global controversy, planning, and transactional capabilities.”
“Kai Lee is well versed in the Singapore taxation regulatory outlook and will keep us at the forefront of the Singapore tax regime, including the GST, while providing in-depth understanding of how the tax treatment works with multinational and large corporate clients,” said Joo Khin Ng, managing partner of the Singapore office. “He will collaborate closely with our local Singapore litigation and corporate practices and international colleagues to provide practical, efficient solutions to clients.”
With a broad range of skills, Morgan Lewis's tax lawyers are located throughout Asia, the United States, and Europe, and provide companies and partnerships of all sizes, as well as tax-exempt clients, with an integrated approach to tax advice. Morgan Lewis also has tax lawyers in related practices, such as white collar litigation and government investigations, employee benefits and executive compensation, and personal law, who work closely with the firm’s corporate lawyers.
Our Beijing and Shanghai offices operate as representative offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In Hong Kong, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius is a separate Hong Kong general partnership registered with The Law Society of Hong Kong. Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC is a Singapore law corporation affiliated with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.