Flint & Battery LLC adds Professor Lakshmikanth Rao Penna
Professor Penna commences at Flint & Battery LLC 2 April 2014 and leads India Transactions and International Commercial Arbitrations. Professor Penna brings extensive experience in international criminal matters and had served in various international governmental delegations and in international commercial matters. Professor Penna was a consultant for more than 10 years in Lee & Lee in joint law venture with Hogan Lovells where he was involved in numerous international arbitrations, civil cases and criminal cases.
“Professor Penna’s vast experience will be Flint & Battery’s largest asset,” says Winston Wong, Director. “His capability and breadth and depth in knowledge in international commercial arbitration and transactions inbound and outbound of India will be invaluable to the firm.”
“Flint & Battery’s exciting blend of vitality and drive is its greatest quality,” says Professor Penna.
Professor Penna taught at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (NUS), and introduced five new subjects into the Law Faculty. Prior to joining NUS in 1984, he was the Professor of Law and Principal of the University College of Law, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. The Professor is an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore and an advocate of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, India, eligible to practice throughout India.
Professor Penna is a member of the Government of Singapore Income Tax Board of Review and an appointed Adjudicator of the Financial Industry Dispute Resolution Centre (FIDReC).
Professor Penna had been involved in the following international commercial matters:
· Advised the concessionaire in an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration relating to the annulment and forfeiture of a BOT project by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines worth over USD 600 million in regard to the Manila International Airport Terminal 3.
· Briefed the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran in an American company’s claim of USD 1.4 billion before the US-Iran Claims Tribunal, The Hague, The Netherlands, arising from statutory annulment of oil exploration / exploitation concessions.
· Involved in an ICC arbitration relating to shareholders agreement between parties which include a leading bank in the Philippines.
· Represented an American company in an ICC arbitration filed by an Indonesian corporate entity for power generation in Indonesia.
· Appointed Sole Arbitrator in a Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) arbitration between Singapore and Indian parties.
· Represented a Japanese MNC in a matter relating to in exports to India allegedly in contravention of the “Rules Of Origin” under the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
· Advised an American resident in Singapore in a prosecution for complicity in a transnational high profile bribery case.
Professor Penna had been involved in the following non-contentious commercial matters:
· Involved in preparing due diligence for the lender banks in developing one of the casinos in Singapore.
· Advised a Japanese MNC in appointing marketing agents in India.
· Advised a Japanese MNC on tax liability in India.
· Briefed the Monetary Authority of Singapore on Islamic Law of Banking and Finance.
Professor Penna had participated in the following international governmental delegations:
· Member of the Government of Singapore Business Delegation to India in 2003 lead by the then Honourable Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong.
· Member, Government of India Delegation to the United Nations Second World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna (1993) headed by the present Prime Minister (then Finance Minister) Dr Manmohan Singh, and its Preparatory Committee meetings at Geneva and Asian Regional Meetings at Bangkok.
Professor Penna had served as Visiting Faculty in the Police Academy of Singapore and Civil Service Institute, Visiting Scholar in the Stanford Law School, Stanford University, California, US. He is currently Associate Member of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL), Member of the IUCN World Conservation Union, Commission on Environmental Law. He served as Gastwissenchaftler (Guest Scholar) of Max-Planck-Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where he was involved in multidisciplinary research on money laundering and its prevention followed by presenting a seminar attended by Germany’s senior law enforcement officials. He had served as President of the All India Law Teachers’ Association, Visiting Professor of the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, Washington DC, US, and had participated in the research programmes of the Hague Academy of International law.