Yan Leong

Yan Leong, Founding Partner at Foo Leong Tan & Chan, is a corporate and commercial lawyer, called to the Malaysian Bar in 2016. Her commercial practice mainly focuses on dispute resolution and advisory matters. Over the years, she has acted for a wide range of clients, from SMEs to established companies, across such industries as construction, food and beverage, education, printing, IT, beauty and retail, to name but a few.

In the area of commercial dispute resolution, she has represented companies in litigation primarily involving breach of contract, non-performance and debt recovery claims. Her approach goes beyond legal positioning, working closely with clients to understand their broader commercial objectives and to tailor dispute strategies that align with business continuity, reputational risk and cost-efficiency. Depending on the circumstances, this has included aggressive court enforcement – such as obtaining injunctions, freezing orders and writs of seizure and sale. In other situations, she has secured favourable outcomes through negotiated settlements, restructuring of payment obligations or the strategic termination of unfavourable agreements.

Ms Leong noted: “My commercial advisory work encompasses drafting and negotiating a wide range of agreements, including service-level agreements, distribution contracts, software licensing terms, partnership arrangements, affiliate agreements and compliance-related documents under personal data protection laws. I frequently advise on risk allocation, indemnity provisions, limitation of liability clauses and dispute resolution mechanisms – ensuring each agreement is aligned with the client’s commercial objectives and operational realities. Leveraging my litigation background, I take a practical approach to contract drafting, aiming to pre-empt disputes and ensure that the terms are not only legally sound, but also enforceable in the relevant business setting.”

In the employment and industrial relations space, Ms Leong has acted for employers in defending claims of wrongful and constructive dismissal before the Industrial Court. She has further advised on a range of employment issues, including employee misconduct, domestic inquiries, strikes, retrenchment exercises and employee terminations or exits. 

Meanwhile, she is a member of the Malaysian Bar, an affiliate of the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (MAICSA), as well as a legal adviser to several community organisations and temples. She was honoured to be recognised as one of The Elite by The Page in 2022 – and to be accepted as a member of British Publishing House Ltd’s Successful People in Malaysia & Singapore in July 2024.

Ms Leong added: “A recent challenge I’ve observed in my practice is the increasingly fast-paced evolution of the legal and commercial landscape. Many emerging issues – such as new financing models, hybrid employment structures and cross-industry collaborations – are not yet well established in conventional legal frameworks, but they do exist and are becoming more common. As legal advisers, we must stay ahead of market developments, understand evolving business models and translate them into practical legal strategies for our clients. To overcome this, I constantly update myself on industry trends, regulatory shifts and commercial innovations to ensure my advice remains commercially relevant, forward-thinking and grounded in the client’s real-world context.”