Thomas Kim

Thomas Kim focuses his practice on advising private equity, venture capital and other alternative fund managers on the structuring, establishment and marketing of investment funds. He has significant experience advising sovereign wealth funds, multilateral development banks and other institutional investors on their private fund investments. Thomas also regularly counsels clients on secondary transactions, mergers and acquisitions of fund management businesses, co-investments and carried interest structuring. He is experienced in the raising of closed-ended funds focusing on impact and sustainable investments, and regularly advises asset managers on compliance with European ESG-related regulatory matters.

Thomas was recently recognized as Up and Coming in the 2024 edition of Chambers Asia Pacific for his work in "Singapore: Investment Funds: International". Clients note that he is 'very knowledgeable in his field and has a strong ability to understand complex transaction structures and commercial aspects of a deal' and that he is 'always very responsive' and 'picks up on things very quickly'. Thomas was also recognized as a Next Generation Partner in the 2024 edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for his work in “Singapore: Investment Funds: Foreign Firms”, having previously been recognized as a Rising Star. The recent editions note that he 'stood out in terms of responsiveness and quality of advice' and is 'excellent in understanding [clients'] needs and sharing [his] in depth experience and current market practice'. Clients see him as ‘a skilled funds practitioner’ who ‘provides sharp analysis’ and 'pays attention to details', commend him for his 'cool demeanour' and ‘exceptional professionalism and tenacity’. He is valued by his clients for his ‘proactive and driven’ approach, and for his ‘genuine interest in obtaining the best result for his client’.

Prior to joining Dechert, Thomas was based in the London office of another US law firm, during which he completed a secondment in the corporate legal department of a large institutional asset manager and compliance department of a hedge fund. In his previous career, Thomas was an officer in the Singapore Navy, where he served in Iraq during its post-war reconstruction, and provided legal counsel to the naval counter-piracy task force off the coast of Somalia.