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Mr. Desautels is the Managing Partner of DFDL and Head of the Banking and Finance Practice Group. He has been practicing law in the Indochina Region for more than 14 years and he specialized in International Banking and Finance Law at the London School of Economics. Before joining DFDL, he worked for the largest French international law firm, Gide Loyrette Nouel, notably, on the Phu My 2.2 Power Project advising the three sponsors EDF, Sumitomo and TEPCO. Martin has also worked on a number of major projects in the energy sector, notably on private power policy in Cambodia advising the Royal Government of Cambodia as well as on several IPPs in Lao PDR, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia acting for sponsors, lenders and governments. He has been involved, as Team Leader, in major projects, including Nam Theun 2 Hydro Project in Lao PDR, the financing of the Thai-Cambodian Transmission Line, the financing of a coal-power project in Cambodia and four different hydro projects in Cambodia. He has also advised developers on various renewable energy projects related to bio-mass, bio-fuel and carbon trading. More specifically, he has advised, as Team Leader, China Exim Bank on two major hydro projects in Cambodia: the Kamchay Hydro-Power Project and Russey Hydro-Power Project, both successfully financed. He speaks English, French, basic Vietnamese and Khmer.

"He has been in the region for a long time... He's also incredibly client-focused and ensures that we get the service we want from DFDL. Martin Desautels is well regarded for investment funds and project finance matters. He proves particularly popular with foreign banks.” (Chambers Asia 2012)

Designated as Leading Lawyer for Financial & Corporate in Vietnam (IFLR1000 2013)

Rashed advises project sponsors, borrowers, trading companies and banks on projects and project finance transactions, securitizations, international trade finance, privatizations, bond issues, loan notes, corporate finance, securities transactions and other structured financing transactions. Rashed has advised on integrated gas to power project development and finance, IPP developments, water and waste water projects. He is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, Barrister at Law of England & Wales (Inns of Court School of Law, London) and has an LL.B. (Hons) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, London UK.

David D. Doran is a Partner, Chairman and the Founding Partner of DFDL. He has over 20 years’ experience as a legal adviser in the Mekong Region in a number of different areas of law. In 1994, he co-founded Dirksen Flipse Doran & Le (DFDL), in Vientiane, Laos. In 1995 he founded DFDL Cambodia, and served as its Managing Director until February, 2003. At that time, he relocated to Bangkok, where he refocused his practice to cover large energy sector projects in Laos. He continues to supervise work in Cambodia as well as manage various Thai projects. He has special expertise in the energy sector, having represented both sponsors and lenders for major power and energy projects in Cambodia and Laos. He also has special expertise in project finance in all sectors and has advised on the Bibiyana I and II projects in Bangladesh. Mr. Doran is an experienced manager of small and large professional teams. David was born in Thailand, is a Thai national and speaks English and French.

He is lauded for his wealth of experience in the region. The Bangkok-based practitioner is a founding partner of the firm's Laos office and has a prominent profile in advising on hydropower projects in the country”. (Chambers Asia 2012)

Jack is the Regional Partner, Tax Practice. He has over 12 years’ experience in Europe and Asia and previously headed the tax team of a “Big Four” firm managing a team of tax specialists. Jack specializes in providing international tax planning and consulting, cross border tax advisory services, tax due diligence, corporate restructuring and reorganization and tax compliance advice. Jack is a regular speaker on current taxation issues in the region and his speaking engagements include European Chamber of Commerce, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Australian New Zealand Business Association, Lao Stock Exchange (LSX), Cambodian Stock Exchange (CSX) and various DFDL sponsored events throughout the region including Thailand, Singapore and Laos. Jack is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (“ACCA”), in the United Kingdom. He speaks English, Lao and basic Thai.

Guillaume Massin is Managing Director Cambodia, Senior Legal Adviser, Head of the Cambodian Real Estate Practice Group and Deputy Head of the Regional Real Estate Practice Group. He holds Master Degrees of Law and Political Science (University of Lille, France). His practice covers Property, Corporate and Commercial, Criminal Law and Procedures and technical assistance consultancies. Guillaume has notably played an important role in landmark deals, including advising an international developer in the development of a multi-million dollar integrated community in Phnom Penh, advising companies on land use rights and construction permits, assisting banks and private equity funds for the structuring of property projects, supervising the acquisition and structuring of hotel and resort projects, including negotiations with the Royal Government of Cambodia for the lease of state land to investors and has worked on land development projects for factories in Special Economic Zones, as well as advised numerous international and local investors in the retail, agriculture and construction sectors. He speaks French, English and very basic Khmer.

Olivier is a French qualified lawyer, senior adviser and head of the Corporate & Commercial Practice Group of DFDL Cambodia. He has 10 years’ experience advising PE funds, large corporations and financial institutions on joint ventures, equity investments, change of control transactions and structured finance transactions. Prior to joining DFDL, Olivier practiced as an M&A lawyer in Paris (France). His practice covers corporate, commercial, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance. He holds a Master's Degree of Business Law and Tax from Poitiers University and is a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Science. He speaks French, English and Khmer.

Viren is a Senior Tax Manager/Associate Director of Tax Practice Group based in our Phnom Penh office. With over nine years’ professional experience in the “big-four” in Cambodia, her areas of expertise include tax advisory, tax compliance and licensing services, and tax due diligence and tax structuring. She holds a BBA majoring in Finance and Banking (National Institute of Management) and is currently studying with FTMS, Singapore completing the Certified Accountant Technician (“CAT”) program. She speaks Khmer and English.

Sambo holds an LL.M in Business Law from Yokohama National University (Japan) and has nine years of experience in legal practice, advising clients on concessions, energy, mining, infrastructure, licensing, contract, foreign investment, secured transactions, corporate, arbitration, insolvency, banking, real estate and tax matters. He has extensive experience in merger and acquisition and debt and equity finance including some of the largest transactions in Cambodia. Sambo has also acted as a national consultant for ADB and World Bank in some technical assistance projects related to energy and infrastructure. He has written an article on Guide to Lending and Taking Security published by Herbert Smith and an article on Project Finance published by Getting the Deal Through. He is a member of the Cambodian National Arbitration Center. He speaks Khmer and English and basic French and Japanese.

Hanh is a qualified Vietnamese lawyer. She has more than 12 years’ experience practicing commercial and corporate law with international firms and organizations in Vietnam and Cambodia. She has assisted foreign investors in Vietnam and in Cambodia, with respect to the Vietnamese and Cambodian laws and regulations, from the initial stage (market entry study) to the implementation of the projects (ad hoc advices). Hanh has advised several investors in setting up their legal presence in both Vietnam and Cambodia (corporate establishment documents, drafting/reviewing corporate article of association/charter, shareholders agreement, and other corporate constitutional documentation etc.). Hanh’s practice covers Real Estate, Corporate and Commercial, Investment and Project Finance. She holds a Lawyer Certificate (Judicial Academy Institute of Vietnam), Master in International Business (University of Tours, France), Bachelor in Law (Hanoi National University) and a Bachelor in Foreign Languages ‒ French and English (Hanoi Foreign Language College). She speaks Vietnamese, French and English.

Adnan has over 9 years of experience. He has contributed to the development of the telecommunications regulatory regime in Pakistan and has been involved in some of the major telecom-related transactions in different jurisdictions including Pakistan, Georgia and parts of Middle East and Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Punjab University Law College). His practice includes Corporate and Commercial law, JVs, Telecom and IT and Sports and Advertising. He speaks Urdu, English and Punjabi.

Patrick is the Head of DFDL’s Japan Desk and Deputy Head of DFDL’s Banking & Finance Practice Group. He is based in Cambodia and Myanmar but covers all offices in the DFDL network, particularly for Japanese clients. Prior to joining DFDL in January 2012, Patrick worked in the legal industry in Japan for 8 years and has had extensive experience in capital markets, structured finance and OTC derivatives at leading global law firms and investment banks both in Japan and London. In addition, Patrick has worked on a broad range of banking and finance transactions. He is admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria as a Barrister and Solicitor and holds a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University, Victoria. He speaks English and Japanese.

David has worked on some of the largest private transactions in Cambodia with a focus on corporate acquisitions, telecommunications, secured transactions and concessions. Prior to coming to Cambodia, David had substantial experience in Competition, Foreign Investment, International Trade and Privacy Law with two major Canadian law firms. He has demonstrated the ability to develop effective client relationships and provide expert advice to companies in a wide range of industry sectors, including telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing, technology, transportation and real estate. His particular strengths are in lateral thinking, creative problem solving and strategic planning.

Vathana Sar is Head of Regulatory & Compliance and Senior Adviser to our Corporate & Commercial Practice Group. He has over 14 years legal experience notably in corporate, regulatory and legal and civil & commercial affairs, contractual matters and a thorough knowledge of commercial issues and practices in Cambodia. His areas of expertise cover all corporate and civil & commercial aspects including mergers and acquisitions, matters related to telecommunication, tax, investment, property, labor & employment, licensing, contract and corporate law. He speaks Khmer and English.

Kosal holds a Certificate of Bookkeeping and Maintaining Financial Records. His practice covers tax returns, payroll services, tax registrations and filings. He speaks Khmer and English.

Jiajia has a general commercial background and her experience includes advising Chinese clients on major infrastructure and energy project financing in Cambodia and foreign banks and corporations in relation to cross-border financing, joint ventures and change of control transactions. Jiajia holds dual Master of Law (LL.M) degrees awarded respectively by New York University School of Law in New York, USA, specializing in US and Asian Business Law and by the Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore, Singapore, specializing in Corporate and Financial Services. She also holds a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) from Peking University Law School, Beijing, China. She speaks Mandarin, English and very basic Korean.

Alex’s experience includes a wide range of business/corporate law, arbitrations and mediations, all phases of civil litigation including jury and bench trials, as well contract drafting and disputes. Until recently he was practicing law in Vietnam and prior to that practiced extensively in Washington State courts and United States Federal courts. He holds a B.S., Mechanical Engineering (University of Washington) and a Juris Doctor (Seattle University School of Law). He speaks English.

Sinath holds a Master Degree of Business Law (University Jean Moulin Lyon III, France), Maitrise of Law (University Lumière Lyon II, France)and a Bachelor Degree in French Law (University Lumière Lyon II, Cambodia), and Bachelor Degree of Cambodian Law (University of Law and Economic Sciences, Cambodia). His practice covers corporate, commercial, labor and contracts. He speaks Khmer, English and French.

Nicholas is a Senior Adviser with our Real Estate Practice Group based in Phnom Penh. He completed his college of laws at The College of Law Alliance, UK, holds a Bachelor of Laws, (Queensland University of Technology, Australia) and a Master of Laws (Université d’Angers, France). His areas of expertise include commercial, contracts and property law. He speaks English and French.

David is ACCA-qualified and a member of the Kampuchea Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Auditors. He is well versed on Cambodian taxation issues having extensive experience with public limited companies, multinational corporations in various industries and non-governmental organizations including tax due diligence and reporting on tax framework to prospective investors. He speaks English, Malay and Cantonese.

Py Borapyn is Senior Tax Manager for the Cambodian Tax Practice Group. He has seven years’ experience as a tax adviser in Cambodia and Thailand, including working in tax advisory, tax compliance and transfer pricing “Big Four” accounting firms. Borapyn specializes in corporate taxes, expatriate taxes and tax audits and disputes. He speaks Khmer and English,

Seka is a legal adviser specializing in corporate law and is a member of our Real Estate Practice Group. She holds a Master 2 of Business Comparative Law (LL.M.) from the University Lumière Lyon 2, France, which included an exchange program at University of Montreal, Canada. She speaks Khmer, English and French.

Frédéric is a legal adviser attached to our Real Estate Practice and is experienced in corporate and family law. He holds a Masters in private law from Avignon University (International Law) and is a Public Notary (Montpellier University). He speaks French and English.

Sophorne is a Legal Adviser to DFDL’s Corporate & Commercial Practice Group. She holds a Master of Law (Pannasastra University of Cambodia) and a Bachelor of Law (Royal University of Law and Economics – Cambodia). She speaks Khmer and English.

Vouchly specializes in Laws on Employment and National Social Security Fund. She holds a Master Degree of Private Law from the Royal University of Law and Economics (Cambodia) and has experience dealing with labor related issues in the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA). She speaks Khmer, English and basic Thai.

Caterina is a Legal Adviser with the Real Estate Practice Group. She is a member of the Québec Bar Association, and holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B, Laval University, Quebec, Canada). She also studied in France in two master programs: Master 2 in International Law & Development Funding and Master 1 in European and International Regulations. Her practice covers real estate, corporate and commercial law. She speaks French, English, Italian and Haitian Creole.

Chanvireak is a Legal Adviser with our Banking & Finance Practice Group. He holds a Bachelor of English (Institute of Foreign Languages, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh), Bachelor of Law (Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh) and is currently undertaking a Masters in Private Law (Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh). Chanvireak speaks Khmer and English.

Theary is a Legal Adviser to DFDL’s Corporate & Commercial Practice Group. She holds a Master of Land Law and Patrimonial Law and a Bachelor of Law (Royal University of Law and Economics – Cambodia). She speaks Khmer, English and a little French.

Phomra is a member of DFDL’s Banking and Finance Practice Group. Her areas of expertise include securities regulations, contract law and urban planning law. She is a Public Notary and holds a Master Degree in Notary Law (University of Jean Moulin Lyon 3, France), Master Degrees in International Contract Law (Second Year) and Corporate Laws (First Year) (University of Lumière Lyon 2, France), Bachelor Degree of Private Laws (University of Lumière Lyon 2, France in cooperation with the Royal University of Law and Economics (Cambodia) and a Bachelor Degree in Laws (Royal University of Law and Economics, Cambodia). Phomra also lectures in Law at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh. She speaks Khmer, English and French.

Davy Kong is an Adviser attached to our Cambodian Real Estate Practice Group. Her areas of expertise extend to Private Laws and translation & interpreting. She holds a Master in Private Laws and a Bachelor of Laws (Royal University of Laws and Economics, Cambodia) and a Bachelor of Arts in English Translation and Interpreting (Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Institute of Foreign Languages). She speaks Khmer and English

Sophorn is a Senior Tax Consultant with DFDL’s Tax Practice Group. She has spent two years with a Big Four firm and is well versed in Cambodian tax matters. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (National University of Management, Cambodia). She speaks Khmer and English.

Udomvityea is a Senior Tax Consultant based in our Phnom Penh office. He possesses extensive experience in tax advisory and tax compliance including tax due diligence, customs and business registration. Udomvityea holds a Bachelor of Finance & Banking (RULE, Cambodia), a Bachelor of Education majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (IFL, Cambodia) and is current pursuing the ACCA Qualification (CamEd Business School, Cambodia). He speaks Khmer and English.

Kanitha is a Senior Tax Consultant based in our Phnom Penh office. Her areas of expertise include compliance and tax audits. She holds a Bachelor of Education (Institute of Foreign Languages, Royal University of Phnom Penh) and a Bachelor of Business Administration (National Institute of Management, Phnom Penh). She speaks Khmer and English.

Sreyching is a Tax Consultant based in our Phnom Penh office. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in English Communication (Norton University, Phnom Penh) and an Associate Degree of Accounting (Vanda Institute of Accounting, Phnom Penh). She speaks Khmer and English.

Chanthoeun is a Tax Consultant based in our Phnom Penh office. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Finance and Banking (Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh) and is completing a Degree in English Business (Cambodian Mekong University). He Speaks Khmer and English.

Wattey is a French trained legal adviser with areas of expertise that include Legal Due Diligence, Company Law, Investment Law, Contract and Commercial Law, and Intellectual Property Law. She was awarded a full scholarship from the French Government to study at Lumière Lyon II University, Lyon, France where she graduated with both a Master II of Business Law and Corporate Social Responsibility and Master’s degree of Private Law. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree of Cambodian Law and Bachelor’s degree of French Private Law (joint curriculum between Lumière Lyon II University, Lyon, France and Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh). She speaks Khmer, English and French.

Ayako is a lawyer with our Banking & Finance practice group and a member of DFDL’s Japan Desk. Her experience and expertise includes general banking and finance, real estate and general commercial law. She holds a Master of International Development Studies (GRIPS, Tokyo, Japan), Legal training (Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan) and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Economics (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan). She speaks Japanese and English.