Denny Cowger is a Senior Consultant at Dilinh Legal with nearly two decades of experience in Vietnam.
Experienced international legal advisor with over a decade of delivering strategic, business-focused legal solutions across multiple industries and jurisdictions. As a former in-house counsel and executive, Denny brings a unique client-side perspective to corporate, commercial, and compliance matters, having led legal and operational functions across various countries worldwide.
Clients benefit from his deep experience in negotiating complex agreements, including SaaS, software licensing, M&A, capital markets, commercial real estate, joint ventures, and IP, across various sectors such as food & beverage, healthcare, aviation, and technology. Denny has successfully guided numerous companies through private equity transactions, overseeing legal due diligence, risk assessment, and deal execution with precision and pragmatism.
Denny has also advised Boards and leadership teams on legal risks associated with global expansion, M&A, and strategic partnerships. His background includes setting up legal entities in key jurisdictions, managing local counsel relationships, and serving as legal representative for subsidiaries across the globe (with a particular focus on Asia).
In the compliance arena, Denny has built and led a global program encompassing anti-corruption, investigations, training, and policy enforcement for companies at various stages of growth—balancing regulatory demands with commercial realities.
Through his private practice and in-house roles, Denny understands what clients expect the most: responsive, clear, and commercially sound advice that drives business forward while managing risk.
EXPERTISE
- Corporate and Licensing
- M&A
- Real Estate
- Cross-Border Commercial Matters
QUALIFICATIONS
- State Bar of Hawaii
- District of Columbia Bar (USA)
- United States Supreme Court
EDUCATION
- BA, Miami University
- JD, University of Cincinnati
- LLM, Hong Kong University (Chinese Law)
- LLM, Temple University (Transnational Law)
SELECT REPRESENTATIONS
- Represented a Dubai real estate developer in a joint venture deal involving a US-based hotel chain. The work included drafting and negotiating transaction documentation, consisting of a framework arrangement, a management services arrangement, and a technical services agreement.
- Represented a real estate developer in a joint venture deal with Vietnamese investors to develop and sell 5-star resort villas in Danang and Con Dao, Vietnam. The work included advising on the optimal structure for the deal, taking into account Vietnam’s foreign ownership restrictions. Work also included drafting and negotiating the joint venture agreement and management services agreement.
- Represented a Vietnamese pharmaceutical company concerning its 100% acquisition by a French pharmaceutical company. Work included drafting company minutes, sale and purchase agreements, share swap agreements, framework structure agreements, and other related documents. Work also included assisting in the formation of several offshore companies and advising on a complex tax-advantageous structure.
- Represented a foreign consortium in its bid to win the tender to construct a 2x600 MW coal-fired power plant in Vietnam. Work included drafting of project documentation (BOT contract, construction agreement, operation agreement, water supply agreement, loan agreement, etc.) and negotiating specific project documentation with Vietnamese government officials.
- Represented a Korean construction company on the corporate structuring and financing of its operations in the Middle East. The work included advising on loan and financing agreements.