Desmond is an Associate in our international arbitration group, and is dual-qualified in New York and Singapore. Desmond specializes in complex dispute resolution, including commercial arbitration, investment treaty arbitration, and litigation.
Desmond has extensive experience with complex and high stakes-matters, and has acted as both counsel and as adjudicator. Desmond has particular expertise in corporate M&A disputes, fraud claims, and AI-related matters, and he has acted for clients in private equity, oil and gas, investment, trading and biomedical sciences industries.
Desmond is knowledgeable in the full breadth of the common law, having been educated at Cambridge in the UK and Harvard in the US, and having served as a Justices’ Law Clerk for the most senior Judges and the highest Courts of Singapore. At Cambridge, Desmond graduated with a Double First in law and won the Sir David Williams Prize for the top First Class performance in his college at the final law exams. At Harvard, Desmond won the Best Individual Oralist Award at the Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
Besides clerking in the Supreme Court, Desmond also acted as a Judicial Officer (Magistrate and Assistant Registrar) in the Supreme Court and as a prosecutor in the Attorney-General’s Chambers before joining Freshfields.
Desmond speaks English and Mandarin Chinese.
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- Represented a private equity joint venture company in an HKIAC arbitration seated in Hong Kong and governed under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules concerning a post-M&A dispute regarding a securities purchase agreement governed by New York law.
- Representing an alternative asset management company in an SIAC arbitration seated in India and governed under the SIAC Arbitration Rules concerning a dispute regarding a real estate investment joint venture.
- Representing and advising a multinational oil and gas company in commercial litigation proceedings in Singapore concerning a trade finance dispute.
- Advised a Japanese trading company on its rights under supply agreements governed by Swedish law and potential arbitration seated in Sweden.
- Advising a multinational oil and gas company on its rights under a liquefied natural gas sale contract governed by English law and potential arbitration proceedings seated in Singapore governed under the ICC Arbitration Rules.
- Advising an alternative asset management company on a potential joint venture dispute.
- Advising a Delaware-incorporated company on the dispute resolution process and clauses in a gas sales and purchase agreement.
- Adjudicated a striking out application in the Singapore General Division of the High Court concerning a USD 63 million claim on a financing agreement governed by Ontario law.*
- Adjudicated an application in the Singapore General Division of the High Court to set aside the registration of a Hong Kong judgment concerning over USD 220 million of liabilities arising under guarantees.*
- Adjudicated an application in the Singapore General Division of the High Court to set aside a default judgment concerning a construction dispute in Singapore.*
- Assisted the highest courts of Singapore (Court of Appeal, Appellate Division of the High Court, Singapore International Commercial Court, and the General Division of the High Court) with legal research, analysis, and writing in many landmark cases, with a focus on commercial law, arbitration, public law and private international law.*
*Matters worked on before joining Freshfields.
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Education
- Harvard Law School (Master of Laws (LL.M.))
- University of Cambridge (Master of Arts (M.A.); Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Law (First Class Honors))
Professional qualifications
- Attorney and Counsellor at Law, New York State Bar
- Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court, Singapore Bar
Law Clerkships
- The Honorable Chief Justice and Justices of the Court of Appeal, Court of Appeal, Singapore (2021)
- The Honorable Judges of the Appellate Division, Appellate Division of the High Court, Singapore (2021)
- The Honorable International Judges, Singapore International Commercial Court, Singapore (2020-2021)
- The Honorable Judges of the High Court, General Division of the High Court, Singapore (2020)
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