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Leonard Chew

Senior Associate

Portrait of Leonard Chew

Leonard Chew

Senior Associate

Contact
CMS Holborn Asia
7 Straits View
Marina One East Tower
Singapore 018936
Languages English, Malay, Chinese

Leonard Chew is a Senior Associate at CMS Holborn Asia, the Formal Law Alliance with CMS Singapore and Singapore law practice Holborn Law LLC. He is proficient in English and Malay.

Leonard represents clients in contentious and non-contentious matters, with particular focus on the construction, engineering, and infrastructure industries. He has assisted clients such as developers, contractors, consultants, and suppliers with disputes and transactions in Singapore, South-East Asia, India, the Maldives, China, Nigeria, England, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, amongst others.

Leonard brings his experience of different dispute resolution mechanisms to the handling of contentious matters, and has advised and represented clients in arbitral forums, proceedings in all levels of the Singapore courts, mediation, and the statutory adjudication regime under Singapore’s Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act (Cap. 30B), dealing with issues from contractual risk review and drafting to disputes over retention, prolongation costs, loss and expense, performance bond calls, jurisdiction, defects, warranty coverage, variations, pricing, work done, and so on. Leonard also brings experience of general corporate and commercial disputes to his practice, taking a pragmatic and strategic approach.

Leonard has experience with pro bono initiatives from advising charities and small business owners, to representation under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and attendance at legal clinics. Outside of work, he maintains an interest in rock climbing and has tackled crags in the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

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Relevant experience

  • Samsung C&T Corporation in relation to addition and alteration work to a major commercial development in Singapore, involving claims under various heads in excess of SGD30m in domestic arbitration proceedings, including successfully defending a call on a performance bond before the Court of Appeal prior to arbitration.
  • WSP Consultancy Pte. Ltd. on a claim for latent defects by the management corporation of a commercial and residential mixed development.
  • The Singapore subsidiary of a NYSE-listed multinational infrastructure consulting firm on a retainer basis in relation to contract review for projects in Asia, including South East Asia and China.
  • The main contractor for a LNG terminal expansion project in Singapore on a SGD30m claim for loss and expense from its mechanical and electrical engineering subcontractor.
  • Cluny Development Pte. Ltd. in relation to concurrent appeal and arbitration proceedings involving claims of around SGD10m relating to a cluster housing project in central Singapore.
  • Primustech Pte. Ltd. on an application for a permanent injunction against calls on a performance guarantee in relation to a purpose-built fully integrated health campus in Singapore.
  • A large Asia-based infrastructure consulting firm on a SGD200m operating agreement in respect of an underground hydrocarbon storage facility in Singapore.
  • A leading waste management company in relation to a suite of contracts, including for civil, engineering, and consultancy works, for the construction of a SGD90m soot processing facility in Singapore.
  • A leading engineering professional services firm on multiple adjudication proceedings against state-linked contractors for payment for consultancy fees of around SGD5m in relation to mass rapid transit projects in Singapore.
  • The Management Corporation – Strata Title Plan No. 4572 in relation to a SGD3m claim for various defects arising from construction, including the scope of warranty coverage from the developer, assignment of warranties, obtaining the requisite resolution(s) and powers of attorney, and the proper parties for bringing of an action.
  • East Coast – Fengshan Town Council on an application to restrain its call on a contractor’s performance bond for a SGD20m neighbourhood renewal programme.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Advocate & Solicitor, Supreme Court of Singapore.
  • Member, Society of Construction Law.
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Education

  • 2010 - LLB, Hons, London School of Economics and Political Science, London.
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Expertise

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07/08/2019
Singapore Convention on Mediation signed by 46 countries at opening in...
This article is produced by CMS Holborn Asia, a Formal Law Alliance between CMS Singapore and Holborn Law LLC. The United Nations Convention on In­ter­na­tion­al Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation...
Publication
03/06/2019
An “innocent omission” does not excuse material non-dis­clos­ure in an in­junc­tion...
This article is produced by CMS Holborn Asia, a Formal Law Alliance between CMS Singapore and Holborn Law LLC.Singa­pore’s Court of Appeal has held in Bintai Kindenko Pte Ltd v. Samsung C&T Cor­por­a­tion...
Publication
24/05/2019
Fit for what purpose? Singapore High Court rejects implied term of fitness...
Introduction Does a consultant engineer owe an implied obligation to an owner to ensure that its designs would be fit for their intended purposes? This is what the Singapore High Court (the “Court”)...
Publication