Mr Daniel Chia read law at the National University of Singapore on a Singapore Government Public Service Commission Scholarship, graduating in 1997 with a LL.B (Honours) (Second Class Upper Division).

He was appointed State Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Attorney-General’s Chambers from 1998 to 2000. In this capacity, Mr Chia directed enforcement agencies (including the Police, Commercial Affairs Department, Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau and Central Narcotics Bureau) in all aspects of investigation and prosecution. Mr Chia was also involved in and conducted numerous criminal trials, appeals and inquiries at the then Subordinate Courts and the Supreme Court.

From 2000, Mr Chia was admitted to private practice as an Advocate and Solicitor of Singapore. He was also admitted as Solicitor of the Rolls of England & Wales in 2003.

While in practice, Mr Chia represented numerous multi-national and regional companies, financial institutions, liquidators/receivers, organizations and businesses in the full spectrum of legal services. He has considerable cross-border and regional experience assisting clients in all aspects of legal practice, including contract, M&A, corporate/commercial, employment/redundancy, intellectual property rights portfolio management and enforcement, regional product recall and the establishment of internal compliance and fraud prevention programs within their organizations. In respect of the latter, Mr Chia developed and reviewed internal compliance programs and manuals for many clients for implementation on a regional or global basis, having regard to the unique circumstances and laws of different countries. Mr Chia has trained senior management of some of the world’s largest companies in in-house preventative programs on corruption, fair competition, fraud prevention and crisis management.

Mr Chia has extensive experience and represented clients in all aspects of litigation, from simple breach of contract and debt recovery to complex white-collar crime litigation. Mr Chia has acted and advised a variety of significant, Fortune 500 clients and high nett worth individuals in diverse areas of litigation ranging from corporate governance, internal fraud investigations, tracing or recovery of assets, and crisis management, to legal proceedings for breach of contract, conspiracy to injure, insurance, negligence, intellectual property rights infringement, and complex employment issues including negotiation and termination of employment (including C-level officers), preservation of trade secrets, confidential information, patents, design, trademark and copyright matters. He has appeared as counsel before both the High Court and Court of Appeal.

As for corporate experience, Mr Chia has substantial experience in all aspects of M&A and corporate/commercial work (both within Singapore and in regional countries like India, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand), including corporate secretarial management, contract negotiation and drafting and conduct of M&A deals and structuring. He has negotiated, structured and drafted a variety of contracts, ranging from sale and purchase of assets and businesses, share issue or subscription, joint ventures, public private partnership, interface agreements, to distribution, SAP, franchising, distribution, outsourcing, shared services, IT procurement, employment, intellectual property licensing, vendor, customer and settlement agreements.

In October 2011, Mr Chia decided to establish his own litigation and corporate practice, Coleman Street Chambers LLC. Coleman Street Chamber LLC has since acquired a loyal and growing stable of reputable corporate and individual clients in Singapore and the region.

Coleman Street Chambers LLC also works closely with and in association with various top international law firms as Singapore counsel, as well as a network of regional associate law firms.

Several of Mr Chia’s articles have been selected for publication in leading Singapore law journals. Several cases in which he was involved have also been reported.

The High Court in Lim Quee Choo (Suing as co-administratrix of the estate of Koh Jit Meng) & Anor v David Rasif and Anor [2008] SGHC 36 and the Court of Appeal (the highest court in Singapore) in Mercurine Pte Ltd v Canberra Development Pte Ltd [2008] SGCA 38, cited with approval Mr Chia’s article in [1996] 17 Singapore Law Review (SLR) pp 221 – 243, and overturned a decade-old rule of civil procedure in Singapore, setting new law.

Mr Chia’s article in [2001] 13 Singapore Academy of Law Journal (SAcLJ) Page 406 – 427 has also been cited in Public Prosecutor v Hsu Yisong [2016] SGDC 128, and in Criminal Law in Singapore and Malaysia (Yeo, Morgan, Chan) (Lexis Nexis, 2007) at pp 320 and 322, the seminal text for criminal law in Singapore and Malaysia. The lacunae in the law identified in this article were eventually resolved in subsequent amendments to the Penal Code.

Professional Memberships / Appointments

• Notary Public
• Commissioner for Oaths
• Member, Inquiry Panel
• Member, Singapore Academy of Law
• Member, Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Law Society of England & Wales (non-practising)
• Member, Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore

Some Reported Cases

• Samsung Corp v Chinese Chamber Realty Pte Ltd and others [2004] 1 SLR(R) 382; [2003] SGCA 50
• Ng Beng Siang and Others v Public Prosecutor [2003] SGCA 17
• Samwoh Asphalt Premix Pte Ltd v Sum Cheong Piling Pte Ltd and another [2001] 3 SLR(R) 716; [2001] SGCA 79
• Sea Trucks Offshore Ltd and others v Roomans, Jacobus Johannes and others [2019] 3 SLR 836; [2018] SGHC 248
• Leow KweeHuay v Public Accountants Oversight Committee [2016] 5 SLR 770
• QB Net Co Ltd v Earnson Management (S) Pte Ltd and others [2007] 1 SLR(R) 1; [2006] SGHC 183
• Caterpillar Inc v Ong Eng Peng (formerly trading as Catplus International) [2006] 2 SLR(R) 669; [2006] SGHC 58
• Orchard KTV & Lounge Pte Ltd v Recording Industry Performance Singapore Pte Ltd [2006] SGCRT 1
• Creative Technology Ltd v Cosmos Trade-Nology Pte Ltd and Another [2004] SGHC 5
• Creative Technology Ltd v Cosmos Trade-Nology Pte Ltd and another [2003] 3 SLR(R) 697; [2003] SGHC 188
• Chinese Chamber Realty Pte Ltd and others v Samsung Corp [2003] 3 SLR(R) 656; [2003] SGHC 189
• Public Prosecutor v Ng Beng Siang and others [2003] 4 SLR(R) 609
• Public Prosecutor v Tan Hang Song [2019] SGDC 52
• Public Prosecutor v Wang Kim Fatt [2016] SGDC 281
• Unique Lucas Pte Ltd v Wong Kim Peck [2016] SGDC 131
• Public Prosecutor v Chia Hong Quan [2015] SGDC 33
• Public Prosecutor v NYH [2014] SGDC 432
• Public Prosecutor v Leow KweeHuay [2013] SGDC 419
• iVenture Card Ltd and another v Big Bus Singapore City Sightseeing Pte Ltd and others [2020] SGHC 109
• Shanghai Afute Food and Beverage Management Co Ltd v Tan Swee Meng and another [2021] SGHC 149
• Exim & Mfr Holdings Pte Ltd v Tan Yee Ling Ivy and others [2021] SGHC 263
• PT Karya Indo Batam v Wang Zhenwen and others [2021] 5 SLR 1381
• iVenture Card Ltd and others v Big Bus Singapore City Sightseeing Pte Ltd and others [2021] SGCA 97

Education, Bar Admittance and Experience

Mr Liem has substantial experience in various aspects of corporate / commercial matters. He has negotiated and structured a variety of transactions (including joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and divestments) in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok, Macau, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Chennai.

He also has acted for and advised corporate and individual clients in various aspects of legal practice, including corporate/commercial matters, transactions and disputes, matters in the Supreme Court and the State Courts, Public-Private Partnership matters, employment matters, advertising matters, intellectual property rights portfolio management and enforcement, regulatory matters, and corporate secretarial matters. Mr Liem has acted in a number of cases, several of which have been reported.

Mr Liem read law at the National University of Singapore, graduating in 2004 with an LLB (Honours) (Second Class Upper Division). While in his final year in university, Mr Liem was a member of the National University of Singapore Moot Team which finished runners-up in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (the world’s largest moot court competition, with thousands of participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries).

After graduating, Mr Liem undertook his pupillage at Wong & Leow LLC (affiliated with Baker & McKenzie) and was admitted to private practice as an Advocate and Solicitor of Singapore in 2005. He was also admitted as a Solicitor of the Rolls of England & Wales in 2008. During his time in Wong & Leow LLC (from 2004 to 2007), Mr Liem worked on a wide variety of matters, spanning the broad spectrum of legal services (as he had worked in the Dispute Resolution / Intellectual Property Practice Group, as well as the Corporate / Commercial Practice Group).

Between 2007 and 2011, Mr Liem served as Legal Counsel of Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd (a Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd subsidiary), one of Asia’s leading providers of security services and products. He also oversaw all legal matters for a subsidiary specialising in information technology security products and services. While at Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd, he served as Company Secretary for a number of its subsidiaries and affiliates.

In October 2011, Mr Liem and Mr Daniel Chia set up Coleman Street Chambers LLC. Mr Liem focused on corporate/commercial matters and transactions, while also handling civil litigation and other matters. At the time, Mr Liem also served as Company Secretary and Director for a number of Small and Medium Enterprises.

From March 2016 to August 2019, Mr Liem served as Deputy Director / Senior Legal Counsel of Sport Singapore (formerly known as the Singapore Sports Council), a government statutory board of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

In September 2019, Mr Liem re-joined Coleman Street Chambers LLC.

Representative matters:

• Advised on and assisted in various divestments, mergers and acquisitions, including a US$285 million acquisition of steel and steel-related businesses (covering companies and operations in eight countries) and a Rs 1.5 billion divestment of an Indian subsidiary.
• Negotiated and drafted various sales and customers agreements, including agreementsrelating to the purchase of more than S$12 million of equipment.
• Managed and advised on one of the largest Public-Private Partnerships in Singapore, including participation in various meetings and negotiations.
• Advised on and assisted in the management of various employment, human resource and disciplinary matters and disputes (including termination of employment, negotiating and drafting a collective agreement, as well as preparing standard-form employment contracts, negotiated employment contracts and termination documents).
• Negotiated and drafted various strategic partnership and collaboration agreements.
• Negotiated and drafted various commercial intellectual property agreements, including licensing and franchising agreements.
• Advised on and assisted in various corporate restructuring and rebranding efforts.
• Negotiated and drafted various agreements and other legal documents in relation to large-scale / nationwide sporting events.
• Advised on and assisted with numerous procurement matters / tenders (including one with a contract value of more than S$45 million).
• Drafted guides for doing business in various countries such as Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, the PRC, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE.
• Managed the intellectual property portfolios for various companies.
• Advised a significant player in the direct marketing industry in respect of its global intellectual property strategy.
• Advised on non-contentious divorce proceedings.
• Drafted various legal documents such as powers of attorney, wills and deeds of separation.
• Obtained grants of probate and letters of administration.
• Advised and assisted various charitable organisations in miscellaneous matters, including obtaining registration as a charity and obtaining Institution of Public Character status.
• Advised on, and successfully obtained winding up orders for, various debt recovery matters.
• Advised and represented one of the world’s major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers in proceedings for a dispute relating to supply of goods.
• Advised and represented one of the world’s leading tower crane manufacturers in various proceedings.
• Advised and represented one of the world’s largest motor vehicles manufacturers in a contractual dispute.
• Advised one of the world’s largest insurance firms in a contractual dispute.
• Advised and acted for a leading mobile phone manufacturer in contentious civil and criminal proceedings against various infringers of its intellectual property rights.
• Advised a leading tobacco company on its regional enforcement strategy against counterfeit and contraband cigarettes.
• Advised one of the world’s largest beauty products manufacturers in a contractual dispute.
• Advised on and assisted in the prosecution of a claim against a major US company and the ensuing negotiations, which resulted in a settlement sum of more than US$1.5 million being paid.
• Advised and represented Recording Industry Performance Singapore Pte Ltd (Singapore’s collective licensing agency representing major record companies) in various disputes, including an application before the Copyright Tribunal (Orchard KTV & Lounge Pte Ltd v Recording Industry Performance Singapore Pte Ltd [2006] SGCRT 1), and successfully argued before the Copyright Tribunal in a landmark decision on the lack of jurisdiction in respect of a claim brought by an alleged infringer.
• Advised and represented Caterpillar Inc., the world leader in industrial, agricultural and construction equipment in two actions in the High Court against counterfeiters; successfully obtaining judgment in one (Caterpillar Inc v Ong Eng Peng (formerly trading as Catplus International) [2006] 2 SLR 669) and reaching a settlement in the other. This case involved a coordinated litigation strategy in (and witnesses from) Pakistan, Sudan, UAE, China and Singapore.
• Advised and represented a leading hair salon company with operations in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR and Thailand in various disputes relating to contractual matters, infringement of intellectual property rights and winding up proceedings. This case involved coordinated actions in Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Professional Memberships

Advocate and Solicitor, Supreme Court of Singapore

Member, Law Society of England & Wales (non-practising)

Member, Law Society of Singapore

Member, Singapore Academy of Law

David has experience in a wide range of domestic and international financings. His banking, finance and capital markets practice includes acting for arrangers, lenders, financial institutions and borrowers on a wide variety of domestic and cross border syndicated lending, aircraft finance, structured finance, property finance, acquisition finance, Islamic finance and debt restructurings.

David is dual qualified in Singapore and Malaysia. David is consistently named as a leading banking and finance lawyer in The Asia-Pacific IFLR 1000.

David is in active legal practice in Malaysia and is a senior consultant with Coleman Street Chambers LLC.

David is a recipient of the British Chevening Scholarship and the Tenaga Nasional Scholarship.

Education and Qualification

• Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya
• Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore
• Barrister-at-Law, Gray’s Inn
• LLM (Corporate & Securities) from University College London, England
• LLB (Hons) from University of Nottingham, England

Ei Leen graduated from the Singapore Management University in 2018 and had completed the Part B bar examinations in 2018 with a distinction in the family law practice. She was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2019.

Prior to joining Coleman Street Chambers, Ei Leen was trained in various practice areas of law including matrimonial and commercial litigation and had assisted in various matters including adoption, divorce, probate, employment and shareholder disputes.

During her days as a student, Ei Leen had been involved in numerous pro bono and community service projects which include being a student volunteer at various pro bono clinics and a student mentor at the Chen Su Lan Children’s Home.

Ei Leen enjoys cooking and would, during her free time, whip up Asian and western dishes for her family. She is also currently learning the Korean language and is looking forward to being able to speak in Korean fluently.

Qibin graduated from National University of Singapore with a LL.B. (Honours) and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2020. He is competent in English and Mandarin, both written and spoken.

Qibin specialises in complex commercial dispute resolution and has assisted clients in a broad range of matters, including:

• Company and shareholder disputes;
• Contractual and investment disputes;
• Employment disputes;
• Intellectual property disputes;
• International arbitration;
• Admiralty and shipping disputes;
• Defamation; and
• Criminal defence litigation.

Passionate about dispute resolution and advocacy, Qibin has represented National University of Singapore in national and international moots.

Professional Membership & Association

Member, Singapore Academy of Law

Member, Law Society of Singapore

Elaine graduated with a Juris Doctor and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2023.  Elaine also has a degree in Psychology.

Although Elaine is considered a young lawyer in the private sector, she has more than a decade of legal experience in the government sector.

She started off her professional career as a Prosecutor in the Ministry of Manpower (“MOM”) where she was involved in and had conduct of numerous matters and trials involving various types of employment offences at the State Courts.  She was also appointed as an Assistant Commissioner presiding over work injury matters under the Work Injury Compensation Act, as well as infringement matters under the Employment of Foreign Manpower and the Employment Act.  Elaine also has experience in designing and running training programmes for enforcement officers.

In the private realm, Elaine has assisted and represented clients in criminal matters (including traffic offences, corruption, penal code offences, as well as seeking for probation and reformative training for young offenders), civil and commercial disputes, employment and salary disputes (including reviewing and drafting of employment contracts in accordance to MOM regulations), and family matters.

In her free time, Elaine enjoys cooking and singing.