Dawn Tan

Full Profile

Dawn was called to the Singapore bar in 2018 and is currently a Senior Associate of the firm’s Marine and International Trade team in Singapore.

Dawn has experience handling complex civil and commercial dispute matters, both in court and in arbitration proceedings. She has appeared before the Singapore High Court and the Singapore Court of Appeal as well as before the SIAC on multiple occasions.

Aside from contentious disputes work, Dawn also has experience in non-contentious matters such as reviewing and advising on ship financing / ship sale and purchase agreements.   

Since 2018, Dawn regularly volunteers her time with the Law Society of Singapore’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and Ad Hoc Pro Bono Services as well as at Community Legal Clinics.

Dawn is proficient in both English and Mandarin.

Experience

• Assisted in successfully defending for 4 corporate and individual Australian defendants against a multi-million dollar claim brought in the Singapore High Court relating to breaches of contracts / tort of deceit / tort of conspiracy / estoppel - Day, Ashley Francis v Yeo Chin Huat Anthony and others [2020] SGHC 93 

• Acted for a major local insurance company in successfully arguing in the Singapore High Court on a point of law relating to incorporation of exclusion and limitation clauses in contracts - Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd v Choon Lai Kuen t/a Yishun Trading Towing Service [2020] SGHC 129 – and the point was upheld on appeal to the Singapore Court of Appeal

• Acted for vessel owners in successfully resisting an appeal brought to the Singapore Court of Appeal in relation to an unconditional stay granted in favour of arbitration – Batavia EXIMP & Contracting (S) Pte Ltd v Owner of the vessels New Breeze & 9 Ors [2021] SGCA 99

• Acted for a major European credit insurance company in successfully defending an application commenced in the Singapore High Court to set aside an order of court granting leave to enforce 2 arbitral awards obtained in London (claim amount approximately USD1 million)

• Acted for a multinational bank in the Hin Leong / Ocean Tankers insolvency, which involved inter alia:
  • Advising on the bank’s rights, liabilities and obligations under their credit facilities / letters of credit
  • Advising on the bank’s title in asset-based financing involving pledges, assignments and lien and representing the bank in interpleader actions which involves complex legal issues relating to ownership and security interests over assets financed by the bank
  • Advising on issues relating to shipping law
  • Advising on rights of creditors under the Singapore insolvency regime

• Participated in the trial hearing for ad hoc arbitration proceedings in the SIAC involving a longstanding dispute between two major local logistics companies over a warehousing facility agreement (claim amount approximately SGD$1.5 million)
• Representing a major commodity trading house as (i) buyer in contracts for sale and purchase of coal, claiming against the seller in an SIAC arbitration in the amount of approximately USD4 million for repudiatory breach of contract; (ii) buyer in contracts for sale and purchase of coal, claiming against the seller in ICC arbitration in the amount of approximately USD4 million for repudiatory breach of contract