Biography

Aaron is a Partner in the firm’s International Arbitration Practice.

Aaron specialises in international arbitration and commercial litigation. His cases have involved disputes in industries including pharmaceuticals, commodities, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, retail and logistics and across jurisdictions including Japan, South Korea, China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Denmark and the United States of America.

He has experience in both ad-hoc arbitrations as well as institutional arbitrations governed by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) Rules and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules where the substantive laws of the contracts have included Japanese law and Indian law.

In addition to arbitration, Aaron also practices complex commercial litigation in the Singapore High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Notable cases

Acted for a prominent Japanese pharmaceutical company in the enforcement of an ICC international arbitration award for around US$500 million against the former owners of an Indian pharmaceutical company, involving issues of fraud, limitation, damages, customary laws and public policy. The case entailed parallel enforcement in multiple jurisdictions and involved working with lawyers from India, Japan and the United States of America.

Acted for a prestigious South Korean cosmetics company in a multi-million dollar SIAC international arbitration against its Chinese joint-venture partner in a claim for rescission of contract, involving issues of misrepresentation, conspiracy as well as jurisdictional issues of the effect of assignments and mergers on arbitration clauses.

Acted for Bangladeshi shipping agents in an ad-hoc international arbitration seated in London against a Singapore shipping company for wrongful termination, involving issues of constructive dismissal, fraud and forgery, negligence, contractual interpretation and customary laws and practices.

Acted for the owners of a leading Indonesian paint manufacturer in a US$200 million lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore concerning ownership and control of the company, its distribution network and multiple properties in Indonesia. The lawsuit involved issues of fraud, duress, misrepresentation, undue influence, falsification of accounts and tax liabilities.

Acted for a listed company on the South Korean stock exchange in a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore against the subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company, involving issues of breach of contract, demurrage, dead freight and enforcement of guarantees.

Acted for a famous 2-Michelin-star Japanese restaurant in the High Court of Singapore against its directors and their related companies for breach of fiduciary duties, fraud and knowing receipt.

Acted for a South Korean steel manufacturer and successfully obtained a worldwide ‘Mareva’ injunction in the High Court of Singapore against a commodities trading house. The underlying claim concerned breach of contract, non-delivery of bills of lading and demurrage.

Acted for a Japanese heat treatment company against its directors for breach of fiduciary duties, fraud, licensing and intellectual property infringements. The dispute spanned multiple jurisdictions including Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.