Speaker details

Biography

KOH Swee Yen, Senior Counsel, is the Head of the International Arbitration Practice and a Partner in the Asset Recovery & International Enforcement, Commercial & Corporate Disputes and Commodities & International Trade Practices. Her practice has a particular focus on complex, high-value and multi-jurisdictional disputes involving asset recovery, commodities, energy, fraud, infrastructure, international trade, joint ventures, transport and technology. She regularly appears before the Singapore Courts (including the Singapore International Commercial Court) and in international commercial and investment arbitrations under the major institutional rules, including ICSID, ICC, ICDR, LCIA, SIAC, and UNCITRAL. She is admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of England & Wales and also has rights of audience before the DIFC Courts. She has sat as an arbitrator in HKIAC, ICC, LCIA, SCC and SIAC administered arbitrations, and is on the Panel of Arbitrators of AIAC, BICAM, BAC/BIAC, HKIAC, KCAB and SIAC. She has been designated by Singapore to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators, being one of only four designees. Swee Yen is regarded as a global leader in litigation and international arbitration, the go-to lawyer for cross-border asset recovery, fraud and commercial disputes, enforcement and setting aside proceedings, and has been involved in numerous landmark and ground-breaking decisions in these fields. She is ranked as one of the best advocates in dispute resolution by various legal publications, including The Legal 500, Chambers Asia-Pacific, Chambers Global, Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific and Lexology Index. She was listed in GAR’s exclusive 45 under 45 list in 2023 and is a recognised Global Elite Thought Leader in Arbitration (reserved for the top 5% of practitioners worldwide), Thought Leader in Commercial Litigation and Global Leader in Asset Recovery and Energy by the Lexology Index. She was awarded Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year at the ALB SE Asia Law Awards 2024, and Litigation Lawyer of the Year at The Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2023. She is the "go-to disputes lawyer in Singapore", with an "ability to zone right in on the issues with precision and confidence", and is "decisive and fearless". She is “an absolute standout”, "a tenacious litigator" who “excels at the law, is a keen tactician, knows and guides the clients, and is a brilliant advocate” who is "razor-sharp" in her advocacy. She is known for “a particularly strong blend of legal skills, intelligence and business acumen and human perspective”. She is someone who "always bring her A-game to everything she does and someone you want in your corner in a life and death situation".