Senior Counsel and former MP Alvin Yeo has received a prestigious international award for his outstanding contributions to the legal profession in the region.
Mr Yeo, 54, chairman and senior partner of top-tier law firm WongPartnership, received the Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession award at the Chambers Asia-Pacific 2017 awardshere last night.
The award is given to only two recipients yearly in recognition of their exceptional work in their respective fields and continued contribution to the Asian legal arena, and who "have had a significant and lasting impact on their market and who are outstanding lawyers in their own areas of practice". The other recipient is from Hong Kong.
Chambers Asia-Pacific is a respected international legal guidewhose signature directories have been identifying and ranking the best lawyers and law firms in over 180 jurisdictions worldwide.
Mr Yeo is a leading counsel in international commercial arbitration. Senior Counsel Davinder Singh won the same award in 2014.
Current Attorney-General Lucien Wong won a special award for his outstanding contributions to the legal profession at the Chambers Global awards in London in 2007.
The Chambers website says the awards are based on its research for the 2017 edition of Chambers Asia-Pacific and reflect a law firm's pre-eminence in key practice areas.
"They also reflect notable achievements over the past 12 months including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service," it added.
Nominees for the awards are identified following year-long findings and interviews by a research team.
Chambers Asia-Pacific lauded Mr Yeo for providing "leadership on Singapore International Arbitration Centre and International Chamber of Commerce proceedings". It also described him as "an excellent strategist as well as a first-rate litigator".
Admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1988, Mr Yeo became the youngest lawyer appointed as senior counsel in Singapore some 12 years later.
His legal career spans the growth of Singapore as an international arbitration centre, as a pioneer in the field more than two decades ago.
He said yesterday that he was deeply honoured to receive the award and that it would not have been possible without the support of his firm's clients and colleagues.
"This is a fitting testament to the growth and success of WongPartnership in the Asia-Pacific legal landscape," he added.
K. C. Vijayan
