Harpreet Singh Nehal SC (born 4 February 1966) is a Singaporean lawyer and the co-managing partner of Audent Chambers LLC.
Harpreet Singh Nehal | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 February 1966 |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
He had left Cavenagh Law LLP and Clifford Chance in 2019 to set up his own disputes practice, Audent Chambers LLC, together with a colleague, Jordan Tan.[1]
Legal career
editHarpreet Singh graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) in 1991 and from Harvard Law School with a Master of Laws in 1993.[2]
Harpreet Singh was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore on 20 May 1992. Harpreet Singh initially served as a Justice's Law Clerk before joining Drew & Napier LLC. He was an equity partner in 2012 when he left to join WongPartnership LLP's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group.[3][4]
Later that year, he left to join the formal law alliance between Cavenagh Law LLP and Clifford Chance Pte Ltd as a founding partner.
In December 2018, he stepped down as managing partner of Cavenagh Law. He retired from the partnership of Clifford Chance in June 2019, and in July that year, he co-founded Audent Chambers LLC with Jordan Tan. The chambers focuses on arbitration and civil and commercial litigation. It conducts advocacy only and receives instructions from solicitor firms.[5][6][7][8]
Harpreet Singh was appointed as a Senior Counsel in 2007.[9] He was ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners for Dispute Resolution (Litigation) in their Asia-Pacific Guide 2024.[10]
Notable cases
editHarpreet Singh has acted as advocate in various notable Singapore cases, including the following:
- Public Prosecutor v Norzian bin Bintat [1995] SGHC 207, which was a landmark constitutional law case in which Yong Pung How CJ asserted the independence of judicial power and held that the Public Prosecutor did not have a veto over the Court's decision to discharge or acquit an accused person.
- Tang Seng Kee v Attorney-General [2022] SGCA 16 in which the Court of Appeal held that Section 377A of the Penal Code was unenforceable in its entirety in light of a political compromise struck by the Singapore Government in 2007 and Attorney-General Lucien Wong's representations in 2018 that the Public Prosecutor would not prosecute sexual acts between two consenting adult men in private.
Political career
editIn November 2023, it was reported that Harpreet Singh had been spotted with Worker's Party members at walkabouts and house visits, wearing the party's light-blue t-shirt with the party logo and selling the party's newspaper alongside party members.[11]
Personal views
editIn 2023, his criticism of the Singapore authorities' decision not to prosecute senior management of Keppel Offshore & Marine in respect of bribes paid to Brazilian officials was published by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL). His commentary was subsequently taken down by the SAL.[12][13]
He has also commented on the leasing of government-owned bungalows on Ridout Road by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In his commentary, published by the online magazine, Jom, he emphasised the importance that the government's review of the leases involve full disclosure of all material facts and be conducted by respected and independent third parties so that it is perceived to be transparent and unbiased.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ "Harpreet Singh sets up new law firm with counsel". The Business Times. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Harpreet Singh Nehal" (PDF). Singapore International Arbitration Centre.
- ^ Dam, Ranajit (11 January 2012). "WongPartnership lands disputes expert from Drew & Napier; promotes 12 partners". Asian Legal Business. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Seah, Jessica (6 January 2012). "WongPartnership Taps Singapore Rival for Litigator". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Sai, Aparna (4 February 2020). "Former Clifford Chance litigators set up disputes firm in Singapore". Asian Legal Business. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Two ex-senior lawyers from Clifford Chance's Singapore ally form boutique". www.globallegalpost.com. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Former Head of Clifford Chance's Formal Law Alliance in Singapore Leaves Firm". Law.com International. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Kang, John (31 July 2018). "Singapore's Drew & Napier Nabs Disputes Partner From WongPartnership". Law.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Appointment of Senior Counsel 2007". www.sal.org.sg. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Harpreet Singh Nehal SC". chambers.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Goh, Yan Han; Iau, Jean; Yuen-C, Tham (2 November 2023). "Will you be my MP? PAP, WP unveil new faces, recruit potential candidates ahead of next GE". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Lam, Lydia (2 February 2023). "Senior counsel questions handling of Keppel bribery case as other lawyers weigh in; Indranee to address matter in Parliament". CNA. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Singapore Academy of Law says chief executive's departure not linked to commentary on Keppel bribery case". CNA. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Strengthening the Singapore system: the Ridout saga and conflicts of interest". Jom. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Tang, See Kit (26 June 2023). "Ridout Road properties: 'Thorough, meaningful' debate and full transparency needed, say political analysts". CNA. Retrieved 7 June 2024.