International law firm Withers has further strengthened its international arbitration and litigation practice in Asia with the hire of new partner Shaun Leong, FCIArb, in Singapore, as demand for commercial disputes resolution services continues to grow.

Shaun is an international arbitration specialist with more than a decade of experience in complex cross border commercial disputes across a myriad of sectors including technology, life sciences, infrastructure and energy sectors. He focuses on developing and employing successful strategies to achieve clients' objectives in cross-jurisdictional disputes. He is ranked as one of Singapore's most influential lawyers aged 40 and under, by the Singapore Business Review.

Shaun held a judicial role in the Supreme Court of Singapore as a Magistrate and Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court, where he was the Head of the Court of Appeal Section of the Supreme Court Registry and was involved in the establishment of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) as Secretariat of the SICC committee.

Shaun is the first Singaporean to be appointed an Arbitrator of the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre, a strategic Belt & Road pivot. He holds other Arbitrator appointments with premier international arbitration centres in India, China and ASEAN.

Shashi Nathan, regional head of litigation in Singapore comments: "Shaun's experience in cross border complex commercial disputes add to our bench-strength of leading dispute resolution lawyers. His joining reinforces our service offerings as one of the largest dispute resolution practices for an international law firm."

Peter Wood, global head of litigation, also comments: "Shaun comes with an impressive track record that complements our top-ranked global arbitration and litigation practice. We are excited to continue growing our capability in Asia to deliver high quality international commercial litigation and arbitration services for our clients."

Shaun adds: "I am delighted to be part of Withers' international dispute resolution practice. The firm's sector focus in technology, life sciences and luxury brands is synergistic with my practice and its strong global presence provides robust international support on cross border disputes that is invaluable in serving our clients."

Shaun's arrival at the firm is part of the firm's strong expansion of its disputes teams this year. His arrival follows closely from Chenthil Kumarasingam and his team's joining earlier this month. In addition to Chenthil, the firm added international arbitration partner Sherlin Tung and team in Hong Kong, as well as US litigators Amman Khan and Chris LaVigne earlier this year.