Nicole Evangeline Poh 傅佳音

Associate Director

Nicole is a Singapore-qualified advocate & solicitor with more than 10 years of experience in civil and criminal litigation, transactional and advisory roles. Her focus is on employment and property law.

Nicole’s broad-based practice is fuelled by her interest in people and finding effective solutions beyond legal remedies.

Nicole read law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on a Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship. She was State Counsel for 8.5 years at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and AGC-Legal Service Academy. She was the first Knowledge Management Advisory Specialist for the AGC Civil Division and legal departments in Ministries.

Nicole specialises in employment law and policy, having spent many years (2015, 2017 – 2020) at the MOM. She was Senior Assistant Director (and covering Deputy Director from 2018 – 2019), supervising the in-house legal team in respect of its legal advisory and transactions work for 3 years. From 2017 – 2019, she was the legal lead on the major amendments to Singapore's main labour law, the Employment Act 1968, and its related and subsidiary legislation. During her time at the MOM, Nicole also prosecuted a landmark case on the illegal importation of labour.

An experienced litigator, she has appeared in the Court of Appeal, High Court, State Courts, Family Justice Courts (including Youth Court) and Appeals Board (Land Acquisition). A trusted legal advisor, she has helmed an in-house legal team. She has advised on and appeared in cases dealing with a broad range of subjects – including constitutional law, criminal law, family law, torts, contract and land law.

From 2022 – 2023, she was a Deputy Director of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), the promotion and development agency for Singapore's legal industry. She oversaw the Legal Industry Framework for Training and Education, and Structured Programmes.

Presently, she is also a Consultant to the Academy Publishing Cluster of the SAL.

Sample Cases

Employment

Nicole was the legal lead on MOM’s flagship initiative to amend the Employment Act and key employment legislation from 2017-2019. The amendments were the most extensive since Singapore’s independence in 1965, affecting all local businesses, and all employees under a contract with an employer in Singapore. The amendments facilitated increased protection for employees, provided greater business flexibility, and enhanced dispute resolution procedures. Nicole was awarded the Minister for Manpower Award for Regulatory Excellence for her work.
Advised the Government on its response to Indonesia’s imposition of a new performance bond (security deposit) on Singapore residents employing Indonesian foreign domestic workers in 2018. The performance bond was designed to provide the Indonesian embassy with leverage over employers in Singapore, in the event of a dispute between Indonesian employees and their employers. This was a major issue, affecting nearly 100,000 employers in Singapore. Nicole worked with a multi-disciplinary team from the MOM, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the AGC to formulate a comprehensive response. This required not only an understanding of the legal issues but also sensitivity to the political implications, both international and domestic, of the dispute.
Successfully prosecuted the landmark case on illegal importation of labour under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, PP v Lim Leong Chye [2015]
Represented Singapore at the United Nations International Labour Organization 331st session of the Governing Body in 2017. She was the sole legal counsel for Singapore, ensuring that Singapore’s rights and interests were represented and that the Government was properly advised on and capable of fulfilling its international obligations.
Advised MOM’s leadership and political office holders directly on key employment, human capital, and human resources (HR) issues, and helped the Ministry navigate its relationships with partners and stakeholders, such as businesses and trade unions.

Commercial & Property Disputes

Advised and represented the Singapore Land Authority in the case of Warrant of Dispossession.
Advised and represented the Collector of Land Revenue (Singapore Land Authority) before the Land Acquisition (Appeals) Board for compensation under the Land Acquisition Act 1966 for a condominium and its residents affected by the Thomson-East Coast Line MRT works.

Dispute Resolution

Successfully defended the Government before the Court of Appeal (Singapore’s apex court) in Yan Jun v Attorney-General [2014] SGCA 20, a dispute concerning constitutional rights, false imprisonment, abuse of process, defamation, assault and battery, and excessive use of force. This case significantly advanced the law on limitation periods of civil claims and is commonly cited as an authority for defamation in tort.

Criminal Matters

Successfully prosecuted a wide range of offences in Singapore, from sexual offences to drug offences. Notably, she prosecuted the case of Public Prosecutor v Christeen d/o Jayamany and another [2015] SGHC 126, a 10-day capital drug trafficking trial in the High Court of Singapore for two accused persons, including Datchinamurthy a/l Kataiah. This case has been commonly cited in subsequent capital drug cases.

Family Practice

Successfully acted for the Government in multiple contentious and non-contentious child protection proceedings, and advised on matters such as adoption, and personal protection orders.