James Tan

James obtained his Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Singapore Management University in 2020 with 14 Distinctions. In July 2021, James began his advocacy journey as a part-called practice trainee. He was called to the Singapore Bar in August 2021 and has since amassed a depth of experience in both disputes and corporate work.

In March 2022, just half a year after he was called to the Bar, James argued as lead counsel in the High Court of the Republic of Singapore (the High Court) and successfully obtained an urgent interim injunction against a Statutory Board. This was a crucial first step in achieving a favourable result for a client, which was reported in [2023] SGHC 55. James has also represented clients in mediation and has argued contested ancillary matters and Mental Capacity Act hearings.

Despite being in a relatively early stage of his legal career, James has advised and acted for clients at various levels of Court and Tribunals, including the State Courts, the Family Justice Courts, the Family Division of the High Court, the High Court, the Appellate Division of the High Court, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and the Competition Appeals Board.

He was part of the team that successfully advised and acted for clients in a set of hotly contested cross-deputyship applications. The team prevailed at the Family Division of the High Court (reported in [2021] SGHCF 41) and subsequently again in the Appellate Division of the High Court in 2023.

James also believes that there is much work to be done in the area of access to justice. Under the firm’s Community Access to Justice Initiative (CAJI), James has advised and acted for numerous clients on a low-bono or pro-bono basis. For the years 2021 and 2022, James was the firm’s top contributor to CAJI. In one matter on which the firm collaborated with Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), James advised and acted for a foreign worker who was injured in a traumatic lift car accident which resulted in the loss of vision in one eye after he was repatriated in WICA proceedings, and successfully obtained a favourable settlement. As a practice trainee, James also assisted in CLAS and LASCO matters, including a capital trial under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Having run a business throughout his time at University, James is keenly aware of and sensitive to the needs of SMEs and business owners. He taps on this experience to tailor bespoke solutions for clients.

He has assisted clients with a wide variety of corporate work, including FinTech advisory, fundraising agreements, SAFE, shareholders’ agreements, PDPA policies, and Trade Mark Registration.

James has also advised and acted for clients entering into a Joint Venture Agreement with a subsidiary of a ListCo and for vendors in the sale of a Company with a deal value of S$13.8m.

James believes in doing everything with a spirit of relentless commitment to excellence, without compromising on his core values – to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly.

Outside of work, James actively mentors youth in Church and dabbles in music and video production. James also recently co-authored a chapter of a book titled “Assault on the Body: Sexual Violence and the Gospel Community” which was published by Graceworks, addressing several legal implications and processes that victims of sexual violence would need to face.