PMO Press Release: Appointment to the Supreme Court Bench

The President of the Republic of Singapore, on the advice of the Prime Minister, has appointed Mr Philip Antony Jeyaretnam as a Judicial Commissioner (JC) of the Supreme Court under Article 95(4)(a) of the Constitution.

2. Mr Jeyaretnam’s term will be for a period of one year with effect from 4 January 2021.

3. Mr Jeyaretnam read Law at Cambridge and graduated with First Class Honours in 1986. He was called to the Singapore Bar in 1988 and was conferred the title of Senior Counsel in 2003 at the age of 38, one of the youngest lawyers to be appointed senior counsel.

4. Mr Jeyaretnam entered private practice in 1988 as an associate in Robert Wang & Woo, before moving on to Chor Pee and Partners. In 1992, he joined Helen Yeo & Partners and was a Partner there till 2002, when the firm merged with Rodyk & Davidson. In 2010, Mr Jeyaretnam was elected Managing Partner of Rodyk & Davidson LLP taking office at the start of 2011, and in 2016, he led the firm’s combination with Dentons, forming Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP. Concurrently with his active practice in arbitration and litigation, he has been part of Dentons global management since then, holding the position of ASEAN CEO and Global Vice Chair of Dentons.

5. Mr Jeyaretnam’s practice in arbitration and litigation has focused on commercial law and construction law. He is widely recognised as a leading expert in arbitration, construction law and litigation in all major legal publications.

6. Mr Jeyaretnam was President of the Law Society during the years 2004 to 2007.

7. With effect from 4 January 2021, following the above appointment, the Supreme Court will have a total of 25 Judges (including the Chief Justice and four Judges of Appeal), six Judicial Commissioners, four Senior Judges and 17 International Judges.

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

7 DECEMBER 2020