Singapore has added three names to its roster of senior counsel: Goh Yihan, dean of Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Law; Abraham Vergis, founder and managing director of law firm Providence Law Asia; and a senior director of the Attorney-General's Chambers.
Goh has served as a senior legal officer’s law clerk at the subordinate courts of Singapore, as well as an assistant registrar at Supreme Court of Singapore. He also worked at law firms like Rajah & Tann and Baker McKenzie. Goh joined SMU in 2014, and was appointed dean in 2017.
Vergis, an international arbitration expert, established Providence Law Asia as a disputes-focused practice in 2012. He was named Singapore Managing Partner of the Year, and shortlisted for Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year, at the ALB SE Asia Awards 2019.
The third new SC, Kristy Tan, is senior director of the AGC advocacy group. She joined Singapore Big Four firm Allen & Gledhill in 2005 and was made partner in 2010. Tan joined the AGC in 2018 and now oversees the AGC’s conduct of litigation and dispute matters in civil, commercial, criminal and public law.
The concept of the senior counsel was adapted from Queen’s counsel in England. In 1997, Singapore announced its first group of 12 SCs. With the three recent appointments, the city-state has named a total of 91 lawyers as senior counsel.
