19 Asian Legal Business | December 2024 ALB Litigators of Asia 2024 Bazul Ashhab is the Managing Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at Oon & Bazul LLP. Over the past two decades, he has transformed a modest two-lawyer practice into a formidable 54-lawyer disputes powerhouse, ranked amongst the best in Asia. The firm has been celebrated as the fastest-growing law firm in Asia several times over the years. A veteran in the disputes arena, Bazul has a track record for being involved in novel and unprecedented cases. He is regularly instructed on cross-border commercial disputes in the areas of company law, international trade, banking, trade finance, shareholders’ disputes, insurance, insolvency, shipping, derivative actions, fraud, and asset recovery disputes. He is often appointed as Counsel in international arbitrations and court proceedings of significant value, and where the opposing side is represented by magic circle or large law firms of that jurisdiction. Bazul has been involved in substantial asset recovery work, including securing a USD 5 billion worldwide freezing order in the Singapore Courts. He also obtained disclosure orders on behalf of an Asian government in a bribery scandal related to a government contract worth over USD 300 million. Bazul was the lead counsel in securing the first-ever freezing injunction against persons unknown in Singapore, in a USD 77 million cryptocurrency fraud dispute. He also recently served as lead counsel in a series of high-profile claims stemming from the financial collapse of Hin Leong Trading. His work included representing a creditor with claims totalling approximately USD 133 million and defending against misdelivery claims brought by holders of Bills of Lading involving significant amounts. From the beginning, Bazul has believed in the Singapore government’s and Judiciary’s vision of making Singapore a premier global centre for legal services and dispute resolution. He saw the opportunity for a large, conflict-free, independent home-grown law firm with the expertise and bandwidth to handle complex, high-value, cross-border disputes. Being in a multi-cultural nation like Singapore allowed Bazul to understand and appreciate how cultural nuances can affect the resolution of disputes, whether through mediation, litigation, or arbitration. This philosophy drove him to recruit the sharpest legal minds with diverse cultural backgrounds in order to better resolve transnational disputes for his clients. Whether addressing international conferences, engaging with clients, or collaborating with global stakeholders, Bazul fervently champions Singapore as the preferred destination for resolving cross-border disputes. He highlights Singapore’s unique advantages - its neutrality, robust legal framework, and world-class infrastructure - as key factors that make it an ideal choice for international dispute resolution. Bazul also conveys this in his capacity as Singapore International Mediation Centre’s (SIMC) Ambassador to Indonesia, where he plays a pivotal role in fostering stronger ties between Singapore and one of the region’s largest economies. He actively engages with legal professionals, business leaders, in Indonesia to promote the benefits of Singapore’s mediation services, emphasizing its efficiency, fairness, and commitment to international best practices. Bazul’s dedication to his practice has made him a formidable force in the legal community, recognized for his outstanding contributions. Some of his accolades include being described as a “spectacular lawyer” who is “incredibly bright and knowledgeable” with “astonishing speed and strategy” and “is excellent, forthright and gets straight to the point.” He is also recognized as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific 2023 in Commercial & Transactions, and International Arbitration. Looking ahead, Bazul believes technology and generative AI are key for the modern age law firm to achieve efficiency and strategic advantages in providing legal services. He is convinced that the adoption of technology should not be a top-down approach, but rather involve all stakeholders. To this end, he established a Generative AI task force within the firm that includes partners, senior associates, junior associates, and trainees to gather everyone’s input on how best to leverage technology and to adopt it in the firm’s legal practice. Bazul also believes in giving back to society and actively promotes social mobility. In this regard, he established an Education Trust Fund bursary for the Malay community in Singapore through Mendaki. The firm has also set up an education bursary at the Singapore Management University to provide financial assistance to undergraduate law students, demonstrating his dedication to nurturing the next generation of legal professionals. Bazul Ashhab Managing Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution Singapore Tel: (65) 9757 1479 Fax: (65) 6223 6491 Email: bazul@oonbazul.com
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