October 31, 2022
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Paul Tan has joined the firm’s Singapore office as a partner. Tan, a former partner at Cavenagh Law LLP, which is registered in a formal law alliance in Singapore under Clifford Chance Asia, will continue his international disputes practice. He will lead the firm’s international arbitration practice in Asia.
“We are excited to welcome Paul to Gibson Dunn,” said Barbara L. Becker, Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Paul has excellent credentials, and his addition will help us expand our international arbitration practice in Asia, especially given the increasing importance of Singapore as a hub for the resolution of international disputes.”
“Paul is a highly-regarded international arbitration lawyer,” said Elaine Chao, Partner-in-Charge of Gibson Dunn’s Singapore office. “His deep experience advising on investor-state disputes and complex issues of public and private international law makes him an ideal candidate to continue building our international arbitration practice in the region.”
“I am excited to begin the next chapter of my career at Gibson Dunn,” said Tan. “The firm’s arbitration practice has a unique reputation for handling mega cases, which is complemented by its elite litigation and global enforcement practices. Together, they present a compelling proposition for the Asian disputes market. These are also key areas of my practice, which I am keen to expand alongside my world-class colleagues.”
About Paul Tan
Tan practices commercial and investor-state international arbitration and international litigation, including arbitration-related litigation. He focuses on disputes across Asia and has extensive experience advising on complex issues of public and private international law. He has acted in disputes in a wide range of industries including telecoms, natural resources, media, technology, oil and gas, construction and real estate, private equity, banking and financial institutions. He regularly advises leading multinational organizations, global insurers, financial institutions, and Asian governments.
Tan is ranked by all the major legal publications in his practice areas, which note that he is “one of the best lawyers in Singapore” and “known outside Asia as a first-rate lawyer for investor-state cases right through to construction cases.” He is also the co-author of three arbitration books: The Law and Theory of International Commercial Arbitration (Academy Publishing, 2022); A Commentary on the Singapore International Arbitration Act (OUP, 2023); and Mustill and Boyd’s forthcoming edition of their treatise. He also co-edited and co-wrote Singapore Law: 50 Years in the Making (Academy Publishing, 2017).
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Tan served as partner at Cavenagh Law LLP, which is registered in a formal law alliance in Singapore under Clifford Chance Asia, where he led the firm’s litigation practice for Southeast Asia. Prior, he was a partner with Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. Tan is the elected Treasurer of the Law Society of Singapore, a member of Singapore Academy of Law, and holds positions in the International Chamber of Commerce (Singapore chapter), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Swiss Arbitration Association, and the Rising Arbitrators Initiative.
Tan earned his LL.B. from the National University of Singapore in 2005, where he graduated with First Class Honours. He received his BCL with distinction from the University of Oxford in 2011. He served as a law clerk under two former Chief Justices of Singapore, and other judges, including Sundaresh Menon, then Judicial Commissioner and now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore.