Withers KhatterWong, the Singapore member of UK-based international law firm Withers, has added commercial dispute expert Mohammed Reza to its bench as a partner and head of international arbitration in the Lion City.
Peter Wood, a partner in the litigation and arbitration team and CEO of the dispute resolution bench in London, told Asia Business Law Journal that Reza had strong experience in cross-border disputes.
Wood said the driving factor behind his firm inviting Reza to join the team was really about consolidating their dispute resolution strengths.
Previously at Simmons & Simmons, where he led the Singapore dispute resolution practice, Reza specialises in litigation and arbitration with expertise in handling trial and appellate matters as well as arbitrations and investigations for clients across different sectors.
Chenthil Kumarasingam, a regional division leader for dispute resolution Asia and a partner in the litigation and international arbitration team in Singapore, pointed to issues relating to third-party funding, artificial intelligence use in business and dispute resolution as well as the effect of geopolitical conflict-triggered sanctions on disputes and award enforcement as trends creating new legal needs and challenges for clients.
“In Asia, there is an increasing awareness of the availability of investor-state arbitration as a means of obtaining relief for investment disputes,” said Kumarasingam.
Reza’s deep expertise and extensive experience in the field of complex cross-border commercial disputes would significantly broaden the firm’s offering, Kumarasingam added.
