Helmsman is best known for its shipping and commodities work, but it has recently expanded to cover commercial disputes as well. The firm has offices in Singapore and Hong Kong, and the combined teams house more than 20 specialist fee earners. The litigation and arbitration groups cover shipping, trade and commodities, corporate and finance, restructuring and insolvency, energy projects, fraud and recovery, company law, employment law and general dispute resolution. The team works with commodity traders, banks and charterers in high-value, cross-border disputes across the globe. It also has substantial experience in the mid and downstream liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, particularly in LNG shipping and chartering and LNG trade disputes. To support the firm’s foray into general disputes, one partner and five litigation associates were hired in the past year across the two offices.
Key members of the firm include commodities and shipping experts Ian Teo, Chong Jun Tang, and Maureen Poh, as well as corporate disputes specialists Lynette Koh and Una Khng. The latter joined late last year from the Singapore Supreme Court, where she was a former district judge and registrar.
Client feedback
“Helmsman was able to clearly articulate the client’s viewpoint while supporting it with clever arguments based on the contract, essentially negating the claims of the other party. This has ultimately led to a settlement which highly exceeded the amounts mentioned by the other party prior to terminating the contract.” – Commercial and transactions
“They professionally outlined my standing in this case.” – Commercial arbitration
“Matthew is available, quick and precise. He understands the needs of the business.” – Labour and employment
“Matthew consistently provides highly informative advice, demonstrating a keen awareness of my knowledge gaps and adeptly filling them. The response time for casework is impressively short, and the quality of the product is truly superb.” –
Labour and employment
Benjamin Bala
“He listens attentively, answers questions and makes comments very confidently. Basically, he knows what he’s doing. He will even attend to my requests on weekends.”
Una Khng
“She has a deep understanding of the law, especially in relation to commercial affairs. She has a quick understanding of the issues and possible solutions, is a fantastic communicator, gives a balanced presentation of possible outcomes, given any path taken may have risk. She is responsive and proactive even when the client is slow to respond.”
Matthew Teo
“Matthew is very accessible and provides me with the advice I need.”
