Biography: Construction

Philip Jeyaretnam, SC is managing partner of Rodyk & Davidson LLP. He continues to run a full-time litigation and arbitration practice as a partner in Rodyk's litigation & arbitration practice group.

Philip graduated from Cambridge University (first class honours) in Law and was a visiting Fulbright Fellow at Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1988, and was appointed Senior Counsel in January 2003.

A commercial litigator and arbitration counsel, Philip's principal area of focus is project-related disputes, including property, building and construction claims, and joint venture and investment disputes. Notable cases include having represented the international main contractor involved in Singapore's largest construction collapse (known as the Nicoll Highway Collapse) in all aspects: before the committee of inquiry, in relation to public liability and safety issues and in its contractual and insurance claims. Many of his cases involve a cross-border element, and he regularly deals with jurisdictional disputes and conflicts of law issues, as well as the seeking of pre-emptive relief such as injunctions to stop disposal of assets.

Philip was president of The Law Society of Singapore from January 2004 to December 2007. He was the founding chairman of the Society of Construction Law, Singapore. Philip acts as arbitrator, and is a member of the Regional Panel of Arbitrators, Singapore International Arbitration Centre. He is a fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

As adjunct professor, Philip has taught and supervised postgraduate students on the King's College London/National University of Singapore Masters programme in Construction Law & Arbitration. He co-authored the chapter on building and construction law for the Singapore Academy of Law's Annual Review for six years, from 2000 to 2005. He has published articles in the Malayan Law Journal on bills of exchange and insurance law. He is a regular speaker in the fields of construction law, international trade and investment, evidence, civil procedure and international arbitration.

He has been appointed as chairman of Maxwell Chambers, the world's first integrated dispute resolution complex housing both best-of-class hearing facilities as well as top international ADR institutions.

Philip is named in The International Who's Who of Construction Lawyers 2010 for his work in construction, in Chambers Global 2010 and Chambers Asia 2011 for Dispute Resolution and is an Asialaw 'leading lawyer 2010' for dispute resolution, and for both dispute resolution and construction in 2011.

Philip is a member of the Public Service Commission, the constitutional body that oversees the public service in Singapore.