On 11 May 2017, Toby Landau QC of Essex Court Chambers was admitted to the Singapore Bar. His application for admission was heard by The Honourable Justice Quentin Loh.
Mr Landau QC has a long association with Singapore. He was admitted to the Singapore Bar ad hoc to argue the Astro v First Media / Lippo litigation, before both the Singapore High Court and Court of Appeal, and has for many years appeared in arbitrations in Singapore in close collaboration with other Singapore lawyers. He has also been a member of the Panel of Advisers of the Attorney-General of Singapore since 2012, and was part of the team that represented Singapore in the Railway Land Arbitration against Malaysia in 2014. He is a member of the SIAC Court of Arbitration; Chairman of the SIAC Users Council National Committee for the UK; and was Adjunct Professor of Law at Singapore Management University in 2015.
In securing general admission to the Singapore Bar, Mr Landau QC will not be joining or establishing a full service law firm in Singapore, but will continue as before as a specialist individual advocate at Essex Court Chambers, albeit (subject to completion of all regulatory steps) with a Singapore as well as London base, and working alongside other Singapore practitioners as part of his existing international practice.
Toby Landau QC commented: “I am honoured to have been called to the Singapore Bar, and deeply appreciative of the opportunity to contribute to Singapore and its legal fraternity. I look forward to strengthening my friendships with the many dynamic practitioners that I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with over the years.”
Echoing Justice Loh’s remarks, Paul Tan, partner of Rajah & Tann, credits Mr Landau’s instrumental role as his mentor when he spent two years working in London in 2011. “Of all his qualities, Toby’s willingness to engage and debate with his juniors in cutting-edge cases was inspiring and formative in my earlier days. Till today, I still count on him as an invaluable source of advice. I have no doubt that especially the younger members of our bar will benefit immensely from his work in Singapore.”
Mr Landau is also a member of bars of New York State, the BVI and Northern Ireland, and is a registered practitioner in the DIFC and the SICC.
