CHOU Sean Yu is the Deputy Managing Partner of WongPartnership and Head of the Firm's Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. He is also the Head of the Banking & Financial Disputes Practice and a Partner in the International Arbitration, Financial Services Regulatory and Malaysia Practices.

Sean Yu’s main practice areas are banking & trade finance disputes, insolvency & restructuring, corporate fraud, investigations & asset recovery, financial services regulatory, commercial & corporate disputes, shareholder litigation, tort & contractual claims and domestic & international arbitration.

Sean Yu frequently sits as an arbitrator and is on the Panel of Arbitrators of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre ("SIAC"), the Asian International Arbitration Centre, the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, the Maldives International Arbitration Centre, the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, the Hainan International Arbitration Court and the Russian Arbitration Center at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration. He is a Chartered Arbitrator of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a former Chairman of the Board of its Singapore Branch. He is also a Fellow of the Insolvency Practitioners Association of Singapore.

Sean Yu is an Honorary Racing Steward of the Singapore Turf Club.

Sean Yu graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Bristol and is admitted to the English Bar (Middle Temple) and to the Singapore Bar. He was a Justices' Law Clerk with the Singapore Supreme Court before entering into private practice.

Matters of significance in which Sean has been involved in include advising / acting for the following:

  • Defending an arbitration claim by an international oil & gas company with claims totalling US$500 million concerning production contracts of coalbed gas methane projects in the PRC.
  • Defending an international financial institution in relation to claims relating to the distribution of credit-linked structured notes.
  • A satellite TV group in an arbitration dispute which culminated in awards for over US$230 million and resulted in several high-profile enforcement challenges across Asia.
  • Defending an international private equity firm in a multi-jurisdictional shareholders dispute arising from a US$260 million leveraged buy-out of a technology company.
  • A Singapore-listed company in a minority oppression action concerning a S$80 million electrical products company.
  • An international private bank in a cross-border enforcement of banking facilities of over US$200 million.

Related Practices

  • Banking & Financial Disputes
  • Financial Services Regulatory
  • International Arbitration

Sean Yu is recognised for his diverse practice.

Sean Yu has been recognised as a Thought Leader in Who’s Who Legal: Global Banking Regulation Review 2023 and has been consistently ranked in Banking – Regulatory in Who's Who Legal Banking since 2017. He is also named for International Arbitration in Who's Who Legal Arbitration 2022 and consistently recognised for his expertise in various specialist disputes areas.

Listed as an outstanding lawyer in 2022 Thomson Reuters' Standout Lawyers, an independent global research survey, Sean Yu has also been recognised as a Dispute Resolution Star in Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific since 2021 and endorsed as a leading Restructuring & Insolvency lawyer in Expert Guides – Guide to the World's Leading Banking, Finance and Transactional Lawyers.

Contact Details

Career & Qualifications

University of Bristol (LL.B., Hons.) Middle Temple (Barrister-at-Law)

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