Joel QUEK is a Partner in the Commercial & Corporate Disputes Practice.
His main areas of practice are in litigation and arbitration, involving commercial, corporate, shareholder and employment disputes across a range of sectors including energy, commodities, finance, transport, construction and healthcare.
Prior to entering private practice, Joel served as a Justices' Law Clerk to the Chief Justice and Judges of the Singapore Supreme Court. His experience also includes a placement with Fountain Court Chambers in London where he worked with a number of barristers and King's Counsel on a variety of matters in the English commercial courts. In 2019, Joel was appointed amicus curiae to assist the High Court on issues concerning the imposition of penalties under s 94A of the Income Tax Act in Allswell Marketing Pte Ltd v Public Prosecutor [2019] 5 SLR 684.
Joel is currently a tutor for trial advocacy in the National University of Singapore and previously taught commercial conflict of laws in the Singapore Management University. He is also a facilitator with the Singapore Institute of Legal Education for the Preparatory Course leading to Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations.
Joel graduated with First Class Honours from University College London. He holds a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge, and is a member of Wolfson College. Joel is admitted to the Singapore Bar.
Matters of significance in which Joel has been involved in include acting for the following:
- Acting in various investor treaty arbitrations and court proceedings both for and against States, including for the Independent State of Papua New Guinea in an ICSID arbitration with the Digicel group over tax claims of US$100 million, and against Laos PDR in investment treaty claims concerning the expropriation of a cement production enterprise serving China’s Belt and Road initiative.
- Acting in various complex and high value commercial disputes before the Singapore Courts, including for the Independent State of Papua New Guinea in proceedings concerning the management of US$1.5 billion of assets, the founder of Mustafa Centre, an iconic retail and tourist landmark in Singapore, in multiple minority oppression suits in relation to the operation and management of the business' holding company, the former CEO of Noble Group Limited for unpaid benefits in excess of S$48 million, which gave rise to novel and complex issues on penalties and the exercise of contractually agreed decision-making powers by employers, and for a petrochemical wholesale company which acted as an intermediary in credit sleeve arrangements over the enforceability of circular chain transactions and alleged sham contracts.
- Acting in various international commercial arbitrations, including for a listed Korean engineering and construction company in an SIAC arbitration against a Korean engineering conglomerate in a dispute concerning the construction of gas turbine power plants in Iraq, and for a Vietnamese individual in an SIAC arbitration against a BVI-incorporated real estate investment company headquartered in Hong Kong in a dispute over an investment in an office building in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Acting in various arbitration-related court proceedings, including for a NASDAQ-listed travel company to set aside and resist enforcement of multimillion-dollar SIAC arbitral awards, and an Uzbekistan oil and gas company to set aside a multimillion-dollar ICC arbitral award.
Related Practices
- Commercial & Corporate Disputes
- Atkin's Court Forms (Singapore), Defamation
Contact Details
- d+65 6416 8124
- f+65 6532 5722
- ejoel.quek@wongpartnership.com
Career & Qualifications
University College London (LL.B., Hons.)
University of Cambridge (LL.M.)