POON Chun Wai is a Partner in the Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice and the Private Wealth Practice.
His main areas of practice are in succession and estate planning, including business continuity measures, the establishment and operations of family offices, trusts and estate planning. Chun Wai has significant experience in advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families in their legacy planning. He is familiar with the considerations that these individuals and families may have, including concerns arising in course of intergenerational wealth transfers, cross-border and immigration issues and plans for charitable giving.
In addition, Chun Wai frequently assists and advises clients on obtaining grants of representation and in the administration of a deceased’s estate. He is keenly aware of the difficulties families may face and takes extra effort to guide and assist them during such times. He has also assisted with the preparation of materials for the Wills Probate and Administration in the Preparatory Course Leading to Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations.
In addition, Chun Wai advises professional trustees, financial institutions and other service providers in the private wealth space on trusts-related legal and regulatory matters, including the establishment, structuring and administration of trusts and licensing and regulatory issues.
Matters of significance which Chun Wai has been involved in include advising/ acting for the following:
- An ultra-high-net-worth family with generations spanning across multiple jurisdictions in their succession planning. This necessitated careful consideration of the legal and tax complications for a suitable structure to be deployed for the family, having regard to the wishes of successive generations.
- An ultra-high-net-worth foreign businessman who is the founder and owner of a prominent logistics company in the establishment and operation of his single-family office.
- A high-net-worth, single parent with a young child in her estate and succession planning. The complexity in this matter arose from the need to provide flexibility for the support of her elderly parents and young child, while also building in guardrails to ensure that the overarching succession objectives would be achieved.
- An executor on the administration of a high net-worth deceased’s estate following issuance of the grant of probate. The estate held a diverse gamut of assets including part shares in immovable properties, investments in shares in Singapore and abroad, and monies in jointly held bank accounts. This was complicated by disagreements between one of the beneficiaries and the executor in the administration of the estate, which prolonged the time needed for administration.
- An ultra-high-net-worth family in the establishment, registration and management of a charity under the Grantmaker Scheme. As the charity was to sit within a well-established single-family office set-up, the governance of the set-up had to had to be carefully considered to harmonise with the existing structure.
- A trustee in the administration of a testamentary charitable trust which was established by a testator who had passed on more than 30 years ago. The terms of the testamentary trust set out in the testator’s will were relatively scant and detailed consideration of the scope and limitations of the trustee’s powers in view of these terms was required.
Related Practices
- Private Wealth
- Specialist & Private Client Disputes
- Contributed to the Chambers Global Practice Guide – Private Wealth (2025)
- Singapore High Court Outlines Factors for Granting Permission to Continue or Commence Proceedings Against Bankrupt Individuals (CaseWatch, 2022)
Contact Details
- d+65 6517 3752
- f+65 6532 5722
- echunwai.poon@wongpartnership.com
Qualifications
Singapore Management University (LL.B.)
Singapore Bar