Derek Tan

Derek graduated cum laude from the Singapore Management University. His main practice areas are in civil litigation and dispute resolution. Derek has also handled various criminal law cases (involving offences under the Penal Code, Road Traffic Act, and Immigration Act), as well as wills and probate related matters. 

Notable matters which Derek has been involved in include:

• Acting for the shareholders of a company in a disposal inquiry in respect of about US$16m which was seized by the Commercial Affairs Department for investigations into possible offences under the United Nations (Sanctions – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations 2010 (reported in Public Prosecutor v Benito Aloria Yap and others [2021] SGMC 14).
• Acting for the former directors of a company to defend claims for amongst others, breach of directors’ duties, conspiracy, and defamation (reported in Dways International Pte Ltd (formerly known as D’way International Pte Ltd and as Longevite Pte Ltd) v Lim Seow Hui Ratna Irene and others [2022] SGHC 158). 
• Acting for a client to defend claims that certain assets transferred to her were held by her on trust for the claimant (reported in Chan Wei Meng v Chan Lai Wan Joyce [2023] SGHC 288). 
• Acting for an ex-CEO of a company to defend third-party claims by the defendant, and successfully applied to strike out the said claims on the basis that they were time-barred (reported in Value Monetization III Ltd v Lim Beng Choo and another matter (Crest Capital Asia Pte Ltd and others, third parties) [2024] 6 SLR 254; [2023] SGHC 303). 
• Acting for a tenant company to (i) defend claims by its landlord for amongst others, unpaid rent and loss of rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) counterclaim against the said landlord for unlawful conversion of the tenant company’s property. This matter involved several issues related to the reliefs granted under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020, and COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Rental and Related Measures) Regulations 2020 (reported in Na Bon Tiam v Ark Engineering & Offshore Pte Ltd [2024] SGMC 12).
• Acting for the claimant in a personal injury claim (where NTUC Income was the insurer for the defendants), and obtained an award of damages in excess of S$400,000 (reported in Ko Wei Ze Jonathan (suing as the administrator of the estate of Ko Wah) v Samikannu Manickavasakar and another [2025] SGDC 150).
• Acting for an accused who was charged with forgery related offences under Section 465 of the Penal Code 1871, which was amalgamated pursuant to Section 124(8)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 (reported in:  https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/man-admits-to-forging-grab-receipts-to-dupe-his-company-into-disbursing-over-16k-to-him). 
• Acting for the liquidators of a company in a claim for more than US$21m on the basis that the said company’s sale of three shipping vessels to another company was a transaction at an undervalue pursuant to Section 224 of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018).
• Acting for a high net-worth family in a dispute with an international bank for negligence in respect of its relationship manager’s purportedly unauthorised actions resulting in estimated losses of more than US$30m. 
• Acting for a company distributing electronic goods and peripherals, in pursuing suppliers for ‘missing trader fraud’ involving more than S$1.7m in purportedly fraudulent GST transactions.

Besides the above, Derek is also actively involved in pro-bono work. Derek heads the monthly Queenstown Community Centre Legal Clinic where he advises members of the community on a pro-bono basis. He is also the firm’s liaison for the Pro Bono SG Legal Clinic, where he coordinates the firm’s participation and ensures smooth collaboration between volunteer lawyers, clinic administrators, and community stakeholders.

MEMBERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS

• Member, Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Singapore Academy of Law

PRACTICE AREAS

• Criminal Law
• Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution
• Wills, Trusts & Probate