Kenneth Pereira is the Managing Director of Aldgate Chambers LLC.

Kenneth specialises in disputes resolution, covering litigation, arbitration and mediation. He has been retained by foreign and government-owned state enterprises, public listed companies and local companies as an advisor especially on dispute resolutions matters. He is known for his incisive analysis of cases and for providing a pragmatic and balanced advice. He is also familiar with the legal landscape including the profiles of the accredited arbitrators in this region. Kenneth is also a qualified arbitrator with the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

Kenneth was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1994 and has over 25 years of experience in civil and commercial law and international commercial arbitration. Backed by a strong team of lawyers, Kenneth specialises in handling complex commercial disputes.

Kenneth started his practice as a litigator at Allen & Gledhill, one of the biggest law firms in Singapore. As a Senior Associate, he appeared as Lead Counsel before the Court of Appeal in 1998, which is usually only handled by partners.

In 2000, Kenneth joined Dell, a NASDAQ listed company, as Counsel and was tasked to set up a legal office in Penang, Malaysia which served as Dell’s Asian operational centre. In 2001, Kenneth was appointed as a Director and in 2003, he was promoted to Senior Director covering the Asia Pacific region.

In 2005, Kenneth re-joined Allen & Gledhill and was appointed as Partner. He worked under Mr K Shanmugam, the current Minister of Law and Home Affairs of Singapore. He has been in private practice ever since. He continues to work with the Minister on legal matters in the Minister’s ward.

Kenneth made submissions on Singapore law as an independent expert to the German Court and to the Swiss Court. Both Courts had accepted the submissions tendered by Kenneth and had formulated their respective decisions based on the submissions.

Some key matters in which Kenneth had acted include:

  • Retained by the Government of Maldives and acted in a number of matters on its behalf.
  • Retained by a Royal Prince from a neighboring country to act as its advisor.
  • Advised a State Government in India.
  • Retained by the Government of Laos to act as an advisor on one of its matters.
  • Acted against the Republic of Kiribati.
  • Retained by a client to act against the Kingdom of Tonga in an arbitration.

Some of his other notable work highlights include:

  • Advised and successfully defended a client in relation to allegations of dealing with UN-sanctioned entities involving cryptocurrencies and dealings with UN-sanctioned entities.
  • Advised and acted in a matter in the High Court with respect to blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
  • Acted for the Government of Maldives in an arbitration matter on a dispute involving a major public-private partnership where the claim was more than US$1 billion.
  • Acted for the Government of Maldives in successfully defending the Government from a claim of US$160 million by a bank.
  • Acted for the Government of Maldives in an arbitration matter involving a dispute on a Concession Agreement for border control facilities where the claim was for US$250 million.
  • Advised a state government in India on the termination of a concession agreement.
  • Retained by a client to manage and assist in the negotiations of a commercial deal worth more than US$1 billion.
  • Assisted in the review of legislation on a foreign country on best practices.
  • Conducted an appeal before the Court of Appeal and was successful in getting the Court of Appeal to reverse the decision of the trial Judge in a case involving an issue of mistake [2011] SGCA 7.
  • Acted for one of the world’s largest rubber trading company in an arbitration and successfully obtained an anti-suit injunction against an action commenced in Italy.
  • Successfully set aside a valuation of shares conducted by an accounting firm for the former directors of a company under liquidation.
  • Obtained a declaration that the sale of shares by the former directors of a company under liquidation was a transaction at an undervalue and therefore null and void.
  • Appeared before the Court of Appeal with respect of a claim for US$180 million dealing with issues of foreign illegality [2018] SGCA 60.
  • Conducted a trial in which the Court accepted that WhatsApp messages could constitute an acknowledgment for the purposes of the Limitation Act [2019] SGHC 244.

APPOINTMENTS / DIRECTORSHIPS

  • Commissioner for Oaths and Notary Public
  • The Law Society of Singapore, Member
  • Singapore Academy of Law, Member
  • Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, Member
  • International Bar Association, Member
  • The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, Member

Francine Lai is a Director of Aldgate Chambers LLC.

She graduated from Monash University with a LLB and B.A (Psychology) in 2008. She was admitted as an Australian lawyer in 2009, and admitted to the Singapore Bar in August 2011. Francine joined the Firm as a Senior Associate and is now a Director of the Firm.

Francine has assisted in several international commercial arbitrations and cross-border commercial disputes under a variety of ad-hoc and institutional arbitration rules including the SIAC and UNCITRAL Rules. She also has experience dealing with contentious and non-contentious matters in general litigation in the areas of construction, shareholders’ disputes, liquidation and employment disputes. In addition, Francine has undertaken some family, criminal and corporate commercial work, mainly in the drafting of and the reviewing of agreements. Aside from English, Francine can communicate in Mandarin and Korean (basic).

Francine presently volunteers with the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and the legal clinics administered by the Law Society of Singapore.

APPOINTMENTS

  • The Law Society of Singapore, Member
  • Volunteer of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, Criminal Legal Aid Clinic, Legal Aid Bureau and Family Legal Clinic
  • Singapore Academy of Law, Member

Keerthana is an Associate of Aldgate Chambers LLC.

She graduated from the University of Birmingham with a LLB (First Class Honours) in 2018 and was ranked amongst the top 10 students of her cohort. Keerthana completed her traineeship in Aldgate Chambers and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2020.

She assists in domestic and international litigation and arbitration. She also focuses on employment issues and State Court litigation.

APPOINTMENTS

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

David is an Associate of Aldgate Chambers LLC.

He graduated from the University of Nottingham with a LLB in 2020. David completed his traineeship in Aldgate Chambers and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2022.

He assists in domestic and international litigation and arbitration.

APPOINTMENTS

  • Singapore Academy of Law, Member