Thio Shen Yi , SC
张正义
M.A. (CANTAB)
Joint Managing Partner
Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators
Master Bencher, Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Martin Luther King, Jr
You could say that Shen Yi has a competitive streak. He was a teenage national tennis champ. He topped his English Bar Examinations as a Cambridge grad. He was appointed Senior Counsel at 40. Most recently, Benchmark Litigation named him Lawyer of the Year. But it is not just this drive for excellence that renders Shen Yi one of the region’s most sought-after litigators; clients love him for giving a damn and bearing the full legal weight of their burdens.
After all, complex disputes excite Shen Yi. The self-confessed book junkie relishes in marrying his encyclopedic knowledge – from economics and history to engineering and psychology (and a lot more in between) – with his expert legal skills and creativity to understand every nuance of a complicated brief and formulate the winning strategy. Many of his cases make new law.
One of the founding partners of TSMP, he focuses on commercial litigation and arbitration, construction and engineering disputes, restructuring and insolvency, and trust disputes. Always hungry for new challenges, he has been developing a fledgling desk addressing cutting-edge cryptocurrency conflicts. He is recognised as a leading litigator by reputable global publications, including being ranked Tier 1 by Chambers and Partners.
Shen Yi believes that lawyers, being in a privileged position, ought to give back to the community. He presided over the Law Society of Singapore as its 25th president, where he advocated for legal aid schemes to be expanded to cover more offences and to more applicants. He is a director of Pro Bono SG, and chairs its fundraising committee.
IMO Why I Chose A Legal Career
An Interview with Thio Shen Yi, SC
Testimonials
THE LEGAL 500
"Thio Shen Yi, SC is at the pinnacle of the profession, known for his expertise in big-ticket cases and for his outstanding advocacy."
WHO'S WHO LEGAL
“Shen Yi Thio, SC ranks as one of the go-to lawyers in Singapore when it comes representing major clients in an array of complex commercial disputes.”
CHAMBERS ASIA-PACIFIC
"Shen Yi is very good – a heavy hitter."
CHAMBERS ASIA-PACIFIC
“Shen Yi is a well-known name in the market, and is able to navigate the complexities of restructuring and insolvency with ease.”
ASIALAW PROFILES
“Practical and sharp, detecting and solving the issues with excellent legal expertise”
BENCHMARK LITIGATION ASIA-PACIFIC
“Excellent technical advice, well thought through, laced with a good understanding of the commercial drivers and consequences of such advice.”
ASIALAW PROFILES
“A formidable opponent in corporate disputes.”
CHAMBERS GLOBAL
“Receives praise from commentators and clients for his advocacy skills: ‘In Court, he doesn’t flinch from a tough fight, but at the same time is not abrasive'."
Notable Briefs
Lead Counsel for Seraya Energy in an electricity retail agreement dispute with claims exceeding S$33 million.
Lead Counsel for KPMG in defending claims brought by the liquidator of Hyflux for approximately S$1 billion.
Lead counsel for Peter Tan, a senior insurance agency leader, defending claims of S$2.5 billion made by Prudential, who alleged that he had wrongfully poached 250 agents and agency leaders when he moved.
Lead Counsel for the family trust companies in a S$800 million trust dispute, spanning six countries and three generations in the Singapore High Court: Compania De Navegacion Palomar, S.A. and others v Ernest Ferdinand Perez De La Sala [2017] SGHC 14.
Lead counsel for Perennial Real Estate Holdings, in a just-and-equitable winding up claim in respect of the S$1 billion Capitol Project.
Legal advisor to Mizuho Bank, the largest unsecured creditor, in respect of the S$3.5 billion restructuring of Hyflux group.
Lead Counsel representing Peter Lim in his successful defence against claims of over S$150 million made by Raffles Town Club, in what was the longest civil trial in the Singapore Courts: Raffles Town Club Pte v Lim Eng Hock Peter and others [2011] SGHC 163.
Lead Counsel for Ho Lee Construction in the current leading case on Schemes of Arrangement under section 210 of the Companies Act: RBS & others v TT International & anor [2012] SGCA 9.
Lead Counsel in an international arbitration for a major telecommunications service provider in their claims against a multinational technology integrator in respect of a 4G wireless data network.
Thio Shen Yi, SC in the News
25 November 2024
Thio Shen Yi mentioned in The Straits Times: “Lawyer disbarred over using injured worker’s settlement sum to pay his own fees”
18 August 2023
Thio Shen Yi quoted in The Business Times: Judge mulls winding-up option as Violet Oon suit draws to a close
1 December 2022
Thio Shen Yi and Felicia Tan mentioned in The Business Times as lawyers representing KPMG in their suit against Hyflux
27 September 2022
Thio Shen Yi and Adrian Tan quoted in Lianhe Zaobao, The Straits Times, CNA and AsiaOne on the Law Society forum discussion on 377A of the Penal Code
4 April 2022
Thio Shen Yi, SC and Niklas Wong’s Forefront piece carried in BT: “NFTs – Art or Artifice”
15 November 2021
Thio Shen Yi, SC featured on Singapore Academy of Law: “Thio Shen Yi SC on Crypto Assets and the Quest to Define Them”
28 May 2021
Thio Shen Yi, SC, named Lawyer of the Year (Runner Up) at the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2021 Awards
26 April 2021
Thio Shen Yi, SC was mentioned in ST: “S’porean high roller ordered to defend $44m casino debt in Australia”
22 April 2021
Thio Shen Yi, SC quoted in Tech in Asia: “Shopee’s rivals cry foul over its aggressive tactics to win sellers”
3 March 2021
Thio Shen Yi, SC was quoted in BT: “Sias exploring possibility of unitholders represented in EHT bankruptcy case”
17 November 2020
Thio Shen Yi commented in BT: “End of the road for Hyflux board as court appoints interim judicial managers”
23 April 2020
Thio Shen Yi, SC interviewed on CNA Asia First: “Bankruptcy applications reach 462 in March, highest in more than 15 years”
16 September 2019
Thio Shen Yi, SC comments in BT: “honestbee restructuring: CPF to take action for unpaid July contributions”
16 September 2019
TSMP Law Corporation ramps up for rapid growth with second senior counsel, expanded regulatory offering, and new compliance consulting firm Integrium Pte. Ltd.
7 August 2019
Thio Shen Yi, SC comments in BT: “honestbee’s restructuring may hinge on fixing business model”
18 July 2019
Thio Shen Yi, SC comments in BT: “Smart City Kitchens files competition complaint against GrabFood, Deliveroo”
2 January 2019
Thio Shen Yi, SC comments in The Edge: “After a spate of corporate scandals, more shareholder protections in view”
18 December 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC comments in BT: “Raffles Edu shares drop 6.14% after Oei’s salvo on rights issue”
28 November 2018
TSMP featured in BT article: “China calling – and Singapore lawyers heed with ni hao!”
18 November 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC writes for Business Times: “A Future-Ready Justice System for Singapore”
25 October 2018
TSMP featured in BT article: “TSMP leverages high-tech, but aims to be ‘high touch'”
23 October 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC and Stefanie Yuen Thio featured in Singapore Tatler: “Living Legacy”
9 October 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC comments in The Edge: “Tough for minority investors to sue errant companies”
4 August 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC, comments in The Edge: “Will Asiatic’s defamation suit threat ignite debate on shareholder engagement?”
11 April 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC, comments in The Edge: “Are Singapore’s safeguards for deferred prosecution agreements adequate?”
4 April 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC, comments in BT: “Grab makes play for startups to expand foothold in S-E Asia”
5 February 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC, comments in BT: “Noble refutes Goldilocks claims, says management is essential to business”
31 January 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC, comments in Nikkei: “Noble Group shares tumble after debt restructuring proposal”
23 January 2018
Thio Shen Yi, SC, comments in The Edge: “Are deferred prosecution agreements the future of dealing with errant companies?”
Penned by Thio Shen Yi, SC
7 February 2024
My Wishlist For 2024
By Thio Shen Yi, SC, Stefanie Yuen Thio, Ong Pei Ching, June Ho, Ian Lim, Jennifer Chia, Felicia Tan, Mark A. Jacobsen, Derek Loh, Melvin Chan
4 January 2021
2021: In Which We Rise From the Ashes of the Pandemic
By Thio Shen Yi, SC, Stefanie Yuen Thio, Ong Pei Ching, June Ho, Jennifer Chia, Kelvin Koh, Derek Loh, Melvin Chan, Adrian Tan
7 January 2020
Reading the Tea Leaves for 2020
By Thio Shen Yi, SC, Stefanie Yuen Thio, Ong Pei Ching, June Ho, Ian Lim, Jennifer Chia, Kelvin Koh, Derek Loh, Chee Chin Wi, Kishan Pillay
