Clare Lee
Biography
Clare Lee is a Singapore-based litigation and disputes lawyer in Ascendant Legal, a Singapore law firm in Formal Law Alliance with Norton Rose Fulbright. She has over a decade of experience in complex, high-stakes banking and finance disputes, commercial litigation and international arbitration.
She regularly represents clients before all levels of the Singapore Courts and leading arbitral institutions, including acting in landmark cases. She acts as lead counsel and has worked closely with Senior Counsel. She has also been previously appointed by the Singapore High Court as Young Independent Counsel.
Clare has completed secondments with a global bank’s international litigation and investigations team and with the international arbitration department of a leading international firm in London.
Clients have described her as “a pleasure to work with”, having “excellent judgment”, “patient, meticulous and sharp”, and “able to master the details of the case very quickly”. The Singapore High Court has “unreservedly commend[ed]” her “industry and care”.
Clare regularly contributes to leading legal commentary in Singapore, including the Singapore Civil Procedure, and has been appointed to the Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law Practice Advisory Panel.
Prior to joining the firm, Clare practised litigation and dispute resolution at a top Singapore law firm and at a large international firm. She is qualified as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore.
Professional experience
Representative experience
Representative experience
Banking & Finance
Secured a landmark Singapore Court of Appeal ruling for a major Russian bank on the threshold for disputed debts under arbitration agreements in winding-up applications
Defended a global financial institution in multiple litigation claims from ex-financial advisors, achieving pre-trial settlement.
Conducted investigations into potential top management fraud and regulatory breaches in the South Asian arm of an international bank.
Conducted internal investigations into procedural lapses and senior personnel misconduct in the Singapore office of a global bank.
Advised an international bank on cross-border trade finance disputes involving letter of credit fraud and foreign injunctive relief.
Advised a foreign government-affiliated insurance fund in procurement-related disputes.
Technology, Crypto & Digital Assets
Acted for a cryptocurrency exchange in payment and crypto-related disputes with user.
Advised a crypto fund on repayment claims and urgent court relief in connection with the liquidation of Three Arrows Capital (Asia Legal Awards 2023 “Restructuring & Insolvency Deal of the Year”).
Represented minority shareholders and investors in arbitration over token issuance and valuation misrepresentations against a cryptocurrency platform.
Represented a blockchain company in resisting summary judgment on staking and off-ramping disputes.
Acted for a technology platform company in resisting non-party document disclosure.
Acted for a prominent Indian software firm in multi-year arbitrations involving contract breaches and proprietary misappropriation disputes with a European counterpart.
Commercial & Corporate
Represented international group of businesses in relation to multi-million dollar contractual disputes and insolvency-related claims brought against the entities in Singapore and worldwide.
Acted for international commodities conglomerate on supplier disputes arising out of the supply of contaminated products that have been the subject of widespread media coverage.
Represented international power engineering corporation against foreign state-linked entities in arbitration proceedings involving delay and non-payment disputes arising out of a consortium agreement for a power plant project and valued in the region of close to US$1 billion.
Defended a global professional services firm’s subsidiary against claims involving misrepresentation and negligence, raising novel issues at the intersection of litigation and arbitration.
Acted in a series of cases before the Singapore International Commercial Court and Court of Appeal on interpretation of guarantees and indemnities under Singapore and French law.
Represented a billionaire investor in a high-profile multi-party property rights dispute before the Singapore International Commercial Court and Court of Appeal.
Represented an Australian company in mining and energy arbitration against a Chinese state-owned entity.
Advised a global conglomerate on multi-jurisdictional bribery and conspiracy investigations.
Advised luxury and leisure provider in managing a wide portfolio of contractual disputes and payment claims and counter-claims in Singapore and across Asia-Pacific.
Rankings and recognitions
Rankings and recognitions
Benchmark Litigation Asia 2025 – Future Star, Commercial and Transactions
Education
Education
- Master of Laws Candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science (expected completion: 2027)
- Certificate in Law and Sustainability: Tackling Global Environmental Challenges, University of Oxford, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (2022)
- Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business Management (Finance Major), Summa Cum Laude for both degrees, Singapore Management University (2013)
Scholarship holder, Lee Kong Chian Scholars’ Programme—prestigious bond-free scholarship for outstanding double-degree students (2008–2013)
Admissions
Admissions
- Advocate & Solicitor, Singapore 2014
Publications
Publications
Featured in The Edge Singapore, “The Best Course of Action”, discussing the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s upcoming measures to strengthen investor recourse (2025)
Contributing Author, Choice of Court Agreements Act, Singapore Civil Procedure (Sweet & Maxwell) (2022–Present)
Author, “Directors' duties owed to creditors: Clarity from the Singapore Court of Appeal”, Norton Rose Fulbright Thought Leadership Publications (2024)
Co-author, “Risks for Transactions and Directors in Financially Distressed Businesses (Singapore)”, Thomson Reuters Practical Law (2024)
Co-author, “The Singapore High Court Rules That Crypto Assets Are ‘Things in Action’ Capable of Being Held on Trust’, Global Regulation Tomorrow (2024)
Co-author, “Financial services regulation and ESG: Regulation Around the World”, Global Regulation Tomorrow (2023)
Co-author, “Climate Regulation and Litigation in Singapore”, International Financial Law Review (2023)
Co-author, "Recent Case Law Developments in Singapore's Restructuring and Insolvency Laws Show Balancing between Pro-Rehabilitation Policies and Pro-Creditor Policies" Norton Rose Fulbright International Restructuring Newswire (2022)
Facilitator, SIAC Indochina Academy 2020, "Time and Cost Savers at SIAC: Emergency Arbitration, Expedited Procedure and Early Dismissal"
Co-author, “Lord Denning’s Influence on Contract Formation in Singapore – An Overdue Demise?”, Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal (2017)
Speaking engagements
Speaking engagements
Speaker, “Recent Highlights in Contract Law”, Singapore Management University Law Academy (2023, 2024)
Contributing speaker, “Financial services regulation and ESG: Regulation Around the World”, Global Regulation Tomorrow podcast” (2023)
Facilitator, SIAC Russia Academy 2021, "Time and Cost Savers at SIAC: Emergency Arbitration, Expedited Procedure and Early Dismissal"
Facilitator, SIAC Indochina Academy 2020, "Time and Cost Savers at SIAC: Emergency Arbitration, Expedited Procedure and Early Dismissal"
Co-organiser and Panellist, Dentons-FTI Consulting Seminar, "Cross-Border Injunctions: Strategic and Innovative Ways to Deal with Legal Emergencies", 2019
Memberships and activities
Memberships and activities
Board Member, Family Enrichment Society (2023–present)
Mentor, Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law Professional Mentorship Programme (2025–present)
Practice Advisory Panel, Singapore Management University, Yong Pung How School of Law (2021-2023)
Adjunct faculty, Ethics and Social Responsibility, Singapore Management University (2016-2023)
Committee Member, Law Awareness Committee, Law Society of Singapore (2019-2020)
Committee Member, Public and International Law Committee, Law Society of Singapore (2018-2019)
Young Independent Counsel, Supreme Court of Singapore, Young Independent Counsel Scheme (2016–2017)
Member, The Law Society of Singapore and Singapore Academy of Law (2014-present)
Languages
Languages
- English
- Mandarin Chinese
Insights and news
Insights
