GAR Analysis

• No. of pending cases: 4
• Value of all claims: US$9.4billion
• No. of appearances in Who's Who: 0
• No. of treaty cases: 0
• No. of arbitration appointments (No. as chair or sole): 8(2)

Rajah & Tann is the only firm from Singapore in the GAR 100 (although we do include Shearman & Sterling and Herbert Smith, both of which are big arbitration players there).

We picked Rajah & Tann from among the other top-tier domestic firms for dispute resolution firms first because of the 44 pending matters on its books and, second, because it has made its arbitration practice a stand-alone entity this year.

The decision coincided loosely with the arrival of Sundaresh Menon at the firm as a partner. Menon, 44, has been described as "one of Singapore's leading arbitration specialists". He joined after a year as a judicial commissioner at the Supreme Court. Menon had been in private practice at Jones Day, and was the firm's head of Asian litigation and arbitration. Menon is also Singapore's delegate at UNCITRAL.

Shortly after the practice was separated from litigation, several of Menon's colleagues from his previous firm elected to join him (nine lawyers in all) boosting the practice substantially. Totalling the combined work of all the current specialists, Rajah & Tann can point to having completed 22 merits hearings in the past two years in a variety of industries. DLA Piper, Michael Hwang and the Wong Partnership can all provide eyewitness reports, from the opposing side. Hearings have taken place under ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, CIETAC and UNCITRAL rules. Shell Eastern, Keppel Offshore Marine, Motorola and Black & Veatch are current referees for the group.