Harpreet Singh Nehal
Harpreet Singh Nehal | |
|---|---|
_Harpreet_Singh_at_Worker%27s_Party_GE2025_Rally_at_Sengkang_GRC_2025-04-24_-_5.jpg) Singh in 2025 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 February 1966 Singapore |
| Political party | Workers' Party (2023–present) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Hwa Chong Junior College |
| Alma mater | National University of Singapore Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | lawyer, politician |
Harpreet Singh Nehal SC (born 4 February 1966) is a Singaporean lawyer and politician who is a co-managing partner of Audent Chambers LLC.[1] His main areas of practice involve international arbitration and commercial litigation in various industries such as banking and finance, oil and gas, company law, as well as equity and trusts.[2] Singh left Cavenagh Law LLP and Clifford Chance in 2019 to set up his own disputes practice, Audent Chambers LLC, together with a colleague, Jordan Tan.[3]
Singh joined politics in 2021, becoming an official member of the Workers' Party (WP) in 2023. He contested in the new Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC) under the party's banner for the 2025 Singaporean general election and lost to the governing People's Action Party (PAP).
Early life and education
[edit]Singh was born in 1966 in a Teochew kampong in Upper Serangoon in the north-east of Singapore. He comes from a Punjabi Sikh family. He attended Parry Avenue Boy's School, St. Andrew's Secondary School, and Hwa Chong Junior College.[4]
Singh graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) in 1991, and from Harvard Law School with a Master of Laws in 1993.[5]
Legal career
[edit]Singh was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore on 20 May 1992. He initially served as a Justice's Law Clerk before joining Drew & Napier LLC. He was an equity partner in 2012 when he left to join WongPartnership LLP's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group.[6][7]
Later that year, he left to join the formal law alliance between Cavenagh Law LLP and Clifford Chance Pte Ltd as a founding partner.
In December 2018, he stepped down as managing partner of Cavenagh Law. He retired from the partnership of Clifford Chance in June 2019, and in July that year, he co-founded Audent Chambers LLC with Jordan Tan. The chambers focuses on arbitration and civil and commercial litigation. It conducts advocacy only and receives instructions from solicitor firms.[8][9][10][11]
Singh was appointed as a Senior Counsel in 2007.[12][13] He was ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners for Dispute Resolution (Litigation) in their Asia-Pacific Guide 2024.[14]
Notable cases
[edit]Singh has acted as advocate in various notable Singapore cases, including the following:
- Public Prosecutor v Norzian bin Bintat [1995] SGHC 207, which was a landmark constitutional law case in which Yong Pung How CJ asserted the independence of judicial power and held that the Public Prosecutor did not have a veto over the Court's decision to discharge or acquit an accused person.
- Tan Seng Kee v Attorney-General [2022] SGCA 16 in which the Court of Appeal held that Section 377A of the Penal Code was unenforceable in its entirety in light of a political compromise struck by the Singapore Government in 2007 and Attorney-General Lucien Wong's representations in 2018 that the Public Prosecutor would not prosecute sexual acts between two consenting adult men in private.
Other appointments
[edit]From 2019 to 2023, Singh was appointed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to the Appeal Advisory Panels under the Business Trusts Act, Financial Advisers Act, Insurance Act, Securities and Futures Act and Trust Companies Act. He served as a reviewer in the investigation of an international bank in relation to a corruption scandal. He also sits on the Disciplinary and Appeals Committees for the SGX.[15]
Political career
[edit]Singh started volunteering with Workers' Party (WP) in 2021 and became a member in 2023.[16] In November 2023, it was reported that Harpreet had been spotted with members at walkabouts and house visits, wearing the party's light-blue t-shirt with the party logo and selling the party's newspaper alongside party members.[17]
On 20 April 2025, Singh was announced as a Workers' Party candidate for the 2025 Singaporean general election.[18] On Nomination Day, 23 April 2025, a WP team led by him was officially nominated to contest in Punggol GRC and proceeded to lose with 44.83% of the vote.[19][20]
Charity work
[edit]Singh has engaged pro bono on a number of criminal cases, such as Public Prosecutor v Norzian bin Bintat [1995] SGHC 207 and Public Prosecutor v Barokah [2009] SGHC 46.[21] He had also donated to the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS), for research work on the long term healthcare for an aging population.[4]
Personal views
[edit]In 2023, Singh's criticism of the Singapore authorities' decision not to prosecute senior management of Keppel Offshore & Marine in respect of bribes paid to Brazilian officials was published by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL). His commentary was subsequently taken down by the SAL.[22][23]
Singh had also commented on the leasing of government-owned bungalows on Ridout Road by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In his commentary, published by the online magazine, Jom, he emphasised the importance that the government's review of the leases involve full disclosure of all material facts and be conducted by respected and independent third parties so that it is perceived to be transparent and unbiased.[24][25]
Personal life
[edit]Singh is divorced with four adult children.[4] He speaks Teochew due to his childhood and is learning Mandarin.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ Vadaketh, Sudhir (13 September 2024). "The system has stopped evolving: why Harpreet Singh joined the opposition". Jom. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Harpreet Singh sets up new law firm with counsel". Mothership. 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Harpreet Singh sets up new law firm with counsel". The Business Times. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Vadaketh, Sudhir (13 September 2024). "The system has stopped evolving: why Harpreet Singh joined the opposition". Jom Media. Singapore: Jom.
- ^ "Harpreet Singh Nehal" (PDF). Singapore International Arbitration Centre.
- ^ Dam, Ranajit (11 January 2012). "WongPartnership lands disputes expert from Drew & Napier; promotes 12 partners". Asian Legal Business. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Seah, Jessica (6 January 2012). "WongPartnership Taps Singapore Rival for Litigator". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Sai, Aparna (4 February 2020). "Former Clifford Chance litigators set up disputes firm in Singapore". Asian Legal Business. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Two ex-senior lawyers from Clifford Chance's Singapore ally form boutique". www.globallegalpost.com. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Former Head of Clifford Chance's Formal Law Alliance in Singapore Leaves Firm". Law.com International. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Kang, John (31 July 2018). "Singapore's Drew & Napier Nabs Disputes Partner From WongPartnership". Law.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Appointment of Senior Counsel 2007". www.sal.org.sg. 6 January 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Goh, Yan Han; Ng, Wei Kai (9 February 2025). "Who are the WP's new faces ahead of GE2025?". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Harpreet Singh Nehal SC". chambers.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Co-managing partners". Audent Chambers.
- ^ Tham, Yuen-C; Wong, Pei Ting (14 April 2025). "GE2025: 'I don't want to be parachuted anywhere safe,' says WP new face Harpreet Singh". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Goh, Yan Han; Iau, Jean; Yuen-C, Tham (2 November 2023). "Will you be my MP? PAP, WP unveil new faces, recruit potential candidates ahead of next GE". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "GE2025: WP unveils three new candidates, including Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh". The Straits Times. 19 April 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "GE2025: DPM Gan to face off against WP's Harpreet in battle for Punggol, now an election hot spot". The Straits Times. 23 April 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "ELD | 2025 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "Reflections on my Pro Bono Experience" (PDF). The Power of One. Law Society of Singapore. July 2012.
- ^ Lam, Lydia (2 February 2023). "Senior counsel questions handling of Keppel bribery case as other lawyers weigh in; Indranee to address matter in Parliament". CNA. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Singapore Academy of Law says chief executive's departure not linked to commentary on Keppel bribery case". CNA. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Strengthening the Singapore system: the Ridout saga and conflicts of interest". Jom. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Tang, See Kit (26 June 2023). "Ridout Road properties: 'Thorough, meaningful' debate and full transparency needed, say political analysts". CNA. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ 80K views · 1.6K reactions | WP's Harpreet Singh speaks Mandarin, Teochew at party's first GE2025 rally | #WP's Harpreet Singh calls out WP supporters in Mandarin and Teochew at the party's first #GE2025 rally on April 24 in Anchorvale. | By The Straits Times | Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2025 – via www.facebook.com.