Anthony Cheah Nicholls
Director
Anthony is a dual-qualified international dispute resolution lawyer who is regularly engaged as counsel, arbitrator or mediator for commercial disputes. He is the exclusive winner of Lexology’s 2024 Client Choice Award for Arbitration in Singapore where he was described as having “excellent legal skills” and “sharp analytical skills”, being “extremely approachable and always willing to meet clients’ demands”, and overall being “very commercial minded…a successful problem solver”.
Over the last thirteen years, Anthony has worked on dozens of international commercial and investment arbitrations including in the energy, oil and gas, mining, aviation, construction, M&A, crypto and shipping sectors. These arbitrations applied numerous governing laws, were seated in different jurisdictions and were conducted under the rules of the most popular arbitral institutions (including the ICC, SIAC, LCIA, HKIAC, DIAC, LMAA and ICSID). He has testified as an expert witness before national courts on Singapore arbitration law.
Anthony is admitted to the SIAC’s Reserve Panel of Arbitrators and wrote the arbitral rules of the Beihai-Asia International Arbitration Centre. He is an Accredited Mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Institute and sits on committees of the International Law Association (Singapore branch) and Singapore Institute of Arbitrators’ Young Practitioners Network.
In addition to his legal practice, Anthony is a Law Lecturer and Academic Director at the National University of Management in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His academic publications cover a wide range of dispute resolution topics and have been awarded prizes by the Singapore Law Society and YSIAC. For several years, he participated in legal proceedings pro bono before the ECCC in Cambodia, against the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge.
Anthony graduated from the London School of Economics (Bachelor of Laws with French Law, Honours) and Université de Strasbourg III Robert Schuman (Diplôme d’Etudes Juridiques Françaises, Mention). He is fluent in English and French, and admitted to the bars of New York and Singapore.
2024 Lexology Client Choice Award Winner
Some of Anthony’s notable cases include:
– Representing an Asian State-owned entity against another Asian State-owned entity in an ICC arbitration seated in Hong Kong. The dispute arose out of an agreement for the transportation of gas and is governed by the national law of one of the parties. Over US$350 million is at stake.
– Representing an Indonesian individual against a PRC company in an HKIAC arbitration seated in Hong Kong. The dispute arises in relation to a mining project, the governing law of the contract is Chinese and the arbitration is taking place in the Chinese language. Over US$114 million is at stake.
– Representing a French-German consortium against a Finnish utility company in an ICC arbitration seated in Stockholm. The dispute arose from an agreement for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Finland and was governed by Finnish law. Over EUR 6.1 billion was at stake.
– Representing an American company in an insurance related ICC arbitration against a Dubai incorporated company. The seat was in Dubai and Dubai law governed the contractual dispute. Over AED 80 million was at stake.
– Representing the subsidiary of an Asian State-owned company in the energy sector as Respondent against its Asian joint venture partners in two parallel ICC arbitrations seated in Singapore. The dispute arose from a joint venture agreement for the development of an oil storage facility and related port facilities in Asia. English law and the law of the Claimants’ State applied. Over US$80 million was at stake.
– Representing a North Asian State-Owned Entity in a SIAC arbitration against a Singaporean counterparty in a Singapore seated commodities related arbitration.
– Representing an Indonesian company in a pharmaceutical related SIAC arbitration against a Hong Kong company. The arbitration applies Indonesian law and is seated in Singapore. The value in dispute is over S$9 million.
– Representing a Singaporean company in an aviation related ICC arbitration against a major French respondent. French law applied to the arbitration, the seat was in Paris and the arbitration was conducted in French.
– Representing Garanti Koza against Turkmenistan in an ICSID investment arbitration. The dispute arose out of the construction of a highway in Turkmenistan. The UK-Turkmenistan BIT applied.
– Representing a Southeast Asian listed company as Claimant in an SIAC arbitration seated in Singapore. The dispute arose in connection with a shipbuilding contract. Singapore law applied and tens of millions of Singapore dollars were at stake.
– Representing an Indian respondent against a Malaysian claimant in a telecoms related SIAC arbitration. The seat of the arbitration was Singapore and over US$800 million was at stake.
– Representing a Singaporean company in an ICC arbitration arising out of a Supply Contract for the supply of military technology used in the Middle East.
– Representing a BVI company in a Hong Kong seated HKIAC arbitration against another BVI company in a cryptocurrency related dispute, governed by Hong Kong law.
– Representing investors involved in a fraudulent nickel trading scheme with lost assets valued at over S$35 million before the Singapore courts.
– Advising a major US chemical company in relation to a joint venture agreement with its Asian counterpart. The ICC arbitration was seated in Hong Kong and governed by Hong Kong law.
– Advising a Mongolian State-owned entity in complex negotiations with Rio Tinto regarding the Oyu Tolgoi mining project in Mongolia. The Oyu Tolgoi mine was estimated to account for a third of Mongolia’s GDP in 2020.
– Advising a Central American law firm in relation to its client’s ICSID investment arbitration against a Central American state.
– Acting as an independent expert on Singapore arbitration law in Case 166/2564 before Thailand’s Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, in relation to the enforcement of a commodities related arbitral award, issued by a Singapore seated tribunal applying Singapore law.
– Acting as sole arbitrator in an SIAC arbitration between Singaporean and Indonesian companies. The value in dispute was around US$500,000.
– Acting as sole arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration between a South Korean claimant and a Vietnamese respondent. The value in dispute was over US$100,000.
– Acting as sole mediator in a commercial mediation between two Singaporean entities in relation to a luxury vehicle.
– Acting as co-mediator in a dispute concerning the sale and purchase of commercial real estate in Singapore. The value in dispute was around S$1.2 million.
– Acting as co-mediator in a complex commercial mediation between a group of Singaporean medical related companies and a Malaysian investment fund. The value in dispute was around S$4.5 million.
– Assisting an arbitrator in Churchill Mining PLC and Planet Mining Pty Ltd v. Republic of Indonesia, ICSID Case No. ARB/12/14 and 12/40, Hesham T. M. Al Warraq v. Republic of Indonesia, UNCITRAL case, and numerous commercial arbitrations.