Band 6
Provided by Charis Tan
Charis is a partner based in the Singapore office of Peter & Kim. Charis is tri-qualified (Singapore, England & Wales and New York) and has specialised in international arbitration her entire career. Her practice straddles international commercial and investment treaty arbitration and public international law.
She trained under Senior Counsel Michael Hwang in Singapore, before joining an international firm where she worked with one of the top teams in the world for public international law and investment treaty arbitration. In 2020, she joined Peter & Kim, launching the Singapore office.
Her experience includes investment and commercial arbitrations under the rules of major arbitration institutions, including ICSID, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, KCAB, AIAC and SCC, as well as ad hoc proceedings under UNCITRAL Rules.
Charis is appointed as Counsel and Arbitrator, and she has also served as a Panellist in WTO trade proceedings.
She regularly acts for States and has represented them in ISDS proceedings and high-profile State-to-State disputes before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Her cases almost always involve complex multi-layered disputes involving the interplay between commercial relations, regulation, policy, and domestic and international law.
Charis has been referred to as “formidable arbitration counsel”, with “great familiarity with the rules and personas involved” and “simply outstanding”, recommended by Who’s Who Legal, Global Arbitration Review (GAR) and Legal 500. An initiative she spearheaded for the training of Government officials was awarded the Asia Pacific FT Innovative Lawyers Award.
Charis is also co-editor and author of Investment Protection in Southeast Asia, A Country-by-Country Guide on Arbitration Laws and Bilateral Investment Treaties (Brill, 2017).
Partner – Peter & Kim (Singapore), 2020 – present
WTO Panellist – World Trade Organization, 2020 – 2024
Director – DWF (Singapore), 2017 – 2019
Of Counsel – Eversheds LLP, 2009 – 2017
Associate – Michael Hwang Chambers LLC, 2007 – 2009
2023 – SIAC Main Panel, one of the youngest ever to have been admitted on the Panel.
2023 – KCAB International, Panel of International Arbitrators.
2023 – Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA), Panel of Arbitrators.
2021 – Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Panel of Arbitrators.
2020 – Hainan International Arbitration Court.
2019 – World Trade Organisation (WTO), Panellist.
2019 – National Commercial Arbitration Centre (NCAC), Cambodia, Panel of Arbitrators.
Co-editor and author of the book “Investment Protection in Southeast Asia: A Country-by-Country Guide on Arbitration Laws and Bilateral Investment Treaties” (Brill, 2017).
Co-author of the article “Ten Questions Not to Ask in Cross-examination in International Arbitration,” featured in the collection “Selected Essays on International Arbitration by Michael Hwang, S.C.” (2013).
Co-author of the publication “When circumstances change: a comparative view of the law and ICC model clauses,” published by the IBA Asia Pacific Regional Forum (2020).
Co-author of “Quantification of ISDS Claims: Theory,” included in “The Guide to Investment Treaty Protection and Enforcement” (Law Business Research, 2022).
Co-author of the article “Conditional Fee Arrangements to be Approved for Arbitration,” published in the ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin (2022).
Provided by Chambers
Charis Tan has particular strength in international commercial and investment treaty arbitration and public international law. She has expertise in arbitrations under the rules of major institutions, including ICSID, ICC, SIAC and SCC, and ad hoc proceedings under UNCITRAL Rules.