Christopher Chuah

Career

Christopher CHUAH is the Managing Director of Christopher Chuah Law Chambers LLC.

Christopher is a leading construction and dispute resolution lawyer with over 30 years of experience in litigation, arbitration, and statutory adjudication. Recognised as one of Singapore’s top construction lawyers, he has acted in high-profile infrastructure and construction disputes across Asia, including matters relating to power plants, transport infrastructure, and commercial developments. Clients praise him as “the best construction lawyer in Singapore” whose “advice is practical, layman-friendly and insightful,” and he is known for addressing complex legal issues with strategic clarity and sound judgment.

He has appeared as leading counsel in numerous reported decisions before the Singapore High Court and Court of Appeal, shaping the development of construction law in the country. An accredited adjudicator under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2004 (the SOP Act), Christopher also serves as an arbitrator on the Main Panel of Arbitrators at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC). He was recently appointed as an arbitrator and committee member at the Asia Pacific International Arbitration Chamber (Singapore) and currently serves on the BICAM Panel of Arbitrators for the 2023 to 2026 term, reinforcing his standing in international dispute resolution.

Christopher’s international experience includes chairing a Dispute Adjudication Board for a MYR 1 billion power plant dispute in Malaysia and successfully acting for the Employer in an international arbitration involving a waste-to-energy project in Thailand. His legal expertise is regularly sought by major industry bodies such as the Singapore Contractors Association Limited and the Singapore Institute of Architects.

He is one of the inaugural lawyers appointed as a Senior Accredited Specialist in Building and Construction Law by the Singapore Academy of Law. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Chartered Institute of Building, he also currently serves as the President of the Chartered Institute of Building (Singapore). In addition, he plays a key role at the Singapore Mediation Centre, where he is a member of the Construction Adjudicator Accreditation Committee. In this capacity, he assists with the training and accreditation of adjudicators and advises the Centre on issues involving adjudicator replacement and conflicts of interest under the SOP Act.

Christopher has authored numerous publications in the field and is one of the General Editors of the Singapore Construction Adjudication Review. He also contributes to the education of future lawyers as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, where he teaches construction law and mentors students aspiring to join the profession.

Before establishing his own firm, Christopher was the Head of the Infrastructure, Construction and Engineering Department at two of Singapore’s Big Four law firms for over two decades. He graduated from the London School of Economics and is admitted to both the English and Singapore Bars. He also holds a Diploma in Surveying (Distinction) from the College of Estate Management, Reading, United Kingdom.

Christopher’s work and thought leadership have been recognised in the legal industry over the years. He has been consistently ranked as a Band 1 Construction Lawyer by Chambers Asia-Pacific from 2015 to 2025, named a Thought Leader in Construction by Lexology (2024, previously Who’s Who Legal), and recognised among Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers from 2023 to 2025.

Practice Areas

Construction

Infrastructure

Dispute Resolution

Arbitration

Professional Memberships

Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, 1989

Accredited Specialist in Building and Construction Law appointed by the Singapore Academy of Law

Accredited adjudicator under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2004 (SOP Act)

Arbitrator on the Main Panel of Arbitrators for Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Asia Pacific International Arbitration Chambers (Singapore), BICAM Panel of Arbitrators (2023 – 2026 term)

Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

Fellow & President, Chartered Institute of Building (Singapore)

Member, Construction Adjudicator Accreditation Committee, Singapore Mediation Centre

Publications

Drafted the Contractor’s Working Manual on Public Sector Standard Conditions of Contract for Construction Works (1996)

Article entitled “Reflections on the Singapore Institute of Architects’ Conditions of Sub-Contract (2nd Edition)” (Singapore Academy of Law Journal) (2000)

Co-author of Standard Form of Sub-Contracts – An Annotation (Butterworths Asia) (2001)

Co-author of Architects and the Law in Singapore (Butterworths Asia) (2001)

Led authorship of Public Sector Standard Conditions for Design & Build – Commentary (LexisNexis) (2002)

Led authorship of Annotated Guide to Building and Construction Security of Payment Act 2004 (Sweet & Maxwell Asia) (2004)

Drafted the Standard Agreement for Appointment of Consultants in Design and Build Projects (SCAL) (2004)

Drafted the SCAL Conditions of Sub-Contract for Domestic Sub-Contracts (SCAL) (2005)

Drafted the SCAL Conditions of Sub-Contract for the Supply of Goods (SCAL) (2005)

Led authorship of Annotated Guide to the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004 (Sweet & Maxwell Asia) (2005)

Contributed to Getting the Deal Through – Construction 2009 (2008)

Contributed to Getting the Deal Through – Construction 2010 (2009)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2008] 2 SCAdjR (Sweet & Maxwell Asia) (2009)

Contributed to Getting the Deal Through – Construction 2011 (2010)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review (2008) Vol. 2 (Sweet & Maxwell Asia) (2010)

Co-written article “Construction Adjudication: The Basis for Setting Aside Adjudication Determinations” (22 SAcLJ) (2010)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2009] 3 SCAdjR (Sweet & Maxwell Asia) (2011)

Co-author of Contract Administration Guide to the REDAS Design and Build Conditions of Contract (LexisNexis) (2012)

Contributed to Getting the Deal Through – Construction 2013 (2012)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2010] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing) (2012)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2011] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing / SMC) (2013)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2012] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing / SMC) (2014)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2013] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing / SMC) (2015)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2014] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing / SMC) (2016)

Co-editor of Singapore Journal of Construction Law (Vol 1) (LexisNexis / SAL) (2016)

Co-editor of Singapore Journal of Construction Law (Vol 2) (LexisNexis / SAL) (2016)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2015] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing / SMC) (2017)

Co-editor of Singapore Journal of Construction Law Volume 1 (LexisNexis / SAL) (2017)

Contributor to Annual Review of Singapore Cases 2016 (Singapore Academy of Law) (2017)

Co-editor of Singapore Journal of Construction Law Volume 2 (LexisNexis / SAL) (2017)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2016] SCAdjR (Academy Publishing / SMC) (2018)

Co-editor of Singapore Journal of Construction Law Volume 1 (LexisNexis / SAL) (2018)

Co-editor of Singapore Journal of Construction Law Volume 2 (LexisNexis / SAL) (2018)

Co-author of Annual Review of Singapore Cases 2017 – 18 SAL Ann Rev 131 (Singapore Academy of Law) (2018)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2017] SCAdjR (Singapore Mediation Centre) (2019)

Co-editor of Amendments to the SOP Act – Commentary on the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment (Amendment) Act 2018 (Sweet & Maxwell / SMC) (2019)

Co-author of Annual Review of Singapore Cases 2018 – 19 SAL Ann Rev 105 (Singapore Academy of Law) (2019)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2018] SCAdjR (Singapore Mediation Centre) (2020)

Contributor to Annual Review of Singapore Cases 2019 (Singapore Academy of Law) (2020)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2019] SCAdjR (Singapore Mediation Centre) (2021)

Co-author of Perspectives article on infrastructure law (SICC News) (2021)

Contributor to Annual Review of Singapore Cases 2020 (Singapore Academy of Law) (2021)

Co-editor of Singapore Construction Adjudication Review [2020] SCAdjR (Singapore Mediation Centre) (2022)

Contributor to Annual Review of Singapore Cases 2021 (Singapore Academy of Law) (2022)

Contributor to Chambers Global Practice Guides – Public Procurement and Government Contracts (2023)

Languages Spoken

English

Mandarin

Japanese (limited working proficiency)

Education