Megan Chia

Megan is among a select few lawyers in Singapore to have successfully synergised her criminal law practice with her commercial litigation practice, allowing her to advise and act in complex corporate fraud and corruption matters.

Her civil litigation practice covers a wide range of areas including defamation, shareholders’ disputes, contractual disputes, breach of fiduciary duties, banking disputes, and insolvency matters.Megan has appeared as lead counsel at all levels of the Singapore courts, from trial courts to the Court of Appeal, in both civil and criminal matters. Megan has been recognised as a ”Future Star” for White Collar Crime in Singapore by Benchmark Litigation and is featured in the 2022 Doyle’s Guide in the ”Leading White-Collar Crime & Regulatory Investigations Lawyers” and ”Leading Criminal Defence Lawyers” categories. Megan is also fluent in Mandarin and has advised Mandarin-speaking clients on a variety of complex matters including trade financing, bunker trading, sale of goods and shareholder disputes.

Criminal Practice

• Defending a client accused of engaging in a conspiracy to cheat the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore of some S$11 million through the filing of false claims under the Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme.
• Defending the founder and former director of a luxury timepiece and writing instrument company accused of defrauding a bank through the abuse of an invoice financing facility.
• Defending a client implicated in the multi-billion-dollar Wirecard fraud case.
• Successfully securing protection orders for clients pursuant to the Protection from Harassment Act 2014.
• Acted for a client in a corruption case involving bribes of over S$5.5 million paid to a former manager of an oil major.
• Acted for a client charged with aggravated rape in a trial before the Singapore High Court and before the Singapore Court of Appeal.
• Acted for a Project Director and Project Engineer involved in the collapse of a section of a viaduct under construction.
• Acted in the long-running City Harvest Church criminal breach of trust case.

Civil and Commercial Practice

• Lead counsel before the Court of Appeal in a contempt of court case.
• Advising on and securing multi-million dollar exit packages for minority shareholders.
• Acting in contentious cross-border winding up matters, involving some US$379million.
• Acting for a high-net worth individual in an LCIA Arbitration.
• Acted as lead counsel in 2 High Court Suits involving minority oppression and breach of fiduciary duties.
• Successfully representing defendants in various defamation suits.
• Acted for a public accountant facing disciplinary action.

• Commercial arbitration
• Criminal
• International arbitration
• Litigation
• White-collar crime

• Banking
• Financial services

• The Law Society of Singapore
• Singapore Academy of Law
• Member, Inquiry Panel, Law Society of Singapore• Member, Investigative Tribunal, Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Criminal Practice Committee of the Law Society of Singapore (from 2019)
• Member, Criminal Legal Aid Scheme Committee (“CLAS”) of the Law Society of Singapore (2021 and 2022)
• Adjunct Fellow, National University of Singapore, Centre for Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education

• National University of Singapore (2008) LLB (Hons)(Singapore)