Zhida Chen

Zhida’s main areas of practice are in international trade, trade finance, “dry” shipping work (including charterparty and bill of lading disputes). His work spans across the entire spectrum of the trading lifecycle, including contract formation and termination, payment and security, storage and shipping as well as sanctions and regulatory matters. 

Having spent his formative years as a Justices’ Law Clerk in the Singapore courts, Zhida is no stranger to the Singapore courts. As counsel, he not only regularly appears in the Singapore courts, but also in international arbitrations. He specialises in complex trade and shipping litigation and arbitration, which are often multi-jurisdictional, multi-party disputes or disputes involving novel issues of law. 

Zhida graduated with a LL.B. (First Class Honours) from National University of Singapore and a LL.M from New York University. He has been teaching at the Faculty of Law in the National University of Singapore since 2014 and was recently appointed as one of the youngest Adjunct Assistant Professor. He is currently teaching International Legal Process (in Semester 1) and International Commodity Trading Law Clinic (in Semester 2). 

• Acted in a limitation action in Singapore which dealt with novel issues of interest and costs in limitation proceedings (see AS Fortuna Opco BV and another v Sea Consortium Pte Ltd and others [2020] SGHC 72) as well as the first of its kind application to provisionally set aside of a portion of the limitation fund for foreign claims pursuant to Article 12 of the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, 1976 
• Acted for shipowners in a charterparty dispute and successfully obtaining Mareva and Chabra injunctions from the Singapore courts in aid of arbitration 
• Acted for Toyota Tsusho Corporation (one of the major trade creditors) in the insolvency of the Brightoil group, including the arrest and judicial sale of the six bunker barges in Singapore and the moratorium and proposed scheme of arrangement by Brightoil  
• Acted as lead counsel for a Swiss commodities trader against a Chinese refinery in an arbitration involving 3rd party email fraud  
• Acted for a Chinese company in relation to a claim by an international bank to recover monies paid under a letter of credit   

• Civil litigation
• International arbitration

• Shipping
• International trade
• Trade finance 

Advocate and Solicitor, Singapore 

• Adjunct Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law 
• Member, Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Singapore Academy of Law

• LL.M., New York University (2013)
• LL.B., National University of Singapore (2013)