Bhaskaran Sivasamy

t. +65 6581 3711

e. bhaskaran.sivasamy@skandanlaw.com

 

Bhaskaran is the managing director of Skandan Law LLC. He is a Singapore-trained lawyer who is qualified to practice law in Singapore, Australia, England and Wales. 

Bhaskaran’s legal skill set in advocacy and advisory work was developed over two decades as a lawyer in some of the leading law firms in Singapore (Rajah & Tann; John Koh & Co) and Australia (Corrs Chambers Westgarth).

After graduating from the National University of Singapore and being called to the bar in 1996, Bhaskaran commenced his professional career in Singapore in general litigation before proceeding to specialize in commercial and building construction disputes. Bhaskaran was a litigation partner in a local law firm when he left for Australia in 2001 to pursue postgraduate qualifications. He subsequently worked in the areas of planning and environmental law for an Australian government department before eventually joining a leading Australian national law firm.

After five years in Australia, Bhaskaran returned to Singapore in late 2006 to join a local boutique disputes practice as a director where he stayed for 10 years before finally establishing Skandan Law LLC in 2017. 

During his many years of practice, Bhaskaran has appeared successfully as an advocate at all levels of the Singapore Courts, including the Court of Appeal, in arbitration and mediation proceedings in Singapore. He has also appeared successfully as an advocate on behalf of government departments and individuals in the Australian Courts.

The areas of law that Bhaskaran has advised on include: general commercial law, directors duties, partnership disputes, corporate governance, corporate and personal insolvency, building and construction law, property law, trust and estate law, probate law, insurance law, employment law, defamation, planning and environmental law, family law, tort law, syariah law and criminal law.

Some of the more significant litigation and arbitration proceedings Bhaskaran has been involved in, both in Singapore and Australia, some of which have been reported, include:

Commercial, corporate and employment disputes

  • Acting for a local company to successfully injunct the call by its counterparty on banks to pay on refund guarantees under a multi-million dollar construction contract for an off-shore oil rig;

  • Acting for an international telecommunications company in a commercial dispute concerning a fraudulent claim for outstanding payments by its sub-contractor;

  • Acting for a listed Malaysian pharmaceutical company against an American pharmaceutical company in a joint venture dispute concerning a Singapore joint venture company;

  • Acting in a shareholder dispute involving an international conglomerate of companies;

  • Acting for a local electronic company in an action against its director for breach of directors’ duties;

  • Acting for a local company in a corporate dispute involving breach of fiduciary and employee duties by a former director and employee;

  • Acting for a local aromatics trading company in a dispute with local and overseas counterparties;

  • Acting for an investor in dispute with a local bank over the mis-selling of an investment product;

  • Acting for an employee of a local listed company in defamation proceedings against the employee of an International MNC for libellous remarks made over the course of negotiations;

  • Acting for an employee of an MNC in a dispute involving wrongful termination and repudiation of the employment agreement;

  • Acting for an employee in a dispute involving wrongful termination and repudiation of the employment agreement.

 

Construction and property disputes

  • Acting for the main contractor against the sub-contractors in respect of a dispute concerning the rectification of defective works and contra charges for building works at Mandarin Hotel and Great World City;

  • Acting for the employer, a listed local aircraft engineering company, in a dispute with the main contractor over the construction of an aircraft hangar and reviewing the terms of the main contract;

  • Acting for the main contractor of the Tuas Undersea tunnel in a dispute with the specialist sub-contractors;

  • Acting for the main contractor in disputes with its employer and various sub-contractors in respect of the Sinsov Building and Hilltop Apartment projects;

  • Acting for the main contractor in a dispute concerning the termination of the sub-contract and delays to the progress of the works in respect of the building project known as WT Distripark Phase II;

  • Acting for MCSTs and subsidiary proprietors in proceedings before the Strata Title Boards and State Courts;

  • Acting for various home owners against the developer and main contractor for defects claims;

  • Acting for a property firm in a suit against 17 subsidiary proprietors for breach of an exclusive marketing arrangement over an en bloc sale;

  • Acting for tenants and landlords in various tenancy disputes;

  • Acting for a property purchaser against the developer, valuer and mortgagee bank in a misrepresentation claim.

 

Criminal litigation and family law

  • Acting for various accused persons in the Criminal Courts, for cases involving Criminal Breach of Trust, Cheating, Money Laundering, Drug Offences and Traffic Offences;

  • Acting for both the petitioner and the respondent in divorce, nullity and ancillary proceedings in the Family Court;

  • Acting on behalf of the legal aid bureau in the landmark case of Madiah bte Atan which established that the Singapore Supreme Court had concurrent jurisdiction with the Syariah Court of Singapore to provide relief to a party to a Muslim marriage.

Outside of practice, Bhaskaran runs a free legal clinic which he helped establish for a local Singapore charity, as well as volunteers with legal clinics run by the State Courts of Singapore.

 

Appointments:

·       Commissioner for Oaths

·       Notary Public

·       Member, Law Society of Singapore

·       Member, Singapore Academy of Law

·       Member, Disciplinary Committee of the Singapore Hockey Federation

·       Member, Disciplinary Committee of the Singapore Silat Federation

·       Member, The National Healthcare Group’s Domain Specific Review Board

·       Advocacy Trainer, Part B of the Singapore Bar Exams, Singapore Institute of Legal Education