This article is part of our Singapore Spotlight series, profiling our lawyers based in our Singapore office. In the series, we find out about their backgrounds, their journey through law and hear why Singapore is important to them.
Henry is a Dispute Resolution Partner in our Singapore office. He specialises in cross-border dispute resolution, including international commercial and investor-state arbitration, litigation, and investigations.
I knew I wanted to get into law when… it was a roundabout thing for me. I did an international relations degree, and my original plan was to pursue a diplomatic career. However, when studying on exchange in Germany one of the subjects I was studying involved EU law. One case involved the free movement of goods – in this instance, strawberries – from Spain to France. The French farmers used to blockade and destroy trucks carrying the Spanish strawberries as they crossed into France. The European Court of Justice held that by failing to adopt all necessary and proportionate measures to prevent the free movement of the strawberries from being obstructed by the French farmers, France had failed to fulfil its obligations the EC Treaty. Following the ruling, France complied and prevented its farmers from blockading the roads. I thought the fact that the law had power to cross borders and modify state action was incredible, so my attention turned towards pursuing a career in international law.
I chose commercial arbitration because… I sort of fell into it. I was studying an LLM at the University of Sydney and one assessment involved analysing an international dispute – so I chose the Abyei Arbitration, which determined the boundaries of the Abyei region of southern Sudan and was part of a peace process that ended decades of civil war. The first arbitration I worked on back in Sydney was an investor-State arbitration on behalf of an Australian investor in East Timor. That then led me to Singapore, where my first case was defending the Government of Vietnam in an arbitration against a French investor. I was hooked. I then stayed because being around the courts and arbitration tribunals – it is not just where law happens, it is where law is created. The constant evolution in law and the diverse subject matter of the disputes I get to work on means I do something different every day.
The thing that motivates me most is… when clients pick up the phone and trust me to be able to help them resolve a problem. Being able to help people in complex and stressful situations is probably the most fulfilling part of the job.
The work achievement I'm most proud of is… the first case I brought with me to Mishcon de Reya. We got a win for the client and were awarded 100% of our costs. It was nice to get a win under the belt in your first case at a new firm, especially when you're building a practice as a new Partner!
The thing that makes Singapore such a great place to live is… I moved to do international commercial arbitration and expected to stay about three years. I've now stayed for ten and have no plans to move. The diversity of work is unparalleled, and it takes you all around the world, which I love. Plus, it's a very liveable place and as an Australian, it's only a six-and-a-half-hour flight home.
One opportunity in this region… there is a huge opportunity here as the world economy shifts from west to east. Tracking those capital flows and the new projects and infrastructure being built throughout Southeast Asia brings a lot of opportunity. But it is a very tough market, and a lot of very good firms are chasing those same opportunities. That challenge is also what makes it exciting.
Somebody that has inspired me during my career is… the first person who inspired me was my late father. He was an exceptionally hard working, dedicated and patient lawyer. As the eldest of four boys, I remember him driving between different school sports on a Saturday morning and taking client calls on an early iteration of a car phone from his client. He was able to distil extremely complex problems into very simple things, often using humorous analogies. His client manner was wonderful and his clients really trusted him with their problems.
One thing I wish I knew when I started my career is… be patient and trust the process. At times you can get frustrated by lack of traction or things not working out the way you'd like them to but be patient. Play the long game.
One future trend in my practice area is… I'm feeling very optimistic about building the Mishcon de Reya brand in Asia. The future trend is Mishcon becoming the go-to firm for disputes in Asia!
One thing you don't know about me is... I've recently become a father and have a young daughter. In many regards I'm quintessentially Australian and am happiest cooking a BBQ with a decent bottle of red wine and my family around me. I also play rugby union, with increasingly limited success in the humidity of Singapore, at the Singapore Cricket Club.