The ROAP Asia Finals brought to a close our advanced remote oral advocacy and cross-examination courses, by featuring the most persuasive and skilled participants on each course.

The outcome of the finals was determined by a panel of world-class arbitrators consisting of Gary Born (President) to whom the ROAP Asia 2024 edition is dedicated, VK Rajah SC and Samantha Tan.

The winners were, Jennifer Yoo (Peter & Kim, Seoul) and James Calderwood (Mazars, Singapore) for the cross-examination course; Jorge Escalona Gálvez (Ministry of Economy, Mexico) and Chenguang Zhang (Sunshine Law Firm, Shanghai & Shenzen) for the oral submissions course. The other finalists were Jessica van der Kamp (Mayer Brown, Hong Kong) and expert Sophie Munson (HKA, Sydney) for the cross-examination course, and Duc Tam Nguyen The (University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh) and Jung Wook Yoo (Peter & Kim, Seoul) for the oral submissions course.

You will find short bios of our finalists and tribunal members below.

TRIBUNAL FOR ROAP ASIA 2024 FINALS

Gary Born is the chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group of Wilmer Hale. Mr. Born is widely regarded as the world’s preeminent authority on international commercial arbitration and international litigation. He has been ranked for more than 20 years as one of the world’s leading international arbitration advocates and the leading arbitration practitioner in London. Mr. Born has participated as counsel in more than 675 international arbitrations, including four of the largest ICC arbitrations and several of the most significant ad hoc arbitrations in recent history. Among many accolades for his work as counsel, Mr. Born received the Global Arbitration Review inaugural “Advocate of the Year” award, the Client Choice award for “Best International Arbitration Practitioner” and the Best Lawyers “London Arbitration Lawyer of the Year” award. He is one of only two practitioners to achieve “starred” status for international arbitration in the Chambers Global and Chambers UK guides. Chambers recognized him for his “Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession,” describing him as the world’s foremost authority on international arbitration and litigation.  Clients and competitors have also described Mr. Born as “awesome,” “inimitable,” and “in a league of his own,” praising him as “a phenomenal mind and a brilliant lawyer,” “easily the most capable disputes lawyer alive today,” and “at the absolute top of the international arbitration universe.” He has represented European, US, Asian and other companies in arbitrations under all leading institutional rules (ICC, LCIA, AAA, Vienna, Stockholm, ICSID) and in ad hoc arbitrations in all leading international seats (London, Paris, Geneva/Zurich, Vienna, Stockholm, New York, Washington, Singapore). He has particular experience in joint venture, investor-state, M&A, investment banking and other financial services, project finance, energy, oil and gas, intellectual property and insurance disputes. Mr. Born heads the firm’s international arbitration group, which is based in London with lawyers in in our New York, Washington, Boston, Silicon Valley, Beijing and Berlin offices. Mr. Born also advises on the litigation of international disputes in US courts. He has particular experience in the fields of jurisdiction, enforcement of judgments, conflict of laws and international judicial cooperation, and also serves as an expert witness on aspects of US private international law in foreign proceedings. He also sits as arbitrator (presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator) and serves as expert witness. He has served as arbitrator in more than 250 institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. Mr. Born is an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and Tsinghua University, Beijing. He has also taught at Harvard Law School, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Stanford Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, National University of Singapore, Peking University School of Transnational Law, University of Virginia School of Law, University College London and the University of Arizona College of Law. 

VK Rajah SC commenced his legal career with Rajah & Tann, serving as Managing Partner from 1987 to 2003. In 1997, he was appointed Senior Counsel in the pioneer batch of appointments in Singapore. In private practice prior to his appointment to the Bench, VK was involved in several SIAC, AAA, ICC and ad hoc arbitrations, both as counsel and as arbitrator. After a stint as Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore from 2004, he was appointed a Judge later that year and elevated to Judge of Appeal in 2007. On the Bench, he authored more than 200 reported judgments within a decade. Some of these have been reported in their entirety in international law reports including the Law Reports of the Commonwealth, All England Law Reports (Commercial), Lloyd’s Law Reports and the Building Law Reports. His judgements in diverse areas of law have been and continue to be cited by Courts in several common law jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Malaysia and Hong Kong. His decisions have also been featured and cited in leading common law legal treatises and journals. In 2014 he left the Bench to assume office as the Attorney-General of Singapore. He declined re-appointment in 2017 and retired from public service that year. In 2014, the Honorable Society of the Middle Temple (United Kingdom) appointed him an Honorary Bencher, and in 2017 the Singapore Management University conferred on him the status of Honorary Fellow. He has currently chosen to work exclusively as an international arbitrator. He has substantial experience as Chair and Panel Arbitrator in several significant arbitrations including institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. Parties have included Governments, Government-owned or linked entities, multinational companies, statutory entities and major international commercial businesses. The subject matter of these arbitrations include disputes about inward foreign investments (inclusive of differences involving BITs), technology transfers, intellectual property rights, energy and power, telecommunications, distribution rights, banking, securities, insurance, joint ventures and general commercial matters. The total quantum of the amounts disputed in arbitration proceedings heard to date amount to several billions of dollars. On 1st July 2021, he was appointed a Vice President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. On 1 March 2022, he was reappointed as the Chairman of Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data for a further 3-year period. 

Samantha Tan is a Partner in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s international arbitration practice group. She is experienced in representing clients in complex, high-stakes, commercial disputes, usually involving cross-border elements. Samantha represents clients in international commercial and construction disputes. She also represents both investors and States in ISDS. She has represented and advised clients in commercial and treaty arbitration under a wide range of arbitral rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, SIAC, AIAC, and HKIAC. These have arisen from private and public M&A, investments, joint ventures, and shareholder disputes, and have involved the energy, financial, life sciences, technology, real estate, automotive, consumer goods, and other sectors. Samantha also has years of experience practising in commercial litigation before the Singapore High Court and Court of Appeal, with a top-tier Singapore disputes practice. She also regularly acts as mediator. She has been named in The Legal 500’s 2023 Private Practice Powerlist for Arbitration in Southeast Asia and is recognised by Who’s Who Legal as a Future Leader in the Arbitration Future Leaders – Partners and Southeast Asia – Arbitration categories for 2023. 

FINALISTS

James Calderwood is a Chartered Accountant with four and a half years of professional experience in undertaking forensic accountancy.  He is a Manager in Mazars’ Singapore office, having previously been based in London. James’ experience covers a range of expert witness and advisory assignments in the context of both commercial and international arbitration, as well as litigation in a range of national contexts, and expert determinations.  James’ recent case experience has focused on the quantification of damages, as well as technical accounting disputes, in respect of post M&A claims and loss of profits claims across a number of sectors, including life sciences, energy & infrastructure, and financial services. 

Jorge Escalona Gálvez is Junior Legal Counsel (“Subdirector”) at the Legal Office for International Trade Law (“Consultoría Jurídica de Comercio Internacional”) at the Ministry of Economy of Mexico (“Secretaría de Economía”). He assists the United Mexican States in investor-state arbitration proceedings covering various industries and economic sectors. Previously, he was part of the litigation and arbitration practice at Alvarado Moreno Abogados and Malpica, Iturbe, Buj y Paredes, and the environmental practice at Von Wobeser y Sierra. He graduated from Panamerican University (UP) in Mexico City and has achieved diplomas in alternative dispute resolution, public international law, international commercial arbitration, and investor-state dispute settlement from prestigious universities and institutions such as Queen Mary University of London, American University Washington College of Law, University of Aberdeen, British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Escuela Arbanza de Arbitraje, King’s College London, among others. In addition to this, Mr. Escalona is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a contributor for Paris Baby Arbitration, and a Mentee of Young ITA’s Mentoring Program 2023-2024. 

Sophie Munson is a Managing Consultant in HKA’s Forensic Accounting and Commercial Damages practice based in London and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). She has assisted experts in numerous international arbitration and litigation proceedings involving the assessment of damages and complex valuation issues relating to a range of industries including mining, power, pharmaceutical, financial services, aerospace, and real estate. She has also assisted the expert in the context of an investigation into cash movements in relation to suspected fraudulent activity. 

Nguyễn Thế Đức Tâm is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Economics and Law (UEL), Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM). He earned his LL.B. and B.B.A. from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law (Vietnam) and his LL.M. from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas (France). His research focuses on commercial dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation.

Jessica van der Kamp is a Senior Associate in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice of Mayer Brown in Hong Kong. She represents clients across Asia, African and the Middle East as counsel in both arbitrations and court litigation, with a focus on environment, town planning, construction, and general commercial disputes. Jessica is admitted in Hong Kong and is also a Solicitor Advocate with High Rights of Audience in Civil Proceedings.  

Jennifer Yoo is a partner at Peter & Kim in Seoul and is dual qualified in Korea (2015) and New York (2023). Jennifer has represented and advised clients on a wide range of international arbitration and cross-border litigation cases. In particular, she has participated in a number of disputes relating to large scale construction or development projects, involving multiple claims, parties, experts and counsel. She is also experienced in insurance disputes, and has expertise in private international law and international trade law issues. Jennifer frequently advises clients on international arbitration procedures, challenges and enforcement of international arbitral awards, and interim measures in respect of arbitration proceedings. She is bilingual in Korean and English. 

Jung Wook Yoo is as junior associate in the International Arbitration & Litigation Practice at Peter & Kim and is qualified as Korean lawyer. Jung Wook is a member of the Korean and Seoul Bar Associations, and works in English and Korean with equal proficiency.

Chenguang Zhang is an associate in Sunshine Law, Shanghai, China. He advices SOEs and private companies in risk control and represents clients in international arbitrations under LCIA, HKIAC, CIETAC, SCIA rules and cross-border litigations with practice sectors including international construction, investment and funds, trade, internet service, automobile, manufacturing, products liability, electronic consumers, insurance. Prior to joining Sunshine Law, Chenguang worked in King & Wood Mallesons cross-border dispute resolution team as associate and in Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration as legal counsel and secretary. Chenguang is qualified in PRC.