Una Khng

• Una Khng: Director at Helmsman LLC

Experience

Una Khng is a Director at Helmsman LLC and heads the firm’s Commercial Disputes practice group. She is a highly experienced and widely recognised lawyer in dispute resolution. She began her career as a Justices’ Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of Singapore.  Following her clerkship, she established a disputes resolution practice at one of Singapore’s leading law firms. Her career trajectory includes appointments as District Judge and Assistant Registrar at the Supreme Court of Singapore, where she presided over civil hearings and managed cases in the Companies, Insolvency, Trusts, and Arbitration divisions.

In April 2019, Una was appointed Deputy Divisional Registrar of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC). She played a pivotal role in the establishment of the SICC and also contributed to the Court of Appeal Registry and the Secretariat of the Rules of Court Working Party.

Una has taught at the law schools of the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Management University. She is currently a Principal Examiner for Civil Litigation in Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations.

Specialty

Una Khng specialises in commercial disputes, covering both domestic and international disputes across a broad spectrum. Her expertise includes complex financial structured products, cryptocurrencies, joint venture and shareholder disputes, breaches of trusts, contract, fraud, misrepresentation and white-collar crime, amongst others.

She has extensive experience in litigation and arbitration, having appeared in the Singapore courts and in international arbitrations (including SIAC, ICC, SCMA, LCIA and LMAA). Una also advises clients on both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Education

Una read law at the University of Cambridge, graduating with First-Class Honours and later obtained her Masters from the university. She was named valedictorian of her Graduate Diploma of Singapore Law class at the National University of Singapore and was awarded the prize for Commercial Practice in the Singapore Bar examinations.

Achievements and Recognition

Industry Rankings:

• Recognised as a Future Star in Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific 2024 and 2025
• Finalist for “Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year” in ALB SE Asia Law Awards 2023
• Client comments include:
• “She has a deep understanding of the law, particularly in relation to commercial affairs. She quickly grasps the issues and potential solutions and is an excellent communicator. She provides a balanced presentation of possible outcomes, acknowledging that each path may carry risks. She is responsive and proactive, even when the client is slow to respond.”(Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific) 
• “She demonstrated high legal skills, was pragmatic in terms of providing useful advice, and good in communications.” (Asialaw)

Leadership Roles:

• Director and Head of Commercial Disputes Practice Group at Helmsman LLC
• District Judge and Assistant Registrar at the Supreme Court of Singapore
• Deputy Divisional Registrar of the Singapore International Commercial Court

Case Highlights: 

• Acted for three subsidiaries of a major Chinese tanker transportation company in successfully striking out claims in the Singapore High Court by a liquidator to unwind transactions worth about USD 57 million and obtaining a discontinuance of related claims against a former director with costs. 
• Acted for a Respondent in consolidated SIAC arbitrations involving claims of about USD 70 million arising from commodities trades and associated letters of indemnity. 
• Acted for claimants in a USD 43 million joint venture dispute in the Singapore High Court involving allegations of fund siphoning, unpaid dividends, breach of fiduciary duties and breach of trust.
• Acted for the claimant in a significant ICC arbitration concerning the repudiation of sale contracts for steel slabs valued at approximately USD 18.78 million.
• Acted for a joint venture company in a SMCA arbitration against one of its shareholders for breaches of an agreement for transhipment of bauxite from a Guinean mine, with a claim value in excess of USD 19 million.
• Acted for an award creditor in successfully resisting an application to the Singapore High Court to set aside an arbitration award on behalf of an award creditor.
• Acted for a defendant in a Singapore High Court dispute over competing ownership claims to nickel cargo valued at about USD 10 million.
• Acted for an award creditor in successfully obtaining a winding up order against a subsidiary of a listed company in contested winding up proceedings.
• Acted for a multinational hedge fund against liquidated damages and bonus claims by a former employee in the Singapore High Court.

Contributions to Award-Winning Projects:

• Una was an integral member of the team responsible for establishing the Singapore International Commercial Court, contributing significantly to this landmark development.