After spending the first few years of practice in insurance litigation, Harjean joined Advocatus in 2010. Since then, she has developed her practice in litigation, and arbitration, and has been involved in a variety of disputes. These include commercial disputes (including shareholder disputes), those involving professional negligence and indemnity claims, employment disputes, banking disputes, and property and contractual disputes. She has conducted litigation matters, at all levels of courts in Singapore, including the Court of Appeal, and Singapore International Commercial Court, and before other tribunals, both as assisting, and lead counsel, and covering interlocutory matters, trials, and appeals. She has also assisted, and advised on international arbitrations under the SIAC Rules, and ad hoc arbitrations.

In the last few years, Harjean has been investing time in building up her transactional practice. Her drive to do this was spurred by a 2-year part-time secondment that she did in a large pharmaceutical MNC, during which time she came to appreciate the value of giving practical advice to business units that caters to each of their unique commercial needs, and sensitivities. During her secondment, Harjean was also appointed the personal data protection officer of the company, which required her to analyse the processes across the business units in Singapore, and Malaysia, identify gaps, and implement procedures to ensure compliance by the company with the legislative framework. She conducted training sessions, and devised ways to cater these sessions to the various business units, and undertook follow-up remedial action.

Aside from providing general corporate transactional, and regulatory advice to clients across various industries, she has advised, and represented clients, in a number of share acquisition deals, in both acquiror, and acquiree, capacities.

Harjean graduated from the National University of Singapore, and is admitted to the Singapore Bar. She obtained an LL.M. (Merit) in International Financial Law from King’s College London.

Harjean believes in the value of practitioners sharing their experiences, and knowledge, with students, both at an undergraduate level, and as young aspiring members of the Bar. It is for this reason that she has been facilitating various modules under the Part B Course administered by the Singapore Institute of Legal Education since 2017, and been an Instructor of the Legal Analysis Research and Communication Module in the National University of Singapore since 2018.

Matters of significance in which Harjean has been involved in include acting for the following:

• Successfully defended a financial institution in an appeal brought against it to the Court of Appeal, for breaches of contractual and tortious duties – Go Dante Yap v Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG [2011] 4 SLR 559.
• Successfully obtained judgment for breach of the doctrine of restraint of trade on behalf of professional sportsmen – Pilkadaris Terry and others v Asian Tour (Tournament Players Division) Pte Ltd and another and another suit [2013] 2 SLR 385.
• Successfully obtained judgment for a client involved in a property dispute, in which the Court had to grapple with the interesting issue of whether an offer to purchase an option to purchase is legally enforceable. Decision of the High Court was upheld by the Honourable Court of Appeal – Woo Kah Wai and another v Chew Ai Hua Sandra [2014] 4 SLR 166.
• Acted for the Law Society of Singapore in respect of a judicial review application against a decision of a Review Committee, which went before the Honourable Court of Appeal – Deepak Sharma v Law Society of Singapore [2017] 1 SLR 862.
• Successfully defended a senior practitioner against a claim of S$2 billion that was brought against him by a former client, where the decision of the High Court was upheld by the Honourable Court of Appeal – JWR Pte Ltd v Edmond Pereira Law Corp and another [2020] SGCA 68.
• Successfully defended clients against a claim for inducement of breach of contract brought against them in relation to a transaction involving a luxury villa in Phuket, which trial was held before the Singapore International Commercial Court – Lew Solomon v Kaikhushru Shiavax Nargolwala and others [2020] 3 SLR 61.
• Acted for the sellers in a transaction for the acquisition of their issued share capital in a company, which owned a majority shareholding in an Indonesian company which, in turn, owned an oil-palm plantation in Indonesia. The buyers were a subsidiary listed on the London Stock Exchange, and the value of the transaction was US$110 million.
• Acted for the seller in a transaction for the acquisition of her issued share capital in an Australian international school. The buyers were an organization behind major international schools, and the value of the transaction was S$10.5 million.

 

Memberships/Appointments

Member – Law Society of Singapore.

Member – Singapore Academy of Law.

 

Speaking Engagements/Articles written

Panellist, Sikh Voices Conference 2017.

 

Year called to bar, University

National University of Singapore, Class of 2005.

Admission as Advocate and Solicitor – 2006.

King’s College London, Class of 2010.