Deborah Koh
Of Counsel
Qualifications and Appointments
- BA (Hons), MA (Cantab)
- Advocate & Solicitor, Supreme Court of Singapore
- Certified Mediator, Singapore International Mediation Institute
Languages and Dialects
- English, Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, Mandarin (basic)
Professional Profile
Deborah graduated from Cambridge University in 1997 and was a Justices’ Law Clerk with the Court of Appeal, Singapore before practising shipping and commercial law. In 2004, she moved to Indonesia, and later Malaysia, during which time she freelanced for Integral Marine Consultants (S) Pte Ltd, Singapore (IMCS) and Singapore Academy of Law (SAL). On her return to Singapore, she continued working for IMCS and was also a Consultant for SAL and Singapore Mediation Centre and a Business Law adjunct instructor with the Singapore Management University.
In 2022, she returned to full-time practice and handles a wide range of shipping and commercial disputes as well as arbitrations under the English Arbitration Act 1996, SCMA, SIAC, PORAM and GAFTA.
Case Highlights
- Tong Tien See Construction Pte Ltd (in liquidation) v Tong Tien See and others [2001] 3 SLR(R) 887
- Caltong (Australia) Pty Ltd and anor v Tong Tien See Construction Pte Ltd (in liquidation) and anor [2002] 2 SLR(R) 94
- Star City Pty Ltd v Tan Hong Woon [2002] 1 SLR(R) 306
- Malaysian International Trading Corp Sdn Bhd v Interamerica Asia Pte Ltd and ors [2002] 2 SLR(R) 896
- Marchand Navigation Co v Olam Global Agri Pte Ltd [2023] SGHC 339, Lloyd’s Rep Plus 49
- Aastar Trading Pte Ltd v Olam Global Agri Pte Ltd [2025] SGHC 5
Articles
- BIMCO Carbon Intensity Indicator Operations Clause for Time Charter Parties 2022 and Voyage Charter Parties 2023 [2024] SAL Prac 7
- The Singapore Mediation Centre, Mediation in Singapore – A Practical Guide, Sweet & Maxwell (2014, 2017 and 2021 eds)
- Enforceability of Mediation Clauses in Singapore, [2016] Asian Journal of Mediation 51
- Nipping Client Issues in the Bud Through Incorporating Mediation Clauses in Letters of Engagement, The Law Gazette (June 2015)
- Singapore, Mediation 2014 and 2015, Getting The Deal Through
- The Singapore Mediation Centre’s Neutral Evaluation Service, The Law Gazette (June 2012)
- Arbitration in Singapore, Arbitration World – A Jurisdictional Comparison (2004), European Lawyer