Drew & Napier - Partners' Profiles

Hri joined Drew & Napier in 1992 and was made a partner in 1997. Since corporatisation on 1 May 2001 he has been a director of Drew & Napier LLC. He also tutored Advocacy at the National University of Singapore from 1994 to 2002.

Hri is recommended by name in leading and professional ranking agencies and publications. Most recently, Chambers Global 2010 describes Hri as “particularly active in the banking arena, where he is hailed as ‘an extremely attentive and impressive litigator’”, while Asia Pacific Legal 500 (2009/2010) states that he is a “strategic lawyer”.

Hri is a litigator whose main areas of practice are: banking; defamation; insolvency; and general commercial litigation.

Experience

The following are some of the litigation matters which Hri has been involved in:

A landmark case in the Singapore High Court involving fraudulently issued cashiers’ orders and gaming contracts
A series of related actions involving a $80 million loan by a large local bank that involved issues of fraud, breach of fiduciary duties and constructive trust
A dispute between banks over fraudulent letters of credit and transactions via SWIFT
Representing plaintiffs in a series of defamation cases regarding statements made during and after the 1996 and 2001 general elections
Representing the newspapers and a public-listed company in several defamation actions
An action by purchasers against a developer and agent in respect of the sale of properties in China
An action involving a claim for breach of trust in respect of assets worth about S$100 million and a third party claim for breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty, undue influence and unconscionability and setting aside an option for the purchase of shares
An action involving the ownership of an invention
Acting in various liquidations, receiverships and judicial management cases in Singapore

In addition, Hri has led teams of lawyers in two separate extensive investigations into the affairs of two public listed companies, including issues relating to fraud, criminal breach of trust and breach of directors duties, and the affairs of a Singapore branch of a foreign bank. Hri also does debt and property recovery work for banks and acts as general counsel on defamation matters to various publications in Singapore.