Qualifications |
Director
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
About Liam Beng
Liam Beng joined Drew & Napier as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 1994, became a Partner in 1996, and then a Director on 1 May 2001 when Drew & Napier LLC corporatised. He is a co-author of Standard Form of Sub-Contracts – An Annotation. The Asia Pacific Legal 500 2004/2005 Edition, a guide to the leading commercial law firms in Asia and Australia, cited “Group head Tan Liam Beng’s engineering background gives him a working knowledge of the construction industry, and clients find him ‘well versed’”. The publication also describes the team he heads “as a whole is praised for speed and efficiency”. The Asia Pacific Legal 500 2005/2006 Edition commended the team “As with all dispute practices at the firm, the technical skills are top notch.” In its 2008/2009 Edition, The Asia Pacific Legal 500 commended Liam Beng as “knowledgeable” and one who “truly puts the client’s interest first”. Who’s Who Legal Singapore 2008 described Liam Beng as a “superb lawyer”.
Areas of Practice
Currently, Liam Beng does both contentious as well as non-contentious legal work in relation to building and engineering matters. The contentious work includes Arbitration, Mediation and Litigation. The non-contentious legal work involves drafting and vetting of building, consultancy, joint venture agreements and other building and construction related documents.
Experience
- As an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia, he represented a client in striking out a substantial claim for pure economic loss, the first such case of this kind in Malaysia.
- Advising on legal matters and drafting of contracts relating to the North-South Highway Project.
- As an advocate and solicitor in Singapore, substantial claims and cross-claims involving several important issues on the law regarding claims for payments under Architect’s Certificates and the relevance of other kinds of certificates to such claims.
- A claim and counterclaim for several million dollars regarding air-conditioning works for a commercial property, involving complex technical issues and claims for variations, defects and prolongation.
- A major case involving collapse of a steel roof structure in the construction of the multi-purpose hall in a school in Compassvale.
- A major case involving collapse of a bar chair support system in Fusionpolis Project.
- Several claims involving complex technical issues on foundation and movement failures due to poor and soft ground condition and damage to adjacent properties in consequence of construction works.
- Several claims involving complex technical issues on compaction of reclaimed land.
- Multi-million dollars arbitrations including arbitrations on foundation failure of multi-storey building, collapse of cement silo, defects in buildings and condominiums, MRT disputes, High Speed Rail Project in Taiwan, refinery plant in Taiwan, delay, prolongation and variation claim for building and engineering projects.
- Major cases involving damage to properties arising from construction works.
- Major cases involving sand ban by Indonesia in 2007
- Insurance claims and disputes.
- Drafting and vetting of joint venture agreements. Drafting and vetting of EPC agreement for plant in Singapore. Drafting and vetting of building and engineering, as well as design and build, contracts in Singapore. His team was involved in drafting of various consultants agreements for a statutory body in charge of airports, for hotel projects in China, for an international pharmaceutical company and for the design of a biotechnology research institute; drafting of EPCM agreement for an international pharmaceutical company; drafting of project management agreement for a telecommunication broadcast company in Singapore; drafting of agreement for the purchase, construction and lease back of an office building; drafting of agreement for construction of a project in Russia; reviewing and amending of construction agreements for a developer in respect of a warehouse project.
- As a design engineer, Liam Beng was involved in design of multi-million dollars projects and had experience in design of sludge lagoon, chemical houses, raw water inlet chambers, flocculation tanks, infrastructure works and large diameter pipeline. The projects include Sungai Semenyih Water Supply Scheme, Scudai Treatment Works Extension, Johore 84 Inches Diameter Pipeline Scheme, Melaka Refinery Project and Upgrading of General Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
- As a project engineer/manager on site, Liam Beng was involved in the construction of multi-million dollars projects and had experience in the construction and management of foundation using driven and bored piles, bridges, concrete canalizing of river and laying of large diameter pipeline. The projects include Bukit Timah Flood Alleviation Scheme, Damansara Town Centre Project, Subang View.
- Condominium Development, Johore 84 Inches Diameter Pipeline Scheme, Concrete Bridge Over Sungai Rengit Project and Kluang Telekom Exchange Building Project.
Appointments / Memberships
- Member of the Law Society of Singapore
- Member of the Singapore Academy of Law
- Barrister-at-law of Lincoln’s Inn
- Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK
- Fellow of Singapore Institute of Arbitrators
- Fellow of Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators
- Member of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore
- Member of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia
- Professional Engineer, Malaysia