CCportraits-Charis Wong.jpg

Contact

charis.wong@covenantchambers.com

Office: +65 6635 8885

Focus Areas

Commercial & Property Disputes

  • Business, Shareholders & Partnership Disputes

  • Property Ownership & Trust Disputes

Employment and Investigations

  • Employment

Private Client

  • Legacy Planning: Wills & Trusts

  • Probate & Estate Administration

  • Matrimonial Law

Disputes & International Arbitration

  • Civil Litigation

  • Mediation

  • International Arbitration

  • Competition & Antitrust

  • Fraud & Asset Recovery

  • Restructuring & Insolvency

Memberships

  • Member, Law Society of Singapore

  • Member, Singapore Academy of Law

Accolades & Awards

  • Peter English Memorial Prize for the best student in Criminal Law (2013)

  • NUS Law Dean’s List (2013)

Education / Qualifications

  • Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (2017)

  • LLB (Hons), NUS (2016)

 

Charis Wong

Associate Director

“Embodying professionalism to its finest”, “a kind and genuine lawyer”, and “continually going the extra mile to ensure their best interests were at the forefront” – these are words that clients have used to describe me. As a courtroom advocate who navigates legal challenges with compassion and a heart for justice, I am committed to finding practical solutions for my clients.

I regularly conduct matters at all levels of court. In 2024:

  • I successfully argued a novel point in the landmark Court of Appeal decision of Li Jialin and another v Wingcrown Investment Pte Ltd [2024] SGCA 48 to challenge the developer's forfeiture of the deposit in an abortive sale of a condominium property. In this seminal decision, the apex Court held that the contractual deposit of about $1.2 million was not a true deposit, and the developer was not entitled to forfeit the deposit, whether in whole or in part. The landmark decision clarified the law on deposits and penalties in Singapore.

  • I successfully argued the appeal against the assistant registrar’s assessment of damages decision in Li Jialin and another v Wingcrown Investment Pte Ltd [2024] SGHC 314. This is the first decision where the High Court examined in detail (1) Condition 15 of the Law Society Conditions of Sale 2012, which are widely used standard terms in the conveyancing of residential properties in Singapore; and (2) the principles relating to when a subsequent re-sale of the property would be a mitigating act, the gains of which have to be taken into account in assessing the vendor’s loss.

    The High Court agreed with us that despite the purchasers’ breach of contract, the vendor was not entitled to any award of damages. I also conducted the AD trial as lead counsel.

I serve a diverse roster of clients, from a group of forty subsidiary proprietors of a condominium development in a case involving an abortive en bloc sale, to a fresh chicken supplier in a competition law case, from a law professor in defamation proceedings to aggrieved shareholders of companies, and from investors seeking to recoup investments gone sour, to a foreign widow in her WICA claim against insurers. With experience in a broad range of practice areas, I regularly tackle challenges which cross various domains, with legal tools and a problem-solving lens.

I have a special interest in family and matrimonial law, and advise clients on pre-nuptial agreements, post-nuptial agreements, divorces, separation, custody and guardianship, maintenance applications, domestic violence, and deputyship proceedings. I also handle disputes between family members over properties, companies and probate and administration matters.

While I enjoy the cut and thrust of litigation, I am also a firm believer in alternative dispute resolution, and have facilitated the resolution of many cases through mediation and private settlement.

Sample Cases

Property Disputes

  • Acted for the purchasers to successfully challenge a property developer’s forfeiture of a deposit in an abortive condominium sale (Li Jialin and another v Wingcrown Investment Pte Ltd [2024] SGCA 48) . The landmark Court of Appeal decision clarified the law on deposits and penalties.

  • Acted for the purchasers in their successful appeal against the assistant registrar’s decision on assessment of damages (Li Jialin and another v Wingcrown Investment Pte Ltd [2024] SGHC 314). This is the first decision where the Court examined in detail:

    • (1) Condition 15 of the Law Society Conditions of Sale 2012, which are widely used standard terms in the conveyancing of residential properties in Singapore; and

    • (2) the principles relating to when a subsequent re-sale of the property would be a mitigating act, the gains of which have to be taken into account in assessing the vendor’s loss.

  • Acted for more than forty subsidiary proprietors in their claim against a Singapore-listed developer’s subsidiary for exiting a $95 million collective sale deal. The case concerned unilateral mistake rectification (Doo Wan Tsong Charles v Oxley Jasper Pte Ltd [2021] SGHC 249).

Civil & Commercial Litigation, Restructuring & Insolvency

  • Acted for shareholders in a minority oppression claim in respect of a Singapore investment holding company involving a multi-million-dollar development project in Vietnam (Teo Lay Gek & Another v Hoang Trong Binh & Another [2019] SGHC 84)

  • Enforced a settlement agreement valued at approximately $6 million in a cross-border dispute between Vietnamese and Australian shareholders of a Singapore holding company. The case concerned the grounds for setting aside an expert valuation (Teo Lay Gek & Another v Hoang Trong Binh & Another [2019] SGHC 84)

  • Acted for a wholly-owned subsidiary of a Malaysia-listed company to enforce a liquidated damages provision in the sum of about S$500,000 in an employment contract against a former employee (Kelington Engineering (S) Pte Ltd v Gan Cheng Chuan [2022] SGHC 90)

  • Acted for a businessman’s wife in her application to set aside a statutory demand issued by a bank in the sum of $16 million (Lim Lee Lee v United Overseas Bank Ltd [2018] SGHC 79)

  • Acted for a law professor in his successful appeal against a District Court judgment on a defamation claim. The case concerned the defence of qualified privilege (Gao Shuchao v Tan Kok Quan & Ors [2018] SGHC 115).

  • Acted for a businesswoman to set aside a statutory demand issued by a licensed moneylender Ang Ai Tee v Resource Credit [2017] SGHC 159. The case involved the novel question of whether a series of loan refinancing transactions designed by the moneylender to circumvent the Moneylenders Amendment Rules 2015 could be re-opened by the court. The High Court agreed with us that the loan transactions were unconscionable and ought to be reopened under the Moneylenders Act.

  • Acted for a doctor and a medical clinic to defend a claim by a healthcare management service provider (Fullerton Healthcare Group Pte Ltd v Kwok & Kwok Pte Ltd and another [2020] SGDC 30). The decision concerned the novel issue of whether a party’s inspection of documents should be deferred to a later time, after the other party has given discovery of undisclosed documents.

  • Acted as lead counsel to obtain a worldwide freezing injunction against several entities prohibiting the disposal of their assets worldwide in aid of arbitration. 

Family Law

  • Acted as lead counsel for a flight stewardess in contentious divorce proceedings spanning several years. The case involved asset tracing and third-party discovery. I successfully convinced the Court to add back an aggregate sum of about $200,000 into the matrimonial pool. These were monies covertly used by the husband to invest in businesses and condominium properties owned by third parties. Resisted the appeal before the Family Division of the High Court in TWM v TWN [2021] SGHCF 25.

  • Acted for a lawyer in a cross-appeal against the lower court’s decision in respect of the child’s access arrangements (WAY v WAZ [2022] SGHCF 14). Resisted the appeal before the Family Division of the High Court.

  • Acted for a client in respect of her ex-husband’s application to relocate the children to the United States and for children’s maintenance (WDB v WDA [2023] SGHCF 1).

  • Acted for a client in resisting an application for a personal protection order (UPO v UPP [2018] SGFC 93). Resisted the appeal before the Family Division of the High Court.

  • Acted as lead counsel for a client in contentious matrimonial proceedings concerning children’s issue and maintenance (VPD v VPE [2021] SGFC 14).

Competition Law

Published Judgments

Media Mentions

Articles

 

 

Charis Wong

Associate Director

“Embodying professionalism to its finest”, “a kind and genuine lawyer”, and “continually going the extra mile to ensure their best interests were at the forefront” – these are words that clients have used to describe me. As a courtroom advocate who navigates legal challenges with compassion and a heart for justice, I am committed to finding practical solutions for my clients.

I regularly conduct matters at all levels of court. Recently, I successfully acted for purchasers of a condominium property in the landmark Court of Appeal decision of Li Jialin and another v Wingcrown Investment Pte Ltd [2024] SGCA 48, to challenge the property developer’s forfeiture of the deposit in an abortive sale. In this seminal decision, the Court of Appeal agreed with us that the contractual deposit of about $1.2 million was not a true deposit, and the developer was thus not entitled to forfeit a portion of the deposit following my clients’ breach of agreement.

I serve a diverse roster of clients, from a group of forty subsidiary proprietors of a condominium development in a case involving an abortive en bloc sale, to a fresh chicken supplier in a competition law case, from a law professor in defamation proceedings to aggrieved shareholders of companies, and from investors seeking to recoup investments gone sour, to a foreign widow in her WICA claim against insurers. With experience in a broad range of practice areas, I regularly tackle challenges which cross various domains, with legal tools and a problem-solving lens.

I have a special interest in family and matrimonial law, and advise clients on pre-nuptial agreements, post-nuptial agreements, divorces, separation, custody and guardianship, maintenance applications, domestic violence, and deputyship proceedings. I also handle disputes between family members over properties, companies and probate and administration matters.

While I enjoy the cut and thrust of litigation, I am also a firm believer in alternative dispute resolution, and have facilitated the resolution of many cases through mediation and private settlement.

Sample Cases

Civil & Commercial Litigation, Restructuring & Insolvency

  • Acted for the purchasers to challenge a property developer’s forfeiture of a deposit in an abortive condominium sale (Li Jialin and another v Wingcrown Investment Pte Ltd [2024] SGCA 48). The landmark Court of Appeal decision clarified the law on deposits and penalties.

  • Acted for more than forty subsidiary proprietors in their claim against a Singapore-listed developer’s subsidiary for exiting a $95 million collective sale deal. The case concerned unilateral mistake rectification (Doo Wan Tsong Charles v Oxley Jasper Pte Ltd [2021] SGHC 249).

  • Acted for shareholders in a minority oppression claim in respect of a Singapore investment holding company involving a multi-million-dollar development project in Vietnam (Teo Lay Gek & Another v Hoang Trong Binh & Another [2019] SGHC 84)

  • Enforced a settlement agreement valued at approximately $6 million in a cross-border dispute between Vietnamese and Australian shareholders of a Singapore holding company. The case concerned the grounds for setting aside an expert valuation (Teo Lay Gek & Another v Hoang Trong Binh & Another [2019] SGHC 84)

  • Acted for a wholly-owned subsidiary of a Malaysia-listed company to enforce a liquidated damages provision in the sum of about S$500,000 in an employment contract against a former employee (Kelington Engineering (S) Pte Ltd v Gan Cheng Chuan [2022] SGHC 90)

  • Acted for a businessman’s wife in her application to set aside a statutory demand issued by a bank in the sum of $16 million (Lim Lee Lee v United Overseas Bank Ltd [2018] SGHC 79)

  • Acted for a law professor in his successful appeal against a District Court judgment on a defamation claim. The case concerned the defence of qualified privilege (Gao Shuchao v Tan Kok Quan & Ors [2018] SGHC 115).

  • Acted for a businesswoman to set aside a statutory demand issued by a licensed moneylender Ang Ai Tee v Resource Credit [2017] SGHC 159. The case involved the novel question of whether a series of loan refinancing transactions designed by the moneylender to circumvent the Moneylenders Amendment Rules 2015 could be re-opened by the court. The High Court agreed with us that the loan transactions were unconscionable and ought to be reopened under the Moneylenders Act.

  • Acted for a doctor and a medical clinic to defend a claim by a healthcare management service provider (Fullerton Healthcare Group Pte Ltd v Kwok & Kwok Pte Ltd and another [2020] SGDC 30). The decision concerned the novel issue of whether a party’s inspection of documents should be deferred to a later time, after the other party has given discovery of undisclosed documents.

  • Acted as lead counsel to obtain a worldwide freezing injunction against several entities prohibiting the disposal of their assets worldwide in aid of arbitration. 

Family Law

  • Acted as lead counsel for a flight stewardess in contentious divorce proceedings spanning several years. The case involved asset tracing and third-party discovery. I successfully convinced the Court to add back an aggregate sum of about $200,000 into the matrimonial pool. These were monies covertly used by the husband to invest in businesses and condominium properties owned by third parties. Resisted the appeal before the Family Division of the High Court in TWM v TWN [2021] SGHCF 25.

  • Acted for a lawyer in a cross-appeal against the lower court’s decision in respect of the child’s access arrangements (WAY v WAZ [2022] SGHCF 14). Resisted the appeal before the Family Division of the High Court.

  • Acted for a client in respect of her ex-husband’s application to relocate the children to the United States and for children’s maintenance (WDB v WDA [2023] SGHCF 1).

  • Acted for a client in resisting an application for a personal protection order (UPO v UPP [2018] SGFC 93). Resisted the appeal before the Family Division of the High Court.

  • Acted as lead counsel for a client in contentious matrimonial proceedings concerning children’s issue and maintenance (VPD v VPE [2021] SGFC 14).

Competition Law

Published Judgments

Media Mentions

Articles

Contact

charis.wong@covenantchambers.com

Office: +65 6635 8885

Focus Areas

Commercial & Property Disputes

  • Business, Shareholders & Partnership Disputes

  • Property Ownership & Trust Disputes

Employment and Investigations

  • Employment

Private Client

  • Legacy Planning: Wills & Trusts

  • Probate & Estate Administration

  • Matrimonial Law

Disputes & International Arbitration

  • Civil Litigation

  • Mediation

  • International Arbitration

  • Competition & Antitrust

  • Fraud & Asset Recovery

  • Restructuring & Insolvency

Memberships

  • Member, Law Society of Singapore

  • Member, Singapore Academy of Law

Education / Qualifications

  • Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (2017)

  • LLB (Hons), NUS (2016)

What Our Clients are Saying

  • “I recently had the pleasure of using the services of Covenant Chambers LLC and was completely blown away by their exceptional service level, particularly from Charis Wong. She embodies professionalism at its finest and continually went the extra mile to ensure my best interests were at the forefront of all decisions. If you're reading this review and considering their services, let me assure you - look no further. Charis and the team at Covenant Chambers LLC will exceed your expectations and provide top class service. I couldn't recommend them more highly.”

  • “The team is very professional and efficient especially Charis. She is very patient and she provided a lot of useful information for me to make a lot of crucial decisions. Really thankful and greatful to meet such a kind and genuine lawyer.”

  • “Charis Wong and team were effective at resolving different issues. They provided lots of quality explanation and valuable advice to me, which I greatly appreciate. I felt my interests were well taken care of by the team, every step of the way.

    Serene Siew also helped greatly - I am grateful for the connection she had with my elderly relative to help facilitate the process.

    Thank you team!”