RonaldWong_Profile.jpg

Contact

ronald.wong@covenantchambers.com

Office: +65 6635 8885 ·  LinkedIn

Focus Areas

Commercial & Property Disputes

  • Business, Shareholders & Partnership Disputes

  • Property Ownership & Trust Disputes

Construction & Engineering

  • Construction & Engineering

Tech, Media & IP

  • Data Privacy & Protection

  • Fintech & Virtual Assets

  • IP, Media & Entertainment

  • IP & Confidentiality Infringement Disputes

  • IP Registration & Licensing

Corporate, Commercial & Financial

  • Investments, Banking & Finance

  • Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Regulatory & Compliance

  • Charities & Non-Profit

Employment and Investigations

  • Employment

Private Client Wealth Management

  • Family Offices

  • Legacy Planning: Wills & Trusts

  • Probate & Estate Administration

Disputes & International Arbitration

  • Civil Litigation

  • Criminal Defence

  • Mediation

  • International Arbitration

  • Competition & Antitrust

  • Fraud & Asset Recovery

  • Restructuring & Insolvency

Memberships

  • Member, Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, Singapore Academy of Law

  • Member, Singapore Academy of Law

  • Member, Law Society of Singapore

Accolades & Awards

  • Asian Legal Business (ALB) Asia Super 50 TMT Lawyer 2024

  • Asian Legal Business (ALB) Rising Star 2023

  • Top Pro Bono Volunteer 2020, Criminal Legal Aid Scheme - Law Society Pro Bono Services

  • Singapore Law Gazette Best Feature Article by a Young Lawyer (2020) for “Wrongful Dismissal, Disability Discrimination and Mental Illness”, Singapore Law Gazette, November 2019

  • Asia Business Law Journal 2019, A-List Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers

  • Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) Overseas Attachment Scholarship – South Square Chambers

  • Asia Business Law Journal 2018, A-List Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers

  • Koh Han Kok Book Prize (Public International Law)

  • NUS Law Faculty Scholarship

Education / Qualifications

  • Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (2013)

  • LLB (Hons), NUS

  • ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Internal Auditor Training Course

  • ISO 31000 Risk Based Thinking Awareness Training Course

 

Ronald JJ Wong

Deputy Managing Director

I am an Advocate, Counsel, Strategist, and Technologist.

I believe in serving people to bring about justice and peace.

Having moved on from dismantling electronic devices and coding computer games at age 10, I found my calling as a lawyer and honed my legal craft at a Big Four firm, Rajah & Tann.

My practice is in both disputes and transactional work, with a special interest in technology, finance, intellectual property (IP), and employment.

I take pride in being strategic, sharp, technically savvy, and bespoke.

In litigation and arbitration, I’ve represented institutional and individual clients at all levels of the Singapore courts and various arbitration institutions and in a range of disputes, including multi-million dollar investment claims, patent infringements, insolvency-related claims, director-shareholder disputes, and cryptocurrency claims.

Dispute highlights include:

  • Acting for a trade merchant, which is the region’s largest in its sector, in claims totalling multi-million dollars in more than 20 simultaneous suits involving commercial fraud. Our team meticulously analysed and assembled every relevant shred of forensic evidence and strategically ran legal arguments based on certain rarely used legal doctrines to successfully obtain recovery in the multiple proceedings.

  • Acting for an investment fund manager and a large global bank in a claim against a foreign guarantor for sums in excess of US$50 million due under a cross-border syndicated loan agreement. The action involved running a strategy to obtain final judgment based on a summary determination of novel conflicts of laws issues regarding the law governing capacity to contract and resisting a stay of proceedings on grounds of forum non conveniens.

  • Acting for investors and a former employee in defending multi-million dollar claims by liquidators of a group of companies in the clawback of investment returns and commissions in one of Singapore’s largest reported Ponzi schemes.

  • Acting for a Managing Director and minority shareholder in an oil and gas company for contractual payments and a share buyout based on minority oppression. Our legal strategy of relying on a rarely used legal doctrine of rectification as well as unjust enrichment succeeded.

  • Acting in representative proceedings (equivalent to a class action suit) for more than 80 claimants in a multi-million dollar claim against a cryptocurrency exchange operator involving multiple digital assets / cryptocurrency and funds. Our careful crafting of the claims and interlocutory applications, and subject matter knowledge of cryptocurrency and digital assets exchanges, paid off in successfully obtaining summary judgment.

  • Acting for a specialised engineering company in a patent infringement claim and defending a patent revocation counterclaim. Our grasp of the technical aspects of the patent and the machines, as well as patent and IP law, enabled a successful resolution. Our legal arguments on a novel issue of claiming for convoyed goods in an account of profits were accepted by the High Court.

In my advisory and transactional practice, I have advised clients in a wide range of areas, including technology, FinTech, MedTech, artificial intelligence (AI), data and privacy, Web3, IP, media, blockchain, digital assets, payment services, employment, investments and corporate finance, financial services, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Transaction highlights include:

  • Advising various Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)-regulated digital asset / cryptocurrency exchanges and operators of security digital tokens markets (RMO) on various legal and regulatory matters, including licensing, compliance, market monitoring technology licences, trade settlement technology services, market conduct rules, and IP management and registration.

  • Advising on a venture capital investment into a digital payments startup based in Singapore and Indonesia; drafting and negotiation of subscription and shareholders’ agreements.

  • Advising on the multi-million dollar sale of a group of companies to a government-linked conglomerate; advising in due diligence process and drafting and negotiation of sale and purchase agreement and related legal documentation.

  • Advising on the multi-million dollar asset acquisition of a novel multi-modal craft technology company by a government-linked conglomerate.

  • Advising a leading electronics retailer on various commercial legal matters regarding IP management, distributorship arrangements, personal data, employment, and commercial collaborations.

  • Advising an operator of international payment services with virtual accounts, virtual card management, cryptocurrency conversion, and foreign currency cash management on regulatory and licensing matters.

I am also a Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) Accredited Mediator and volunteer in providing pro / low bono legal services. I advocate for social justice in various platforms, and frequently author academic and thought papers, some of which have been published in various journals. I also serve on the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) Subcommittee on AI and Robotics.

In my other roles, I try to pioneer movements, build communities, provoke novel ideas, mobilise people, and cultivate culture.

Read more about me at: www.ronaldjjwong.com.

Sample Cases

Corporate & Commercial Disputes

  • Advised and successfully acted for an investment fund manager and a large global bank in a claim against a foreign guarantor for sums in excess of US$50 million due under a cross-border syndicated loan agreement. The claim involved the determination of novel conflicts of laws issues regarding the law governing capacity to contract and a stay of proceedings on grounds of forum non conveniens.

  • Advised and acted for a Singapore-regulated Fund Management Company and Managing Partner in defending a fraud claim of more than US$2.4 million in misrepresentation, breach of contract and conspiracy involving a share option.

  • Advised and acted for a reputed large wine merchant in more than 20 suits, claiming in conversion, detinue, unjust enrichment, involving commercial fraud concerning about S$7 million in value.

  • Advised and acted for various claimants in an SIAC arbitration claiming breach of warranties and non-compete covenants arising from the acquisition of majority shareholding in a waste treatment and environmental consultancy company; successfully obtained emergency interim injunctive relief.

  • Advised and acted for a testing, inspection and certification company that is part of an international group in a claim for breach of restrictive covenants against solicitation of customers and employees; successfully obtained an interim injunction.

  • Acting for investors and former employee in defending claims by liquidators of a group of companies in clawback of investment returns and commissions in one of Singapore’s largest reported Ponzi schemes.

  • Acting for former directors and their company in defending a claim in breach of fiduciary and directors’ duties, dishonest assistance and conspiracy, involving issues of foreign law and conflict of laws issues.

  • Advised and acted for a company in a claim against a former CEO and other employees for wrongful assignment of patents and registration of trademarks in a foreign jurisdiction and various breaches of directors and fiduciary duties. 

  • Advised and acted for a former Managing Director of an entity in a group of companies in the oil and gas industry in a claim for breach of contract, rectification of contract for mistake, unjust enrichment, and minority oppression.

Corporate, Commercial & Financial

  • Advised on the multi-million dollar sale of a group of companies to a large government-linked conglomerate.

  • Advised on the multi-million dollar sale of a novel multi-modal craft technology company to a large government-linked conglomerate.

  • Advised on the establishment of a joint venture between a Singapore asset management firm and an international company in the lifestyle & fitness sector.

  • Advised on the Singapore aspects of a US$90 million international sale and purchase of a global IT consultancy company to a large international company.

  • Advised a large Philippines-based conglomerate on the potential share acquisition of a Singapore additives manufacturer and conduct of legal due diligence.

  • Advised on the acquisition of a group of companies operating various medical and dental clinics and conduct of legal due diligence.

  • Advising the operator of a cross-chain DeFi (Decentralized Finance) dashboard in an investment financing round by the venture capital arm of a large foreign bank.

Tech, Media & IP

  • Advised and acted for multi-jurisdictional plaintiffs in patent infringement claim involving utility patent in manufactured machine.

  • Advised payment technology company on patent infringement claims against financial institutions.

  • Advised digital asset exchange on IP registration and management, various software and technology agreements for institutional digital payment token and digital payment token derivates trading exchange platform.

  • Advised digital asset exchange on listing of digital tokens and compliance issues.

  • Advised MAS-regulated digital asset custodial service provider on legal, regulatory and compliance issues.

  • Advised fintech startup on regulatory framework, licensing regulations and MAS regulatory sandbox application.

  • Advised payment gateway client on Payment Services Act and arrangement with merchants and payment network.

  • Advised a cryptocurrency exchange operator to be placed in the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) regulatory sandbox for RMO exemption to list security digital tokens and regulatory issues under the Payment Services Act.

  • Advised an international law firm on Singapore law aspect of regulations regarding token issuance by next-generation decentralized and cross-chain token infrastructure parachain network for NFTs network.

  • Advising on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) licence, and minting and transfer terms.

  • Advising electronic vehicle (EV) charging system provider on sale, licence, and operation of EV systems.

Published Judgments

Publications

Media Mentions

Articles

 
 
 
 
 
 

Ronald JJ Wong

Deputy Managing Director

I am an Advocate, Counsel, Strategist, and Technologist.

I believe in serving people to bring about justice and peace.

Having moved on from dismantling electronic devices and coding computer games at age 10, I found my calling as a lawyer and honed my legal craft at a Big Four firm, Rajah & Tann.

My practice is in both disputes and transactional work, with a special interest in technology, finance, intellectual property (IP), and employment.

I take pride in being strategic, sharp, technically savvy, and bespoke.

In litigation and arbitration, I’ve represented institutional and individual clients at all levels of the Singapore courts and various arbitration institutions and in a range of disputes, including multi-million dollar investment claims, patent infringements, insolvency-related claims, director-shareholder disputes, and cryptocurrency claims.

Dispute highlights include:

  • Acting for a trade merchant, which is the region’s largest in its sector, in claims totalling multi-million dollars in more than 20 simultaneous suits involving commercial fraud. Our team meticulously analysed and assembled every relevant shred of forensic evidence and strategically ran legal arguments based on certain rarely used legal doctrines to successfully obtain recovery in the multiple proceedings.

  • Acting for an investment fund manager and a large global bank in a claim against a foreign guarantor for sums in excess of US$50 million due under a cross-border syndicated loan agreement. The action involved running a strategy to obtain final judgment based on a summary determination of novel conflicts of laws issues regarding the law governing capacity to contract and resisting a stay of proceedings on grounds of forum non conveniens.

  • Acting for investors and a former employee in defending multi-million dollar claims by liquidators of a group of companies in the clawback of investment returns and commissions in one of Singapore’s largest reported Ponzi schemes.

  • Acting for a Managing Director and minority shareholder in an oil and gas company for contractual payments and a share buyout based on minority oppression. Our legal strategy of relying on a rarely used legal doctrine of rectification as well as unjust enrichment succeeded.

  • Acting in representative proceedings (equivalent to a class action suit) for more than 80 claimants in a multi-million dollar claim against a cryptocurrency exchange operator involving multiple digital assets / cryptocurrency and funds. Our careful crafting of the claims and interlocutory applications, and subject matter knowledge of cryptocurrency and digital assets exchanges, paid off in successfully obtaining summary judgment.

  • Acting for a specialised engineering company in a patent infringement claim and defending a patent revocation counterclaim. Our grasp of the technical aspects of the patent and the machines, as well as patent and IP law, enabled a successful resolution. Our legal arguments on a novel issue of claiming for convoyed goods in an account of profits were accepted by the High Court.

In my advisory and transactional practice, I have advised clients in a wide range of areas, including technology, FinTech, MedTech, artificial intelligence (AI), data and privacy, Web3, IP, media, blockchain, digital assets, payment services, employment, investments and corporate finance, financial services, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Transaction highlights include:

  • Advising various Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)-regulated digital asset / cryptocurrency exchanges and operators of security digital tokens markets (RMO) on various legal and regulatory matters, including licensing, compliance, market monitoring technology licences, trade settlement technology services, market conduct rules, and IP management and registration.

  • Advising on a venture capital investment into a digital payments startup based in Singapore and Indonesia; drafting and negotiation of subscription and shareholders’ agreements.

  • Advising on the multi-million dollar sale of a group of companies to a government-linked conglomerate; advising in due diligence process and drafting and negotiation of sale and purchase agreement and related legal documentation.

  • Advising on the multi-million dollar asset acquisition of a novel multi-modal craft technology company by a government-linked conglomerate.

  • Advising a leading electronics retailer on various commercial legal matters regarding IP management, distributorship arrangements, personal data, employment, and commercial collaborations.

  • Advising an operator of international payment services with virtual accounts, virtual card management, cryptocurrency conversion, and foreign currency cash management on regulatory and licensing matters.

I am also a Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) Accredited Mediator and volunteer in providing pro / low bono legal services. I advocate for social justice in various platforms, and frequently author academic and thought papers, some of which have been published in various journals. I also serve on the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) Subcommittee on AI and Robotics.

In my other roles, I try to pioneer movements, build communities, provoke novel ideas, mobilise people, and cultivate culture.

Read more about me at: www.ronaldjjwong.com.

 

Sample Cases

Corporate & Commercial Disputes

  • Advised and successfully acted for an investment fund manager and a large global bank in a claim against a foreign guarantor for sums in excess of US$50 million due under a cross-border syndicated loan agreement. The claim involved the determination of novel conflicts of laws issues regarding the law governing capacity to contract and a stay of proceedings on grounds of forum non conveniens.

  • Advised and acted for a Singapore-regulated Fund Management Company and Managing Partner in defending a fraud claim of more than US$2.4 million in misrepresentation, breach of contract and conspiracy involving a share option.

  • Advised and acted for a reputed large wine merchant in more than 20 suits, claiming in conversion, detinue, unjust enrichment, involving commercial fraud concerning about S$7 million in value.

  • Advised and acted for various claimants in an SIAC arbitration claiming breach of warranties and non-compete covenants arising from the acquisition of majority shareholding in a waste treatment and environmental consultancy company; successfully obtained emergency interim injunctive relief.

  • Advised and acted for a testing, inspection and certification company that is part of an international group in a claim for breach of restrictive covenants against solicitation of customers and employees; successfully obtained an interim injunction.

  • Acting for investors and former employee in defending claims by liquidators of a group of companies in clawback of investment returns and commissions in one of Singapore’s largest reported Ponzi schemes.

  • Acting for former directors and their company in defending a claim in breach of fiduciary and directors’ duties, dishonest assistance and conspiracy, involving issues of foreign law and conflict of laws issues.

  • Advised and acted for a company in a claim against a former CEO and other employees for wrongful assignment of patents and registration of trademarks in a foreign jurisdiction and various breaches of directors and fiduciary duties. 

  • Advised and acted for a former Managing Director of an entity in a group of companies in the oil and gas industry in a claim for breach of contract, rectification of contract for mistake, unjust enrichment, and minority oppression.

Corporate, Commercial & Financial

  • Advised on the multi-million dollar sale of a group of companies to a large government-linked conglomerate.

  • Advised on the multi-million dollar sale of a novel multi-modal craft technology company to a large government-linked conglomerate.

  • Advised on the establishment of a joint venture between a Singapore asset management firm and an international company in the lifestyle & fitness sector.

  • Advised on the Singapore aspects of a US$90 million international sale and purchase of a global IT consultancy company to a large international company.

  • Advised a large Philippines-based conglomerate on the potential share acquisition of a Singapore additives manufacturer and conduct of legal due diligence.

  • Advised on the acquisition of a group of companies operating various medical and dental clinics and conduct of legal due diligence.

  • Advising the operator of a cross-chain DeFi (Decentralized Finance) dashboard in an investment financing round by the venture capital arm of a large foreign bank.

Tech, Media & IP

  • Advised and acted for multi-jurisdictional plaintiffs in patent infringement claim involving utility patent in manufactured machine.

  • Advised payment technology company on patent infringement claims against financial institutions.

  • Advised digital asset exchange on IP registration and management, various software and technology agreements for institutional digital payment token and digital payment token derivates trading exchange platform.

  • Advised digital asset exchange on listing of digital tokens and compliance issues.

  • Advised MAS-regulated digital asset custodial service provider on legal, regulatory and compliance issues.

  • Advised fintech startup on regulatory framework, licensing regulations and MAS regulatory sandbox application.

  • Advised payment gateway client on Payment Services Act and arrangement with merchants and payment network.

  • Advised a cryptocurrency exchange operator to be placed in the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) regulatory sandbox for RMO exemption to list security digital tokens and regulatory issues under the Payment Services Act.

  • Advised an international law firm on Singapore law aspect of regulations regarding token issuance by next-generation decentralized and cross-chain token infrastructure parachain network for NFTs network.

  • Advising on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) licence, and minting and transfer terms.

  • Advising electronic vehicle (EV) charging system provider on sale, licence, and operation of EV systems.

Published Judgments

Publications

Media Mentions

Articles


Contact

ronald.wong@covenantchambers.com

+65 6635 8723  ·  LinkedIn

Focus Areas

Commercial & Property Disputes

  • Business, Shareholders & Partnership Disputes

  • Property Ownership & Trust Disputes

  • Construction & Engineering

Tech, Media & IP

  • Data Privacy & Protection

  • Fintech & Virtual Assets

  • IP, Media & Entertainment

  • IP & Confidentiality Infringement Disputes

  • IP Registration & Licensing

Corporate, Commercial & Financial

  • Investments, Banking & Finance

  • Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Regulatory & Compliance

  • Charities & Non-Profit

Employment and Investigations

  • Employment

Private Client Wealth Management

  • Family Offices

  • Legacy Planning: Wills & Trusts

  • Probate & Estate Administration

Disputes & International Arbitration

  • Civil Litigation

  • Criminal Defence

  • Mediation

  • International Arbitration

  • Competition & Antitrust

  • Fraud & Asset Recovery

  • Restructuring & Insolvency

Memberships

  • Member, Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, Singapore Academy of Law

  • Member, Singapore Academy of Law

  • Member, Law Society of Singapore

Accolades & Awards

  • Asian Legal Business (ALB) Asia Super 50 TMT Lawyer 2024

  • Asian Legal Business (ALB) Rising Star 2023

  • Top Pro Bono Volunteer 2020, Criminal Legal Aid Scheme - Law Society Pro Bono Services

  • Singapore Law Gazette Best Feature Article by a Young Lawyer (2020) for “Wrongful Dismissal, Disability Discrimination and Mental Illness”, Singapore Law Gazette, November 2019

  • Asia Business Law Journal 2019, A-List Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers

  • Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) Overseas Attachment Scholarship – South Square Chambers

  • Asia Business Law Journal 2018, A-List Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers

  • Koh Han Kok Book Prize (Public International Law)

  • NUS Law Faculty Scholarship

Education / Qualifications

  • Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (2013)

  • LLB (Hons), NUS

  • ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Internal Auditor Training Course

  • ISO 31000 Risk Based Thinking Awareness Training Course

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