Samuel Leong

⚒️ What do you do?

My current role is Supervising Counsel at SIAC, which I took on from 1 March 2023 after almost nine years in private practice at Norton Rose Fulbright as international arbitration counsel and arbitrator.
I started my legal career at SIAC, so it has been an absolute joy to be able to return to working with both familiar and new faces, at a fantastic arbitral institution which has been growing by leaps and bounds.

At the moment, I am assisting the SIAC Registrar and Deputy Registrar with the scrutiny of a couple draft arbitral awards, while preparing two short presentations on tax-related disputes in arbitration and international arbitration in the energy sector, respectively.

🏆 What is your proudest achievement?
My pride and joy are my three sons, but I can hardly count them as “achievements” of mine.

To the extent that I had to put in quite a bit of effort – my greatest achievement is having convinced my wonderful and lovely wife, Cheryl, to marry me! I cannot thank God enough for that fateful blind date at Astor Bar, Singapore that was set up by our mutual friends years ago.

⌛ There are now 25 hours in a day! How do you spend your extra hour?
What a dream! 20 mins to nap; 10 mins to snooze; and the rest to read something properly useful. 

🚀 If you weren't a lawyer, what would you do?
I would perhaps like to be a university professor who also dabbles in musical theatre.

😋 Your favourite food haunt 
Having lived in Singapore for more than a decade now, there is still nothing like a taste of home – so it is either: (i) Uptown Nasi Lemak on Telok Ayer Street; or (ii) Batu Road Chilli Pan Mee on China Street (hot tip: order an extra egg for more of that runny yolk yummy-ness). Go early, otherwise be prepared to queue up with a bunch of hungry Malaysians!