Ee Yang has walked an unconventional path in legal practice. Having begun his career in one of the top law firms in Singapore, he embarked on an exciting adventure of starting a general litigation practice in his 5th year of practice, first under a “chambers arrangement” in a medium sized law firm and eventually as the founder of Covenant Chambers LLC in 2016. Although he enjoyed having impeccable chemistry with his superior and team in one of the “Big Four”, he felt a call from within to leave in order to serve individuals and small and medium enterprises and be a contributor to solving the problem of access to justice and rising legal costs in Singapore.
He strives to raise the legal sector to new heights by leveraging his wealth of experience and passion in advocacy and empowering the next generation of competent lawyers.
One of the notable cases Ee Yang had advocated as lead counsel early in his career is a landmark judgment where he successfully applied to the High Court of Singapore under the doctrine of donatio mortis causa for the revocation of a “deathbed gift” by his client (Koh Cheong Heng v Ho Yee Fong [2011] SGHC 48).
2017-2018 was a breakthrough year for Ee Yang as an advocate, in particular two notable victories in the High Court of Singapore:
- In the case of Ang Ai Tee v Resource Credit [2017] SGHC 159, Ee Yang successfully acted for the Plaintiff in setting aside a statutory demand for the sum of $135,879.96, which was issued by the defendant licensed moneylender pursuant to a series of “creative” refinancing transactions introduced by the defendant. The High Court held that the loan transactions were prima facie unconscionable and substantially unfair to the Plaintiff and ought to be reopened under Section 18 of the Moneylenders Act, given that Plaintiff had paid more than S$200,000 to the licensed moneylender and was further faced with a claim of S$135,879.96 for a principal loan of S$120,000.
- In the case of Gao Shuchao v Tan Kok Quan & Ors [2018] SGHC 115, the Singapore High Court allowed the Appellant’s appeal against the District Court’s judgement on the Respondents’ defamation claim. The High Court reaffirmed the common law position regarding the defence of qualified privilege and reversed the District Court’s finding in holding that the Appellant was not malicious when he published the alleged defamatory remark on an occasion of qualified privilege.
Ee Yang continued 2019 with another victory in the case of Teo Lay Gek & Another v Hoang Trong Binh & Another [2019] SGHC 84, where he successfully applied to enforce a settlement agreement made pursuant to mediation at the Singapore Mediation Centre for the sum of USD$4,165,675. This cross border dispute between Vietnamese and Australian shareholders of a Singapore holding company raised an interesting issue relating to the grounds for setting aside an expert valuation.
Ee Yang recently appeared as lead counsel in a trial before the Competition Appeals Board on the largest competition prosecution on price fixing and anti-aggression pact under Section 34 of the Competition Act.
The notable matters that Ee Yang acted as lead counsel in recent years include:
- In the area of trust and probate, successfully applying to strike out a claim made by the son of a deceased patriarch and a prominent banker in Singapore to his estate. The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
- In the area of real estate, in successfully obtaining an order for sale of joint immovable property which parties to the litigation jointly purchased many years ago.
- In the area of employment law, successfully obtaining compensation for an employee of a large oil and gas company for retrenchment benefits and bonus owed.
- In the area of family law, successfully obtaining a division of more than S$1 million for a full time housewife in divorce proceedings in the Family Justice Courts, of which the decision was upheld by the High Court on appeal. Ee Yang was also successful in the High Court which granted his client’s appeal against the grant of a personal protection order against her.
- In commercial litigation, acting for minority shareholders in their claim for minority oppression and financial mismanagement in a multi-million investment dispute over a development project in Vietnam held through a holding company in Singapore.
- In competition law, representing a prominent supplier in the food industry over investigations by the Competition Commission of Singapore relating to Section 34 of the Competition Act.
Ee Yang actively engages in criminal pro bono work. In his free time, Ee Yang enjoys golf and soccer and is a member of the Law Society golf and premier soccer teams.
Ee Yang was also the recipient of the prestigious Singapore Academy of Law Overseas Scholarship and had completed an attachment in 2015 with Essex Court Chambers, a top set of barristers chambers in the United Kingdom, working with established Queen’s Counsel. He used to be an adjunct instructor at the National University of Singapore, teaching in the Legal Analysis, Research and Communications course.
Ee Yang currently serves as the Vice Chairman of Law Christian Fellowship, a sectional group under Graduates Christian Fellowship, which aim to Fellowship, Witness and Serve. Ee Yang also serves in the Board of Elders of Riverlife Church.
