header-logo header-logo

08 March 2018 / Gerard Forlin KC
Issue: 7784 / Categories: Features , Profession , ADR
printer mail-detail

Maxwell Chambers— from strength to strength

nlj_7784_forlin

Gerard Forlin QC charts the progress of Maxwell Chambers’ expansion in Singapore & highlights the many virtues of the island city-state

As well as British Guyana, Malta, the UK, Thailand and the Philippines, I was partly brought up in Singapore, when my parents lived there in the 1970s. It was, therefore, an enormous pleasure to be offered my own room in Maxwell Chambers about four years ago.

I had been particularly impressed after attending a lecture there as part of a UK General Council of the Bar visit to Korea, China and Singapore. I was immediately struck by the kindness, openness and efficiency of the staff and the beautiful architecture of the building. Somehow, it also all felt vaguely familiar and I then realised: the Maxwell Chambers building had been the old Custom House.

English, energy & education

Singapore has many virtues. Not only is it a beautiful place—safe, lush and green, English-speaking and one of the least corrupt countries in the world—it has huge energy and one of the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll