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SINGAPORE: Mr. Philip Jeyaretnam has been appointed as Supreme Court Judicial Commissioner, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Monday (December 7), and his one-year term will begin on January 4 of next year.
Jeyaretnam was appointed by President Halimah Yacob on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“Mr. Jeyaretnam’s practice in arbitration and litigation has focused on commercial law and construction law,” the PMO said in a press release. “He is widely recognized as a leading expert in arbitration, construction law and litigation in leading legal publications.”
According to the Supreme Court website, a judicial commissioner is “appointed to facilitate the disposition of matters in the Supreme Court” and “has the powers of a judge.”
Judicial commissioners are appointed for specific time periods determined by the president.
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Mr. Jeyaretnam studied law at Cambridge University and graduated with first-class honors in 1986. He was inducted into the Singapore Bar in 1988 and became a senior attorney in 2003 at the age of 38, among lawyers younger to receive the appointment.
Mr. Jeyaretnam entered private practice in 1988 and is currently the CEO of ASEAN and Global Vice President of Dentons Rodyk & Davidson.
Also on Mr. Jeyaretnam’s resume is a term as president of the Law Society from 2004 to 2007.
Jeyaretnam is the son of the late opposition figure, Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, and the younger brother of the Secretary General of the Reform Party, Kenneth Jeyaretnam. He is also a published author.
With the addition of Mr. Jeyaretnam to its court, the Supreme Court will now be comprised of 25 justices, including the Chief Justice and four appellate judges, six judicial commissioners, four senior judges, and 17 international judges.
