Kirsten Teo is a Singaporean special legal consultant in Dechert’s Washington, D.C. office concentrating on international commercial and investment arbitration. In addition to international arbitration, she focuses her practice on public international law, international aviation and law of the sea.

Ms. Teo has been entrusted by clients and arbitrators to act as international arbitration counsel and tribunal secretary for a decade with significant experience in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. In addition to her counsel and tribunal secretary work, she is empaneled as an Arbitrator on the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (TIAC) reserve panel of arbitrators and serves as the first Chair of the TIAC45 arbitration practitioners’ group. She also serves as Vice-Chair of Programs at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators North America Branch.

Ms. Teo worked with the Secretariat of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) while completing her LLM in International Commercial Arbitration at Stockholm University (2016-2017). She was the sole recipient of the Swedish Arbitration Association scholarship and awarded the Global Swede scholarship by the Swedish government. In 2011, she passed the Singapore bar exam with distinction in arbitration and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 2012.

Prior to joining Dechert, Ms. Teo was the Head of the arbitration associates’ working group in the Singapore office of another international law firm and Counsel in an arbitration boutique in Washington D.C.

A detailed experience list is available on request. Ms. Teo is admitted in Singapore only; she is not admitted as a member of the bar of the District of Columbia

    • Singaporean investors in the phosphate mining industry on their US$200 million investor-state arbitration against the People’s Republic of China.
    • Indonesian and BVI clients in the energy and natural resources sector in an SIAC international arbitration with claims exceeding US$50 million. See Singapore High Court decision of BQP v BQQ [2018] SGHC 55.
    • Singaporean companies in the energy and natural resources sector on disputes arising from a Sino-foreign joint venture agreement (commercial and investment arbitrations).
    • Chinese state-owned entities in international commercial arbitration on disputes arising from the construction of a thermal power project in Asia.
    • Singaporean clients in an AIAC international arbitration against one of Malaysia’s telecommunication service providers.
    • Asian airline carrier with contractual disputes related to the supply of aviation fuel.
    • BVI company involved in an aviation litigation in Mauritius.
    • Asian government on a maritime boundary delimitation dispute with another State.
    • Asian government on the sovereign immunity of sunken warships of another State.
    • Italian train manufacturers in an SCC international arbitration.
    • Tribunal Secretary in an international arbitration concerning alleged defects in the manufacturing of wind turbine converters.

    Includes matters handled at Dechert or prior to joining the firm.

    • Arbitrator, SIAC Reserve Panel of Arbitrators
    • Member, SIAC Users Council
    • Arbitrator, TIAC Reserve Panel of Arbitrators
    • Chair, TIAC45
    • Vice-Chair of Programs, Board and Exco Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators North America Branch (NAB)
    • Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
    • Member, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb)
    • Member, American Society of International Law