Department:
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Contact:
phoneIcon+65 65574821
emailIconmatthewsaw@leenlee.com.sg

SAW Matthew

Matthew is a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution department.

Matthew graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1995, and was admitted to the English bar in 1996. He was admitted to the Singapore bar in 1997 and joined Lee & Lee as an Associate in 1998. In 2002, he was seconded for 5 months to the International Commercial Fraud and Insolvency Litigation group of Lovells, London. In 2004, Matthew was admitted to the New York State bar. In 2005, he was made a Partner.

Matthew practises civil litigation including medical and commercial litigation.

Medical litigation

Matthew studied medical law in the University of Cambridge where he developed a keen interest in the subject. He has been appointed by the MOHH MMI program, Medefend and the Medical Protection Society to act for doctors in claims and law suits by patients, in complaints to the Singapore Medical Council, and in Coroner’s inquiries. He has also been appointed as an Honorary Legal Advisor to the Singapore Medical Association. Some of the cases he has been involved in include:

  • defending an obstetrician and gynaecologist who was charged for carrying out a procedure not within the norms of acceptable medical practice and for not obtaining the informed consent of the patient, and who had to attend a 5 days disciplinary hearing before the Singapore Medical Council;
  • defending a general practitioner who was charged for carrying out an inappropriate treatment, and who had to attend a 5 days disciplinary hearing before the Singapore Medical Council;
  • acting for a general practitioner who pleaded guilty to a charge for not obtaining the informed consent of his patient, and acting for him in his appeal to the High Court against his sentence;
  • defending a surgeon in a $9 million High Court suit in respect of an alleged missed cancer diagnosis;
  • defending a vascular surgeon in a $4 million claim;
  • defending an ENT surgeon and an anaesthetist in a $3.7 million claim;
  • defending an obstetrician and gynaecologist in a $2 million High Court suit in respect of a vaginal birth after a caesarean section;
  • defending a general practitioner in a $1.4 million High Court suit in respect of an aesthetic treatment;
  • defending an aesthetic doctor in a $800,000 High Court suit;
  • defending a surgeon in a $600,000 High Court suit in respect of an abdominal cancer surgery;
  • defending an obstetrician and gynaecologist in a $600,000 High Court suit in respect of a surgery to remove adnexal cysts;
  • defending community hospital doctors in a $600,000 claim;
  • defending an obstetrician and gynaecologist in a $500,000 High Court suit in respect of alleged retained products of conception;
  • defending a cardiothoracic surgeon in a $400,000 High Court suit in respect of a cardiac surgery;
  • defending a general practitioner in a $250,000 claim in respect of an aesthetic treatment;
  • defending an infectious disease specialist in a District Court suit in respect of HIV treatment;
  • defending a surgeon in a District Court suit in respect of an appendectomy; and
  • defending a surgeon in a District Court suit in respect of an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Commercial litigation

Matthew has been involved in a wide range of commercial disputes including the following cases:

  • acting for the majority owners in the $385 million collective sale of the Waterfront View in a landmark appeal to the High Court which was decided in their favour;
  • acting for the majority owners in the $297.3 million collective sale of the Futura in appeals to the High Court and to the Court of Appeal which were decided in their favour;
  • acting for a company in a $57 million international arbitration case;
  • acting for a country club in a $37 million High Court suit against 10 defendants;
  • acting for the liquidators of a metal trading company in a $18 million High Court suit against 7 defendants;
  • acting for a company in a $14 million international arbitration case governed by Indonesian law;
  • acting for a bank in a $10 million High Court suit, and successfully obtaining a mareva injunction;
  • acting for a contractor against a piling sub-contractor in a $9 million domestic arbitration;
  • acting for a global private equity company in a $7 million High Court suit;
  • acting for an employer against 2 ex-employees in a $7 million claim;
  • acting for a global marine company in a $5 million High Court suit, and successfully obtaining interim injunctions within 48 hours of being first contacted by the clients;
  • acting for a bank claiming about $4 million in restitution;
  • acting for Chinese companies in a S$2.8 million High Court suit against an online payment platform company;
  • acting for a metal trading company in a $2 million High Court suit.

Matthew’s current appointments include being:

  • a FIDReC (the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre Ltd) Adjudicator;
  • a member of the Disciplinary Tribunal’s Panel of Advocates & Solicitors;
  • a member of the Law Society’s Panel of Lawyers in matters relating to the Legal Profession Act;
  • a member of the Legal Aid Bureau’s Panel of Solicitors;
  • a member of the Law Society’s Admissions Committee; and
  • an Honorary Legal Advisor to the Singapore Medical Association.

Matthew’s former appointments include being:

  • a Director of SATA CommHealth (2014 to 2022);
  • a Director of Healthserve (2012 to 2021);
  • a member of the Income Tax Board of Review (2013 to 2019); and
  • a member of the Singapore Academy of Law’s Working Party on the Part B course and exams (2010).