Profile
Work Department
Position
Deputy Managing Partner, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP
Head, International Arbitration
Career
Kelvin Poon, SC is the Deputy Managing Partner of Rajah & Tann Singapore. He also heads the firm’s International Arbitration Practice.
Kelvin has extensive experience as counsel in a broad range of construction and commercial disputes in numerous arbitrations across the Asia Pacific region. Described as a “standout arbitration practitioner” and a “deep thinker with a solution-oriented approach to strategising”, he has been consistently recognised by global leading publications in the areas of commercial litigation, international arbitration and construction.
Kelvin is recognised as one of the “Top 15 Litigators” in Southeast Asia in 2024 by Asian Legal Business. Kelvin is ranked for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and Dispute Resolution: Litigation in 2024 by Chambers Asia-Pacific. Kelvin is recognised as “Litigation Star” in Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific (2023) for International Arbitration, and listed in Best Lawyers for Arbitration and Mediation since 2018. Kelvin has been identified as one of the top 100 foreign lawyers in the International A-List published by India Business Law Journal since 2022. Kelvin has also been named as a “Recommended Leader” on Who’s Who Legal Southeast Asia – Arbitration and Who’s Who Legal – Commercial Litigation since 2019. The Legal 500 Asia Pacific described Kelvin as a “master strategist” with “considerable experience and expertise”, making him “a dominant market player in Singapore and South East Asia”.
Kelvin is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is on the SIAC’s Panel of Arbitrators. He is a member of ICC Commission for Arbitration and ADR and was a track leader for its Task Force on ADR and Arbitration. Kelvin was also a member of the International Bar Association’s Working Group on Harmonizing Arbitration Laws in the Asia Pacific Region.
Memberships
- Member, SIAC Panel of Arbitrators
- Member, Rules of Court Working Party of Supreme Court, Singapore (2011 to 2016)
- Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Member, Singapore Academy of Law, Law Reform Sub-Committee on Financial Products
- Co-Chair, Regional Projects committee of the ICC Singapore Arbitration Group.
- Member, Core Committee of the ICC Singapore Arbitration Group
- Member, Selection Committee of the ICC Singapore Arbitration Group.
- Member, the ICC Commission for Arbitration and ADR
- Member, International Bar Association’s Working Group on Harmonizing Arbitration Laws in the Asia Pacific Region
- Member, ICCA
- Associate, Insolvency Practitioners Association of Singapore
Education
- LLB (Hons), National University of Singapore
- Advocate & Solicitor, Singapore
- Senior Counsel, Singapore
Content supplied by Rajah & Tann Asia
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Reactive and commercial.’
‘Kelvin Poon has the ability to think deeply and explain in a clear concise manner.’
Key clients
- Genesis Law Corporation
- Petroleum Exploration (Private) Limited