Akesh Abhilash
Consultant, Laelia Chambers LLC. Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Accredited Mediator, Singapore Mediation Centre. Commissioner for Oaths.
A dispute is rarely only a legal problem. Clients get senior, hands-on attention from the first call to the last hearing: an honest assessment early, a strategy built around what they actually need, and the ability to deliver it.
Akesh has acted as lead counsel in high-value disputes for eleven years, before the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the State Courts and international tribunals. He was called to the Singapore Bar in 2015.
His practice centres on shareholder and director disputes, minority oppression, commercial litigation and cross-border enforcement. Many of his matters run in more than one country at once, and he works with foreign counsel to keep a single strategy across every forum. He acts in mediation and in international arbitration, including under the SIAC Rules.
He also runs a criminal defence and regulatory practice, and acts for athletes, sports organisations, media personalities and influencers in contentious and advisory work.
While in practice at a top-tier local firm, Akesh also served as appointed counsel for the Law Society of Singapore in disciplinary tribunal proceedings, and until 2024 as an appointed prosecutor for the Energy Market Authority and the Council for Estate Agents. He has volunteered as defence counsel under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme since 2015 and under the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences since 2024, work recognised by the Judiciary with a Certificate of Appreciation in 2025.
Outside the law, Akesh is an advocate for animal welfare, a lover of theatre and poetry, and a lifelong Liverpool supporter.
Recognition
- The Straits Times — Singapore’s Top-Rated Lawyers (2027)
- LexisNexis — Southeast Asia 40 Under 40 (2026)
- ALB SE Asia Law Awards — Young Lawyer of the Year, Finalist (2026)
- ALB Singapore Rising Stars (2025)
- LexisNexis — Asia 40 Under 40 (2025)
- LexisNexis — Southeast Asia 40 Under 40 (2025)
- Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation — Certificate of Appreciation (2025)
Speaking and writing
- “The First 72 Hours: A Playbook for Ex Parte Protective Preliminary Orders and Emergency Arbitrator Relief under SIAC Rules 2025” — forthcoming, Singapore Academy of Law Practitioner Journal
- LegalPlus Singapore & Southeast Asia Conference 2026: Managing Shareholder, Director and Stakeholder Disputes and Cross-Border Issues (KPMG Singapore)
- Ergonomics & Hygiene 2023 Conference and Exhibition
- Anti-money laundering regulations and training for lawyers (2022–2025)
- Delegate, 13th APAC ADR Conference and IBA APAC Arbitration Group event (Seoul, 2024)
Appointments and memberships
- Accredited Mediator, Singapore Mediation Centre
- Appointed Adjudicator, Singapore Mediation Centre
- Empanelled Mediator, Bangalore International Mediation, Arbitration and Conciliation Centre (BIMACC)
- Associate Mediator, Law Society Mediation Scheme
- Panel of Neutrals, Law Society Neutral Evaluation and Determination Scheme
- Law Society of Singapore committees: Admissions; Anti-Money Laundering
- Legal Advisory Panel, Association for Persons with Special Needs
- Commissioner for Oaths
- Member, Law Society of Singapore; Singapore Academy of Law; Young International Arbitration Group
Education
- LL.M., University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (2014)
- LL.B., Singapore Management University (2013) — magna cum laude; Drew & Napier Prize for advocacy (joint winner)
- Maastricht University (2011) — international human rights law and international dispute settlement
- Graduate Certificate in LegalTech, Singapore Management University (2020)
Selected reported decisions.
As lead counsel unless stated otherwise.
Dispute resolution
| Decision | Court | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| Shiju Varghese Joyce and another v Kidney Therapeutics Centre Pte Ltd and another[2026] SGHC 81 | High Court | Minority shareholder claims for oppression and breach of an alleged oral founding agreement in a dialysis business. Read the case note → |
| Absolute Maintenance Services Pte Ltd v S11 Granuity Management Pte Ltd[2023] SGDC 173 | District Court | Contractual claim between a maintenance contractor and the operator of a workers’ dormitory. Read the case note → |
| Fok Kah Hon and others v Quek Ban Tong Edmund and another[2022] SGDC 92 | District Court and High Court | Defamation: liability and assessment of damages for statements about an education business, publisher, and a company director. Read the case note → |
| Haw Wan Sin David and another v Faber Property Pte Ltd and others[2018] SGHC 272; [2018] SGDC 143 | High Court; District Court | Personal liability of property agents for representations made in marketing an overseas property investment. Read the case note → |
| SK Engineering & Construction Co Ltd v Conchubar Aromatics Ltd[2017] 2 SLR 898 · second chair | Court of Appeal | Whether a scheme of arrangement should be sanctioned where the creditor vote depended on assigned debts. Read the case note → |
| SIAC ARB 127/128 of 2019International arbitration · not a published decision | SIAC; Singapore Mediation Centre | Mediation and arbitration of a multi-party international logistics dispute involving parties in Singapore, India, Thailand and Australia. |
Criminal
| Decision | Court | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| Public Prosecutor v ACH[2026] SGMC 105 | Magistrate’s Court | Defending an accused individual charged under section 60A(6) of the Women’s Charter 1961 and section 323 of the Penal Code 1871. Read the case note → |
| Public Prosecutor v WYM[2025] SGMC 5; [2026] SLR(StC) 169 | Magistrate’s Court | Defending an accused individual charged under section 22(1)(d) of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990. Read the case note → |
| CRH v Public Prosecutor[2024] SGCA 29 | Court of Appeal | Whether the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated statutory rape extends to an attempt under the pre-2019 Penal Code. Read the case note → |
| Public Prosecutor v CRH[2024] SGHC 34 | High Court | Whether mandatory minimum sentences apply to attempts under s 511 of the pre-2019 Penal Code, and whether a later, more lenient amendment applies retrospectively. Read the case note → |
| Public Prosecutor v MHN[2024] SGDC 27 | District Court | When the sentence for fresh offences committed while on deferment of an earlier sentence should commence (s 322(1) Criminal Procedure Code). Read the case note → |
| TYLA v Public Prosecutor[2023] 3 SLR 229 | High Court | Whether false declarations of beneficial ownership when opening corporate bank accounts amount to cheating. Read the case note → |
| Public Prosecutor v TYLA[2021] SGDC 266 | District Court | Trial on charges of conspiracy to cheat banks over the beneficial ownership of corporate accounts. Read the case note → |
Family and probate
| Decision | Court | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| XVI v XVJ and another[2025] SGHCF 65; [2026] 3 SLR 466 | High Court (Family Division) | Whether an executor was liable for wilful default in managing rental income from an estate property. Read the case note → |
Regulatory
| Decision | Court | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| The Law Society of Singapore v Yeo Yao Hui Charles[2023] SGDT 21 | Disciplinary Tribunal | Disciplinary proceedings against an advocate and solicitor for professional misconduct, brought by the Law Society. |