Daniel GAW is a Partner in the Commercial & Corporate Disputes and International Arbitration Practices.
His practice focuses on international arbitration and litigation. He has represented corporate clients and sovereign states in multi-billion-dollar disputes and investor-state arbitrations across various industries spanning oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, construction, commodities, and private equity.
Prior to Daniel's legal practice in his previous firms, he was a Justices' Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore from 2012 to 2015 where he assisted judges on various disputes before the High Court and Court of Appeal. He was concurrently appointed as a Law Clerk for the Competition Appeal Board in a case involving bid-rigging and also taught Ethics & Social Responsibility at the Singapore Management University.
He is currently an APAC member of the YSIAC Council. He has also co-authored publications on Commercial and Civil Litigation in Singapore and taught cross-examination at the Swiss Arbitration Academy as a Guest Lecturer in 2023. He was twice appointed as a Young Independent Counsel by the Supreme Court of Singapore to provide written and oral submissions on appeals raising significant legal issues of public interest.
Daniel graduated with First Class Honours from the National University of Singapore. He also obtained an LL.M. in International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration from New York University, where he received the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Scholarship and the IBRLA Award for graduating at the top of the programme.
Matters of significance in which Daniel has been involved in include advising / acting for the following:
- An oil and gas consortium in two multi-billion-dollar ICC arbitrations against different Asian buyers relating to LNG price reviews.
- Poland in two PCA arbitrations under the Australia-Poland BIT and Energy Charter Treaty brought by investors in the mining sector, involving claims in excess of GBP 800 million.
- The Asian owner of a petrochemical terminal in a dispute with two state-owned energy companies over unpaid fees in excess of USD 250 million.
- The Turkish sellers of two electricity distribution companies in a $100 million SIAC arbitration against a Chinese state-owed entity relating to the termination of an M&A agreement.
- A UK electronic market maker in the first Bitcoin lawsuit in the Singapore International Commercial Court against a cryptocurrency exchange for the misappropriation of more than USD 10 million worth of Bitcoin.
- A US oil major in an arbitration with a Japanese energy conglomerate over the valuation of its minority stake in a petrochemical sales company.
Related Practices
- Commercial & Corporate Disputes
- Commodities & International Trade Disputes
- International Arbitration
- Law and Practice of Commercial Litigation in Singapore, Sweet & Maxwell, 2015.
- Civil Litigation in Singapore, Sweet & Maxwell, 2016.
Daniel has won numerous awards for excellence in advocacy. He was the winner of the Essex Court Chambers-Singapore Academy of Law Mooting Competition 2013/14, the WongPartnership International Commercial Arbitration Moot 2010, and the B.A Mallal Moots Competition 2009 (where he was also awarded the prize for Best Memorial). He also achieved an Honourable Mention for Best Individual Oralist in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot 2012 and received an Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Singapore International Arbitration Academy in 2019.
He was described by clients in The Legal 500 – Asia-Pacific 2024 as “a future star” who is “very intellectual and technically smart”.
Contact Details
- d+65 6416 6863
- f+65 6532 5722
- edaniel.gaw@wongpartnership.com
Career & Qualifications
National University of Singapore (LL.B., Hons.)
New York University (LL.M.)