Lesley TAN is a Partner in the Energy, Projects & Construction Practice. Her main areas of practice encompass both front-end project advisory work and acting in contentious disputes.

Lesley's experience in front-end project advisory work includes drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts and tender documents for various mega infrastructure projects such as integrated resorts, petro-chemical plants, airports, a major sports facility, aeronautical engineering facility, offshore supply base and a desalination plant. As part of such review, she has adapted standard forms for use in projects performed locally and overseas, project management and consultancy agreements. She has also been consulted on issues relating to the administration of contracts and risks management, and has advised on the scope of insurance coverage required for compliance purposes, indemnities, bonds and guarantees.

Lesley's practice also includes contentious work where she has advised statutory boards and acted for developers, consultants and contractors at various stages of litigation, arbitration and adjudication proceedings, involving issues such as variations, acceleration, extension of time claims and prolongation claims. Lesley has acted for and advised both employers and contractors in high-value disputes relating to commercial buildings, residential developments, airport terminals and tunnelling works in Singapore and in the Middle East. Separately, she has also represented parties in enforcement proceedings such as garnishee applications, companies' winding up and performance bonds.

Lesley graduated from the National University of Singapore and is admitted to the Singapore Bar.

Matters of significance in which Lesley has been involved in include acting for the following:

  • ExxonMobil in its development of the Singapore Parallel Train project, the largest petrochemical complex owned and operated by ExxonMobil. She continues to act for ExxonMobil with regard to its numerous facilities sited on Jurong Island.
  • Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. in various major infrastructure projects being undertaken at Changi Airport, Singapore – the development of Terminal 4, Project Jewel which is a S$1.47 billion project for the development, construction, lease and management of the iconic aviation-related mixed-use complex at Changi Airport; in the development of its S$1.12 billion third runway project; the development of the mega Terminal 5 which will have an annual capacity of 70 million passengers when completed.
  • The Land Transport Authority of Singapore ("LTA") in relation to various matters, from the review and update of their suites of conditions of contracts for use in rail and road development projects, to advising and representing LTA in relation to the insolvency of main contractors, Alpine Bau GmbH and CMC di Ravenna, for works in the Downtown Line Stage 2 and Stage 3 rail transit system respectively.
  • Resorts World at Sentosa Pte. Ltd. (“RWS”, part of the Genting Group of Companies), in drafting, reviewing, negotiating and advising on various infrastructure and construction-related project documents for the development and construction of Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s first Integrated Resort (IR) and one of the world’s most extensive IRs, built at a cost of more than S$6.5 billion. In the course of this practice, she has also drafted contracts in unique areas such as the construction of attractions and rides in the Universal Studios Singapore theme park, water theme park, maritime museum, and seen to compliance matters relating to the casino. She continues to represent RWS in its first major redevelopment of the Integrated Resort since its inception, involving an investment of S$4.5 billion. Key features of the redevelopment include inter alia, an intensification of the existing land, an expansion of the casino and the introduction of various new key attractions in Universal Studios Singapore and the Integrated Resort at large.
  • SMRT Corporation Ltd. on the project documentation for the Singapore-Johor Bahru Rapid Transit Link, a rail shuttle service that will run between Woodlands North station in Singapore and Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru. This project is to be implemented under a Public Private Partnership model, and to be undertaken by a joint venture company to be formed by SMRT Corporation and its Malaysian partner. The 4km rail line is intended to cross the Straits of Johor, and expected to have a capacity of up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction, vastly increasing the number of trips that can be made using the existing infrastructure and transport modes.
  • CapitaLand Limited in the updating and streamlining of its in-house suite of construction contract templates, for use across various asset development and enhancement projects in conjunction.

Related Practices

  • Energy, Projects & Construction
  • Contributing Editor of the Singapore "White Book" (Singapore Civil Procedure)

Lesley is recommended in The Legal 500: Asia Pacific – The Client's Guide to the Asia Pacific Legal Profession for Projects & Energy and Construction, where she is commended by clients for “stand[ing] out for her commercial acumen” and being “one of the best lawyers in the industry”. She is recognised by IFLR1000 as a highly regarded practitioner in the practice area of Project Development and the Transport sector and also recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific for her expertise in Construction.

Contact Details

Career & Qualifications

National University of Singapore (LL.B., Hons.)

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