Dispute Resolution

Cavinder is the Chief Executive Officer of Drew & Napier. He has an active practice in complex litigation and international arbitration. He is engaged in trial and appellate advocacy at all levels of the Singapore Courts and has appeared as counsel in international arbitration in various countries. He is also co-head of the Competition Law & Regulatory Practice.

Cavinder graduated with First Class Honours in law from Oxford University in 1992. He was called to the Bar of England & Wales the following year, placing fourth in the Bar examinations. He returned to Singapore and passed the Singapore Bar exams, winning the prize for top candidate.

Cavinder worked for the Chief Justice of Singapore as a Justices' Law Clerk before joining Drew & Napier in 1994 as a litigation associate. In 1995, he was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship and left for Harvard Law School where he received an LL.M. He passed the New York Bar exams and was admitted to practice in New York. Cavinder practised as a litigation associate with Sullivan & Cromwell in New York until late 1997 when he returned to Singapore and Drew & Napier. He was made a partner of Drew & Napier in 1998 and a Director of the firm in May 2002. He was appointed Senior Counsel by the Chief Justice of Singapore in 2008, one of a handful to have been accorded the honour before the age of 40.

Cavinder is on the Governing Board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and a member of the Securities Industries Council. He is Vice-President of the Court of Arbitration of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Vice-President of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group, Co-Chairman of the Singapore Stock Exchange’s Disciplinary Committee and on the Disciplinary Tribunal of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Practice Areas:

Administrative & Public Law Arbitration Banking & Finance Commercial Litigation Competition Law & Regulatory Practice Construction & Engineering Corporate Litigation Financial Services Regulation International Arbitration Sports Telecommunications, Media & Technology

Barrister of England & Wales (1993) Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (1994) Attorney-at-Law of the state of New York (1996) Appointed Senior Counsel (2008) Former Deputy Chairman, Board of Directors - Singapore International Arbitration Centre Vice-President, Court of Arbitration - Singapore International Arbitration Centre Vice-President, Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group Director, Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (2009-2012) Director, National Healthcare Group (2009-2012) Director, Singapore University of Technology and Design (2009 - 2015) Director, Ascendas Property Fund Trustee Pte Ltd (2010-2013) Director, Agri‑Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (2004-2010)

English, Mandarin

Co-Chairman, Singapore Exchange disciplinary committee Member, Securities Industries Council Advisory Council, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore Member, Law Reform Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law (2000 to 2010) Appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister to the Legal Services Review Committee (2007) Member, Pro-tem Committee of the Institute of Legal Education (2009) Appointed as a Referee under the Industrial Arbitration Act Member, Public and International Law Committee of the Law Society (2009) Member, Singapore Law Committee (India Team leader) Member, Sub-Committee of Remaking Singapore Committee (2002) Delegate, 8th Asia‑Europe Young Leaders' Symposium Member of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn Fellow, Singapore Academy of Law Member, Law Society of Singapore

B.A. (Hons), Oxford University (UK, 1992) M.A. Oxford University (UK, 2001) LL.M., Harvard Law School (USA, 1996)