LVM Law Chambers LLC

China & Asia Practice, White Collar Crime, Regulations & Advisory, International Trade, Shipping & Sanctions, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, International Arbitration

Of Counsel

Michelle Yeo is a dual-qualified Singapore advocate and English solicitor with a broad-based contentious and advisory practice and diverse experience in both the public and private sectors.

Michelle’s focus on white-collar defence matters is anchored by her prior experience in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), where she began her career in 2011 as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and where she served as lead prosecutor on a wide range of criminal matters at all levels of the judicial system. Michelle has particular expertise in corruption defence and economic sanctions work. While she is comfortable with conducting advocacy before various courts and tribunals, Michelle has also acted as second chair in long-running and complex criminal matters. Adopting a pragmatic approach to advice, Michelle uses her understanding of the criminal justice system to help her clients weigh their chances of success against the economics of pursuing their cases in court. She regularly navigates the plea-bargaining system to obtain reduced sentencing positions for her clients. Her clients include State-owned companies, high net worth individuals, statutory bodies, and foreign High Commissions.

Regulatory advisory work forms another significant part of Michelle’s practice. She has advised banks and large private companies on sanctions obligations under international and Singapore law, personal data protection, and other areas of regulatory compliance. While at the AGC, she spent several years in the Legislation Division translating policy into law and advising the Singapore Government on its domestic and international legal obligations. As part of the Legislative Division, Michelle drafted legislation spanning a wide range of policy areas, including remote gambling, unmanned aircraft, autonomous vehicles, Prisons, economic sanctions and manpower regulations. This has honed her deep expertise in principles of statutory interpretation and the policy considerations underlying various statutes.

Michelle also has experience in complex international arbitration and civil litigation matters. She has recently represented and advised companies in high-value cross-jurisdictional disputes including shareholder disputes, cases involving minority oppression, alleged breaches of warranty, and breaches of contract and helps her clients reach careful decisions in highly acrimonious situations.

As one of the Firm’s in-house trainers on legal writing, Michelle brings a passion for clear and calibrated communication to her work, which she believes is essential to written and oral persuasion. Her fluency in Mandarin Chinese makes her a particular asset to the firm’s China practice.

Michelle is also a proud mother of one. In her spare time, she volunteers with ReadAble Ltd, a children’s literacy charity that she co-founded.

English, Chinese

Member, Law Society of Singapore Member, Singapore Academy of Law