Justin Chia

Justin Chia is a Partner, Head of Asset Recovery, Restructuring and Insolvency and Head of Private Client Advisory at Harry Elias Partnership LLP, focusing on Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law. He represents major institutional clients, including financial institutions, banks, listed companies, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and prominent commercial landlords.

He has built a reputation for navigating complex restructuring and insolvency matters, offering strategic legal advice that balances technical expertise with commercial sensibility. His broad experience spans acting for liquidators, judicial managers, receivers and managers, and accounting firms. He advises on both corporate and individual insolvency, representing creditors, shareholders, and companies across a wide range of restructuring exercises in Singapore, and is well versed in statutory regimes such as the Land Titles Act 1993, Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967, and the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004, regularly appearing before the Courts and the Strata Titles Board.

Justin’s litigation practice also extends to construction, engineering, and infrastructure disputes. He has significant experience in construction-related dispute resolution, serving as counsel in arbitration, adjudication, and court proceedings, with work involving high-value, complex disputes concerning commercial, residential, and industrial developments across Singapore.

Among his most notable cases is his representation of minority subsidiary proprietors in the landmark Horizon Towers en bloc dispute, in which the Singapore Court of Appeal reversed prior rulings and upheld the rights of minority owners in a SG$500 million collective sale — a precedent-setting decision that clarified the duties of sale committees and the responsibilities of the Strata Titles Board.

In addition to the Singapore Bar, he has also been called to the Bar of Brunei Darussalam and has practised there, and he is a gazetted counsel representing the Singapore Government in matters involving State land.

His recognitions include ‘Ranked Practitioner’ for Insolvency and Reorganization Law by Best Lawyers Singapore (2024–2027), ‘Litigation Star’ for Insolvency by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific (2025–2026), and ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for Restructuring and Insolvency by Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2019–2026). He is a Fellow of the Insolvency Practitioners Association of Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, and holds an LLB (Hons) from the National University of Singapore.