Michael S Chia

Mr Michael S Chia is the Founder and Managing Director of MSC Law Corporation.

Michael graduated in 1996 from the University of the West of England, Bristol, with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). Michael was called to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 1997 and admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1998.

Michael is a Member of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, an Associate of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), a Diplomate of the Singapore Insurance Institute (now Singapore College of Insurance) and an Affiliate of the Australia and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.

Michael has been a Commissioner for Oaths since 2010 and a Notary Public since 2014. He is an Associate Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre since 2015 and with the Law Society Mediation Scheme since 2016.

Legal Practice

Michael’s practice focuses primarily on litigation and dispute resolution. In the course of his practice, Michael has handled a wide spectrum of disputes relating to debt recovery, contract breaches, intellectual property rights infringements, equity and trusts, defamation, accidents, landlord and tenant, employment, en-bloc conveyancing; construction and renovation; corporations and partnerships; marriages and children issues as well as criminal defence and prosecution.

Michael has undertaken non-contentious court work, such as making applications to the courts for Grants of Probate or Letters of Administration, Adoptions and Guardianship of Infants, and the Appointment of Deputies under the Mental Capacity Act.

Michael routinely provides legal support to small and medium enterprises (SME), which includes the giving of legal advice or opinions on diverse topics, the review and drafting of documents as well as the negotiation of contracts. Michael has a portfolio of SME clients who retain him for general legal advice on a monthly retainer.

Service to Profession

Michael is a member of Council (2003-2008; 2010-2013; 2017-Present) and an ExCo member (2005-2008; 2010-2011; 2019-Present) of the Law Society of Singapore (LSS). He was also a past Assistant Treasurer (2005) and Treasurer (2006-2007) of LSS. In addition to that, Michael has served on numerous committees of LSS since 2000. He is currently a Co-Chairman of the Court Practice Chairpersons Committee and of the Small Law Firms Committee. Michael is presently also a member of the Finance Committee and Solicitors Accounts Rules Committee of LSS.

Michael was on the Assessor Evaluation Panel that decided the winning design in the Open Design Competition for the new State Courts Complex in 2012 and a member of the Overseas Scheduled Universities Review Committee of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE), proposed by the 4th Committee on the Supply of Lawyers, which looked into whether the supply of legal professionals here would be sufficient to meet Singapore’s legal and business needs.

Michael is a Senior Advocacy Trainer with LSS and he regularly helps train law graduates, attending the Preparatory Course leading to Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations conducted by SILE, as well as local and overseas lawyers in advocacy skills.

Michael is on the panel of volunteer lawyers for the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme run by LSS and the panel of lead counsels for the state-run Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences. Michael is a Primary Justice Lawyer with the Community Justice Centre (“CJC”), helps out at on-site legal clinics run by CJC.

Service to Community and Nation

Outside the legal profession, Michael actively serves his community and country.

Michael served as a lay member on the Complaints and Disciplinary Panel of the Public Accountants Oversight Committee (2004-2008), and on the Complaints Panel of the Singapore Medical Council (2008-2010), as well as a panel member of Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) Youth Olympic Games Appeals Panel (2008-2010). Michael is a member of the Disciplinary Panel of the Council of Estate Agencies (since 2014) and the management committee of SBA (since 2010).

Michael was an independent trustee of the Nanyang Kindergarten Campus Building Funds (2008-2016) and a current School Advisory Committee member of the Hua Yi Secondary School. He served on the management committee of the Nanyang Schools Alumni Association (2004-2018) and has been the President of the Hua Yi Alumni Society, after serving in its management committee since 2012.

Michael is an active grassroots leader, serving in the Bukit Timah division of the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency since 2006. He is currently a Vice-Chairman of the Bukit Timah Citizens’ Consultative Committee and an ExCo member of the Bukit Timah Branch of the People’s Action Party.

For his services to the nation, Michael was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Good Service Medal, SAF National Service Medal, Singapore Police Service Good Service Medal and the Ministry of Education Service to Education Award.