According to a report in The Lawyer newspaper, Singaporean firm Allen & Gledhill, London-headquartered Clyde & Co and shipping boutique Waterson Hicks are entangled in the claim, which will be heard in Singapore’s High Court.

Damages

The legal action stems from the arrest of the ship Vasiliy Golovnin by Banque Cantonale de Geneve (BCG) in Singapore in 2006. The bank was advised by Waterson Hicks and Clydes, with the latter instructing Allen & Gledhill shipping partner Kenny Yap as Singaporean counsel.
The arrest of the ship was eventually set aside by the Court of Appeal, with BCG ordered to pay damages to the vessel’s owners. However, BCG then filed a claim in Singapore’s High Court against Allen & Gledhill, alleging professional negligence and seeking approximately $240,000 in damages.
The hearing began last week and is set to conclude on Thursday.

Contributory negligence

Allen & Gledhill denied the allegations, claiming BCG was ‘contributorily negligent’ and alleging that any loss suffered by BCG was on account of Clyde & Co advice. According to the report, the Singaporean firm has subsequently pursued contribution proceedings again Waterson Hicks, which then issued contribution proceedings again Clyde.
Meanwhile, Clyde & Co is seeking a contribution against Allen & Gledhill for any liability arising from breach of duty allegedly owed by Allen & Gledhill to BCG and/or the third parties. But it would only seek to claim against Allen & Gledhill in the event that the third parties successfully claim against it.

Legal teams

Allen & Gledhill is represented by rival Singaporean firm Drew & Napier’s chief executive and litigation specialist Davinder Singh SC, while BCG has instructed Global Law Alliance’s head of litigation Niru Pillai.
Waterson Hicks is represented by Singaporean firm Legal Solutions director Kevin Kwek while Clyde turned to litigation boutique Gurbani & Co founding partner Prem Gurbani.
All firms involved have declined to comment while the case is on-going.