Leading Female Divorce Lawyers in Singapore

At PKWA Law, we sometimes get requests from our clients that they would prefer a female divorce lawyer to represent them. While the gender of your divorce lawyer won’t determine the outcome of your case – above all, you should engage someone who will listen to and understand your situation and has the experience and skills to communicate it to the Court – finding the “best fit” lawyer for you also entails selecting someone whom you will feel comfortable working with.

Accordingly, while no single personality type or gender will suit every case, some female clients feel more comfortable discussing the intimate details of their marriage with another woman. Conversely, some men believe that a female divorce lawyer may help present their arguments against their spouse in a manner that is persuasive while also being less harsh.

With this in mind, we’d like to introduce the leading female divorce lawyers at PKWA Law.

Dorothy Tan

Dorothy Tan is a highly regarded Divorce Lawyer in Singapore.

Dorothy is listed in the Top 100 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2021.  The prestigious list focuses on the leading female litigators who have earned their place by participating in the most impactful litigation matters in recent history, as well as by earning the hard-won respect of their peers and clients as top players in their respective fields.

Lawyers named in the Top 100 Women in Litigation were chosen through several phases of research: a review of their recent casework, consideration of how attorneys at peer legal institutions might rank them, and client feedback on their performances. Dorothy is described as a Litigation Star in family and matrimonial law in Asia-Pacific.

Dorothy is also listed in the Doyles Guide for Leading Family & Divorce lawyers in Singapore.

She is further recognised as one of Asia’s top young lawyers in Asian Legal Business 2016 listing of “40 under 40 – Asia’s Brightest Young Legal Minds”.

She is also named by the Singapore Business Review as one of Singapore’s Top 20 ‘Most Influential Lawyers aged 40 in 2016.

She is also shortlisted for “Woman Lawyer of the Year” by Asian Legal Business at the SE Asia Law Awards 2018, and for “Young Lawyer of the Year” by Asian Legal Business in 2017.

Benchmark Litigation also recognises Dorothy as a Litigation Star in Family Law in 2021. The reputable publisher is reputedly the definitive guide on the leading dispute resolution and litigation lawyers in the international and regional markets. Benchmark Litigation recognizes “litigation stars” in each country as individuals who were recommended consistently as reputable and highly effective litigators by their clients and peers.

At the age of 25, Dorothy successfully led a team to win a complex divorce case at the Court of Appeal on the new Singapore law on the division of matrimonial assets. Recently, Dorothy won her second Court of Appeal case.  In this case, she won for her client 75% of matrimonial assets worth $13.6 million (up from 25%). The swing in matrimonial assets awarded from 25% to 75% is one of the largest in appeal court history.

In both cases, she was the lead counsel.

In Twiss, Christopher James Hans v Twiss, Yvonne Prendergast [2015] SGCA 52,  Dorothy is arguably one of the youngest to argue and to win at the highest court in the land.  The client selected her to take over his matter and to appeal to the Court of Appeal on the division of matrimonial assets. Dorothy succeeded in reversing the decision in favour of her client, applying the new Singapore law on the division of matrimonial assets. The decision was later cited and followed in subsequent cases involving the division of matrimonial assets.

“In my hour of need, I was recommended to PKWA. Dorothy Tan LISTENED to my case and worked tirelessly over the holidays and weekends to meet impossible deadlines. A very upsetting and stressful time, but I will be forever grateful as Dorothy believed in my case and sought a fair and just resolution against insurmountable odds. At every juncture, Dorothy provided realistic, honest assessments and I proceeded based on her recommendations. If Dorothy and her team decide to champion your cause, you should consider yourself very fortunate.” – Christopher Twiss.

Dorothy is one of the youngest to be made Director in PKWA Law, having quickly assumed a leadership position after demonstrating her ability to help clients find a solution to their divorce legal problems. She has extensive experience working with high-net-worth and in high-conflict cases and understands how to resolve complex family law matters either in mediation or at trial.

Dorothy is an accredited family law specialist:

• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Mediator
• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Collaborative Family Practitioner (CFP)
• Appointed to Singapore Mediation Centre’s Panel of Collaborative Family Practitioners (CFP)

Charlene Nah

Charlene Nah is recognised as a Family Law Rising Star in 2022 by Doyles Guide to Leading Singapore Family and Divorce Lawyers.

Charlene is the lead lawyer in a case that was extensively reported in the Straits Times: “Man went all out to ‘hide’ over $3m from the ex-wife.” She successfully acted for the ex-wife in a case where the ex-husband had hidden more than $3 million from her.

Charlene is a Family Law Specialist who has worked exclusively in family law matters since she was called to the bar.  She assists clients across the full spectrum of family law matters, including complex financial cases, parenting matters involving custody, care and control and family violence. Charlene also advises on will drafting and succession planning.

Charlene has received specialist training in Mediation and Collaborative Practice and has specialist family law accreditations:

• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Mediator
• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Collaborative Family Practitioner (CFP)
• Appointed to Singapore Mediation Centre’s Panel of Collaborative Family Practitioners (CFP)

Jessica Chow

Jessica Chow graduated from the University of Bristol, UK, and specialises in HDB and CPF issues in divorce cases. She has an excellent track record in negotiating and mediating family disputes and has successfully steered many matters to a swift and amicable settlement.

Jessica is trained in Mediation and Collaborative Practice and is a specialist family lawyer:

• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Mediator
• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Collaborative Family Practitioner (CFP)
• Appointed to Singapore Mediation Centre’s Panel of Collaborative Family Practitioners (CFP)

Sheila Cheng

Sheila Cheng has a Master of Laws (LLM) from the National University of Singapore. She also has a 2nd Upper-Class Honours degree from Bristol University.

Sheila has received specialist training in Mediation and Collaborative Practice and has the following specialist family law accreditations:

• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Mediator
• Singapore Mediation Centre Accredited Collaborative Family Practitioner (CFP)
• Appointed to Singapore Mediation Centre’s Panel of Collaborative Family Practitioners (CFP)

Sheila’s expertise is in high net worth and complex divorce and child custody cases. She also spends time in Thailand doing volunteer work for a children’s home in her free time.

Mathea Lim

Mathea Lim is a Family Law specialist at PKWA Law. Mathea’s areas of expertise are in advising clients on complex high-net-worth financial cases involving the division of assets and maintenance and intricate children disputes.

Mathea’s passion lies in helping individuals who may be experiencing the lowest points in their lives. She is a firm advocate of the importance of first advising clients to resolve disputes through mediation and encourage adversarial parties to compromise.

Scholarships Awarded

• Distinction for Part B Family Law Course 2019
• LexisNexis Family Law Prize December 2018 – awarded to the top student in Family Law (NUS Law)
• Wee Chong Jin Scholarship in Law (Academic Year 2018-2019)
• NUS Law Dean’s List (Academic Year 2015-2016)

Charmaine Chua

Charmaine Chua is a family law specialist. She does family law exclusively.

Charmaine graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws (Second Class Honours (Upper)) and completed the University Scholars’ Programme. Before being called to the Bar, she had exposure in civil, criminal and family law work. Since being called to the Bar, Charmaine has worked exclusively in the area of family law.

Awards

• Peter English Memorial Prize 2018 – Awarded to the best student in respective sections of criminal law

Athelia Ong

Athelia Ong specialises in family law. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the Singapore Management University and is an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

Her practice includes acting for clients in:-

• Both contentious and non-contentious divorce matters;
• Custody, care and control applications;
• Maintenance applications;
• Variation applications;
• Guardianship applications;
• Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements;
• Cross-border issues;
• Relocation applications; and
• Deeds of Separation.

Wang Chiew Hui

Wang Chiew Hui specialises in high conflict divorce and appeal cases. She also deals in the division of matrimonial assets upon divorce, prenuptial agreements, custody of children, spousal maintenance and Personal Protection Orders. Her full scope of family law work includes:

• Divorce Lawyer
• Matrimonial Lawyer
• High conflict divorce cases
• High net worth divorce disputes
• Appeal cases
• Drafting of separation agreements.
• Child abduction
• Division of matrimonial assets
• Maintenance for spouse and children

Sabrina Chau

Sabrina graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Second Class Honours (Upper)) from the National University of Singapore and is an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

Sabrina practices both family and criminal law. Sabrina adopts a client-first approach in all of her cases, seeing matters practically from each client’s point of view. She is able to relate to clients on a personal level and identify their immediate concerns and objectives.

Her practice includes the following areas of work:

• Divorce, including contested Ancillary Matters hearings, mediations, uncontested divorce;
• Marital Agreements;
• Annulment;
• Variation of Court Orders;
• Wills and Probate;
• Theft;
• Road traffic offences;
• Violent crimes;
• Misuse of Drugs;
• Cheating;
• Sexual offences; and
• White Collar offences.