John Yap
Call: 2024
Practice Overview
John is a practising pupil barrister in Chambers. He is building a broad practice across Chambers’ practice areas, with a focus on commercial disputes and international arbitration. He also takes a keen interest in Asian legal markets, especially those of Singapore and Hong Kong.
Notable cases with which John assisted during pupillage include:
- Skatteforvaltningen (‘SKAT’) v MCML Ltd (formerly ‘ED&F Man Capital Markets Ltd’) [2025] EWCA Civ 371: assisting Ali Malek KC and Adam Temple with MCML’s appeal, successfully striking out SKAT’s claim against MCML on the grounds of issue estoppel.
- Litasco v Banque El Amana [2025] EWHC 312 (Comm): assisting Will Day in a successful summary judgment application raising novel legal issues on the scope and application of the Ralli Bros principle of foreign illegality in the context of cross-border payment obligations.
- Confidential arbitrations and arbitration-related litigation, including: assisting Richard Hanke with an UNCITRAL arbitration seated in Bahrain, and assisting Yash Bheeroo with a challenge to a DIFC-seated arbitral award on the grounds of procedural unfairness.
Before coming to the Bar, John was a Lecturer in Law at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, and a Visiting Researcher at the National University of Singapore. He also assisted with commercial litigation and international arbitration while a scholar of Des Voeux Chambers in Hong Kong.
John’s research has been published in leading law journals. He is a co-author of the upcoming edition of Prof. Andrew Higgins’ Legal Professional Privilege for Corporations: A Guide to Four Major Common Law Jurisdictions (OUP 2014) and their article ‘Class Actions in Context’ (2024) 98 ALJ 544 won the Australian Academy of Law’s Annual Essay Prize in 2023.
John obtained his BA in Jurisprudence (First Class, 2nd in Year) and Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) from the University of Oxford – winning, among other academic accolades, proxime accessit to the Martin Wronker Prize. While at Oxford, he won awards at international mooting competitions (such as the Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot) and helmed the Law Faculty’s pro bono legal advice clinic. He went on to complete his Bar Vocational Studies (Distinction) as a scholar of Gray’s Inn.
John previously served as a Lieutenant in the Singapore Air Force, winning the top national service award and Sword of Honour. He continues to undertake pro bono legal work and volunteer for causes aimed at widening access to justice, education, and a career at the Bar.
