John Yap

Practice Overview

John is a practising pupil barrister in Chambers. He is building a broad practice, 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.

John has been instructed in or assisted with a range of litigation, international arbitration (commercial and investor-state), mediation, and advisory matters. Highlights of his recent and ongoing work are:

• The upcoming Supreme Court appeal from SKAT v MCML Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 371, seeking to uphold the Court of Appeal's decision to strike out SKAT’s claim for c. £70 million on the grounds of issue estoppel (led by Ali Malek KC and Adam Temple).
• An ongoing investor-state arbitration, acting for the investor in pursuing a c. USD 1 billion claim for expropriation.
• Acting unled for Barclays Bank UK Plc in successfully resisting a set aside application and obtaining judgment on guarantees in the sum of c. £140,000.

Before coming to the Bar, John was a Lecturer in Law at Mansfield College, University of Oxford. He was also a Visiting Researcher at the National University of Singapore and a scholar of Des Voeux Chambers in Hong Kong.

John’s research has been published in leading law journals and cited in other academic and practitioner publications. His article on class actions won the Australian Academy of Law’s Annual Essay Prize in 2023. He is a co-author of the upcoming edition of Professor Andrew Higgins’ Legal Professional Privilege for Corporations (OUP 2014).

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 prizes, the Martin Wronker Proxime Prize. He won awards at international mooting competitions (including the Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot) and helmed the Law Faculty’s pro bono legal advice clinic. He completed his Bar Studies (Distinction) as a Gray’s Inn scholar.

John is passionate about widening access to justice, education, and a career at the Bar. He is currently acting unled (alongside a leading solicitors’ firm under the aegis of Advocate/Pro Bono Connect) in advising and representing a pro bono client in a six-figure negligence claim.

Previously, John served national service in the Singapore Air Force as a Lieutenant, winning the Sword of Honour and National Serviceman of the Year Award. He maintains close personal and professional connections in Singapore and Hong Kong.