John Yap
Call: 2024
Practice Overview
John joined Chambers as a pupil in October 2024. Before coming to the Bar, he was a Lecturer in Law at Mansfield College, Oxford, and Visiting Researcher at the National University of Singapore.
John’s interests span Chambers’ practice areas. As a Singaporean with ties to Hong Kong, he also keeps a keen interest in the Asia-Pacific legal landscape. He has assisted with commercial litigation and international arbitration while a scholar of Des Voeux Chambers in Hong Kong. His research in commercial law has been published in leading journals and his article on class actions won the Australian Academy of Law’s Annual Essay Prize 2023. He is a co-author of the upcoming edition of Professor Andrew Higgins, Legal Professional Privilege for Corporations: A Guide to Four Major Common Law Jurisdictions (OUP 2014).
John obtained his BA in Jurisprudence (First Class, 2nd in Year) and Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) from 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 Herbert Smith Freehills Competition Law Moot. He also helmed the Law Faculty’s pro bono legal advice clinic. He went on to complete his Bar Vocational Studies (Distinction) as a William Shaw Scholar of Gray’s Inn.
Previously, John served as a Lieutenant in the Singapore Air Force, winning the top national service award and Sword of Honour. Outside of work, he volunteers for causes aimed at widening access to justice, education, and a career at the Bar.
