Mavericks of the Bar: Trio from new boutique firms among top-rated lawyers

Nestled alongside the legal powerhouses in The Straits Times/Statista 2027 list of 20 top-rated lawyers are three new entrants whose firms were launched within the last 18 months.

Dorothy Tan, Kelly Yap and Senior Counsel Siraj Omar had each logged decades of practice at established firms before venturing out on their own, and the gamble has paid off. They made it into the industry’s premier peer- and client-nominated top-rated lawyers list.

They operate in very different legal domains – from delicate high-net-worth family disputes to international ship arrests to complex commercial litigation – but the trio show that specialised, lean boutique practices built on experience can match, if not better, traditional multi-practice firms. 

Dorothy Tan & DOT Chambers: Human sensitivity meets technical rigour

After spending nearly 12 years co-heading the family law department at a prominent mid-sized firm, Dorothy Tan launched DOT Chambers in April 2026, alongside founding directors Charlene Nah and Mathea Lim. 

The bond between co-founders grew through years of shared cases, complementary skills and a shared belief: Family law required a specialised practice designed around empathy as much as technical precision.

“Starting DOT Chambers was about more than just setting up another new firm,” Tan explained. “It was an opportunity to build a practice around how we believe family law should be practised: a legal team with technical rigour, but also with human sensitivity and an understanding of the wider human consequences of our clients’ decisions on their families.

“The boutique advantage lies in speed, adaptability and partner-level involvement on every file. A boutique firm can be focused and responsive. Decisions can be made quickly, systems can be designed around the needs of the practice, and the lawyers responsible for a matter can remain closely involved throughout. Being lean works only if every team member is fully invested in the firm’s vision. It requires absolute clarity on what the firm stands for, real trust among all teammates, financial and operational discipline, and consistent standards regardless of who on the team touches a file.”

She cautioned that “legal ability alone is not enough to build a reputable firm. What we are seeking to achieve here is a culture and discipline that allows us to build longevity”. 

That technical rigour was recently displayed before the High Court in a high-stakes divorce involving complex cross-border assets. Representing the husband, Tan’s team secured 72.5% of the matrimonial assets, and the judgment established guidance on dividing non-liquid company shares in kind.

The main asset – shares subject to a deed of restriction on the Australian Securities Exchange – could not be sold immediately. DOT Chambers successfully argued that dividing the shares in kind was fairer than compelling a cash payout at a volatile snapshot price, ensuring that both spouses shared equally in market risks and rewards.

DOT Chambers secured second spot out of 34 seasoned firms in the family law field and emerged first in the field of inheritance and succession and private wealth management in The Straits Times/Statista Singapore’s Best Law Firms 2027 survey. Tan viewed this dual recognition as particularly meaningful. 

“This reflects exactly where we want DOT Chambers to be: the firm families turn to across the full arc of relationship and generational wealth issues. Divorce, succession planning and multi-generational wealth are rarely separate problems, particularly once businesses, trusts or overseas assets are involved,” she said.

“This recognition for our young firm is meaningful affirmation that the market recognises what we are building, and that they value the ethos and decades of experience the founding lawyers bring to the table. For a lean, young firm to be named alongside long-established practices is both encouraging and humbling, and it is a reason to keep building with the same care for every client we serve. We are grateful to our clients, professional colleagues and team members who have placed their trust in us,” she added.

Kelly Yap & Ming Law Asia: Navigating the 3Ps of maritime law

Among Singapore’s 20 top-rated lawyers, Kelly Yap alone flies the flag for lawyers specialising In maritime and shipping law. A veteran with 26 years of experience in the field, he launched the boutique Ming Law Asia just over a year ago. In addition to his individual honours, the firm also received a five-star rating in the category in the Singapore’s Best Law Firms 2027 survey.

The firm’s recognition reflects the trust placed in it by global maritime players. Since opening, Ming Law Asia has handled high-stakes enforcement actions across international waters.

Yap said: “I am deeply honoured to be on this list as such distinguished recognition could only have been possible through the glowing recommendations of my peers and clients. This achievement is even more remarkable given that Ming Law Asia opened its doors just over a year ago. We are also gratified at the immense trust that clients place in us.”

Since it started, the firm has assisted clients in the arrests of eight ships in Singapore and eight ships in other jurisdictions. Yap said: “We have also successfully applied for and obtained complex freezing injunctions as well as anti-suit injunctions.” 

Reflecting on his career as well as his colleagues’ experience navigating the high seas of commercial practice, Yap attributes his longevity in the industry to passion, persistence and professionalism. 

“We must be passionate about all things shipping, which is a lively and continuously evolving industry. Such passion drives the desire to be knowledgeable in the business of shipping and current in the practice of maritime law, which are what our clients expect of us.

“We must also be persistent, because it is inevitable that we will face choppy waters in our career as shipping lawyers. I recall demanding bosses, demanding clients, multiple deadlines, late nights, burnt weekends and, occasionally, working through family holidays. As shipping lawyers, we are effectively available to our clients 24/7 because of the international nature of our work. When an emergency happens somewhere in the world, regardless of the time of day or night, we have to be there for our clients if they need us. That is simply part of what we do.” 

He regards the firm’s reputation as one of its most precious assets. “We must be professional in the way we conduct ourselves, whether appearing before the court or dealing with clients, opponents and colleagues. This helps us earn and maintain the respect and trust needed if we hope for long and successful careers in the practice of shipping law,” he said.

Seeing their role as going beyond giving technically correct legal advice, he said: “It is to give advice that is constructive as well as practical, helping clients navigate difficult situations and minimise loss during global disruptions such as what we are seeing around the Strait of Hormuz. In such cases, I believe clients will need even more help from their shipping lawyers.”

Keeping abreast of what is happening globally and understanding how these developments affect the shipping industry allows the firm to add real value to clients. “We can help them anticipate problems, sidestep avoidable disputes and, where disputes cannot be avoided, minimise their losses,” he added.

Siraj Omar & Siraj Omar LLC: High-stakes advocacy and public duty

Siraj Omar brings more than 25 years of litigation experience to his independent disputes practice. Appointed senior counsel in 2019, Siraj launched his specialised firm in January 2025 with co-founder Allister Tan to deliver specialised dispute resolution solutions in high-stakes matters, be it for sovereign states, multinationals or private citizens.

His track record includes several precedent-setting decisions before the Singapore courts. He represented the owners of a hotel in Phuket in a claim under a business interruption insurance policy for losses arising from the forced closure of the hotel because of measures imposed by the Thai government to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. 

That was the first decision in the Singapore courts dealing with the applicability of business interruption clauses to the pandemic.

He said: “I am honoured to be recognised. But my colleagues and I are very much a team and the real credit therefore belongs to the whole firm. We are extremely grateful for the recognition. Along with the other accolades and awards we have been fortunate to receive, this validates our approach of placing our clients’ needs front and centre and working closely with our clients to achieve solutions that meet their commercial objectives. It serves as encouragement to continue to work hard. 

“Our belief is to place the client first and to work towards achieving the client’s commercial objectives while always keeping within the bounds of our professional responsibilities.”