International Arbitrator

DC Special Legal Consultant, Singapore Advocate & Solicitor

Ms. Kirsten Teo is a Singapore Advocate & Solicitor, and a Special Legal Consultant licensed by the DC Court of Appeals and considered an affiliate of the DC Bar (please see DC App R46(f)(6) for details on scope of practice).

Specifically as a DC Special Legal Consultant, she does NOT provide any of the following services:-

(A) Appear for a person other than himself or herself as attorney in any court, before any magistrate or other judicial officer, or before any administrative agency, in the District of Columbia (other than upon admission pro hac vice in accordance with Rule 49 (b) or any applicable agency rule) or prepare pleadings or any other papers or issue subpoenas in an action or proceeding brought in any such court or agency or before any such judicial officer; 

(B) Prepare any deed, mortgage, assignment, discharge, lease, or any other instrument affecting title to real estate located in the United States; 

(C) Prepare: (i) Any will or trust instrument effecting the disposition on death of any property located in the United States and owned, in whole or in part, by a resident thereof, or (ii) Any instrument relating to the administration of a decedent’s estate in the United States; 

(D) Prepare any instrument in respect of the marital relations, rights, or duties of a resident of the United States or the custody or care of one or more children of any such resident; 

(E) Render professional legal advice on or under the law of the District of Columbia or of the United States or of any state, territory, or possession thereof (whether rendered incident to the preparation of legal instruments or otherwise) except on the basis of advice from a person acting as counsel to such Special Legal Consultant (and not in his or her official capacity as a public employee) duly qualified and entitled (other than by virtue of having been licensed as a Special Legal Consultant under this paragraph (f)) to render professional legal advice in the District of Columbia on such law who has been consulted in the particular matter at hand and has been identified to the client by name.

International Arbitrator Guidelines

Ms. Kirsten Teo is guided by the standards and requirements set out in the American Bar Association’s Code of Ethics for Arbitrators in Commercial Disputes (2004), the International Bar Association’s Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration (2004), and the UNCITRAL Code of Conduct for Arbitrators in International Investment Dispute Resolution (2024).

Ms. Teo is not in a position to access databases of her prior firms including Dechert LLP, De Almeida Pereira PLLC, and Eversheds Harry Elias / Harry Elias Partnership LLP, and other firms where she had internships during her legal studies including Drew & Napier, Rajah & Tann, BSI Bank, Cotty Vivant Marchisio & Lauzeral, Baker McKenzie, for any conflict checks. Where relevant and material, Ms. Teo will nevertheless consider her direct involvement or participation in any past firm activities and past client cases for conflict checks.

Ms. Teo is actively involved in the international arbitration community and is a member of several professional organizations including CIArb and SIArb. Her conflicts checks do not include the members, officers, and staff of these organizations.

Ms. Teo attends professional conferences and events. She does not maintain records of fellow members, speakers, panelists, students, faculty, participants or attendees of such conferences and events, and does not include them in conflict checks.

Ms. Teo is active on LinkedIn and social media, and volunteers in community activities, legal pro bono projects, and humanitarian/public interest projects. Her participation, commentary presented, “likes” or other emojis, comments to posts, and positions or opinions taken for discussion purposes should not ordinarily be considered as giving rise to doubts regarding Ms. Teo’s impartiality and independence.    

Any direct contacts or interactions arising from all the above matters should not be considered as giving rise to any relationship or connection that might affect Ms. Teo’s impartiality or independence in international arbitration matters in the eyes of a reasonable third party.

Ms. Kirsten Teo requests any party in a matter for which she is proposed or considered as an arbitrator to disclose promptly to her any facts or circumstances considered relevant to her impartiality or independence as soon as that information is reasonably available and, for that purpose, to undertake a reasonable continuing search of publicly available information promptly after learning of her prospective appointment.