Eugene Thuraisingam

Eugene Thuraisingam read law at the National University of Singapore, where he was placed on the Dean’s List in his final year. He was called to the bar in 2001.

In 2003, just two years into practice, Eugene was awarded the prestigious “Young Lawyer’s Award” by the Law Society of Singapore. Eugene rose through the ranks at Allen & Gledhill, one of Singapore’s largest and most storied firms, and was made partner in 2006, aged just 31. He later went on to join Stamford Law Corporation, where he was one of the pioneers in the firm’s dispute resolution practice. Between 2001 and 2012, although Eugene’s practice largely centred around high-value commercial dispute resolution, he was a regular volunteer with the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. In his first decade of practice, Eugene developed a reputation for being an advocate who was fiery, incisive, and tenacious. Clients often described him as a “fighter”.

After spending more than 12 years in Singapore’s most distinguished law firms and arming himself with a wealth of experience in both commercial and criminal dispute resolution, Eugene decided to take the path less trodden. In 2012, he ventured out on his own and formed Eugene Thuraisingam LLP (“ETLLP”). Eugene embarked on a mission to build a firm that specialises in criminal defence and commercial dispute resolution while upholding the fundamental principles of access to justice.

In a span of less than a decade, ETLLP has blossomed to become a well-recognised boutique firm whose name is synonymous with criminal defence and public interest litigation. Although the firm often makes headlines for capital cases and constitutional challenges, the bulk of the firm’s practice involves commercial litigation and international disputes.

This well-rounded practice has earned Eugene, and the firm, widespread recognition and acclaim. Most notably, in 2020, Benchmark Litigation recognised ETLLP as the “Boutique Firm of the Year” in the Asia-Pacific Region and paid tribute to the firm’s involvement and expertise in complex domestic and cross-border disputes. For two consecutive years from 2020 – 2021, ETLLP was ranked amongst the “Best Law Firms” in Singapore by the Straits Times, and was ranked by the often referred to as ‘the gold-standard’, Chambers and Partners, in its 2022 edition of Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide for Corporate Investigations/Anti-Corruption: Domestic practice area. Eugene was named as one of Asia’s Top 15 Litigators 2022, and Asia Super 50 Disputes Lawyers 2022 by Asian Legal Business. He was recognised in the fields of Litigation and Criminal Defence in the Fourteenth Edition of The Best Lawyers™ in Singapore. Most recently, he has been named as a Litigation Star for White-collar Crime Disputes by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2022.

In the field of criminal defence, Eugene and ETLLP have become household names. In the Straits Times’ Best Law Firms Survey 2022, ETLLP established itself as the lawyers’ choice for criminal defence as it received the highest number of recommendations from fellow law firms ranked.

Despite the immense growth and numerous successes, Eugene and ETLLP have never strayed away from its unwavering commitment to access of justice. Eugene received the LASCO award in 2016 for his work on capital cases. In 2021, he was appointed Pro Bono Ambassador of the Year for his tireless dedication to access to justice.

For Eugene, this focus on public interest litigation and access to justice is a natural extension of his personal belief in the importance of fundamental liberties and his creed that no cause or person should be denied justice. Over the years, Eugene has litigated many seminal cases involving human rights and fundamental liberties that have since found their way into constitutional textbooks.

These cases cover a wide spectrum of issues including freedom of speech, the constitutional right to counsel, s 377A, the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and the constitutionality of statutes like POFMA and POHA. In many of these areas, ETLLP has played an instrumental role in advancing novel arguments and the development of the law.

Whether it is a criminal case, or a civil dispute, or a matter of public interest, Eugene and his team at ETLLP are the people you would want to have in your corner. As Eugene himself says “We will fight hard and fight on, because that is what fighters do.”