Shaun Ho
Special counsel | Singapore
Secretary Aisyah Mdnoh
Operating as Withers KhattarWong LLP in Singapore.
Shaun is a special counsel in the family team.
Shaun is a specialist family lawyer with experience in all areas of family law. This includes divorce, guardianship and custody applications, adoption (especially where the proposed adopters are LGBT individuals), maintenance, family violence, division of assets (especially involving high net worth individuals and involving family businesses), and the drafting of pre-nuptial agreements and other marital agreements. He was called to the Bar in Singapore in 2015, and has practiced as a family law specialist throughout.Shaun has been listed in the Doyle's Guide for Family Law Rising Stars in 2022 and 2023.
Shaun has since 2018 been involved in several high-profile cases involving non-traditional family units. This includes the landmark 2018 case of UKM v Attorney-General, in which a gay man was granted leave, on appeal to the Family Division of the High Court, to adopt his biological son who was conceived through surrogacy.
Shaun also has a particular interest in the international relocation of children. A particularly memorable case was the 2019 case of UXH v UXI, in which Shaun succeeded in resisting an application for relocation despite the applicant having appointed a Senior Counsel as instructed counsel to argue her case for her on appeal.
Shaun also has substantial experience in cases involving the division of assets, where the pool of matrimonial assets includes assets that are atypical of most families. Shaun has handled cases involving the division of private family businesses worth tens of millions of dollars, discretionary trusts, and offshore companies with complex networks of wholly-owned subsidiaries in foreign jurisdictions.
Although Shaun thoroughly enjoys the thrill of a good argument in Court, his preference is to resolve his clients' disputes through alternative dispute resolution such as negotiation or mediation. He recognises that family disputes are often best determined by the parties themselves - and not by the Court - and empowers his clients to arrive at mutually beneficial agreements in their, and their children's, best interests.
Although Shaun thoroughly enjoys the thrill of a good argument in Court, his preference is to resolve his clients' disputes through alternative dispute resolution such as negotiation or mediation. He recognises that family disputes are often best determined by the parties themselves - and not by the Court - and empowers his clients to arrive at mutually beneficial agreements in their, and their children's, best interests.