Prakash Pillai

Practice Areas

Prakash focuses on dispute resolution and international commercial arbitration across a multitude of areas, including corporate and commercial, trade and commodities, construction and engineering, and employment. He has appeared before various arbitral tribunals in both ad-hoc arbitrations and arbitrations governed by the leading institutional rules. As the Managing Director of Clasis LLC, he also represents clients in commercial litigation matters before the Singapore Courts.

Prakash has more than 20 years’ experience representing major local and international companies as well as high-net-worth individuals in high-value, complex arbitration proceedings, and in his capacity as Managing Director at Clasis LLC, litigation proceedings, in Singapore.

In respect of international arbitration, Prakash regularly appears before various arbitral tribunals in both ad-hoc arbitrations and arbitrations governed by the leading institutional rules, as well as in investor-state arbitrations and he has been recognised as a leading arbitration practitioner by multiple publications over many years. In addition, he is a specialist in India-related arbitrations, having advised and represented Indian clients for over two decades on matters throughout the geographical breadth of India, including in the states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, NCR (Delhi), Orissa, and Maharashtra. Prakash is on the India Business Law Journal’s A-List for India-focused practitioners based outside India and Chambers & Partners APAC notes that Prakash is “awesomely well connected with India”.

In respect of litigation, Prakash regularly represents clients in commercial matters involving shareholder and contractual disputes, insurance, professional liability, and fraud. His litigation experience also includes insolvency work, including court challenges to rehabilitation and liquidation proceedings, claims by liquidators against directors of the insolvent company and/ or third parties and clawback claims.

Prakash speaks regularly at conferences and seminars focusing on international arbitration, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was also formerly an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore teaching international arbitration law and practice. An established legal author, he frequently writes and publishes articles on arbitration law and practice.

Prakash graduated from Queen Mary College, University of London, and further obtained a Master's degree in law from Cambridge University, where he specialised in public international law including investment treaty law. He was subsequently admitted as a Barrister-at-law at the Middle Temple in London, and is qualified as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore. He previously worked at the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Foreign Service Officer, and is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Iceland in Singapore.