Patrick Tan, TEP – Founder & CEO
E-mail: patrick.tan@fortislaw.com.sg
DID: +65 6645 4500
Mobile: +65 97242095
Patrick Tan TEP is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fortis Law Corporation. He is a private client lawyer specializing in advising and serving the personal legal needs of UHNW and HNW clients in Singapore and internationally. His areas of practice includes trust and wealth management, legacy and succession planning, inheritance disagreements, premium real estate, and family law.
Patrick is an Advocate & Solicitor, Notary Public, Commissioner for Oaths, a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, as well as a Senior Mediator and an accredited Associate Mediator with the Law Society of Singapore and the Singapore Mediation Centre respectively. Patrick is also a registered Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), which is the highest level of membership with STEP and a registered Foreign Legal Counsel of the People’s Republic of China.
Patrick obtained his LL.B. (Hons) at the Nottingham University, where he received top honours, clinching several academic awards in land law, company law and partnership law for being the top candidate in these subjects. He also obtained the postgraduate Diploma in Singapore Law (Merit) from the National University of Singapore.
In 2005, Patrick was nominated for the Spirit of Enterprise Award in Singapore for founding M/s Patrick Tan & Associates (now known as Fortis Law). In 2007, Patrick steered the firm into becoming the first law firm in Singapore to be accredited with the PrimeLaw Practice Management Excellence Standard awarded by the Law Society of Singapore. It is also the first law firm to be awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award 4 times in a row from 2010 to 2013 by the Law Society of Singapore.
In 2017, Patrick was awarded the Skillsfuture Study Award (Legal Sector) and successfully completed the SAL-INSEAD Law Firm Leadership Programme conducted by INSEAD.
In 2023, Patrick was awarded both the Certificate for Family Advisors Foundation – Planning for the Future and Certificate for Family Advisors Foundation – Understanding the World of Family Office from the Wealth Management Institute of Singapore.
Patrick speaks fluent English, Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, fishing, running, swimming, cycling and travelling.
Some of Patrick’s notable arbitration and litigation cases include:
- Representing an MNC in an international arbitration involving a USD200 million dollar joint venture project between Indonesian and Hong Kong parties
- Representing a Singapore-listed company in an international arbitration and various related High Court suits involving a USD40 million joint venture project relating to a vessel, shareholders’ action and breach of fiduciary duties
- Representing a major hospitality group in multi-million dollars cross-border account receivables recovery exercise
- Representing a Singapore Telecommunications Company in the successful recovery of a land parcel for redevelopment by the Singapore authorities
- Representing various public-listed companies in insolvency and liquidation proceedings
- Representing minority shareholders in a High Court shareholders’ action involving a prominent medical ointment company
- Representing a prominent manufacturer of beverages in the first product defamation High Court action in Singapore
- Representing a large real estate agent in Singapore in an industry disciplinary proceedings concerning an en bloc sale of a residential project
- Representing the collective sale committees in various commercial, residential and mixed-use developments such as Sim Lim Square, Sultan Plaza, People’s Park Centre, City Plaza, Manhattan House, and Burlington Square in their collective sale
- Representing MCSTs, MCs and Managing Agents of various industrial, commercial and residential projects in strata title board applications and legal actions under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act
- Representing the German father in the successful landmark High Court action under the International Child Abduction Act 2011 (Hague Convention) to secure the return of his son to Germany from Singapore; This is the first case in Singapore under the Act to be brought before the Court of Appeal (BDU v BDT [2014] 2 SLR 725)
- Representing expat and local clients in various complex multi-jurisdictional and domestic matrimonial cases involving division of substantial assets, maintenance and custody of children issues
- Representing the accused in the first reported case of criminal trespass onto the Singapore restricted island of Pedra Branca
- Representing the accused Tan Kiam Peng in the seminal Court of Appeal case (Tan Kiam Peng v PP [2007] SGCA 38)
- Representing the accused Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi in the seminal High Court drug-trafficking capital trial and Court of Appeal case (Iwuchuwu Amara Tochi and Another v PP [2006] SGCA 10)
- Assisting and advising various international and local UHNWI and HNWI on tax planning and setting up wealth and legacy management, protection and preservation structures such as onshore / offshore companies, private trust companies and family offices
- Assisting various international and local clients, including estate agents, real estate salespersons and retail investors on cross-border real estate investments platforms, structures, risks and potential legal pitfalls
- Assisting more than 25,000 international and local clients with their advance care, estate and legacy planning needs such as making Wills and Lasting Power of Attorneys
- Conducting more than 1000 seminars and talks for various organizations in Singapore and the region including grassroots organizations on real estate, wealth management, protection and preservation, advance care and estate planning
His appointments/memberships include:
- Advocate & Solicitor, Supreme Court of Singapore
- Registered Foreign Legal Counsel, People’s Republic of China
- Notary Public, Supreme Court of Singapore
- Commissioner for Oaths, Supreme Court of Singapore
- Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
- Fellow, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators
- Senior Mediator, Law Society of Singapore Panel of Mediators
- Associate Mediator, Singapore Mediation Centre
- Senior Accredited Board Director, Singapore Institute of Directors
- Member, Panel of Primary Justice Lawyers
- Member, Law Society of Singapore
- Member, Singapore Academy of Law
- Member, ASEAN Law Association
- Member, Singapore Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry
- Member, Yuhua Citizen’s Consultative Committee
- Approved CPD Trainer, Council of Estate Agencies
- Legal Advisor, Singapore Estate Agents Association
- Legal Advisor, Spa and Wellness Association Singapore
- Legal Advisor, Asia Estate Planning Association of Singapore
- Legal Advisor, Singapore Vehicle Traders Association