Cavinder Bull SC Drew & Napier

Cavinder Bull heads Drew & Napier's competition law (dispute resolution) practice.

Cavinder was appointed senior counsel by a committee comprising the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General and the Judges of Appeal. He is one of a handful of senior counsel to be appointed before the age of 40.

Cavinder was involved in the first set of appeals ever to be filed to the Competition Appeal Board in Singapore in respect of a Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) Decision. Representing Regent Star Travel and Transtar Travel, he successfully obtained reductions in the financial penalties imposed on the parties by 90 percent and 40 percent, respectively. He also represented SISTIC.com in its appeal against the CCS's first abuse of dominance infringement finding in Singapore.

Cavinder has advised parties during dawn raids conducted by the CCS, and in the context of many investigations relating to anti-competitive agreements, and abuse of dominance. He successfully defended a group of companies listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange in an abuse of dominance investigation. He also successfully defended a large multinational electronics company in the context of an investigation involving allegations of bid-rigging in multiple jurisdictions, requiring coordination with a worldwide legal team of advisers.

In the mid-1990s, he worked at the New York office of Sullivan & Cromwell where he acted for Microsoft in antitrust litigation and was involved in seeking antitrust approval from the United States Department of Justice for the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness, at the time one of the largest mergers in the world.

Cavinder holds law degrees from Oxford University and Harvard Law School. He is also called to the Bar in Singapore, New York and England.

Chambers Asia-Pacific hails him as a "widely acclaimed practitioner… whose stock continues to rise as each year passes", and "an intellectual lawyer who is able to delve into issues, while still offering a commercially valid viewpoint", also quoting a client who lauds him as "a first-class advocate – when I saw him in action he tore our opponents apart in court". The publication highlights that with his experience handling a range of general corporate commercial litigation and arbitration, he brings New York law firm experience to the table, which gives him an excellent perspective when dealing with crossborder disputes.

Asia Pacific Legal 500 recommends him as a "first-rate lawyer", "rising star" and a "strategic lawyer", saying that he is "held in the highest esteem by clients and rivals alike". In one case, the High Court expressed its thanks to him for his assistance in a protracted trial, describing him in the written judgment as a "persuasive advocate" who "ably prosecuted a factually complex and somewhat emotively charged case with conspicuous fairness."