THE TEAM

Wai Mooi is one of the founding partners of the firm together with Woo Bih Li and Anthony Lee Hwee Khiam. Wai Mooi brings to the table more than 38 years of experience as an Advocate and Solicitor. 

 

Wai Mooi was in the thick of practice areas in pioneering processes and ideas like mediation, judge-led approach, and joint/shared care arrangements for children. She is one of the first few to be appointed a Child Representative by the Family Justice Courts.

 

Wai Mooi, with her wealth of legal and life experience, is well placed to handle high conflict matrimonial and estate matters. She has also successfully mediated cases in the same areas.

 

She has a deep understanding of families affected by persons with special needs and helps them to consider and put in place necessary measures and safeguards to protect the vulnerable.

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Wai Mooi served as a mediator in the Family Justice Courts and continues to serve as a mediator appointed by parties to help them resolve matters. Wai Mooi co-authored the chapter on Advocacy in the Family Justice Courts in “Modern Advocacy, More Perspectives from Singapore”, a publication of SAL Academy Publishing. She participated as the senior practitioner in a podcast by the Singapore Academy of Law entitled, “Family Law Practice: Lasting the Long Haul.” Wai Mooi is much valued as a member of the Family Justice eco system.

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Clients value and appreciate Wai Mooi’s calm approach from helping them make decisions in the legal process to calibrating their response, fairly and adequately, when they are faced with demands.

 

EXPERIENCE

The following are highlights of the numerous cases that Wai Mooi has been involved in before the courts in Singapore: 

• John Chin Ah Chai alias John Chin v Hee Ee Chu and Another [1994] SGHC 16, representing the husband and successfully defended an application to vary an ancillary matters order. Decision later referred to by the Court of Appeal in CDV v CDW [2020] SGCA 100 in a case involving Section 112(4) of the Women’s Charter, 1961.

• Hangchi Valerie v Lim Kaling [2005] SGDC 23, representing the wife and successfully striking out the Defendant’s case at Pre Trial Conference. A precursor of judge-led approach in action.

• XX v XY [2008] SGDC 253, representing the husband who was given joint care of a young child. A precursor of shared care arrangements.

• AAE v AAF [2009] 3 SLR (R) 827, representing the husband in this matter where the Court awarded no maintenance for the wife who deliberately misled the Court and no maintenance for a child who was not fathered by the husband.

• AEP v AEQ [2009] SGDC 461, representing the wife in a keenly contested case for care of 2 young children. 

• Kwee Lee Fung Ivon v Lim Gordon [2013] SGHC 228, representing the husband and succeeding in the claim for an adverse inference to be drawn against the wife.

• JBM v JBN [2014] SGDC 429, representing the wife and successfully defending an application by the husband for the wife to be assessed by a psychiatrist to prove alienation of child.

• ARV v ARW [2015] SGHC 72, representing the wife and succeeding in the claim for an adverse inference to be drawn against the husband.

• TEN v TEO [2015] SGFC 59, appointed by the Court as a Child Representative in a complex case.

• BOM v BOK and another [2019] 1 SLR 349, representing the husband and successfully setting aside a trust before the issue of division of matrimonial assets is determined.

 

RECOGNITION  

Wai Mooi was conferred The Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat) in 2014.

She has been consistently listed and recommended as one of Singapore’s leading family law practitioners including:-

• Listed as one of the “illustrious women lawyers in Singapore” in the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s 5th Report to the United Nations for Convention on the elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2015.

• Recommended Lawyer in Doyle’s Guide on Family and Divorce Law Firms in Singapore, 2023.

 

MEMBERSHIPS & APPOINTMENTS

Wai Mooi sits on the Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents and hears cases filed under the Maintenance of Parents Act, 1995.

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She is a member of:

• Law Society of Singapore

• Singapore Academy of Law

• Panel of Child Representatives, Family Justice Courts

• Inquiry Panel, Legal Profession Act

• Associate Mediator, Singapore Mediation Centre

• Assigned Solicitor, Legal Aid Bureau

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Wai Mooi is also actively involved in society and holds various appointments including Vice President (Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)), School Management Committee (Pathlight School and Eden School), Board Member (Autism Association Singapore), Director (The Art Faculty and Prof Brawn Ltd) and is a member of the Catholic Welfare Services Legal Advisory Panel.