Helmsman’s Labour and Employment practice recognised in Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026, with Head of Employment Matthew Teo named Future Star

Helmsman LLC (“Helmsman”) has been recognised as a highly recommended disputes firm in the 2026 edition of Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific, with six practice areas ranked and five lawyers individually recognised. This includes recognition of our Labour and Employment practice in Singapore, and our Head of Employment, Matthew Teo, as a Future Star in Commercial and Transactions. 

This recognition reflects the firm’s deep bench of both established and next-generation disputes talent, its advocacy capabilities, and its specialist focus on complex disputes. It affirms our clients’ trust in our ability to handle sensitive, business critical matters with discretion and commercial pragmatism. It also highlights the close integration between our Labour and Employment and Commercial and Transactions practices when managing high-stakes employment and business-critical disputes.

Labour and Employment: navigating complex workplace relationships 

Managing employment relationships requires care and a measured approach. The damage to an employer’s or employee’s reputation is often more severe than direct financial repercussions, and harder to quantify. 

We help employers and executives manage their relationships in Singapore’s complex employment landscape. We combine legal precision with a clear understanding of workpace dynamics and our client’s commercial objectives. With a movement towards greater employee protection in tandem with cultural changes, fair employment practices benefit both employers and employees in the long run, but need to be carefully managed considering wider commercial and operational considerations. 

We ensure your interests are protected when it comes to contentious matters such as: 

• Managing termination of employment, including guarding against wrongful dismissal or constructive dismissal claims 
• Employee misconduct claims, such as breach of policies or fiduciary duties, and workplace harassment 
• Investigations of complaints conducted by the Ministry of Manpower or TAFEP for potential breaches of the Employment Act 
• Restrictive covenants (e.g. non-competition, non-solicitation clauses) 
• Retrenchment and restructuring exercises 

In better times, we help your business grow with tailored advice on: 

• Employment documentation, including employment contracts, disciplinary policies, grievance policies and employee handbooks 
• Employee share option schemes 
• Transfers of employment as part of business restructuring 

Our employment work is frequently connected with broader commercial and transactional mandates,   such as shareholder or business disputes. Benchmark Litigation recognition of our Commercial and Transactions practice and of Matthew as a Future Star reflects this integrated offering and our ability to manage employment issues in the broader commercial context. Clients work with a single, coordinated team that understands how employment risk sits within their commercial and operational objectives. 

About Matthew Teo – Head of Employment, Future Star (Commercial and Transactions) 

Matthew Teo leads Helmsman’s Employment Practice Group and has a multi-disciplinary practice specialising in employment law, restructuring & insolvency and commercial disputes. 

As Head of Employment, he regularly advises on contentious matters such as managing terminations of employment, investigations of employee misconduct, and restrictive covenants. His practice also includes non-contentious work, including the preparation of employment and HR-related documentation such as employment contracts, policies and employee handbooks. 

Matthew is also experienced in restructuring and insolvency matters, having begun his career at a leading law practice in Singapore specialising in corporate insolvencies and debt restructuring. He has advised and acted for various stakeholders (creditors, debtors, insolvency practitioners) in major restructurings and insolvencies for more than a decade. 

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Singapore relied on his assistance as an amicus curiae in a landmark insolvency decision on the registrability of maritime contractual liens, Cameron Lindsay Duncan & Anor v Diablo Fortune Inc [2017] SGHC 172. The Court thanked Matthew for “his invaluable assistance, particularly for his thorough research and clear submissions”. 

His commercial disputes practice covers both litigation and arbitration across a wide range of matters, with a focus on shareholders’ disputes and coal trading disputes. This cross-disciplinary experience enables him to approach employment issues with a strong appreciation of their commercial, transactional and restructuring dimensions - an approach recognised by Benchmark Litigation in naming him a Future Star in Commercial and Transactions. 

Matthew graduated summa cum laude (with the highest distinction) amongst the pioneer batch of law students from the Singapore Management University and was awarded a number of academic prizes during his time there. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Management (Finance Major) from the Singapore Management University. Matthew is a sitting committee member of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals. 

If you are managing sensitive employment issues or planning for the next phase of your workforce strategy, reach out to Matthew Teo to work with us for your employment law needs. 

Contact Matthew at matthew.teo@helmsmanlaw.com