Mao_Zeslene

Zeslene Mao

Mao_Zeslene

Zeslene Mao

Counsel

London + 44 (0)20 7872 1062

Zeslene Mao is a counsel in the Litigation/Controversy Department and a member of the International Arbitration Practice Group. She is a Singapore advocate and a New York lawyer, and is fluent in Mandarin. Ms. Mao acts for a range of clients in complex international disputes, and has experience in arbitrations conducted under various institutional rules (including the ICC, LCIA and SIAC rules). Ms. Mao has particular experience in cross-border complex disputes across a variety of industries, including oil and gas, commodities, aviation, banking and finance, technology and pharmaceuticals. Her practice also involves providing strategic counsel and crisis management to global companies, boards and high net worth individuals in relation to business-critical issues, particularly in the pre-dispute phase. She has acted in arbitrations governed by a variety of laws including English law, New York law, PRC law, Hong Kong law and Singapore law. 

Prior to joining WilmerHale, Ms. Mao was a senior associate at a leading dispute resolution firm in Singapore, where she regularly appeared before the Singapore courts and arbitral tribunals in commercial dispute matters. She was also appointed Young Amicus Curiae to the Singapore High Court in a case that raised novel issues of evidence law. 

Ms. Mao previously served as a Magistrate and Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court of Singapore where she presided over civil hearings and administered cases, including international matters before the Singapore International Commercial Court. Prior to her judicial appointment, Ms. Mao clerked for the Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court of Singapore as a Justices’ Law Clerk and was a Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Chambers of Singapore.

Ms. Mao is a member of the ASEAN Law Association (Singapore) and has been an instructor for the Singapore Bar Examinations. 

Experience

    • Representing a Middle Eastern state entity in a consolidated LCIA dispute against a UK-domiciled international energy company relating to the termination of two Production Sharing Contracts with over $2 billion in dispute. Seated in London, subject to English law.
    • Representing a high net worth individual in an ICC arbitration against a Swiss conglomerate relating to the termination of a long-term joint venture agreement. Seated in Singapore, subject to English law. 
    • Representing a European national conglomerate against a multinational oil and gas company in an ICC arbitration relating to disputes over petroleum supply contracts. Seated in London, subject to English law. 

Insights & News

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Credentials

  • Education

    • Master of Law, Harvard Law School, 2023

      Dean’s Scholar Prizes for Taxation and Computer Science for Lawyers

    • LLB, National University of Singapore, 2014

      First Class Honours, Reserve Valedictorian

      Dean’s List (Overall, 2014, 2012, 2011), Straits Law Practice Prize for Best in Legal Writing, Analysis and Research, Rajah & Tann Prize for Best in Tax Law, NUS Undergraduate Merit Scholarship

  • Admissions

    • New York

    • Singapore

  • Clerkships

    • Court of Appeal of Singapore, 2016 - 2017

    • High Court of Singapore, 2015

Credentials

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