Raymond Tan, Director From the streets of Tiong Bahru, Singapore to Perth, Western Australia, Who is Raymond? The law practice of Tan and Tan Lawyers Pty Ltd have been around for over 3 decades having started with Charles Tan and Co in 1984. The director, Raymond Tan took over the practice from his brother Charles Tan in July 2003.
Raymond and Charles come from a family of 10. They have a modest background. Mum was a seamstress while dad was a taxi driver. Raymond is the youngest son of the Tan clan. There was not much parental control as the result of the large family. Raymond spent much of his youth hanging around his neighbourhood in Tiong Bahru, Singapore. That was the equivalent of the slums in any country.
His youngest memories are of hanging around a banana warehouse that had bananas delivered in bulk for sale to market stall holders. That was at a ripe age of 10 years. Raymond and his young friends used to help the workers unload the bananas for distribution. The left over bananas were given to Raymond and his friends for them to sell at their discretion. Raymond would bring the bananas to the local market and sell them. He learnt a substantial amount of negotiation skills through those experiences. Those lessons in negotiations have helped him and his clients obtain the best possible results whenever negotiations are required.
Raymond has had experience working in numerous jobs including floral delivery man, teaching at a primary school, construction worker, office boy etc. He did his “A” levels in “night school” while working full time as an office boy. Those experiences have helped him to communicate easily with lay persons.
From a young age of 15, he wanted to be a lawyer as it meant helping the less fortunate who are unable to defend themselves. His brother Charles was already a lawyer and was instrumental in fostering in Raymond the love of the law. Raymond was called to the English Bar at Inner Temple, UK in September 1988. He was called to the Western Australia bar in March 1990.
He became the first Asian Notary Public in 19 December 2003. Raymond believes that a lawyer must always look after his client’s interest first. To do that it is important that the lawyer stays objective. His favourite analogy is that of a client swimming in the swamp full of crocodiles. The client does not want his lawyer with him in the swamp. He wants his lawyer on the riverbank and directing the client away from the danger. The lawyer can only do that if the lawyer does not get emotionally involved with the client’s problems.
Tan and Tan Lawyers have a simple mission statement:
Protect our client’s interest and save them money.
Raymond is the author of The Law in Black and White and the Yellow in Between. The book was a best seller in Amazon in the legal category.
Raymond is also a very keen golfer.
Raymond loves to catch up with clients over a golf game.
Raymond’s pet charity passion is helping the homeless. Raymond has been sleeping out as a homeless lawyer for 11 years in a row to raise funds for the homeless through the annual CEO Sleepout event. See https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/.
You Can also follow Raymond on his Google+ social media profile.
Raymond also speaks Mandarin and Cantonese plus a smattering of Indonesian.
Email: ray@tanandtanlawyers.com
Yee Hui graduated with a Bachelor of Law in 2021 from Murdoch University. She was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in December 2021.
Prior to joining Tan and Tan Lawyers, Yee Hui worked in various boutique law firms and volunteered her time at a not-for-profit law firm where she assisted vulnerable clients in the areas of property, housing, debt and employment law. She has experience in family law, commercial law, migration law and estate matters. Yee Hui has assisted in Administrative Appeals Tribunal, District Court and Magistrates Court matters. She is also a member of Asian Australian Lawyers Association.
Email: kimberley.kim@tanandtanlawyers.com
Tommy joined Tan and Tan Lawyers in 2019.
He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in October 2022.
Tommy graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 2021 from Murdoch University. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance from the University of Western Australia.
During his years in University, Tommy had the experience working as a clerk, paralegal and volunteer with various law firms and WA government bodies. He assisted in multiple areas, including commercial law, criminal law, criminal litigations, and migration law in both the Magistrate Court and District Court.
Tommy coordinates Tan and Tan Lawyer’s marketing campaign. He is also a member of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association.
Tommy is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese. Tommy looks forward to assisting clients with his strong bilingual background and work experiences gained in the past.
Hobbies: Badminton and Golf
Email: tommy.tang@tanandtanlawyers.com
Tyzton graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2018 and a Juris Doctor in 2022 from the University of Western Australia. He has also been admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in November 2022
Tyzton has worked at Tan and Tan Lawyers since 2016, beginning in the accounts department, balancing study and work. Along with his work as a lawyer, Tyzton also assists in managing the accounts at Tan and Tan Lawyers and plays an integral role in the marketing and management teams.
Tyzton has a keen interest in Estate Planning and ensuring that his client’s legacies are well looked after by their family.
Tyzton speaks English and Conversational Indonesian and hopes to use his strong background in numbers and finance to provide an excellent standard of work and great problem-solving for clients at Tan and Tan Lawyers.
Hobbies: Badminton and Golf. Represented Australia in the Badminton Junior World Championship.
Sometimes, in the interest of ensuring best representation for our client, we do refer cases to specialist lawyers who are experts in their selected field of law. Such persons are specialist counsel who practice as barristers.Just like a medical practitioner who practises as a GP, if the case is complex, the GP may refer the patient to a specialist like a brain surgeon.In the legal profession, the specialist is called counsel or a barrister.
I am sometimes asked what the difference is, between a Barrister and a Solicitor. In simple terms it dates back to the old London days. In England, a Barrister predominantly goes to court to argue cases. The Solicitor is not given the right of audience in the Courts other than the lower courts. Barristers therefore are instructed by Solicitors to represent the Solicitor’s clients when matters go to trial. The paperwork for preparing for trial is usually prepared by the Solicitor. Barristers do not see clients other than through a referral from a Solicitor.
In Western Australia, the legal profession is fused in that a lawyer like Raymond Tan can work as a Barrister or a Solicitor. Then you have lawyers like the counsel represented on this web page who decide they only want to do Barrister’s work. Hence they practise in an office called a Bar Chambers. (No, we are always informed that the Bar Chambers does not dispense alcohol though we have our suspicions).
Another snippet of legal history. The next time you see a lawyer in the courts wearing one of their black gowns and wig, you will notice a pouch like pocket at the back of their gowns. Traditionally, the pouch was used by the clients to place the Barrister’s honorarium (or fees) as it was beneath the Barrister to be handed money direct. The World has changed since those times. Nowadays the pouches are sealed as we expect cheques or cash.
The Counsel that we have a close working relationship with is listed here.
Profile
Admitted to practice in 1993, Brian worked as a solicitor for 7 years principally in all aspects of law pertaining to personal injuries before joining the independent Bar in 2000.
Brian is a Past President of Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association.
Membership of Professional Organisations
Principal Areas of Practice
Email: bnugawela@iinet.net.au
Website: https://www.michaelkirbychambers.net.au/barristers/brian-nugawela
Mobile: 0419 887 811
Chambers:
Michael Kirby Chambers
Phone: +61 (08) 6316 4720
Qualifications: LLB
Admitted to Practice: 1992
Year Elected to WABA: 2007
Areas of Practice
