Tat Lim

Practice Areas

Tat is a founding partner of Aequitas Law LLP and Maxwell Mediators.

He was called to the Singapore Bar in 1989, with more than 35 years of experience in dispute resolution practice. His qualifications include LL.B (Hons) from the National University of Singapore, MBA / LL.M from the National University of Singapore, and MSc (Construction Law & Arbitration) (With Merit) from King’s College London. His areas of practice include commercial and corporate transactions and dispute resolution involving construction law, corporation law, shareholders and joint venture agreements, family law, privacy law and employment. He has appeared as counsel at all levels of the Singapore Courts, and in domestic and international arbitration and mediation.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators (USA) (IAM), and an IMI-certified mediation advocate and an IMI-certified mediator.

Tat has extensive experience resolving cases involving energy, construction, environmental, intellectual property, joint venture, shareholders, commercial and family disputes. He is a Senior Fellow of the Weinstein International Foundation and accredited by many distinguished mediation institutions. His international mediation practice includes mediating commercial cases for SMC, SIMC, AAA-ICDR, ICC, WIPO and the International Commercial Mediation Center for the Belt & Road Initiative, as well as mediating non-commercial cases administered by the Compliance Advisory Ombudsman, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, the Accountability Mechanism, World Bank Group and the Global Mediation Panel of the Office of the Ombudsman for the United Nations Funds and Programmes. He has also been appointed as arbitrator in cases administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Law Society of Singapore.

He has been ranked for his dispute resolution practice in The Legal500. Since 2022, Who’sWhoLegal:Mediation / Lexology Index has consistently recognized Tat as a Global Elite Thought Leader. In 2026, Chambers and Partners recognized Tat as a Global Market Leader.

He is a negotiation trainer for Vantage Partners (USA) and is regularly engaged in teaching negotiation and mediation internationally. He currently serves the mediation community as Chair of the Society of Mediation Professionals (Singapore), Chair of the IMI Board, a member of the SMC Board, Treasurer and Governor of the International Academy of Mediators (USA), a member of the Mediation Committee Advisory Board of the International Bar Association (IBA), and an editorial board member of IBA’s Dispute Resolution International.

He is a contributor to publications in his areas of practice, including Singapore Civil Procedure (Thomson Reuters Sweet & Maxwell), Mediation in Singapore: A Practical Guide (Thomson Reuters Sweet & Maxwell), Mediation Practice (International Chamber of Commerce), Stories Mediators Tell (World Edition) (American Bar Association) and The Annotated Singapore Building Maintenance & Strata Management Act (Sweet & Maxwell).

For his contribution and service as a mediator to the State Courts of Singapore, Tat was presented with the State Courts' Outstanding Court Volunteer (Advocate & Solicitor Category) Award in 2013 and long service awards in 2020 and 2025. He is also the recipient of awards for his contribution and service to SMC, LSS and Ministry of Education. He was awarded the IAM President’s Award in 2022 and 2025 for his contributions to the International Academy of Mediators.

He is a 2017 Weinstein JAMS International Fellow and is a Regional Project Director for the Weinstein International Foundation.

Professional Memberships

Advocate & Solicitor, Supreme Court of Singapore (from 1989)

Solicitor, Supreme Court of England & Wales (from 2004)

Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) (from 2001)

Fellow, Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand Inc (AMINZ) (from 2016)

Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators (from 2017 / 2021)

Publications

Contributor, “Singapore Civil Procedure” (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) (Thomson Reuters Sweet & Maxwell)

Contributor, “Mediation in Singapore: A Practical Guide” (2015, 2018, 2021) (Thomson Reuters Sweet & Maxwell)

Contributor, “Mediation Practice – 8 Cultures, 16 Cases, 128 Creative Solutions” (2016) (ICC)

Contributor, “Stories Mediators Tell: World Edition” (2017) (American Bar Association)

Contributor, “Study of the Existing Commercial Mediation Legal and Institutional Frameworks and Best Practices in the Balkan Region and Selected Countries) (2020) (EBRD / IDLO)

Contributor, “Chambers Data Protection and Privacy 2020 Guide” (2020, 2021) (Chambers and Partners)

Author, “Arbitration Global Guide – Singapore” (Practical Law, Thomson Reuters)

Author, “Litigation and enforcement in Singapore: overview” (Practical Law, Thomson Reuters)

Author, “Lexis Practical Guidance – Dispute Resolution” (LexisNexis)

Contributor (video resources), “Mediating Legal Disputes” (2nd Edition) (2021) (Dwight Golann) (ABA)

Contributor, “Mediation Moves – Concepts, Systems, People” (2022) (Wolfgang Metzner Verlag)

Author, “The Annotated Singapore Building Maintenance & Strata Management Act” (2022) (Sweet & Maxwell)

Languages Spoken

English - fluent written and spoken

Chinese (Mandarin) – intermediate written and spoken

Chinese (Teochew) – native spoken

Education

Experience

Counsel:

Lead counsel in mediation, tribunal, adjudication, court and arbitration proceedings, including hearings, trials and appeals at Strata Titles Boards, State Courts, High Court and Court of Appeal of Singapore, and arbitration proceedings at ICC, SIAC, DIS (Germany) and JCAA (Japan). Recent mediation representation includes cross border shipping and cargo related disputes, construction disputes, shareholders’ disputes and ESG disputes. Representing clients in corporate, corporate secretariat and commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and corporate governance work.

Neutral:

Appointments as arbitrator by SIAC and Law Society of Singapore.

Appointments as mediator in several hundred institutional (UNFP, ICC, AAA-ICDR, WIPO, VMC, SMC, FJC, SCCDR and MOHH) and ad hoc mediations, including commercial mediation of cross border / international disputes involving multiple parties of various nationalities from multiple jurisdictions. Recent appointments include mediation of cases involving cross-border insolvency claims by a court appointed official, cross-border supply of products with arbitration and court proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, disputes arising from the construction of high-value aviation equipment with export controls and sanctions, allegations of gender-based discrimination, cross-border parental child abduction, litigated construction cases on appeal to the Singapore Court of Appeal, conciliation of international commercial disputes under the UNCITRAL Conciliation Rules, commercial cases administered by AAA-ICDR, ICC, VMC and cases administered by United Nations Funds & Programme (UNFP).

Appointments as consultant / mediator by Compliance Advisory Ombudsman (CAO) and the Accountability Mechanism, World Bank Group in cases involving complex multiparty ESG disputes in Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Appointments as chair or member of inquiry and disciplinary tribunals by National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee (Minister of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Singapore), Inquiry Panel (Law Society of Singapore), Disciplinary Tribunal (Chief Justice of Singapore), and Singapore Medical Council’s Complaints Panel (President, Singapore Medical Council).

Expert:

Appointments as expert (in Singapore law) in Hong Kong court proceedings, and in SIAC proceedings.

Assessor in accreditation of mediators to the panels of Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) and Family Justice Courts (FJC).

Judge / Expert Assessor in ICC International Mediation Competition (2015, 2016 (Finals), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 (Finals), 2024, 2025, 2026 (Finals)) and IBA-VIAC Mediation and Negotiation Competition CDRC (2015, 2016 (Finals), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 (Finals), 2023 (Finals), 2024 (Finals), 2025).

Awards