Dunbar & Lim Chambers LLC

Dunbar & Lim Chambers is helmed by experienced practitioners, Simon Dunbar and Kevin Lim, and comprises a team of specialist international arbitration practitioners.

The firm offers boutique independence and flexibility, with dedicated partner attention throughout a case, and at all times, world-class service and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Combined, its lawyers have spent decades in top-tier global law firms exclusively practising international arbitration. They have represented clients from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle-East in complex and high-stakes international arbitrations, and have successfully argued “bet the company” claims worth billions of dollars. They are also admitted in multiple jurisdictions, covering some of the most widely-used laws in cross-border commercial disputes – English, Singapore, and New York law.

As a specialist arbitration team, led by lawyers with truly global experience, Dunbar & Lim Chambers is able to provide its clients with international expertise from the platform of a boutique Singapore law firm. Not only does it handle all arbitrations from start to finish, including advocacy at trial, the firm can also provide pre-dispute advice on Singapore law, and represent its clients in related Singapore court litigation. This makes Dunbar & Lim Chambers a “one stop shop” for its clients’ global disputes needs.

Experienced Counsel in High Stakes, Multi-Jurisdictional Disputes

Dunbar & Lim Chambers’ depth of experience in complex, high stakes international arbitrations puts the firm among the most experienced arbitration teams in the region.

Combined, its lawyers have been involved in more than 100 international arbitrations. They have represented clients in disputes governed by a wide range of applicable laws, subject to all of the major institutional rules, and seated in all of the leading arbitral jurisdictions.

The firm has particular expertise in joint venture, energy, technology, telecommunications, hospitality, real estate, infrastructure, and investor-state disputes.

Its lawyers have represented or are representing some of the world’s largest multinationals, governments, and high-net worth individuals in complex, high-stakes disputes.These include:

• Representing a world-leading nuclear technology provider in an ICC arbitration concerning the design and construction of a nuclear power plant in Taiwan. The client secured an award of substantially all relief sought, including payment of US$158 million, and the dismissal of counterclaims valued at US$350 million.
• Representing two affiliates of a major US multinational in an UNCITRAL arbitration in Singapore against two Asian state-owned entities. The dispute concerns claims of misappropriation of the clients’ technology under a long-term licensing agreement. More than US$ 500 million is in dispute.
• Representing an international oil and gas company in an UNCITRAL arbitration in South-East Asia concerning a joint operating agreement. The firm’s lawyers successfully defended the client against US$1.69 billion in counterclaims, and helped secure a worldwide asset freezing injunction and an anti-suit injunction. The remaining claims and counterclaims, worth US$130 million, were successfully settled.
• Advising a State on its ongoing disputes with a group of investors under multiple investment treaties. These disputes are subject to ICSID and other forms of investor-state arbitration, and billions of dollars are at stake.
• Representing a Taiwanese conglomerate in ICC and SIAC arbitrations against an Indian listed company in relation to a joint venture dispute in China. The arbitration is seated in Singapore.
• Representing a large Indian conglomerate in an LCIA arbitration concerning shareholder disputes regarding a major India-listed airline company. The arbitration was seated in New Delhi.

Experienced Arbitrators with Major Arbitral Institutions

The firm’s co-founders and Joint Managing Directors, Simon Dunbar and Kevin Lim, also sit regularly as arbitrator and have issued multiple awards in complex commercial disputes. They are Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), and are included on arbitrator lists and panels of major arbitral institutions, including the SIAC, HKIAC, AIAC, and THAC.

Awards and Accolades

Simon and Kevin have been noted for being “top-notch partners who always provide timely, focused and expert advice” and “are very practical in approaching the issues and take a strategic interest in resolving the client's concerns”.

They are also individually ranked in major legal directories. Simon is recognised as “a brilliant lawyer” and “formidable advocate” who “provides out of the box solutions to deliver results for clients”. Kevin is described as “a formidable cross examiner” whose “knowledge on arbitration proceedings [is] second to none”, and who “cannot be recommended highly enough for high-value disputes”.