Jonny Lim is an experienced international arbitration advocate, who represents clients in their most complex and significant arbitration disputes. Mr. Lim has acted in over 50 international arbitration and litigation proceedings, including as lead counsel, and he is widely recognized as one of the leading international arbitration lawyers of his generation. In recent years, he has successfully represented clients in high-stakes commercial and investment treaty arbitration disputes in the aerospace, construction, energy, financial services, telecommunications, and technology sectors, among others. Mr. Lim has broad experience with cases seated in all of the leading arbitration seats globally and matters governed by the laws of over 15 legal systems, including both civil law and common law systems across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.    

Mr. Lim is regularly recognized as one of the top under-45 lawyers for international arbitration globally by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, and LawDragon. He was recently named on Global Arbitration Review’s selective 45 Under 45 list (published every 10 years) and ranked by Who’s Who Legal as one of a handful of Global Elite Thought Leaders under the age of 45. Among other accolades, clients and peers describe him as “an extraordinarily gifted lawyer and forceful advocate,” “10 steps ahead of everyone else,” and “a sure bet as a future global leader.”

Bilingual in English and Chinese, Mr. Lim has handled some of the most significant international arbitration matters involving Chinese parties and the PRC in recent years, including post M&A and other investment disputes. He has also acted in investment treaty disputes both for Chinese investors and against the PRC, as well as WTO disputes involving China, and obtained the first reported arbitration award against the PRC. In addition, Mr. Lim regularly provides strategic counsel and crisis management advice to global companies in relation to business-critical issues arising out of their China and Hong Kong businesses.

In addition, Mr. Lim has experience with WTO dispute settlement matters and advised international organizations and governments in Africa and Asia on a broad range of public international law issues. As part of an engagement by the ADB, Mr. Lim advised Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Timor Leste on their accessions to the New York Convention. Mr Lim also worked closely with the ADB and UNCITRAL to advise governments in the South Pacific on the drafting of legislation, and he played a key role in the drafting of the arbitration legislation in Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Tonga. He was also one of the founding members of a task force formed to assist with Somalia’s accessions to the New York Convention and the World Trade Organization, and regularly advises governments and international organizations in Africa on international trade and investment law issues.

Mr. Lim regularly sits as arbitrator and has received appointments as sole and party-appointed arbitrator in multiple proceedings seated in Europe and Asia, including bilingual English-Chinese arbitrations. Mr. Lim also assisted the SIAC Rules Revision Executive Committee in the 2016 revision to the SIAC Rules, and was Secretary to the Drafting Committee for the AFSA International Arbitration Rules. Among other appointments, Mr. Lim is a member of the executive committee for the Asia-Pacific Forum for International Arbitration, a member of the AFSA International Court, and a member of the Protem Committee for the AIAC Court of Arbitration.

Mr. Lim is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore, where he teaches international arbitration. He publishes regularly on international arbitration and financial regulation and is the co-author of a leading treatise on Singapore arbitration law. He has also previously lectured at the China University of Political Science and Law, King’s College London, the London School of Economics, the National Law School of India University (Bangalore), the National University of Juridical Sciences (Kolkata), and the Singapore Management University.