The Future of the Legal Profession: Chairpersons

Mr Michael Hwang SC – Proprietor, M/s Michael Hwang

Michael Hwang was educated at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at Oxford University. He was called to the Singapore Bar in 1968, when he joined Allen & Gledhill. He became a partner in 1972 and retired from the firm at the end of 2002 after serving as Head of its Litigation and Arbitration Department for 10 years. He was appointed a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court in 1991 and one of the first twelve Senior Counsel of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1997. Michael now practices as a Barrister, primarily servicing lawyers as Independent Counsel and Arbitrator. He is a member of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce and a Vice President of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration. He was formerly a United Nations Compensation Commissioner and a Vice-Chair of the IBA’s Arbitration Committee. He also serves as Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Switzerland. In 2005 he was appointed the Deputy Chief Justice of the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Mr Jimmy Yim SC – Managing Director, Litigation & Dispute Resolution Dept., Drew & Napier LLC

Jimmy Yim joined Drew & Napier in 1989, after a 4-year stint in Hong Kong with a Paris based International organization. He is currently Managing Director of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department. Under his watch, Drew & Napier LLC continues to be ranked by leading international publications as the top dispute resolution practice in Singapore. Mr Yim is recommended by name in various editions of Asia Pacific Legal 500 in the area of Dispute Resolution. He is also listed by name in Asia Law profiles as part of Drew & Napier LLC’s ‘powerful and effective litigation team’. His areas of practice cover a broad spectrum of Civil & Commercial Litigation involving contractual and tortious claims, real property claims and intellectual property litigation. He has also been instructed on many occasions in criminal cases and appeals.

Mr Yim was appointed Senior Counsel in January 1998 and a regional arbitrator with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre since 2003.

Mr Alvin Yeo SC – Managing Partner, M/s WONGPARTNERSHIP

Alvin Yeo’s main areas of practice are banking and corporate disputes, insolvency and restructuring, and construction and civil engineering disputes. Professional directories like Euromoney Legal Media Group and Asia Pacific Legal 500 consistently identify him as one of the leading litigation lawyers in Singapore.

Alvin graduated from King’s College, University of London, and was admitted to the English Bar in 1987 and the Singapore Bar in 1988. In January 2000, Alvin became the youngest lawyer to be appointed Senior Counsel.

Alvin is a member of the Senate of the Academy of Law, the Council of the Law Society of Singapore and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre’s Main Panel of Arbitrators. Alvin has also been appointed to the Appeal Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Alvin has several publications related to his main areas of practice, including co-authoring an article on insolvency restructuring in Singapore in the "Global Insolvency & Restructuring Yearbook 2004/05" published by Euromoney, the chapter on Singapore in “Bank Confidentiality” published by Butterworths (2003), and an article in the International Arbitration Law Review (2002) on the changes to Singapore’s arbitration regime.

Mr George Lim – Partner, M/s Wee Tay & Lim

George Lim Teong Jin was called to the Bar in Singapore on 20 January 1982. He served as President of the Law Society of Singapore between 1998-9, and was a Council member of the Society between 1987 – 2000. Mr Lim also served as Vice-President of the Singapore Academy of Law between 1998-9. Currently, Mr Lim chairs the Membership & Social Committee of the Academy, and is a member of the Board of Legal Education, which oversees the admission of lawyers to the Singapore Bar. He has also been appointed by the Chief Justice to chair disciplinary proceedings under the Legal Profession Act. In August 2005, Mr Lim was awarded a Public Service Medal for his contributions to the legal profession. Mr Lim practises as a trial lawyer, arbitrator and mediator.