LOK Vi Ming is the Managing Director of the Firm and a seasoned and well-known Senior Counsel with over 3 decades of advocacy experience. He has led numerous cases at all levels of the Singapore courts and before both local and international arbitration tribunals in institutions all around the world. Some of these are landmark cases that have created legal precedents and shaped business outcomes.
Vi Ming is frequently approached to act as an expert on Singapore law and has rendered his expert legal opinion in several international arbitration and litigation matters. He is also regularly appointed as arbitrator or mediator for commercially complex disputes and presently sits as the Deputy Chairman of the Singapore International Mediation Centre.
Prior to founding the Firm in 2016, Vi Ming practiced in Rodyk & Davidson for 30 years. He rose to the position of Senior Partner and garnered generous accolades for being an effective and incisive litigation lawyer.
Vi Ming has been listed by Chambers and Partners as a leading litigator with a “solid reputation” in aviation and insurance litigation with “very sound understanding of legal complexities”, Legal 500 as a well-respected figure for litigation involving insurance, aviation, and trusts and “brings further senior-level gravitas to the practice”, and by Benchmark Litigation as a Litigation Star in commercial and transaction work.
Mr Philip Bass, a noted international aviation insurance lawyer who has worked with Vi Ming on various matters both before the High Court and the Court of Appeal, comments that “Having known Vi Ming for over 20 years, he remains my ‘go to lawyer’ for the complex, multi-jurisdictional cases where you need technical ability and an advocate who is ‘good on his feet’ in Court. He also happens to be very nice to work with.” Dato’ Lim Chee Wee, Senior Partner of Lim Chee Wee Partnership and a former partner at Skrine, Kuala Lumpur and an ex-President of the Malaysian Bar Council, added: “I have had the privilege of working with and instructing Vi Ming on a number of briefs. Vi Ming is user friendly, always thinking of the best and most effective solution and strategy for the client, whether in or out of the court room, a highly effective cross examiner with a style so disarming, witnesses don’t realize they have conceded their own case. Vi Ming is reliable and highly ethical. A formidable advocate one would always want in one’s corner.”
Vi Ming is well known for having led the defence teams for Singapore Airlines in the SQ006 incident and for SilkAir in the MI185 incident. He continues to be consulted and instructed on many aviation and airline related claims, and he remains the counsel of choice for many insurers and insurance consultants for conduct of such claims. He is also regularly instructed on a significant number of shipping and international trade cases, several of which arose from the high-profile collapse of Hin Leong Trading (Pte.) Ltd in 2020 and one of Singapore’s largest corporate scandals.
Besides aviation, shipping, and international trade matters, Vi Ming has acted for and advised private clients, government-linked agencies, and statutory boards in complicated transactions for the supply of telecommunication equipment, service and infrastructure, as well as various cross-border commercial and shareholder disputes; disputes relating to the development of land and disputes relating to international TV and media broadcasting rights. He also acts in high value employment, matrimonial and family disputes, commercial and corporate litigation as well as medical negligence cases.
Finally, Vi Ming strongly believes in contributing back to the legal fraternity as an act of service. He served as the President of the Law Society of Singapore from 2013 to 2014 and as a Vice President of the Singapore Academy of Law from 2014 to 2015.
Case Highlights
Aviation
- Successfully acted for Singapore Airlines Ltd in resisting an application by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (Republic of China) for immunity under the State Immunity Act in relation to the SQ006 crash (Civil Aeronautics Administration v Singapore Airlines Ltd [2004] 1 SLR(R) 570).
- Successfully defended SilkAir in respect of claims arising from the crash of MI185 in the High Court and on appeal (Clarke Beryl Claire (personal representative of the estate of Eugene Francis Clarke, deceased) and another v SilkAir (Singapore) Pte Ltd and other actions [2001] 3 SLR(R) 504; Clarke Beryl Claire (personal representative of the estate of Eugene Francis Clarke, deceased) and others v SilkAir (Singapore) Pte Ltd [2002] 1 SLR(R) 1136).
- Defended Singapore Airlines in respect of claims arising from the crash of SQ006 under the amended Warsaw Convention in a leading decision by the Court of Appeal on the costs principles to be applied in offer to settle cases (Singapore Airlines Ltd and another v Fujitsu Microelectronics (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and others [2001] 1 SLR(R) 38).
- Defended Changi International Airport Services (Singapore) in the Court of Appeal in a leading decision by the Court of Appeal concerning the interpretation of Article 22 of the Warsaw Convention and the applicability of the defence of limitation of liability under the Convention to the carrier’s agent (Yusen Air & Sea Services (s) Pte Ltd v Kim of Royal Dutch Airlines & Anor [1999] 4 SLR 135).
Commercial & Corporate
- Successfully acted for a multinational oil trading company in arguing a complex point of law involving insolvency set-off (Re Ocean Tankers (Pte) Ltd (in liquidation) [2023] SGHC 330).
- Acting for DBS Trustee Ltd, the trustee of Eagle Hospitality Real Estate Investment Trust (EH-REIT), part of the Eagle Hospitality Group that was listed on the SGX-ST in May 2019 but financially collapsed within one year; advising Client on matters of potential liability of various parties for the financial crisis and failures of EH-REIT and the Eagle Hospitality Group.
- Acting on behalf of Deloitte & Touche, the liquidators of Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd, a company in compulsory winding up against a former director in respect of breaches of duty which caused the company to suffer loss and damage.
- Successfully defended Mr Kwek Sum Chuan, the owner of a group of import-export businesses, against a claim by his son for the majority of Yes Supermarket Pte Ltd premised on an alleged oral contract (Kwek Hong Lim v Kwek Sum Chuan [2023] SGHC 67).
Insurance & Reinsurance
- Acted for insurers in resisting claims brought by a contractor that arose from a fatal highway viaduct collapse that involved one fatality.
- Successfully acted for Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP to strike out a claim for breach of confidentiality brought by an extremely influential and disgraced oil trading family.
- Advised MS First Capital Insurance Ltd in relation to claims relating to insurance policy insuring against business interruption losses, whether they will be engaged in respect of losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Acted for a law firm in relation to some advice it had rendered advice to its client in relation to an ongoing arbitration. The matter was settled out of court in March 2022.
International Trade & Shipping
- Representing a major state-owned oil trading entity in 5 interpleader proceedings to claim ownership of oil cargo laden on board 4 vessels and stored in an oil terminal. The total worth of the claims is worth over USD 100 million and arises from the collapse of Hin Leong Trading (Pte.) Ltd, one of the largest corporate scandals in Singapore’s history.
- Acting as instructed counsel for Client against (i) the former owner of the vessel “Maersk Princess” and (ii) Winson Oil Trading Pte Ltd in a misdelivery claim where a substantial cargo of gasoil was delivered without production of bills of lading before the Singapore High Court.
- Acting as instructed counsel for a Singapore-based commodities trader over an oil cargo dispute before the Singapore High Court worth more than USD 25 million.
International Arbitration
- Successfully acted as counsel for a Singapore-incorporated health products company to resist the enforcement of a Pennsylvanian-seated ICDR emergency award in the High Court based on a breach of natural justice. The decision was also a landmark one in which the High Court conclusively affirmed that foreign emergency awards may be enforced in Singapore as a foreign award under the International Arbitration Act 1994 (CVG v CVH [2022] SGHC 249).
- Acted for a South Asian-based solar power company in the setting aside an arbitration award made against them based on breach of natural justice (COT v COU and others and other appeals [2023] SGCA 31).
- Acted as instructed counsel for a multinational oil trading company in an SIAC arbitration against the opposing party relating to a complex fraud for high value cargo and in the subsequent setting aside proceedings (CYE v CYF [2023] SGHC 275).
Medical Litigation
- Successfully represented and advised an individual in resisting an appeal concerning the recission of a share transaction worth USD 30 million. The matter involved issues of fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and bars to recission of contract. (Liberty Sky Investments Ltd v Aesthetic Medical Partners Pte Ltd and other appeals and another matter [2020] 1 SLR 606)
- Represented various hospitals, including Thomson Medical, in a high-profile dispute in the Court of Appeal relating to the scope of liability relating to problems arising from an assisted reproductive procedure. The resulting judgment was the first ever in the common law to address the question of upkeep damages for a negligently administered in-vitro fertilisation procedure (ACB v Thomson Medical Pte Ltd and others [2017] 1 SLR 918).
- Successfully represented Clearlab SG Pte. Ltd, a contact lens manufacturer, in a successful action against former senior employees for theft of trade secrets in a trial lasting over 40 days, resulting in a landmark judgment covering many complex issues relating to obligations owed in relation to trade secrets, confidential information and the role of equitable remedies (Clearlab SG Pte Ltd v Ting Chong Chai and others [2015] SGHC 267).
- Acted for a co-founder and substantial shareholder of a Singapore-incorporated company listed on the SGX’s Catalist board against the company and its parent company in a claim for SGD 4.5 million; a decision notable for the principles surrounding unlawful means conspiracy, and joint and several liability (Crest Capital Asia Pte Ltd and others v OUE Lippo Healthcare Ltd (formerly known as International Healthway Corp Ltd) and another and other appeals [2021] 1 SLR 1337).
Private Clients, Wealth & Trusts
- Successfully acted for Mr Lyu Jun, a retired dental surgeon from Beijing, in his claim for ownership and/or the return of various assets and monies that he had purchased in the name of and/or transferred to his former romantic partner (Lyu Jun v Wei Ho-Hung [2021] SGHC 268; Wei Ho-Hung v Lyu Jun [2022] 2 SLR 1066).
- Successfully acted for Mdm Lim Lai Soon in a civil dispute in which her former husband sought to deny his beneficial ownership of alleged matrimonial assets (Lim Lai Soon v Tan Hong Sin and others [2022] SGHC 289; Lim Lai Soon v Tan Hong Sin and others [2022] SGHC 289).
- Acted for a client in a high-profile multinational dispute involving over SGD 100 million of assets that was fought in the High Court in Singapore and in Malaysia before it was finally referred to the Singapore International Mediation Centre.
- Acted for clients in a high value dispute of over SGD 200 million of assets that was vigorously contested in a hearing spanning almost 50 days in the High Court, before it was finally decided by the Court of Appeal. Vi Ming’s clients succeeded both in the High Court as well as the Court of Appeal (Tan Chin Hoon and others v Tan Choo Suan (in her personal capacity and as executrix of the estate of Tan Kiam Toen, deceased) and others and other matter [2016] 1 SLR 1150) and Tan Yok Koon v Tan Choo Suan and another and other appeals [2017] 1 SLR 654).
White collar crime, Regulations & Advisory
- Acting for clients in pursuing an action against the perpetrators of a multi-billion corruption, bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.
- Acted for a Chinese state-owned entity in the Singapore International Commercial Court in the complex solar power project disputes involving issues of conspiracy and fraud effected through a labyrinth of agreements and transactions.
- Acted for a former employee of a government-linked company in relation to his potential prosecution in Singapore in relation to acts of bribery in Brazil.
- Advising members of the Board of Directors of Raffles Education Corporation in an investigation by the Commercial Affairs Department and the Monetary Authority of Singapore for potential offences under the Securities and Futures Act.
Appointments
- Panel Arbitrator, Singapore International Arbitration Centre; Asian International Arbitration Centre, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (Sports Arbitrations); Korean Commercial Arbitration Board; China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC); Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission; South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission; Chongqing Arbitration Commission; Qingdao Arbitration Commission; and Advisory Board member to the International Registry, Cape Town Convention
- Chairman, Singapore Exchange (SGX) Disciplinary Committee
- Vice Chairman, Singapore International Mediation Centre
- Chairman, International Relations Committee and Chairman, Professional Indemnity Committee, The Law Society of Singapore
- President, Law Society of Singapore, 2013-2014
- Vice President, Singapore Academy of Law, 2014-2015
- Fellow, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and Singapore Academy of Law
- Council member, Council for Estate Agencies
- Member, Singapore University of Social Sciences Board of Trustees (formerly known as SIM University)
- Advisory member, School Advisory Committee, School of Business, Temasek Polytechnic
- Chairman, Bethesda (Bedok-Tampines) Church Ltd and Vice Chairman, Bethesda Care & Counselling Services Centre (an Institute of Public Character)
Education
Bachelor of Laws (Honours), National University of Singapore
Accolades
- Chambers Global. Leading Individual for Dispute Resolution: Litigation, 2013–2015; 2022-2023; Leading Individual for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, 2013
- Chambers Asia Pacific. Leading Individual: Dispute Resolution/Litigation, 2012-2024 and Insurance, 2024
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Leading Individual in Dispute Resolution, Litigation/Arbitration, 2016, 2019- 2023
- Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific. Local Disputes Star, 2014 and 2013 and Leading Practitioner, 2023
- Who’s Who Legal. Recommended Thought Leader in Commercial Litigation 2022 and 2023; Recommended Global Leader in Commercial Litigation 2021 and 2022; Recommended Thought Leader in Commercial Litigation (Southeast Asia) 2021 and 2022; Recommended Thought Leader in Aviation Contentious (Southeast Asia) 2021 and 2022; Recommended in International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigators, 2014 and recommended in Business Lawyers for Aviation Practice, 2011–2014
- Asialaw. Elite Practitioner: Dispute Resolution, 2023; Leading Lawyer: Shipping, Maritime & Aviation, 2014; Leading Lawyer: Aviation, 2010-2013; Leading Lawyer: Dispute Resolution, 2009 and 2014
- Best Lawyers. Aviation, Insurance, and Litigation in Singapore, 2015, 2014 and 2010
- Expert Guides. World’s Leading Lawyers – Aviation, 2008