Debby Lim

Debby Lim is a partner in Dentons Rodyk’s Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy practice group.

She has a broad commercial practice with overlapping strengths in banking and finance disputes, insolvency and restructuring, domestic and international arbitrations. She has also acted in construction and property-related disputes, shareholder disputes. She focuses on all areas of contentious insolvency, asset recovery work (including major commercial disputes), fraud and investigations. These often involve complex and multifaceted litigation in the aftermath of cross-border corporate collapses. Debby has represented debtors, creditors and officeholders in myriad insolvency-related litigation, including contested scheme of arrangement applications, creditor disputes, security enforcement and antecedent transactions.

• Liquidators of Siva Ships Intl Pte. Ltd.: Acted for the successful liquidators in Duncan, Cameron Lindsay and another v Diablo Fortune Inc and another matter [2017] SGHC 172 where the Singapore High Court considered for the first time whether a contractual lien on sub-freights is a charge requiring registration. The subsequent Singapore Court of Appeal decision in Diablo Fortune Inc v Duncan, Cameron Lindsay and another [2018] SGCA 26 was shortlisted for the award for the most significant insolvency-related litigation at the 2018 Global Restructuring Review Awards. This has also led to a public consultation by the Singapore Ministry of Law which culminated in legislative amendments of significant impact to the shipping industry.
• Liquidators of AnAn Group, a Singapore subsidiary of CEFC China Energy: Acting for the liquidators of AnAn Group, a Singapore subsidiary of CEFC China Energy (an energy conglomerate with US$4.8 billion in debt). The 5-Judge Court of Appeal’s decision, being one of two conjoined appeals involving the complex interplay of insolvency proceedings and arbitration clauses, is reported in AnAn Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd v VTB Bank (Public Joint Stock Company) [2020] SGCA 33.
• SK Engineering & Construction Co Ltd: Successfully acted as Singapore counsel for the appellant creditor in SK Engineering & Construction Co Ltd v Conchubar Aromatics Ltd and another appeal [2017] SGCA 51 who succeeded in reversing the High Court's Order sanctioning two schemes of arrangement in relation to the debt restructuring of two stakeholders of Jurong Aromatics Corporation, which owned one of the world’s largest petrochemical plants worth US$2.4 billion. This is a landmark 5-Judge Court of Appeal decision in respect of the issue of related-party creditors in Schemes of Arrangement.

• Restructuring and insolvency

• Singapore

• Member, Law Society of Singapore
• Co-Vice Chairperson, Publications Committee of the Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Women in Practice Committee of the Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Singapore Academy of Law
• Fellow, INSOL International
• Fellow, Insolvency Practitioners Association of Singapore

• National University of Singapore, 2006, LLB (Hons)