The Singapore Law Gazette

“Don’t be Afraid to Give of Yourself”

Interview with Vivienne Lim, Deputy Chairman of Pro Bono SG

In January 2025, Ms Vivienne Lim Hui Bian, became the first female Deputy Chair of Pro Bono SG. This accomplished lawyer, mother of four, and community leader, shared the life experiences and professional journey that shaped her commitment to access to justice.

Vivienne’s appointment as the first female Deputy Chair of Pro Bono SG was a natural progression in her distinguished career – one shaped by a steadfast commitment to service and a deep-rooted instinct to help others.

“I totally stumble into things,” Vivienne shares with humility when asked about her journey. “Or rather, they find me.”

This January, Vivienne — co-managing partner of Genesis Law Corporation and recipient of the Public Service Medal in 2023 — assumed leadership as Deputy Chair of Pro Bono SG, the primary organisation championing access to justice for vulnerable communities in Singapore. Her appointment marks a significant milestone, not only for her personally but for Pro Bono SG as well, as she becomes the first woman to hold this position.

Finding Purpose Through Service

For Vivienne, pro bono work has been an intrinsic aspect of legal practice since she began her career in 1996. “I think that pro bono work is very organic in all lawyers, in all our practice,” she reflects. “I believe all of us do some pro bono work in our own way.”

However, she acknowledges that structural barriers can make it difficult for lawyers to fully act on their passion to give back. “It was a bit harder for me, in a big law firm where you need to closely account for billable hours, and billing targets. You’ve got corporate clients. I did a lot of insolvency and corporate commercial litigation. It was all purely commercial, and harder to do pro bono.”

This limitation was a driving factor behind her decision to establish Genesis Law Corporation with partners in 2004. “That’s why I came out and set up Genesis Law Corporation with a few partners. We wanted greater autonomy in how we practise law – to focus on the work that we enjoyed doing, and to serve the people that we wanted to help, whether it’s at the expense of your billings or not.”

The name “Genesis” was chosen with intention — it reflects Vivienne’s personal commitment to remaining “God-centered”, anchoring her professional conduct and client relationships in her faith, which has profoundly influenced her view of the legal practice as a vocation for service.

“Robin Hood” Approach to Practice

Vivienne has developed what she describes as a “Robin Hood” approach to her practice, where paying clients effectively support the firm’s ability to provide pro bono services to those in need.

“It’s easier for us, I guess, because we do have a steady stream of good clients who are very supportive,” she explains. “Those who can pay, in a way, help “subsidise” the work we do for those who can’t.” This has allowed her to undertake meaningful pro bono work while maintaining a viable practice.

Her generosity has occasionally been met with surprising responses. “I have had clients who tell me, ‘Why did you give me a discount. Can you please bill me more?’” she shares. “That’s very strange, but their generosity inspires a sense of responsibility to pay it forward.”

The Cases That Leave a Mark

When asked about impactful pro bono cases in her career, Vivienne responded without hesitation. She recounts a particularly moving case involving a man battling depression who faced litigation from his former employer.

“This person’s sister called me and said, ‘My brother is really depressed, and has been sued by his previous employer for a sum of money for not completing his bond. That’s because he has been unwell and could not continue to work,'” she recalls. Her team took on the case, prepared a defence highlighting the man’s medical condition, found that it was possible to raise a legal limitation defence, and ultimately secured a withdrawal of the lawsuit – without costs.

The true impact of this intervention only became apparent later. “A few days after withdrawal of the suit, the sister told me, ‘You know, my brother was going to jump. He was suicidal. He was jobless, ill, and on top of that, he had this court case. The case was his breaking point.”

This revelation profoundly affected Vivienne and her team. “It left an impression, not just on me, but on my team, because they saw the direct impact. It’s not just a monetary thing — it’s someone’s life.”

Such experiences reinforce her belief that pro bono work provides meaning to legal practice. “When I think back on practice, the cases that stand out for me are never the big cases where you make some great arguments and you win the case for a big corporation” she reflects. “They’re the smaller cases – the ones where you know you’ve made a real difference to someone’s life.”

A Practice Shaped by Personal Experience

Vivienne’s commitment to helping vulnerable individuals stems partly from her own life experiences. She candidly shares, “My first husband passed away and I was a single mum.”

During this challenging period, she found herself among a support group of young single mothers, many of whom were unwed or divorced and navigating various legal challenges.

“All of them were struggling in some form of other with legal issues, whether it is with maintenance, or access arrangements with their ex-husbands, or whether it involved unwed mothers trying to apply for HDB flats for their children and themselves,” she recalls.

Naturally, she became the go-to legal resource for the group. “Before I knew it, I realised that I became like a counsellor for the group,” she says. That experience underscored a key insight for her: the immense value of simply guiding people to the right resources.

“It’s not always about taking on a case, sometimes it’s just pointing them in the right direction – and that’s where a lot of the impact of pro bono work lies. It’s in helping people make sense of their situation, access the help that they need, when they need it the most,” she explains.

Championing Women in Leadership

As a female leader with significant responsibilities across multiple sectors, Vivienne is passionate about encouraging women to step into leadership roles. In addition to her legal work, she serves as Chairperson of the CHIJ Board of Management, overseeing the governance of 11 Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus schools, and as Vice-Chairperson of the Catholic Foundation Limited, which is the capacity building arm of the Catholic church in Singapore.

“Quite often, I see this in myself and in a lot of the women that I mentor and work with. It’s this sense of, ‘I can’t do it. I’m not sure I’m good enough or experienced enough or strong enough,’” she observes. By contrast, she notes that men often demonstrate greater confidence from the outset. “I’m generalising of course. But when I work with men, they’re ready yesterday. They’re ready to step up as soon as an opportunity arises.”

She believes women benefit from greater support from one another. “Women need a little bit more encouragement, more affirmation to get them to step up. And I think we need to do that for each other. We need to affirm. We need to tell women that it’s okay, you can do it, and you can also learn on the job.”

Her own experience confirms this approach. “Many times, I’ve stepped into roles feeling totally inadequate at first and realised, actually you do have what it takes. You do learn on the job, and you grow with the role.”

Balancing Family and Career

Managing multiple leadership positions while raising four children is no small feat, and Vivienne acknowledges that it is not something she has done alone. When asked how she manages it all, she is quick to credit the strength of her support network.

“It takes a village. It really takes a village,” she emphasises. “It would be wrong for me to say, ‘’Hey, I did it.’ When my parents were around, I had so much support from them. I’ve also got friends and relatives who help out. And I’ve got a very supportive husband who is amazing, totally hands-on, and just wonderful with the kids.”

At the same time, she believes that a positive mindset plays a critical role in overcoming internal barriers. “A large part of it is also leaning in and stepping up seriously,” she says, echoing the sentiment that women must be willing to embrace leadership opportunities even when they do not feel entirely ready.

Vision for Pro Bono SG’s Future

Looking ahead to her role as Deputy Chair of Pro Bono SG, Vivienne sees opportunities to strengthen Pro Bono SG’s impact through partnerships and awareness-building.

“What really excites me about Pro Bono SG and stepping up to this role is really being able to work closer with the team,” she says. “I see wonderful people in this organisation – they inspire me. I feel that it is such a privilege to be part of something so meaningful, and look forward to what we can achieve together.”

She identifies three key priorities for the future of Pro Bono SG:

1. Raising public awareness: “When I speak to non-lawyers, many haven’t heard of Pro Bono SG,” she notes. “There are also communities unaware of their rights. I think there’s a lot that needs to be done in increasing awareness.”
2. Expanding physical access: “Hopefully we can have more satellite offices so that people can have better physical access to justice. It’s about bringing help closer to the ground.”
3. Strengthening partnerships: “If there’s a keyword to go forward, it’s partnerships. “

Vivienne is particularly focused on building stronger relationships with smaller law firms and sole practitioners. “Smaller firm lawyers are very important in providing access to justice. They are the ones who are on the ground – who people in the community will turn to first.”

Vivienne sees Pro Bono SG as integral to the profession rather than a parallel system. “Pro bono work enriches our profession, but rather than each of us rendering pro bono help on an ad hoc basis, Pro Bono SG plugs existing gaps and ensures justice is accessible by those who need it the most.”

A Simple but Powerful Message

When asked to distil her advice for those considering pro bono work into one message, Vivienne offers a simple yet profound response:

“Don’t be afraid to give of yourself, because through the process, you gain so much more.”

This guiding philosophy — that service ultimately enriches the giver — has shaped her remarkable career across law, education, philanthropy, and community service.

As she steps into her role as Pro Bono SG’s first female Deputy Chair, Vivienne brings with her not just a wealth of experience, but a leadership style rooted in generosity, grounded in pragmatism, and driven by a deep, authentic commitment to those most in need.