Karen Lee Foong Voon
About Karen Lee Foong Voon
Karen Lee Foong Voon appears as counsel of record in 5 reported Malaysia judgments (2025). These were heard before MYHC (3) and MYFC (2).
On the court record
Karen Lee Foong Voon's reported practice pairs land-acquisition compensation work with arbitration and commercial litigation, and it reaches the Federal Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court.
A distinct strand is compensation on compulsory acquisition. In a land reference concerning Sistem Lingkaran Lebuhraya Kajang Sdn Bhd she acted for the applicant on whether compensation should be assessed on the basis that the land had, or had not, been surrendered — a point on which the Federal Court had held the land was not surrendered, sending the matter back to the High Court to fix the amount of compensation under the Land Acquisition Act 1960. She also appeared for the appellant in the related Federal Court proceedings, which turned on compliance with Part Twelve of the National Land Code on the surrender of land and its effect on the assessment of compensation.
Her arbitration work includes a Federal Court appeal concerning Universiti Malaya, where she acted for the appellant on a stay of court proceedings in favour of arbitration under section 10 of the Arbitration Act 2005. The issues included whether a party had taken "other steps" in the proceedings amounting to a waiver of the right to arbitrate, the significance of an express reservation, and the holistic approach to deciding whether an unequivocal intention to abandon arbitration had been shown.
She also acts in substantial commercial disputes: appearing for a plaintiff, Hadrons Consulting Sdn Bhd, in consolidated suits tried together on the veracity of contractual payments under a written agreement, where after a full trial the court entered judgment in one suit and dismissed the related suit, and appearing for a defendant in the same group of proceedings. The practice is land, arbitration and commercial litigation, much of it argued at the appellate and apex level where the questions are ones of law rather than fresh findings of fact.
How many cases has Karen Lee Foong Voon appeared in?
Karen Lee Foong Voon appears as counsel of record in 5 reported Malaysia judgments (2025).
Which courts does Karen Lee Foong Voon appear in?
Karen Lee Foong Voon appears before MYHC (3) and MYFC (2).
What are Karen Lee Foong Voon's main areas in these decisions?
Land-acquisition compensation, arbitration and commercial litigation. Her matters include land references concerning Sistem Lingkaran Lebuhraya Kajang Sdn Bhd, a Federal Court arbitration-stay appeal concerning Universiti Malaya, and consolidated commercial suits involving Hadrons Consulting Sdn Bhd.
What was in issue in the arbitration-stay appeal?
Acting for the appellant in a Federal Court matter concerning Universiti Malaya, the question was whether court proceedings should be stayed in favour of arbitration under section 10 of the Arbitration Act 2005 — in particular whether a party had taken other steps in the proceedings amounting to a waiver, and whether an express reservation preserved the right to arbitrate.
How is compensation assessed in the land-reference matters?
Under the Land Acquisition Act 1960. In the reference concerning Sistem Lingkaran Lebuhraya Kajang Sdn Bhd the dispute was whether compensation should be assessed on the footing that the land had or had not been surrendered; the Federal Court held it had not been surrendered, and the matter returned to the High Court to determine the amount.