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Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

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Full-Text Articles in Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Covid-19 And Investor-State Disputes: Have The Stars Aligned For Mediation?, Mark Mclaughlin Jan 2023

Covid-19 And Investor-State Disputes: Have The Stars Aligned For Mediation?, Mark Mclaughlin

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In response to the global pandemic, governments have compelled the production of ventilators, limited service provision to “essential” goods, suspended bills for electricity, gas and water, and implemented price and export controls. Regulatory measures have consciously inhibited economic activity and disrupted investment interests. Inevitably, foreign investors are among those adversely affected by measures directed towards the containment of COVID-19. Since the first bilateral investment treaty (“BIT”) was concluded in 1959, international investment agreements (“IIAs”) have served as derogations to the general international law principle that States have absolute discretion to restrict and regulate foreign investors within their territories.2 As such, …


International Commercial Mediation And Dispute Resolution Contracts, Nadja Alexander, Natasha Tunkel Dec 2022

International Commercial Mediation And Dispute Resolution Contracts, Nadja Alexander, Natasha Tunkel

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Every transaction has the potential to go wrong and international commercial contracts are not spared this plight. It is when an international commercial contract fails – irrespective of the reasons, that the impact of different legal and cultural backgrounds of the parties come to light. The obvious venue for commercial disputes to be decided is generally understood to be in court (litigation)2 or before an arbitral tribunal (arbitration)3. However, there are numerous other alternative dispute mechanisms4 available to parties that are less well known and also deserve consideration; not least because they offer parties methods of resolving the dispute between …


Book Review: Mediation Ethics: A Practitioner's Guide Edited By Omer Shapira Ed, Dorcas Quek Anderson Nov 2022

Book Review: Mediation Ethics: A Practitioner's Guide Edited By Omer Shapira Ed, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

A review of the book Mediation ethics: A practitioner's guide, edited by Omer Shapira. Mediation ethics have been consistently featured in mediation training courses and mediation ethical principles have also been encapsulated in mediation providers’ codes of conduct for mediators. However, mediation ethics have probably inspired fewer publications and academic discussions than the popular topic of mediation skills. It is thus timely that Shapira has edited this publication focusing on mediation ethics. Published in 2021, this collection of reflections on mediation ethics has been written primarily for the American mediation profession, with frequent references made to the US Model Standards …


Non-Satisfaction Of Pre-Arbitration Requirements: Moving Away From Conditions Precedent Towards The Admissibility Of A Claim – Nwa V Nvf, Darius Chan, Joel Soon Oct 2022

Non-Satisfaction Of Pre-Arbitration Requirements: Moving Away From Conditions Precedent Towards The Admissibility Of A Claim – Nwa V Nvf, Darius Chan, Joel Soon

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In earlier cases, the non-satisfaction of pre-arbitration requirements has been analysed by the Singapore and English courts by reference to the issue of conditions precedent. It was assumed without argument that, if a requirement was construed as a condition precedent, the failure to satisfy that requirement would deprive the tribunal of jurisdiction. More recently, English and Hong Kong case law has focused on a different issue, asking whether the failure to meet the pre-arbitration requirement affects the tribunal’s jurisdiction or the admissibility of the claim. This case note analyses whether the Singapore courts should follow suit.


Counting The Cost Of Enlarging The Role Of Adr In Civil Justice, Dorcas Quek Anderson Jul 2022

Counting The Cost Of Enlarging The Role Of Adr In Civil Justice, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Access to civil justice in many countries has been plagued by the common challenges of the high cost of litigation, inequality in parties’ financial resources, differing risk appetites and limited judicial resources. Singapore, a common law jurisdiction, recently implemented radical changes to its civil justice regime with effect from 1 April 2022 in order to ensure affordability and timeliness of the civil justice process. As in the United Kingdom, these civil justice reforms are premised on the proportionality principle: they seek to achieve procedure that is proportionate to the claim value and the means of the parties, without unduly compromising …


To Negotiate, Mediate Or Litigate? Examining The Durability Of Divorce Outcomes In The Singapore Family Courts, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Eunice Chua, Yilin Ning Jul 2022

To Negotiate, Mediate Or Litigate? Examining The Durability Of Divorce Outcomes In The Singapore Family Courts, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Eunice Chua, Yilin Ning

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

For many years, the courts have been grappling with the paradox of marriages—the most intimate of relationships—being dissolved in the courts that represent a public and adversarial setting. Despite the growth of divorce interventions, the perennial struggle remains in many courts on how to reduce the intense acrimony of divorce litigation. The question remains on the scope of “mainstream” interventions to be offered by the courts to divorce litigants. The current study therefore explores the use of court-connected negotiation, mediation, and litigation in the Singapore Family Justice Courts. It uses a statistical method of survival analysis to produce insights on …


The Road Goes Ever On: Diplomatic Service In Relation To Award Enforcement Proceedings Against Foreign States, Darius Chan, Louis Lau Jun 2022

The Road Goes Ever On: Diplomatic Service In Relation To Award Enforcement Proceedings Against Foreign States, Darius Chan, Louis Lau

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The seemingly straightforward question of what and how a foreign state should be served when an award creditor seeks to enforce an arbitral award against the state has provoked differing views. On one hand, comity requires foreign states to be given notice of proceedings by a formal and predictable method through diplomatic processes. On the other hand, the potential for abuse by states, and practical difficulties of effecting diplomatic service, may exist in certain circumstances. This issue is of practical importance given the rise in cross-border investment with the Belt & Road Initiative and international investment instruments. This case note …


Empowering The Courts To Order The Use Of Amicable Dispute Resolution: The Singapore Rules Of Court 2021, Dorcas Quek Anderson Jun 2022

Empowering The Courts To Order The Use Of Amicable Dispute Resolution: The Singapore Rules Of Court 2021, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The civil justice regime in Singapore entered a new phase of radical reforms with effect from 1 April 2022. The reforms have substantially expanded the role of amicable dispute resolution (ADR). Parties have a duty to consider ADR prior to and during civil proceedings. More significantly, the courts have been empowered to order parties to attempt ADR, taking into account the ideals of the Rules of Court and all relevant circumstances. This note analyses the key reforms relating to the use of ADR with reference to comparable English developments. It discusses the broad yet ambivalent scope of ADR that could …


Hearing, Darius Chan, Gerome Goh Apr 2022

Hearing, Darius Chan, Gerome Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In certain international commercial arbitrations, for instance, in expedited proceedings under the auspices of various institutional rules, the tribunal may decide the dispute based on documentary evidence only. However, in most cases, hearings are generally conducted for the tribunal to hear examination of any factual or expert witness and/or for oral argument. It is not uncommon for there to be multiple hearings in a single arbitration, with each hearing focusing on specific procedural or substantive issues. The hearing is therefore a forum for the parties to adduce evidence and/or put forward their legal views in direct confrontation with each other. …


Burdening Assignees With Arbitration Agreements Via ‘Conditional Benefits’, Chee Ho Tham Apr 2022

Burdening Assignees With Arbitration Agreements Via ‘Conditional Benefits’, Chee Ho Tham

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this article, the author compares two concepts that seek to explain why an assignee of a chose in action may be burdened by an arbitration agreement to which it is not privy. He posits that, of the “conditional benefits” concept and the “subject to equities” principle, the latter provides the better explanation.


Online Falsehoods, Constitutional Free Speech And Its Limits: The Online Citizen V The Attorney-General, Gary K. Y. Chan Mar 2022

Online Falsehoods, Constitutional Free Speech And Its Limits: The Online Citizen V The Attorney-General, Gary K. Y. Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Singapore Court of Appeal has for the first time in The Online Citizen v The Attorney-General (8 October 2021) adjudicated on the constitutionality of correction directions issued by Ministers against allegedly false statements of fact under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019. An overarching framework was utilised to assess whether the Ministerial directions restrict free speech under Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution; if so, whether the restrictions are justifiable under the Constitution and whether there is a rational nexus between the statutory aims and enumerated exceptions. This case comment also examines the constitutional stance towards subject …


A Requirement, A Factor, Or A Figure Of Speech? Role Of Prejudice When Challenging Awards Under The Model Law, Darius Chan, Zhi Jia Koh Mar 2022

A Requirement, A Factor, Or A Figure Of Speech? Role Of Prejudice When Challenging Awards Under The Model Law, Darius Chan, Zhi Jia Koh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Both parties and courts routinely invoke the term ‘prejudice’ in applications to set aside an arbitral award or refuse its enforcement. This suggests that the use of the term is more than just a figure of speech. It is generally understood that prejudice, in the sense of impact or effect on the outcome of the arbitration, is relevant for procedural challenges but not jurisdictional challenges. However, questions remain as to whether prejudice is legally relevant for challenges that are neither strictly procedural or jurisdictional in nature, whether prejudice is relevant as a factor for consideration or as a legal requirement …


Re-Formulating The Test For Ascertaining The Proper Law Of An Arbitration Agreement: A Comparative Common Law Analysis, Darius Chan, Jim Yang Teo Jan 2022

Re-Formulating The Test For Ascertaining The Proper Law Of An Arbitration Agreement: A Comparative Common Law Analysis, Darius Chan, Jim Yang Teo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Following two recent decisions from the apex courts in England and Singapore on the appropriate methodology to ascertain the proper law of an arbitration agreement, the positions in these two leading arbitration destinations have now converged in some respects. But other issues of conceptual and practical significance have not been fully addressed, including the extent to which the true nature of the inquiry into whether the parties had made a choice of law is in substance an exercise in contractual interpretation, the applicability of a validation principle, and the extent to which the choice of a neutral seat may affect …


The Importance Of Ethics In The Practice Of Mediation, Dorcas Quek Anderson Dec 2021

The Importance Of Ethics In The Practice Of Mediation, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

What is the predominant function of ethics for the mediation profession in Singapore? Do ethical principles assume greater significance in light of increasing institutionalisation of mediation programmes in Singapore? What can mediators, mediation advocates and mediation institutions do to ensure consistent adherence to ethical standards? These and other related issues were discussed in a webinar organised by the Singapore Academy of Law in May 2021 featuring Lim Tat, Chuan Wee Meng and this author as panellists, together with See Chern Yang as moderator. This article highlights the notable discussion points of the webinar, including the significance of mediation ethics, common …


Investor-State Mediation And The Belt And Road Initiative: Examining The Conditions For Settlement, Mark Mclaughlin Oct 2021

Investor-State Mediation And The Belt And Road Initiative: Examining The Conditions For Settlement, Mark Mclaughlin

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Despite the dominance of arbitration in the realm of investor-state disputes, the variety of proposals for reform suggest considerable stakeholder discontent with the current framework. One suggested reform is the introduction of investor–state mediation, which has been supported by the conclusion of the Singapore Convention on Mediation and the proposal by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of a set of mediation rules. This article examines the respective merits of arbitration and mediation to settle investment disputes related to the Belt and Road Initiative. Many of the principles underpinning the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative …


Proper Characterisation Of The Parol Evidence Rule And Its Applicability In International Arbitration, Darius Chan, Yi Hang Louis Lau Sep 2021

Proper Characterisation Of The Parol Evidence Rule And Its Applicability In International Arbitration, Darius Chan, Yi Hang Louis Lau

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Most arbitral statutes and institutional rules give great latitude to tribunals on the admissibility of evidence, and do not mandate application of domestic rules of evidence. In common law jurisdictions where the parol evidence rule applies, the issue that arises is whether the parol evidence rule is necessarily a procedural rule of evidence which tribunals are not bound to apply, especially in jurisdictions which have codified the rule under domestic evidence legislation. Notwithstanding any codification, this article argues that the parol evidence rule at common law is a substantive rule of contractual interpretation that should be applied as part of …


To Stay Or Not To Stay? A Clash Of Arbitration And Insolvency Regimes, Darius Chan, Sidharrth B Rajagopal Aug 2021

To Stay Or Not To Stay? A Clash Of Arbitration And Insolvency Regimes, Darius Chan, Sidharrth B Rajagopal

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In the wake of the global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a rise in creditorinitiated winding-up proceedings is likely to be impending in coming years (See e.g., RCMA Asia Pte. Ltd. v. Sun Electric Power Pte. Ltd. [2020] SGHC 205). At the same time, geopolitical developments, such as the scale and ambition of Belt & Road Initiative projects, have raised questions over the issue of debt sustainability. Given the prevalence of arbitration clauses in modern international commercial and project agreements, the interplay and relationship between insolvency and dispute resolution, and especially arbitration, requires careful attention. While the intersections between the …


Mediation Ethics: From Theory To Practice, Field, Rachael And Crowe, Jonathan. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020, Dorcas Quek Anderson Jul 2021

Mediation Ethics: From Theory To Practice, Field, Rachael And Crowe, Jonathan. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

For too long within the mediation field, there has been confusion on how the foundational principles of mediator neutrality, impartiality, and self-determination work together to bring about a fair outcome. There has been a corresponding lack of clarity on what the mediator does to ensure that these principles are collectively fulfilled through a consensual settlement. Astor (2007), who has written extensively on mediator neutrality, has described the mediator's role as maximizing party control. However, Astor also comments that making decisions aimed at maximizing party control is not simple and highly dependent on the context. The mediator has to intervene in …


Arbitration By Ssos As A Preferred Solution For Solving The Frand Licensing Of Seps?, Kung-Chung Liu Jun 2021

Arbitration By Ssos As A Preferred Solution For Solving The Frand Licensing Of Seps?, Kung-Chung Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In the last decade, the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms has been a thorny issue for SEP holders in the US and Europe on the one hand, and major SEP implementers in major Asian economies on the other, such as Japan, Korea, the PRC, Taiwan and even India. With the rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, driverless vehicles, and artificial intelligence (AI), which relies even more on interconnectivity, more and more new standards and SEPs will emerge, and the issue of FRAND licensing of …


Investor-State Mediation: How The Landscape Is Changing [Sidra Survey], Nadja Alexander Apr 2021

Investor-State Mediation: How The Landscape Is Changing [Sidra Survey], Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Slowly but surely the dispute resolution landscape is shifting for investment related disputes. More than half the respondents to the International Dispute Resolution Survey published by the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA) last year indicated that they have been involved in an investor-state dispute between 2016 and 2018. And, it is of course no surprise the majority of survey respondents indicated that institutional arbitration was the mechanism of choice to resolve investor-state disputes.


Digital Readiness Index For Arbitration Institutions: Challenges And Implications For Dispute Resolution Under The Belt And Road Initiative, Allison Goh Apr 2021

Digital Readiness Index For Arbitration Institutions: Challenges And Implications For Dispute Resolution Under The Belt And Road Initiative, Allison Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Post-COVID-19, a paradigm shift has occurred in the adoption of technology in arbitration. Leading arbitral institutions have adapted quickly, highlighting the foresight of institutions who have existing technological infrastructure in place. This article proposes a ‘Digital Readiness Index’, which aims to evaluate arbitral institutions on their level of digital readiness based on five evaluative indicators. Cross referenced against Institute for Management Development (IMD’s) 2019 World Digital Competitiveness Rankings, the findings reveal synergies between an economy’s digital competitiveness and the adoption of technology in dispute resolution. To further the development of dispute resolution processes under the Belt and Road Initiative, strategic …


The Emergence Of Mediation Law In Asia: A Tale Of Two Cities, Nadja M. Alexander Apr 2021

The Emergence Of Mediation Law In Asia: A Tale Of Two Cities, Nadja M. Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Contemporary mediation systems are emerging throughout Asia. In 2019, 16 jurisdictions from Asia and the Pacific region signed the UN Convention on International Mediation Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the Singapore Convention). Asian signatories include its three largest economies, five ASEAN countries and seven members of the RCEP.

Why is this important? In a strict legal sense, the Singapore Convention is an instrument to facilitate the enforcement of international mediated settlement agreements (iMSAs), however its broader objective is to facilitate cross-border trade and investment as is reflected in its Preamble.

The Singapore Convention promises to leave a significant impact on …


Choice Of Law Governing A Contract Where Its Existence Is In Dispute: Clarifications From The Singapore International Commercial Court In Lew, Solomon V Kaikhushru Shiavax Nargolwala, Shou Yu Chong Mar 2021

Choice Of Law Governing A Contract Where Its Existence Is In Dispute: Clarifications From The Singapore International Commercial Court In Lew, Solomon V Kaikhushru Shiavax Nargolwala, Shou Yu Chong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Singapore International Commercial Court’s judgment in Lew, Solomon v Kaikhushru Shiavax Nargolwala [2020] 3 SLR 61 is noteworthy as it heralds a modest development in Singapore private international law, especially in respect to the not uncommon issue of disputes over cross-border contracts where its existence is challenged. This case represents one of the handful of Singapore precedents which directly addresses the difficult conundrum where both the governing law and the existence of the underlying contract are in dispute. Under this context, it articulates a default choice of law position – the lex fori – where it is impossible to …


What’S Happening In International Mediation In 2021? [Sidra Survey], Nadja Alexander, Samantha Clare Man Xin Goh, Ryce Lee Mar 2021

What’S Happening In International Mediation In 2021? [Sidra Survey], Nadja Alexander, Samantha Clare Man Xin Goh, Ryce Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (“SIDRA”) issued the global International Dispute Resolution Survey: 2020 Final Report (the “SIDRA Survey”) on 3 July 2020, which studied the preferences, experiences, and perspectives of legal users (lawyers and legal advisers) and client users (corporate executives and in-house counsel) with regard to, among other mechanisms, international commercial mediation. Previous blogs have commented on the Survey findings. The SIDRA Survey was followed by a qualitative study conducted between November to December 2020, consisting of in-depth interviews held with 18 Legal Users and Client Users from 11 countries (“SIDRA Interviews”). This post focuses on some …


Recommendations To Develop International Commercial Mediation In Singapore, Nadja Alexander Feb 2021

Recommendations To Develop International Commercial Mediation In Singapore, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this post on the Kluwer Mediation Blog, the recommendations of a Working Group established in April 2013 by Singapore’s Chief Justice and the Ministry of Law to transform and develop its international commercial mediation sector are presented.


Evolution Of International Investment Agreements In Africa: Features And Challenges Of Investment Law “Africanization”, Makane Moïse Mbengue, Stefanie Schacherer Jan 2021

Evolution Of International Investment Agreements In Africa: Features And Challenges Of Investment Law “Africanization”, Makane Moïse Mbengue, Stefanie Schacherer

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

African States, African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and the African Union have adopted a number of new investment instruments in recent years. Many of these instruments are highly innovative and mark a clear departure from old European-styled IIAs. The Africanization of international investment law or, in other words, the prise en main of African States and organizations to design the regulation of international investment according to their policy and development priorities has become an evident contemporary phenomenon. At the same time, the most innovative approaches can be found in intra-African IIAs, i.e., in IIAs concluded between two or more African …


Seven Keys To Unlock Mediation’S Golden Age: The Introduction, Nadja Alexander, Lela P. Love Dec 2020

Seven Keys To Unlock Mediation’S Golden Age: The Introduction, Nadja Alexander, Lela P. Love

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Mediate.com has published a series of peer reviewed articles under the collective title Seven Keys to Unlock Mediation’s Golden Age. The objective of the Seven Keys is to encourage discussion among all stakeholders on navigating mediation’s best future. The seven keys are: Leadership, Data, Education, Profession, Technology, Government and Usage. Each key has between two and four articles, each no more than 1,200 words in length, contributed by some 40 leading authors around the world. Professors Nadja Alexander and Lela P. Love introduce the series with “Imagine.” The Seven Keys articles portray a variety of images and understandings of mediation. …


Mediating Consumer Financial Disputes: Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre's Unique House Style, Eunice Chua, Beverly Wee Dec 2020

Mediating Consumer Financial Disputes: Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre's Unique House Style, Eunice Chua, Beverly Wee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (“FIDReC”) was established in August 2005 with the purpose of providing a low-cost avenue for consumers to resolve their disputes with financial institutions. This article seeks to outline the role of FIDReC and its processes and, at the same time, seeks to define the house style of mediation that has served FIDReC well over the years. This article also highlights some of the different techniques adopted by FIDReC mediators in the course of facilitating the mediation.


Mediation And Appropriate Dispute Resolution, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong Dec 2020

Mediation And Appropriate Dispute Resolution, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

2019 was a significant year for mediation. On 7 August 2019, 46 states – an unprecedented number – came together in Singapore to sign the United Nations Convention on International Mediated Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (“Singapore Convention”). The Convention, which comes into force on 12 September 2020, provides a legal framework for the recognition and enforcement of mediated settlement agreements across borders and thereby addresses one of the major criticisms of international mediation, namely, the lack of an internationally recognised expedited enforcement mechanism. The Singapore Convention aims to be for mediation what the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement …


The Singapore Convention On Mediation And The New York Convention On Arbitration: Comparing Enforcement Mechanisms And Drawing Lessons For Asia, Eunice Chua Nov 2020

The Singapore Convention On Mediation And The New York Convention On Arbitration: Comparing Enforcement Mechanisms And Drawing Lessons For Asia, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article considers the enforcement mechanism for international mediated settlement agreements proposed by the Singapore Convention on Mediation and critically examines this mode of enforcement as against enforcement as an arbitral award in Asia, including through a hybrid process like Arb-Med-Arb. Similarities and differences between the New York Convention and the Singapore Convention on Mediation will be discussed and used to consider how Asian jurisdictions may respond to the Singapore Convention on Mediation and what lessons may be learnt from the arbitration context.