Insights

The ASEAN-Japan Centre, Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), and Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) are pleased to release Addressing the Dispute Resolution Challenges of Japanese Companies Doing Business in ASEAN.

As a young lawyer, Allen Choong, a partner practising with Allen & Gledhill and SIMC Specialist Mediator, had a poor experience with mediation. This led him to believe that mediation would never be a viable dispute resolution option. Thankfully, this misperception has dissolved with time and experience.

Gregory Vijayendran SC, a disputes partner practising with Rajah and Tann LLP and SIMC Specialist Mediator, suggests that lawyers are in a favourable position to help their clients resolve, remove and recover from hurts arising from disputes.

At a capacity building workshop on 25 March 2022, SIMC Board Member Prof Lawrence Boo and Mr Kirindeep Singh, Senior Partner and Co-Head of Construction and Infrastructure practice at Dentons Rodyk, were invited to share best practices on effective dispute resolution for PPP infrastructure projects.

Reflecting on 30 years of practice, Francis Goh, Partner at Harry Elias Partnership LLP and SIMC Specialist Mediator, calls us to rethink what it means to win. Now more than ever, protecting what we truly value has never been more relevant.

Mr Lok Vi Ming SC, Managing Director of LVM Law Chambers LLC and Deputy Chairman of SIMC, suggests that with the increasing complexity of cases, mediation has become increasingly popular. Disputants know they don’t have to go to court for a result - they can find finality and satisfaction in a successful negotiated settlement facilitated by a neutral, a mediator.

SIMC Specialist Mediator and WhiteFern Managing Director K. Anparasan runs a niche practice dealing with reinsurance-insurance disputes in commercial matters. Over the years, mediation in insurance disputes has gone up. “It has gained traction,” says Anpa. “Most insurers and reinsurers have realized the savings, not just in terms of time and costs, but it also saves commercial relations.”

SIMC Specialist Mediator and TKQP Joint Managing Partner Marina Chin SC admits to being “uncompromising” as a litigator. But over the years, as she becomes more involved in mediation, “understanding other people's views, other perspectives is actually important,” she says, and all the more so as mediator.

SIMC Specialist Mediator and Clyde & Co Partner Eugene Tan discusses the potential of mediation for construction disputes.

On 1 November 2021, SIMC kicked off the Seoul ADR Festival (organised by KCAB) with a special webinar entitled “The New K-Wave: Evolution in Mediation Practice and Processes”.If you’re wondering what is the intersection between the Korean Wave, Squid Game, and international mediation, read on…