[16 April 2009]
SMU establishes new Centre for Dispute Resolution

New centre at the School of Law – through research, teaching, outreach – will help anchor Singapore as the centre for dispute resolution in Asia, particularly in arbitration and mediation.

Singapore, 16 April 2009 (Thursday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) announced today the establishment of a new Centre for Dispute Resolution at its School of Law. The Centre will bring together top research calibre and teaching capabilities within SMU from mainstream fields of dispute resolution in commercial transactions such as arbitration, mediation and negotiation to new, emerging areas such as WTO dispute settlement, international peace negotiations, Islamic arbitration, cross-border disputes between nations and civilian conflict management.

Aligned with the national movement towards a less litigious society where alternative forms of dispute resolution become viable channels in achieving win-win outcomes outside of the courtroom, the new Centre will play key roles in teaching, research and outreach, complementing existing institutions in championing dispute resolution. It will be a focal point for the convergence of cross-disciplinary research in areas common to dispute resolution. Faculty from across the six schools of SMU will be able to take advantage of a common platform to present, discuss and collaborate on research areas as diverse as commercial arbitration and mediation; WTO negotiations and free trade agreements; diversity, ethnicity and conflict management; Islamic arbitration; business negotiation; ethics in negotiation; and the psychology behind dispute resolution. The Centre aims to host major conferences in Asia, organise roundtable discussions and contribute to top research publications and journals. The Centre will also become a platform for long term collaborative research on dispute resolution in Asia, through its website and using wiki-technology.

To be an effective vehicle for outreach, the Centre will build close working relations with agencies and industry bodies such as the Maxwell Chambers, the Singapore Mediation Centre, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. Outreach plans in the pipeline include guest lectures, seminars, workshops and practitioner training developed as part of continuing legal education in partnership with relevant professional bodies and overseas universities known for their repertoire in dispute resolution. Online dispute resolution is another important area the Centre will explore with industry partners.

SMU offers a range of well-established undergraduate and MBA courses and electives in the field of dispute resolution such as ‘Negotiation', ‘Conflict Resolution', ‘Negotiation & Mediation for Lawyers', ‘Arbitration and Dispute Resolution', ‘International Commercial Arbitration', ‘WTO Law', ‘Trade and Business Dispute Resolution', ‘Negotiation Skills for Business' and ‘Business Negotiation and Conflict Management'. The Centre is looking into promoting greater cross-disciplinary teaching such as developing a university-wide track in dispute resolution. It is also planning to pilot a series of practical clinics where students can be attached to agencies such as the Singapore Mediation Centre, United Nations and World Trade Organization for internships and work alongside professional mediators and arbitrators. The objective is to expose university students at an early age to the skills of dispute resolution, generate interest and prepare them for a future career in this profession.

The Centre will be headed by Practice Associate Professor Ian Macduff from the School of Law at SMU. Professor Macduff is a professional mediator and negotiator, with over 25 years of experience in this field. He has practised, researched and written extensively in negotiation and cross-cultural conflict resolution, being actively involved in training and capacity building in a number of countries.

Said Professor Michael Furmston, Dean, School of Law at SMU: “With its sound legal infrastructure and well-developed institutions in mediation and arbitration, Singapore has gained a strong reputation as the preferred forum for dispute resolution in the region. Skills of negotiation and dispute resolution in commercial transactions are therefore in demand. The new Centre will help equip graduates of SMU with this essential skills-set for the business world.”

Said Practice Associate Professor Ian Macduff, Director of the Centre for Dispute Resolution at SMU: “For many years now, as businesses become more sophisticated and the region sees an increase in commercial activity, demand for dispute resolution talent and mechanisms will see a corresponding rise. The role of this new Centre is to grow thought leadership in dispute resolution through teaching, research and outreach. SMU students will gain exposure to valuable skills in this profession through mentorship with professional arbitrators and mediators.”

Please refer to Annex for a background on dispute resolution in Singapore.

About the School of Law at SMU

The School of Law was established at SMU in 2007 as Singapore 's second law school, welcoming its pioneer batch of students in August 2007. For the first time in Singapore legal education, a new contextualised teaching of law has been introduced to produce lawyers ready for corporate and commercial practice. SMU leverages its existing strengths in business and finance, and extends the unique SMU brand of education which serves a select, smaller cohort of students to the School of Law. The objective of the different law curriculum is to develop law graduates who have a broad-based understanding of the real world, practice-relevant legal knowledge and expertise and the ability to think across disciplines and geographical borders. The School of Law offers a four-year single law degree (LLB) and a five-year double degree programme. It currently has a total enrolment of 245 undergraduates. The first batch of SMU law students will graduate in 2011.