Singapore International Arbitration ACT: A Commentary

Over the past couple of decades Singapore has successfully established itself as one of the major centres for international dispute resolution. The Singapore International Arbitration Act (SIAA), originally enacted in 1994 to give effect to the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, has been revised and amended four times over its lifetime, further strengthening Singapore’s position as a hub for international arbitration.

Following the latest amendments in 2020, this book presents the first in-depth, section-by-section commentary of the SIAA, written by Singapore-qualified arbitration practitioners and with a strong coverage of the significant corpus of Singapore arbitration jurisprudence that has been developed by the Singapore Courts over the last decade or so. It provides up-to-date analysis of each section of the Act and relevant provisions of the UNCITRAL Model Law.

While Singapore case law and the approach taken by the Singapore Courts is the main focus, the authors also adopt a comparative and international lens on critical issues where the law remains in a state of progressive development. This commentary will be an indispensable resource for practitioners, students, and academics on the law and practice of arbitration in Singapore and other Model Law jurisdictions.

Nelson Goh, Partner, Pallas Partners LLP, Jonathan Lim, Counsel, Wilmerhale, Paul Tan, Partner, Cavenagh Law LLP

Nelson Goh is a partner at Pallas Partners LLP, an elite dispute resolution firm with offices in London and New York. He holds an LL.B. from the National University of Singapore and LL.M.s from New York University and the University of Cambridge (First Class Hons), where he was a Cambridge Trust Scholar. Nelson has been involved in arbitrations administered by all leading institutions and ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules. He has published on international arbitration and public international law in leading academic journals and is qualified to practice in England & Wales and Singapore.

Jonathan Lim is an experienced arbitration practitioner based in London and Singapore. He has represented companies and governments in over 25 ’bet-the-company’ commercial and investment treaty arbitration disputes in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. He has also been appointed as arbitrator in cases arising under the DIS, SIAC, and UNCITRAL Rules. Jonathan Lim has advised international organizations and governments on public international law issues and assisted with the drafting of legislation. He is a visiting senior fellow at the National University of Singapore, where he lectures on arbitration, and Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Forum for International Arbitration.

Paul Tan is a partner of Cavenagh Law LLP, and heads the firm’s formal law alliance litigation practice in Southeast Asia. He is globally recognised by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal as a lead advocate in international arbitrations (including treaty-based arbitrations) and arbitration-related litigation. He is also the co-chair of the Thought Leadership Committee of the ICC Singapore, a member of Young SIAC, and co-lead of the Swiss Arbitration Association in Southeast Asia. Paul holds first class degrees from the National University of Singapore and the University of Oxford.