[SMULA Masterclass] Getting the Best Outcome for Your Client in Mediation

Associate Professor Dorcas Quek Anderson

SMU Yong Pung How School of Law

SYNOPSIS

The practical importance of mediation for all legal professionals is abundantly clear. Indeed, mediation as a consensual dispute resolution process has been firmly embedded in Singapore’s legal landscape. As Chief Justice Menon remarked, mediation should no longer be viewed as an alternative to litigation, but as "a particularly appropriate means of resolving many kinds of disputes” (address at Negotiation and Conflict Management Group ADR Conference on Technology and the Changing Face of Justice on 14 November 2019). Order 5 Rule 1 of the Rules of Court 2021 has reiterated the centrality of mediation by imposing a duty on parties to consider the amicable dispute resolution of the dispute before and during legal proceedings. Evidently, the competent lawyer has to be skilled in a range of dispute resolution processes, including mediation, so as to advance the client’s interests in different settings.

This interactive seminar seeks to equip lawyers with basic skills to effectively advocate their client’s interests within the mediation process. Drawing from the latest dispute resolution research and the instructor’s experience as a mediator, the seminar will provide participants the opportunity to practise mediation advocacy skills through interactive exercises. The following concepts will be covered in the seminar: 
 

(a)	Best practices in preparing the case and your client for mediation;
(b)	Enlisting the assistance of the mediator in advancing your client’s interests; and
(c)	Negotiating effectively within the mediation process.

It is preferable, but not mandatory, for participants to have prior exposure to negotiation, mediation or conflict management courses. 

The SMU Law Academy Expert Masterclasses are advanced skills and case-study based programmes where participants will learn from the industry’s top experts in a specific area of practical importance. Typically taught in a face-to-face format, such sessions will help participants to acquire practical in-depth knowhow to aid their development. All the masterclass instructors are specially curated and are recognised as experts in their areas.
 

SPEAKER

Dorcas is an Associate Professor of Law in the Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of Law. She is also a mediator with Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), SMC, Asian Development Bank and the Office of the Ombudsman for UN Funds and Programmes. Dorcas has more than a decade of experience as a mediator and in dispute resolution research. Prior to joining academia in 2016, Dorcas was a District Judge in the State Courts, where she conducted mediation and early neutral evaluation for hundreds of civil and criminal cases and published extensively concerning dispute resolution. She was earlier an Assistant Registrar in the Supreme Court and concurrently Assistant Director of the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC). Dorcas has been teaching negotiation in SMU for more than 5 years. She has been awarded the School of Law’s Most Promising Teacher Award in 2017 and the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award in 2020 to 2022, as well as been nominated for SMU’s Most Promising Teacher (2018 and 2019) and Most Innovative Teacher (2021). Dorcas has also conducted negotiation and mediation training for SIMC, SMC and the Attorney-General’s Chambers. Dorcas’ research on dispute resolution draws inspiration from and seeks to inform dispute resolution practice. Her research has been published in leading journals including Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution and Civil Justice Quarterly. Dorcas is currently exploring the impact of communication modes on negotiation in a three-year research project supported by an Academic Research (Tier 2) Grant awarded by the Ministry of Education.
 

FEES

a. Early Bird Price (registration by 20 September 2023)
Registration fee of S$218.70* (inclusive of GST) applies.

b. Regular Price (registration after 20 September 2023)
Registration fee of S$243* (inclusive of GST) applies.

*Please note that there will be no refund of any fees should the participant cancel the registration/ fail to attend the event. However, registration is transferable. Notice of any change in participant should be sent to the Academy via email: smulawacademy [at] smu.edu.sg, by 27 September 2023.

SMU Law Academy reserves the right to cancel or postpone any event. In such case, we will arrange for the refund of fees paid.

SMU Law Academy has an established track record of providing the legal profession with high quality seminars and other opportunities to remain fully informed about contemporary legal developments in Singapore and beyond. Its carefully curated listing of seminars is developed with the profession’s multi-faceted needs in mind and meets the requirements of the CPD scheme. The Academy also administers the Auditing Scheme which enables members of the legal profession to consolidate and upgrade their understanding of the law by auditing courses in the School’s LL.B., J.D. and LL.M. programmes. For an overview of upcoming SMU Law Academy events, please click here.

This programme is an Accredited CPD Activity under the SILE’s CPD Scheme. Participants who wish to obtain CPD Points are reminded that they must comply strictly with the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. For this activity, this includes signing in on arrival and signing out at the conclusion of the activity in the manner required by the organiser, and not being absent from the entire activity for more than 15 minutes. Participants who do not comply with the Attendance Policy will not be able to obtain CPD Points for attending the activity. Please refer to http://www.silecpdcentre.sg for more information.

To subscribe/ unsubscribe from The SMU Law Academy mailing list, please click here.