ADR Competitions

AMICABLE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (ADR) COMPETITIONS


SMU law students have the opportunity to learn about Amicable Dispute Resolution (ADR) through a wide range of electives offered by the curriculum. Students have also further honed their negotiation and mediation skills by participating in several international ADR competitions under the guidance of faculty and professional mediators.

Learn more about the competitions SMU has taken part in in the links below:


Advocate Maximus Competition

The first of its kind, the Advocate Maximus competition was started in 2018 and features both a mediation and an arbitration component. Organised by PACT, the competition aims to provide a global platform for law students to practice mixing dispute resolution modes and is held in India.


ALSA International Mediation Competition

The ALSA International Mediation Competition (AIMC) is a means to promote, incite and disseminate the use of mediation among younger generations of professionals with a mind-set of effectively resolving disputes. The AIMC enables students with different backgrounds and academic training to have the opportunity to enhance their mediation skills in an international setting, and encourage the effective use of mediation and an open exchange of ideas, experience and know-how between students from different countries, cultures, generations and backgrounds. The focus of AIMC is to effectively combine the use of the Mediator and collaborative problem-solving skills to successfully present the Parties’ interests and progress towards resolution. ALSA wishes to empower tomorrow’s business people and legal practitioners to better meet the dispute resolution needs of an increasingly cross-cultural and global market.  The Competition consists of two Preliminary Rounds and one Quarter Final Rounds and one Semi Final Round and one Final Round. Participants will also have to prepare a Mediation Plan. 


APIIT Law School International Negotiation Competition

The APIIT Law School International Negotiation Competition (ALSINC) is Sri Lanka’s first international negotiation competition. It is aimed at enhancing the standards of global negotiation and strives to be a leading platform that provides students the opportunity to equip themselves with invaluable knowledge, skills and diplomacy with respect to negotiation.


Asian Environmental Negotiation Competition

Proudly supported by Allen & Gledhill, the Asian Environmental Negotiation Competition (AENC) is an international negotiation competition centered around pressing environmental issues. Participants get the opportunity to hone negotiation skills against students from law schools around Asia, and learn about how to navigate different stakeholders’ interests in solving environmental problems.


Consensual Dispute Resolution Competition

Organised by the International Bar Association and the Vienna International Arbitral Centre, this competition allows students to form negotiation or mediation teams and hone their consensual dispute resolution skills.


Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Mediation Moot

The FDI Mediation Moot seeks to promote understanding about international investment mediation and to explore its potential. Students compete as negotiators and mediators in a series of mediations related to a hypothetical investment. The competition problems are based on the FDI Moot case. Teams with the highest scores progress through elimination rounds leading to a final round before a live and online audience.


HSF-NLU Delhi International Negotiation Competition

The International Negotiation Competition, is jointly organised by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and National Law University, Delhi. Started in 2014, this invite-only competition brings together students from top law universities across the globe to participate in negotiations based on simulations that closely imitate the international environment.


International Chamber of Commerce Mediation Competition

The International Chamber of Commerce organises its flagship competition in Paris and has regional rounds in Australia (for the Asia-Pacific) and Hong Kong (for Asia). The students get to negotiate as client and counsel in a mediation setting, with the mediations conducted by international professional mediators.


International Online Mediation (ADR ODR)

A 2-day International Online Mediation Competition delivered in partnership with the European Institute for Conflict Resolution (EICR) and the Thailand Arbitration Centre (THAC), the ADR ODR competition is specially designed for law and business students across the world with the objective on growing strong negotiation and mediation skills to aid people in all industries resolve conflicts in professional settings. 


International Negotiation Competition National Round

The International Negotiation Competition is a law student competition in which a team of two law students representing a client negotiates either an international transaction or the resolution of an international dispute with an opposing team of two other students. In 2019, a national round was conducted in Singapore to select one team to represent Singapore in the international competition.


Lex Infinitum

This competition provides law students worldwide with an opportunity to showcase their mediation and negotiation skills. 24 teams participate in this competition and students have the opportunity to interact with the foremost experts in the field of mediation.


Mediation Advocacy Competition

This competition is organised by National University of Singapore, with the support of Singapore International Mediation Institute, Singapore Mediation Centre and Peacemakers Consulting Services. The inaugural competition, held on 29 February and 8 March 2019, is open to all local law students. Students competed in pairs, and were assessed based on their ability to negotiate on behalf of their clients in a mediation setting.


NLIU-INADR International Mediation Tournament

The NLIU INADR International Law School Mediation Tournament is Asia's oldest as well as India's largest Mediation Tournament. The competition aims to provide an opportunity for students to be a part of disputes akin to actual altercations witnessed by legal professionals. It further presents an opportunity to hone the requisite communication and mediation skills in addition to holding discussions with equally enthusiastic professionals and students in the field.


NUJS Mediation Competition

The NUJS Mediation Competition is the flagship event of the ADR Society of NUJS, Kolkata, one of the premier National Law Universities in India. Each year since 2019, the competition has garnered participation from prestigious universities not just across India, but on a global level, from countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore and many more. In 2021, the competition was a qualifier from the prestigious International Mediation Singapore, hosted by SIMI, the Singapore International Mediation Institute.


SK Misra International Mediation and Negotiation Competition

This Competition aims to promote the use of Mediation among young generations of professionals with a mindset equipped to effectively resolve disputes. Also serving as an educational event, the competition seeks to encourage the effective use of Mediation and open exchange of ideas, experience, and know-how between students of different universities, cultures, generations, and backgrounds.