Leading Singapore law firm Rajah & Tann has added international arbitration attorney Hew Kian Heong as a partner in its China office, as the firm looks to deepen its China capabilities following the signing of an upgraded trade pact between PRC and Singapore.

In recent years, the Japanese government has been enhancing the country's image as a preferred choice for international arbitration and dispute resolution. The latest steps include modernising the Arbitration Act to match international practice. Lawyers share how effective the legislation can be and what more the government should do to support Japan's arbitration ecosystem.      

In early November, the Singapore Parliament tabled a bill to allow for conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) in select legal proceedings. According to the Straits Times, the bill proposes amendments to the Legal Profession Act which will provide a framework for lawyers to enter into conditional fee agreements with their clients in certain proceedings.

Officials and members of Hong Kong’s legal profession have been vexed by a recent Financial Times that reported that international corporations working on deals in Asia – or entering into joint ventures with Chinese and other Asian counterparties – were considering excluding Hong Kong from governing law and arbitration clauses in legal contracts over concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy.

India’s arbitration scene has been evolving of late but a large chunk of India-related disputes involving international companies are still being resolved overseas, including recently high-profiles ones featuring Amazon, Vodafone and Cairn Energy. For example, data shows that India is top of the list of countries using the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). Lawyers feel that there are certain obstacles that domestic arbitration centres need to overcome before they can challenge their overseas counterparts. 

Last year, Singapore’s landmark Convention on Mediation formalised the city-state’s well-earned reputation as an attractive arbitration hub, with legal muscle and global recognition to back up its standing. But as the government continues to fine-tune the law and COVID-19 continues to cast a shadow, the market still has work to do. 

The Hong Kong Government and the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China have signed an agreement under which courts in each jurisdiction will now recognise and enforce interim measures in support of institutional arbitration seated in the other.

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) recently opened a second representative office in Gujarat, India, just a few years after it set up shop Mumbai in 2013. SIAC CEO Lim Seok Hui talks to Raj Gunashekar about why the Indian market is an important one for the centre.

Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Wednesday passed a bill allowing third-party funding in arbitration, which is expected to come into effect later this year.

IMF Bentham, Australia's largest litigation funder, is opening an office in Singapore after hiring Tom Glasgow, a former litigation associate at Allen & Overy.