Singapore, 31 January 2012 – More local and international companies have in recent times chosen to arbitrate their disputes in Singapore and are looking to enforce their awards here.

The award or decision that is issued at the end of the arbitral proceedings is the subject of a new book, Singapore Law on Arbitral Awards by Mr Chan Leng Sun, SC who co-heads the dispute resolution practice in Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow.

The book published by Academy Publishing examines the law relating to arbitral awards from two perspectives: awards resulting from arbitrations that are carried out in Singapore and awards made elsewhere that are being enforced in Singapore. It discusses the requirements of a valid award, the available recourse against an award, its enforcement and the obstacles to its enforcement. The book is the first comprehensive study on Singapore arbitral awards written from the perspective of a practitioner.

The book was launched today by The Honourable Attorney-General Mr Sundaresh Menon, SC at Maxwell Chambers. Mr Menon who had previously practised in the field of commercial arbitration and litigation for over 20 years said, “The award is the very end to which we arbitrate. A thorough study of what is needed to ensure its validity and of the issues one is likely to face once the award is made is therefore most timely.” He said that the book “will serve as a valuable one-stop resource for all those seeking an understanding of these issues be they judges, arbitrators, counsel or students,” and it is entirely in keeping with Singapore’s aspiration to be a major international hub for arbitration.

Mr Chan Leng Sun, SC said that with the emergence of Singapore as a leading arbitration centre, there has been greater interest in Singapore law both locally and overseas. He said, “It is important that the growing body of Singapore jurisprudence is recorded and made available to a wide audience … it is my hope that more Singapore practitioners will find the time and energy to add to the enhancement of legal knowledge in this way.” In his book, local jurisprudence forms the core of the discussions while selected foreign cases are used to illustrate the application of comparable provisions in other jurisdictions

Where to buy the book

Singapore Law on Arbitral Awards priced at $53.50 (including GST) is available at major bookstores in Singapore. Orders can also be placed on-line via the Singapore Academy of Law website www.sal.org.sg. For more information, call 63324388.

About Academy Publishing

Academy Publishing is a division of the Singapore Academy of Law. It was officially launched on 18 May 2007 by the President of the Academy, the Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong. This division was set up to publish books and other texts on Singapore law, and its objectives are threefold:

• To provide affordable legal materials to the legal profession (including corporate counsel), law academics, law students, and the Judiciary;
• To provide an alternative avenue to the academics in our law schools to publish their writings and thereby to encourage them to produce more works; and
• To disseminate the laws of Singapore to a wider public in the region and internationally.

The titles to be published are selected by a Commissioning Panel helmed by the Honourable Judge of Appeal Justice Andrew Phang Boon Leong.

Academy Publishing is not profit-driven and its immediate priority is to publish books on areas of law that fulfil practice and student needs, although other kinds of legal texts will also be included.