The Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb) is pleased to announce that a new edition of its Fellowship Assessment Course (FAC) is now open for registration.

*The FAC will focus on teaching candidates the practical aspects of acting as an arbitrator. To benefit from FAC, candidates should already have a sound grasp of the law of arbitration.

COURSE SYNOPSIS

This Course consists of 6 modules with a total of 9 lectures, 6 practical workshops and an Award Writing Examination:

• Module 1 will cover the basic concepts and principles on the sources of law, the law of contract, the law of tort, and the treatment of evidence. Candidates who have obtained a degree in law from a university or other tertiary institution recognised by the SIArb (or such other legal qualifications as the SIArb may in its absolute discretion accept) are exempted from Module 1. All other candidates are required to attend Module 1 and attend Practical Workshop 1.
• Module 2 relates to (i) the acceptance of an arbitral appointment, covering topics such as conducting conflict checks and making disclosures before or when accepting an appointment; (ii) dealing with jurisdictional challenges; and (iii) emergency arbitrations.
• Module 3 covers (i) case management in conducting an arbitration; (ii) techniques for controlling time and costs in an arbitration; and (iii) drafting procedural orders.
• Module 4 covers (i) dealing with interlocutory applications; (ii) drafting discovery orders; (iii) dealing with costs of interlocutory applications; (iv) dealing with extension of time applications and guerilla tactics; and (v) dealing with preliminary issues.
• Module 5 covers the conduct of the evidentiary hearing.
• Finally, Module 6 covers the practical aspects of actually writing the Final Award.
• In the Practical Workshops, lecturers and tutors will address questions from candidates and show practical examples of an arbitrator’s work product such as procedural orders, Redfern Schedules, discovery orders and interim awards. In Practical Workshop 6, the lecturer of Module 6 will dissect a sample award to see how it should, or should not, be written.
• In the Award Writing Examination, candidates will be required to write an enforceable final award.

FORMAT AND DELIVERY METHOD

For the first-time in its history, SIArb will conduct FAC in a hybrid format as follows:

1. Each lecture will be delivered online by way of a Zoom webinar recording which can be accessed remotely and on demand during the period specified in the Course Schedule below. Each candidate is required to view each lecture in sequence and in its entirety. The first lecture is preceded by an Introductory Video by the Course Director. The total scheduled duration of all lectures is about 13.5 hours. Each Practical Workshop will be led by one or more Workshop leaders in a live interactive class which can either be attended:
   1. In person at the Workshop venue; or
   2.  Virtually on SIArb’s Zoom meeting platform. Practical Workshop 1 will be conducted virtually.
2. Each candidate is required to attend the full duration of each Practical Workshop, the dates of which are specified in the Course Schedule below. The total scheduled duration of all 6 Practical Workshops is 10 hours. The Award Writing Examination is an open-book examination which will be conducted virtually on SIArb’s online course portal and/or on the Zoom meeting platform over a period of 3.0 hours on the date specified in the Course Schedule below. Each candidate is required to sit for and pass this written examination by writing an enforceable final award within the time and based on the facts given.

While candidates may elect to attend the Practical Workshops in person or via Zoom, in an effort to be more environmentally friendly, SIArb will not provide physical copies of reading materials, lecture  or presentation slides.

Instead, each candidate who has been successfully registered for FAC will receive personalised login details to SIArb’s online course portal to access all reading materials, lectures, presentations slides and the online examination as set out in the Course Schedule.

Should any candidate wish to obtain a physical folder with the printed reading materials, lectures and presentations slides, a separate fee for such printed materials will be payable. Please contact the SIArb Secretariat for assistance.

 Completion of FAC

 To complete the FAC successfully, a candidate must:

 (a)   Achieve 100% attendance at all the Practical Workshops; and

(b)   Pass the open-book Award Writing Examination.

A candidate who has successfully completed the FAC may, subject to satisfying other relevant criteria, apply for admission as a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

Criteria for Admission to FAC

Admission to the FAC is open to:

1. Lawyers with at least 10 years involvement in litigation/dispute resolution; or who have been active arbitrators, and can provide documentary evidence of such experience; OR

2. Non-lawyers who have at least 10 years of involvement in dispute resolution or who have been active arbitrators, and who can provide documentary evidence of such experience; OR

3. Those who have successfully completed the International Entry Course conducted by SIArb or such other equivalent course as may be recognised by SIArb.

COURSE SCHEDULE

NB: SIArb reserves the right to allocate candidates to groups for the Practical Workshops. Candidates should ensure they are available for the full day on both dates.
 

COURSE CONTENT

COURSE FACULTY

• Chia Chor Leong (Course Director)
• Samuel Chacko
• Remy Choo Zheng Xi
• Delphine Ho
• Edmund Kronenburg
• Siraj Omar, SC
• Toh Chen Han
• Johnny Tan
• Derric Yeoh

For more details about our Course Faculty, please click HERE

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
To properly participate in the hybrid or online course, you will require the following which must be put in place before the Practical Workshops and Online Examinations (no exceptions will be entertained):

1. A laptop or computer (as typing will be required during the virtual Practical Workshops and Online Examination, accessing via mobile phone or other mobile devices is not encouraged)
2. Stable Internet access from the same laptop/computer– a wired connection is recommended (this is especially important for taking the online written assessment)
3. An Internet browser on the same laptop/computer
4. A video camera (either external or built-in to your laptop or computer) to participate in the virtual Practical Workshops and Online Examination
5.  Zoom Client for Meetings If you have not used Zoom before, clicking HERE to download the latest version for security reasons. Even if you already have Zoom installed, we recommend that you check to ensure you have updated to the latest version due to frequent security upgrades and to ensure that your laptop/computer meets the minimum requirements for the use of Zoom.

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. Acceptance or rejection of an application for admission to the FAC is at the sole discretion of SIArb.
2. Closing date is 1 September 2022. In-person places are limited and placement is on a first-come-first-served basis.
3. Registrations received on or before the closing date are confirmed upon RECEIPT OF FULL PAYMENT.
4. SIArb reserves the right to change the content of the programme and/or the facilitators without prior notice. SIArb is committed to staging a successful programme. However, we reserve the right to cancel the programme in which case refunds will be given, but otherwise, no refunds will be made for cancellations or no-shows by those who registered.
5. SIArb reserves the right to change the venue or format of FAC (to either purely virtual or purely in-person), or amend any of the other details published.
6. By completing this form, you fully consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal data as appears in any form, document or electronic template, by SIArb.

FEES & REGISTRATIONS

HYBRID FAC FORMAT (IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS, ONLINE LECTURES & EXAMINATION) 

FULLY ONLINE FAC FORMAT 

Click HERE to download brochure.