22 March 2019
In each issue of our newsletter, we interview an SIArb member to get their views on the alternative dispute resolution scene in Singapore, and to obtain some insight into what makes them tick.
In this issue, we interview Prof. Leslie Chew SC.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Friendly, curious, fun-loving.
How did you first get involved in arbitration work?
I was privileged to be among the first batch to be trained by CIArb. My cohort included luminaries like Michael Hwang SC and Prof Lawrence Boo. Thereafter, the rest is history as they say.
What is the most memorable arbitration or arbitration related matter that you were involved in, and why? I would say an arbitration I was privileged to be Chair of in Kathmandu, Nepal, if only because I was the first lawyer to have done that sort of work in Nepal.
What advice do you have for a young fellow practitioner interested in arbitration work?
Try to get to know seniors in the trade who can help you get started. As counsel, work for lawyers and firms that have such a practice.
What are the challenges you think arbitration practitioners will face in the upcoming years?
I think the biggest challenge for the arbitral community is the cost of arbitration. We need to re-look at this aspect otherwise, consumers will begin to find alternatives like the SICC.
With the establishment of the Singapore International Mediation Centre and the introduction of the SIAC-SIMCArb-Med-Arb Protocol, do you see mediation as now having a bigger role to play in assisting parties to resolve their disputes?
I would argue that mediation will increasingly play a bigger role. This is related to the cost aspect of other dispute resolution methods. It is inevitable.
Who is the person(s) who has had the greatest impact and/or influence on your career?
In the Legal Service where I started my professional career, Mr Chaim Boon Keng, the former Registrar of the Supreme Court. In practice, Sat Pal Khattar.
If you weren’t in your current profession, what profession would you be in?
A fighter pilot.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
The odd whiskey. The smoky single malt, like Talisker.
What is one talent that not many people know you have?
I have been known to act in dramas and plays. Once upon a time, I was the Raffles Players’ Best Actor.
Fill in the blank: “Arbitration is to dispute resolution as salt is to potato crisps”