The SICC, a division of the Singapore High Court, opened its doors about a year ago. This new state court is the latest addition to Singapore’s comprehensive strategy for providing dispute resolution services.
To sum it up in one sentence, the SICC will have a familiar ring to users of English Commercial Court litigation, as the English Commercial Court and its transnational success provided a model and an inspiration for the architects of the SICC structure.
The SICC’s rules on jurisdiction and procedure follow well-known patterns of many common law systems. However, and notwithstanding its common law origin, the SICC is also set up to cater to the specific needs and expectations of civil law users and practitioners, and in particular in a transnational and mixed legal context.
The SICC was established to complement, not to replace, Singapore’s arbitration landscape. The SICC should therefore be welcomed as an interesting additional option for dispute resolution in the region, although it might not, for most European users, be an alternative to international arbitration.
ASA Bulletin