This book will be the 8th volume of Contemporary Issues in Mediation (CIIM), a thought-leadership publication which compiles the top submissions from an annual mediation essay competition organised by the Singapore International Mediation Institute. This book is edited by Singapore's leading experts on mediation and negotiation, Professor Joel Lee and Marcus Lim. CIIM is a unique and valuable addition to the growing body of mediation and dispute resolution literature.
CIIM is the only publication on the market which seeks to explore current theories and applications of mediation concepts and practices in detail. Presently, most publications adopt a descriptive approach when outlining the uses of mediation. CIIM introduces an evaluative component into literature on this niche subject matter and pushes the boundaries of mediation thoughts and theory. Further, readers stand to benefit from a diverse range of topics selected for their high quality of research and novelty. All this will support the development of mediation as a profession undergirded by certain professional standards and practices.
With the coming into force of the Singapore Convention on Mediation in 2020, mediation is taking a permanent place in the dispute resolution landscape. The success of the past 7 volumes of CIIM is a testament to the growing interest in the wide variety of issues that arise in this specialised field.
Sample Chapter(s)
Foreword for the Series
Operationalising Article 5(1)(e) of the Singapore Convention on Mediation
Contents:
- Operationalising Article 5(1)(e) of the Singapore Convention on Mediation (Valerie Lim An Qi)
- The Hesitation of the European Union in Adopting the Singapore Convention on Mediation: Perspectives from International Relations Theory (Elyssa Tan)
- Keeping Confidentiality or Pursuing Transparency: The Dilemma of Transparency in Investor–State Mediation Mechanism (Fan Xiaoyu)
- Healing the Healer: It is Okay to Not Be Okay (Gini Wong Wei Wen)
- Navigating Two Different Truths in Family Mediation: One Size Will Not Fit All (Neo Xin Xuan)
- The Fundamental Concept of Voluntariness in Mediation: Is Mandatory Mediation an Oxymoron? (Ng Xin Ying Nicole)
- In Pursuit of Therapeutic Justice: Mediation and Singapore's Family Justice System (Tan E-Shane Christabelle)
- Children Should Be Heard to Be Seen: Including Children in Divorce Mediations (Tan Pei Han)
- Challenges to Ratification and Practice of the Singapore Convention on Mediation in China (Tao Chongyang)
Readership: Undergraduate and graduate students and researchers interested or specialising in mediation, and industry mediation practitioners.
About the Guest Editor
Melvin Loh is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Law, Singapore University of Social Sciences. A graduate of the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore as well as the Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law, he specialises in mediation and negotiation, as well as criminal law. He has also undergone extensive training in the field of appropriate dispute resolution, most recently at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. In 2023, he was awarded the SUSS Excellence in Teaching Award.
Melvin is a Certified Mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Institute and an empaneled Associate Mediator and trainer with the Singapore Mediation Centre. With over a decade of experience in mediation, he has mediated a vast spectrum of cases both inside and outside the Courts, including criminal, family, commercial, and real estate, among others. He has also taught, trained, and assessed in multiple international jurisdictions in furtherance of the development of mediation.
An active volunteer at heart, Melvin assists as an advocate and solicitor with various pro bono initiatives of the Law Society of Singapore, which include the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme ("CLAS"), Community Legal Clinics ("CLC") and Legal Aid Bureau matters. Melvin also provides representation in matters through the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences ("LASCO").
He serves as an Executive Committee member with the Mediation Committee of the Law Society of Singapore, as well as the CLAS and the CLC Committees of Pro Bono SG.
Melvin is also a lifelong volunteer outside of his legal profession, giving time to help with various causes such as with at-risk families, youth, and foreign workers.
About the Editors
Joel Lee is a Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. Joel co-pioneered the teaching of Negotiation and Mediation in the Singapore universities and has played a significant role in furthering the development of mediation in Singapore, not just in education but in practice. A graduate of Victoria University of Wellington and Harvard Law School, Joel is a partner with CMP Cambridge (USA) and a principal mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre.
Joel was a member of the International Mediation Institute's Independent Standards Commission and Intercultural Taskforce and was also a key member of the Ministry of Law's Working Group on International Commercial Mediation. Joel is presently the founding Chair of the Board of the Singapore International Mediation Institute. He is also a Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Joel has taught overseas at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark); University of Law, Economics and Science of Aix-Marseille (Aix-en-Provence France); and Anglia Law School (UK) and is the co-editor and co-author of the book An Asian Perspective on Mediation and the Singapore Mediation Handbook, and the General Editor for the Asian Journal on Mediation. In 2011, Joel was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award, which is the National University of Singapore's highest teaching award.
Marcus Lim is the Country Manager (Singapore) for Lupl. Lupl is the open industry platform for legal matters that brings together in one place the people, conversations, documents, data and knowledge for legal matters, providing real-time 360-degree visibility and control.
Prior to joining Lupl, Marcus was the first Executive Director, and later CEO, of the Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI), where he spearheaded many initiatives in growing the organisation into an internationally recognised and credible brand for mediation standards.
He holds appointments as Adjunct Assistant Professor for Negotiation and Mediation Workshops at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, and was the coordinator for both courses in 2017. A graduate from the prestigious Law and Business Double Degree programme at the National University of Singapore, he is a consultant with CMP Cambridge (USA). He is certified in the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument for Conflict and Change Management. Marcus is a SIMI Certified Mediator, an Associate Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre and a court-appointed volunteer mediator for the Small Claims Tribunal at the State Courts. Prior to joining SIMI, Marcus practiced at Rajah & Tann LLP's Competition and Technology, Media and Telecommunications Practice Group.
Marcus has extensive experience conducting negotiation and mediation trainings for staff and in the management of government organisations, as well as multinational corporations across a diverse range of sectors, such as finance, retail, real estate, IT, education and the healthcare industry.
