SIArb Annual Debate 2022

“This house believes that the future of arbitration belongs to disputes boutiques”

The Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb) Annual Debate this year raised the interesting and timely question of whether disputes boutiques, which have been flourishing in recent years, are just a passing trend or set to play a much larger role in the arbitration industry in the future.

Our Director, Asiyah Arif and Yi-Jun Kang, FCIArb of Morrison & Foerster spoke in favour of the motion at the debate, which was moderated by Anthony Cheah Nicholls. Asiyah and Yi-Jun argued that disputes boutiques are set to capture an increasing share of legal talent and arbitration work in the future with their competitive costing and flexibility.

Paras Lalwani, FCIArb and Yvonne Foo, who were on the opposing team, argued that boutiques were unlikely to dominate the future of arbitration. They highlighted that larger full-size firms would continue to offer clients significant competitive advantages as they had more resources and the ability to invest in future technology. 

After a lively debate and an intense round of questions from the distinguished panel of judges comprising Penny Martin, Delphine Ho and Roger Milburn, Asiyah and Yi-Jun pulled ahead and won the votes of both the audience and the judges.  
 
Kudos to SiArb Young Practitioner’s Network for organising this exciting and insightful session!

To find out more about the event, read here.