If you’d rather not end up in court
Most people who call about a dispute don’t actually want the trial. They want the argument finished, the money sorted, and the matter behind them. Going to the State Courts or the High Court works, but it’s slow, public, and expensive. Mediation and arbitration are the other two real options, and for many commercial and family disputes, they’re the better fit.
I’m Wahab. I run A.W. Law LLC in Chinatown, and I appear regularly in arbitration proceedings at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and as a neutral evaluator for FIDReC, the financial disputes resolution centre.
This page is for you if you have a real dispute but want to understand the alternative dispute resolution options before you file anything in court. The first 10 minutes are free, and nothing commits you.
What mediation and arbitration in Singapore actually are
Mediation and arbitration are the two main forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR): ways of settling a legal dispute outside the usual court system. They’re separate processes, with separate rules, run at different institutions.
Mediation is a guided negotiation. A neutral mediator sits with both sides (sometimes together, sometimes shuttling between rooms), helps them understand each other’s position, and helps them reach a deal. The mediator doesn’t decide the case. If the two sides settle, the deal is written up and signed: that settlement agreement is binding like any contract. If they don’t settle, nothing said during mediation can be used against either party afterwards.
Arbitration is a private alternative to court. A neutral arbitrator (or a panel of three) hears both sides, reads the evidence, and issues a binding arbitral award. The award is enforceable in Singapore through the State or High Court, and internationally in over 170 countries under the New York Convention. It looks and feels more like a court hearing than a mediation does.
Singapore has world-class institutions for both:
- Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). The main venue for commercial and international arbitrations seated in Singapore. Runs under the Arbitration Act and the International Arbitration Act.
- Singapore Mediation Centre (SIMC). The main institution for commercial mediation, international and domestic.
- FIDReC. A free or low-cost scheme for individuals with banking, insurance, and capital markets disputes up to S$100,000. I’m a neutral evaluator there.
- Court-annexed mediation. Run by the State Courts, the Family Justice Courts, and the Supreme Court as part of live proceedings.
- Private mediation. A senior practitioner (sometimes a retired judge) acting as mediator outside any institution, on fees and terms agreed by the parties.
If your matter is a contract fight, see our contract disputes page too: most contract disputes are ADR-suitable. For family mediation, see divorce, since mediation is often required there. For property and co-ownership matters, see property disputes.
When to use ADR
ADR isn’t always the right answer. Before we recommend mediation or arbitration over court, I ask a few things.
- Is there an arbitration or mediation clause in the contract? If yes, you usually have to honour it. Singapore courts enforce arbitration clauses by pausing parallel court proceedings.
- Do you need a court remedy only the court can give? Some remedies, like an urgent injunction, a search order, or certain bankruptcy orders, need the court. Arbitration can grant most but not all.
- How important is privacy? Arbitration is confidential. Court hearings are mostly public. If the dispute involves sensitive commercial information or reputation, ADR has real value.
- Is the other side going to engage? Mediation needs two people willing to talk. If the other side is openly refusing, mediation is a waste of time, and arbitration or court is the route.
- What’s the amount in dispute? Full SIAC arbitration isn’t economic for a S$20,000 dispute. The Small Claims Tribunal or court-annexed mediation is better for smaller sums.
The situations we see most often:
- Two businesses, a contract, a commercial fight. Usually arbitration if the contract says so, otherwise mediation first.
- Family matter with children. Compulsory mediation at the Family Justice Courts before any contested hearing.
- Banking or insurance complaint. FIDReC first: it’s free for individuals up to S$100,000.
- International dispute. SIAC arbitration, often with a neutral seat and a multilingual tribunal. For UAE-Singapore commercial matters with a court (rather than arbitration) clause, see our DIFC Courts page.
Our blog on alternative dispute resolution covers the divorce-specific side of ADR in more depth.
What to expect, honestly
How long it takes.
A commercial mediation at SIMC usually sits for 1 to 2 days of actual mediation, with 2 to 4 weeks of preparation before. Most settle on the day. If it doesn’t settle, you haven’t lost much time. A SIAC arbitration takes 9 to 18 months from Notice of Arbitration to award on a standard schedule, or 6 months or less on the Expedited Procedure for smaller claims. Complex multi-party international matters can run past 2 years. Court-annexed mediation happens during live proceedings: usually a single afternoon.
How much it costs.
- SIMC mediation: the mediator’s fee is typically S$1,500 to S$8,000 per party for a full day, depending on the mediator and the claim size. Add lawyer’s preparation and attendance: usually a flat S$2,500 to S$6,000 per side.
- FIDReC mediation: free for individuals, up to S$100,000, in banking, insurance, and capital markets disputes.
- SIAC arbitration: tribunal and institution fees scale with the claim size (the SIAC schedule of fees is public). For a S$500,000 claim, tribunal and institution fees together typically total S$35,000 to S$60,000, shared between the parties. Lawyer’s fees are usually quoted as a capped hourly engagement and depend heavily on the complexity.
The 10-min Discovery Session is free. We quote every engagement in writing, with a cap, before any paid work begins.
What’s the hard part.
Commitment. Both sides need to actually want to settle for mediation to work. When one side only turns up because a court told them to, mediations rarely land. Arbitration is harder in the other direction: once an arbitral award is issued, appeals are very limited. Unlike a trial judgment, you can’t generally re-argue the merits. So the preparation has to be right the first time.
The other hard part is clause-drafting. A lot of disputes we see started with a badly worded arbitration or mediation clause, which then becomes its own preliminary fight. If you’re signing a commercial contract, get the clause reviewed before you sign.
How we handle mediation and arbitration at A.W. Law
- One lawyer, start to finish. The director who takes your Discovery Session runs the mediation or arbitration through to settlement or award.
- Honest route advice. If the matter belongs at the Small Claims Tribunal, or a quiet letter-exchange would do it, we’ll say so. Not every dispute needs a SIAC filing.
- Plain-English strategy memos. Before any mediation or arbitration, you get a written memo showing the numbers, the risks, and our recommended settlement range.
- WhatsApp in the evenings. We reply until 10pm on weekdays.
- Multilingual. English, Malay, or Tamil.
We’re at 133 New Bridge Road, #20-03 Chinatown Point. Two minutes’ walk from Chinatown MRT, Exit E.
What happens next
If you have a dispute you’d rather not take to a full court trial, the next step is simple. Book a free 10-min Mediation & Arbitration Discovery Session using the form on this page, or message us on WhatsApp using the button anywhere on the screen.
Nothing commits you. Most sessions end with a short list of things to gather: the contract, the correspondence, the rough numbers. You’ll leave knowing whether mediation, arbitration, or court is the right route, which institution fits, and what a realistic timeline and cost look like.
