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United Kingdom
Key definition
Arbitration definition

What does Arbitration mean? Arbitration is a private process where parties resolve disputes by one or more arbitrators who issue a final, binding award instead of a court judgment. It is consensual, usually agreed by an arbitration clause, and the law of the seat governs the procedure (lex arbitri). In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the Arbitration Act 1996 applies. Courts stay court proceedings in favour of arbitration, provide support, and enforce awards; challenges are limited to lack of jurisdiction (s.67), serious irregularity (s.68) and, unless excluded, appeal on a point of law (s.69). In Scotland, the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010 provides a similar...

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Singapore arbitration: jurisdiction challenges, repudiation, anti-suit relief, stays, non-party proceedings, winding-up and indemnity costs

Practice notes
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Challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal pre-award—Singapore’s arbitration Act and international arbitration Act

Singapore operates a dual-track arbitration framework: the Arbitration Act, 2001 (AA) applies to domestic references, while the International Arbitration Act 1994 (IAA) governs international arbitrations whether the seat is in Singapore or abroad, including those conducted outside Singapore. Both statutes recognise separability, treating the arbitration agreement or clause as autonomous, distinct and independent from the underlying contract. They likewise embody the doctrine of Kompetenz-Kompetenz, vesting the tribunal with competence to rule on its own jurisdiction—including the conclusion that it lacks authority over the parties’ dispute should that be the case. The High Court of Singapore in Malini Ventura v Knight Capital Pte Ltd observed that the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (Model Law) empowers the arbitral tribunal to decide if it has jurisdiction to hear the disputes in question, including issues concerning the validity and existence of the arbitration agreement...

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Andrew Lee
Andrew Lee

Andrew graduated from the National University of Singapore with an LLB (Hons) degree in 2008 and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2009. Prior to joining PDLegal LLC in January 2017, Andrew started his practice career in one of Singapore’s leading firms before joining the Singapore office of a US-based international law firm.In October 2017, Andrew was featured as one of “Asia’s brightest young legal minds under 40 years of age making waves” by Asian Legal Business. Andrew was also named as one of “Singapore’s most influential legal minds aged 40 and under for 2018” by the Singapore Business Review. In September 2022, Andrew was named as a “Rising Star for Dispute Resolution” by Asialaw Leading Lawyers.Andrew’s experience extends to the areas of maritime, offshore oil and gas, energy and international trade disputes. Andrew’s experience extends to...

Peter Doraisamy
Peter Doraisamy

Peter Doraisamy is the Founder and Group Managing Partner of PDLegal LLC, a leading full-service regional law firm headquartered Singapore. In 2023, PDLegal set up an office in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2024, the Firm entered into a Formal Law Alliance (FLA) with the Singapore office of international law firm Hill Dickinson and formed a strategic association with Malaysian law firm Tan, Siew & Lee (TSL Legal).With 25 years of practice experience, Peter is widely recognised as a leading advocate. He regularly acts as counsel in complex commercial litigation matters and international arbitration. He is frequently instructed on contentious matters in the areas of Maritime and Shipping, International Trade, Commodities, Restructuring and Insolvency, Insurance, Shareholders’ Dispute, Employment, Corporate Governance, and Fraud and Asset recovery.Peter has also been invited to sit on committees, sub-committees, and advisory boards of various...

Pranav V Kamnani
Pranav V Kamnani

Pranav is a Registered Foreign Lawyer and a member of PDLegal’s International Arbitration and India Desk practice. He is a dual qualified lawyer and admitted to practice in India (2019) and the state of New York (2024).Pranav’s main areas of practice include complex commercial and cross-border disputes, international arbitration, and advisory services, with a primary focus in disputes relating to joint-ventures, shareholder disputes, dry-shipping and construction. Pranav also has a strong interest in industry sectors such as technology and telecommunication, aviation and defence, and oil and natural gas.In India Business Law Journal’s 2024 report, a client commented that he “played a very active and hands-on role in the arbitration proceedings and was extremely efficient”.Prior to joining the PDLegal, Pranav served as an Associate at the New Delhi office of a leading pan-India law firm for three years. Pranav was also...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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