On the 10th August 2018, the Faculty of Law organised another Legal Industrial Series of Talks entitled “An Overview of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)” to its students and lecturers. The talk was delivered by Datuk Professor Sundra Rajoo, Director of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) at MMU Melaka campus. He is also the former President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and Chairman of the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre (ADNDRC).

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) remains one of the legal industry’s most talked about topics because of its many facets and its continuous evolution to meet the ever-changing demands of globalisation and cross-border transactions. ADR offers aggrieved parties an option to refer their disputes for resolution in an avenue other than court. In international trade and commercial transactions, this proves to be an attractive alternative.

He also speaks on the different types of ADR methods before outlining the Malaysian and International mechanisms, legislation and perspectives of ADR. He then proceeded to share on AIAC’s ongoing drive to make Malaysia and Asia a hub for International ADR and its commitment to provide accessible holistic dispute management services for all.  The session also touched on creating a more ADR friendly environment and nurturing the ADR industry leaders of tomorrow.

Besides that, the Faculty of Law (FOL) in collaboration with the Asian International Arbitration Centre’s Young Practitioners Group (AIAC YPG) organised a one-day workshop to provide exposure to the students on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) on 11th August 2018. Two speakers from Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Mr. Harald Sippel and  Tatiana Polevshchikova; and three lawyers from leading law firms in Kuala Lumpur, Ms. Lilien Wong (Senior Legal Associate – Shearn Delamore & Co), Ms. Crystal Wong Wai Chin (Case Counsel- Lee Hishammuddin, Allen & Gledhill)  and Ms. Rebecca Pang (Associate – Herbert Smith Freehills) were invited to share their expertise on the field.

Dr. Harald Sippel, who serves as the Head of Legal Services at AIAC, delivered his speech as the keynote speaker. The highlight of the morning session was the panel discussion moderated by Dr. Guru Dhillon. Some of the issues discussed were the feasibility of ADR in Malaysia, the duties and discretion of an arbitrator and the professional development opportunities made available.

In the second part of the workshop, four distinguished mooters who were interning at AIAC took over and introduced the students to mooting. They shared their personal experience as well as tips on how to ace international moot competitions. Students were also given the floor to forward any questions they had to the speakers and the interaction was very informative and thought provoking. At the final session, students were given the opportunity to network with the practitioners to further enhance their outlook on the concept on ADR.