Maxwell Chambers is an integrated

alternative dispute resolution Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or external dispute resolution (EDR), typically denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for ...

(ADR) complex located in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. It provides hearing rooms and facilities for the conduct of ADR hearings in Singapore, as well as the regional offices of a number of ADR institutions,

arbitrators An arbitral tribunal or arbitration tribunal, also arbitration commission, arbitration committee or arbitration council is a panel of unbiased adjudicators which is convened and sits to resolve a dispute by way of arbitration. The tribunal may con ...

, and international arbitration practitioners. Maxwell Chambers was established with

seed money Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' su ...

from the

Singapore Government The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise o ...

. The intention is for ownership to transfer to the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

in due course. On 5 January 2017, the Ministry of Law announced plans to triple the size of Maxwell Chambers with Maxwell Chambers Suites to boost Singapore's position as an international dispute resolution hub. The facility officially opened on 8 August 2019.

History

The origins of Maxwell Chambers can be traced as far back as 2002 when the Legal Services Working Group of the Economic Review Committee chaired by then Deputy Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...

stressed the need for “good infrastructure and facilities” to make Singapore a regional alternative dispute resolution service centre. In 2005, the Ministry of Law started planning for the development of an integrated dispute resolution complex. The architects visited arbitration hearing centres around the world to get design ideas, and then added “a Singapore touch”. In January 2007, Singapore's former Custom House was chosen as the site and design work commenced. Upon the completion of refurbishment works in July 2009, the building opened for hearings. Maxwell Chambers was officially launched on 21 January 2010.

Reception

The establishment of Maxwell Chambers was nominated by Global Arbitration Review (GAR) as one of the “Best Developments” in the arbitration industry in 2010. GAR's first survey on hearing centres in 2013 found that Maxwell Chambers was one of the top three hearing centres that leading international arbitration lawyers were most likely to "recommend to a friend". Survey respondents remarked that Maxwell Chambers was “perfect”, “the standout facility” and “currently the gold standard”. In GAR's Hearing Centres Survey for 2016, Maxwell Chambers was ranked second for most of the key factors respondents look out for in choosing a hearing centre, such as location, IT services, and helpfulness of staff.

Building

Maxwell Chambers occupies the former Customs House located in

Tanjong Pagar Tanjong Pagar ( alternatively spelled ''Tanjung Pagar'') is a historic district located within the Central Business District in Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urb ...

in Singapore's central business district. Built in 1932 during the British colonial era, the building was the headquarters of the

Department of Customs and Excise The Department of Customs and Excise was an Government of Australia, Australian government Government department, department that existed between January 1956 and March 1975. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or go ...

for over 60 years. Following the refurbishment of the building, it was renamed Maxwell Chambers. In 2007, the

Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 Apri ...

(URA) gave the building conservation status. In 2010, it was designated the 88th historic site in Singapore by the National Heritage Board. The building was awarded the International Architecture Award for Best New Global Design (2010) by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. In 2012, the building was also awarded an Architectural Heritage Award by Singapore's

Maxwell Chambers Suites

The Ministry of Law announced on 5 January 2017 that Maxwell Chambers would triple in capacity by taking over the neighbouring building at 28 Maxwell Road (formerly known as the Red Dot Traffic Building), in order to support the growth of dispute resolution institutions which have seen significant increases in caseload. At the official groundbreaking ceremony on 22 June 2017, the Ministry announced that the new offices would be renamed Maxwell Chambers Suites, as well as expanding even further due to "strong demand", with a second annexe block of 3,500 sq ft space, on top of the 120,000 sq ft originally planned. Restoration works were completed in mid-2019. Maxwell Chambers Suites officially opened on 8 August 2019. It houses at least 11 international institutions and 20 disputes chambers and practices from 11 countries. The offices of the

Law Society of Singapore The Law Society of Singapore is an organisation which represents all lawyers in Singapore. It publishes the ''Law Gazette'' and operates a scheme for needy people to benefit from legal services free-of-charge. The Society also sets out rules for ...

have been based at Maxwell Chambers Suites since October 2019.

Facilities

Maxwell Chambers offers 39 custom-designed and fully equipped hearing and preparation rooms, a business centre, and a lounge for arbitrators. It also provides audio-visual and

video conferencing Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio and video signals by people in different locations for real time communication.McGraw-Hill Concise Ency ...

facilities and simultaneous translation and

transcription Transcription refers to the process of converting sounds (voice, music etc.) into letters or musical notes, or producing a copy of something in another medium, including: Genetics * Transcription (biology), the copying of DNA into RNA, the fir ...

Tenants

Maxwell Chambers houses the regional offices of several ADR institutions including the

Singapore International Arbitration Centre Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) is a not-for-profit international arbitration organisation based in Singapore, which administers arbitrations under its own rules of arbitration and the UNCITRAL The United Nations Commission o ...

(SIAC), the

Singapore International Mediation Centre Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) is an independent not-for-profit organisation in Singapore providing mediation services, through its panel of international mediators, to parties wishing to resolve their cross-border commercial disp ...

(SIMC), the ICC Court of Arbitration, the

American Arbitration Association The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization in the field of alternative dispute resolution, providing services to individuals and organizations who wish to resolve conflicts out of court, and one of several arbitr ...

’s (AAA) International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, 15 specialized agencies of the United Nation ...

(WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center, and the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA). The Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) will also be based at Maxwell Chambers. A number of barristers’ chambers and arbitrators have a regional office at Maxwell Chambers including

Essex Court Chambers Essex Court Chambers is a set of commercial barristers in Lincoln's Inn Fields, central London. It has 96 tenants, of whom 45 are King's Counsels, also known as Silks. It is considered by legal commentators to be one of the 'Magic Circle' of London ...

20 Essex Street

39 Essex Chambers 39 Essex Chambers is a long established barristers' chambers based in London with over 150 barristers, including 58 King's Counsel. The chambers offers expertise in commercial, common, construction, costs, environmental and planning, public and r ...

One Essex Court One Essex Court is a set of barristers' chambers in London, specialising in commercial litigation, which was founded in 1966. Currently comprising 131 full-time members, 52 of whom are ''silks'' or King's Counsel. One Essex Court's members inclu ...

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Signature Events

In addition to providing hearing facilities and office space, Maxwell Chambers also organises a number of signature events: *Singapore International Arbitration Forum (SIAF) *Maxwell ADR Forum * Maxwell Lectures

References

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External links

Maxwell Chambers official websiteMaxwell Chambers corporate videos
Arbitration Arbitration organizations Central Area, Singapore