Taming the Beast: Practical Perspectives on Document Production

The Singapore Convention Week (SC Week) has been a signature event in Singapore since 2019, focusing on dispute resolution, arbitration, mediation and litigation. It serves as a key platform for thought leaders, experts, practitioners and policy makers, to discuss emerging trends, address common issues, deliberate on new innovations, and drive change.

Each year, SC Week brings together arbitrators, mediators, policymakers and senior practitioners from over 100 countries to discuss and exchange perspectives on emerging trends, shared challenges and new innovations in dispute resolution.

This year’s theme, Timeless Principles, Timely Solutions: Nurturing Trust in a Changing World, reflects the need to uphold principles of fairness and rule of law while adapting to geopolitical shifts, technological disruption, and evolving cross-border relationships in an era of change.

Organised by the Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw) in partnership with leading organisations, SC Week 2026 will be held from 24 to 28 August 2026. SC Week 2026 will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops, and networking events designed to inform, challenge, and connect.

Building on growing concerns around the scope and efficiency of document production in international arbitration, the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) will convene a timely panel discussion bringing together leading voices from across the arbitral ecosystem.

Drawing from a recent White Paper developed by experienced in-house counsel within the ASA User Council, this session will explore whether current practices have strayed beyond their intended limits, and what can be done to restore the practice to its original intended limits. The discussion will examine key recommendations put forward in the White Paper, including measures at both the contract drafting stage and during an arbitration, as well as the respective roles of parties, arbitrators, and institutions.

Set against the backdrop of diverse procedural traditions and more than 25 years of evolving arbitral practice, the panel will critically assess the need for reform while considering how to preserve arbitration’s efficiency and attractiveness.

Join us for this engaging session that will bring together legal practitioners, corporate counsel, business leaders, academics, and government representatives for an insightful exchange.

Speakers:

• Gary Gao, Partner (Zhong Lun Law Firm)
• Doris Chen, VP Legal for APAC, China & India (DSM-Firmenich)
• Nandini Khaitan, Partner (Khaitan & Co.)
• Benjamin Gottlieb, Partner (Schellenberg Wittmer) Ambassador Co-Chair (ASA)

With Opening Remarks from Swiss Arbitration Ambasssador for Singapore (ASA Asia Chapter), Julia Raneda (Schellenberg Wittmer).

*This event is an in-person event.

Look forward to all those joining us in Singapore!