On 25 January 2022, Maxwell Chambers held the inauguration for Maxwell Mentorship Programme , welcoming our first cycle of Mentors, Mentees and Steering Committee Members. The kickoff event took place in a hybrid format, in-person at Maxwell Chambers and over Zoom for overseas guests.  

Chief Executive of Maxwell Chambers, Ms Katherine Yap, delivered the welcome address. This was followed by the opening remarks by the Guest of Honour, Mr Daryl Chew, Chairman of Maxwell Chambers.  

In his address, Mr Chew shared “Mentorship is integral to one’s professional journey and a key part of mentorship is the free flow of ideas of stories and of personal anecdotes. At Maxwell Chambers, we wanted to create a platform and framework to share experiences to learn from others and to uncover innovative solutions to the challenges faced by the international arbitration community.”. 

Ms Shae Teo, Deputy Chief Executive of Maxwell Chambers also shared a presentation on Maxwell 2.0 and the Maxwell Mentorship Programme. 

About the Maxwell Mentorship Programme 

The Maxwell Mentorship Programme provides a platform for undergraduate and post graduate law students to be mentored by senior members of the ADR community in a practical “hands-on” context. Mentees will have the opportunity to facilitate the conduct of ADR proceedings, and assist “real-time” in the efficient resolution of disputes. With the emerging role of technology in the ADR sphere, Mentees will be educated on and be provided with access to the latest tools and applications, which may include secondments to our legal technology partners to broaden their horizons in this fast-evolving field. The programme will illustrate a flexible learning environment for students with interests in alternative dispute methods.  

A total of 20 Mentees from National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University Faculty of Law were selected from over 80 applications, after going through 2 rounds of interviews including a written assessment. Mentees are matched 1-to-1 with their Mentors, eminent practitioners who have agreed to partner with Maxwell Chambers to develop the programme, and to share valuable insights and advice with the next generation. 

Maxwell Mentors are senior eminent professionals, who have agreed to come onboard to nurture the next generation of young talents, sharing their career highlights and impart their arbitration acumen and practical know-how to Mentees.  

A unique feature of the programme is the support of leading legal tech providers – Epiq, FTI Consulting and Opus 2, who will be actively orientating the Mentees to the latest innovations in hearing technologies and legal solutions. They will also provide opportunities for secondment at their organisations. With the additional touchpoint of actual learning experience with the providers, Mentees will be better equipped to assist their Mentors in their hearings.  

Esteemed guests invited to the kickoff event included the Maxwell Steering Committee, consisting of the future leaders of the ADR community. The role of the Steering Committee is to provide periodic feedback and input on Maxwell Chambers innovations and developments. 

In addition, we would also like to thank OTTO, Pernod Ricad and The Chambers by Cask for supporting the kickoff event.  

Stay tuned for more updates on Maxwell Mentorship Programme.