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Keio LL.M. Students Complete Internships -- Report on Internship to the Singapore International Commercial Court

2018.04.13

In the months of February and March 2018, between our Fall and Spring terms, many students in the LL.M. program in Global Legal Practice were able to participate in internships arranged by the Law School with corporate legal departments, law firms, international organizations and other public bodies.


Under a recent agreement with the Singapore International Commercial Court, the Court accepted our first intern, Victor Denjakin, a German lawyer who entered the LL.M. program in September 2017. Victor was attached to the Court from February 19, 2018 to March 2, 2018, and his report follows below.


Internship Comment Singapore International Commercial Court ("SICC" or the "Court")


The Internship provided deep insight into the Court's work. As the Court is a young institution, existing for only about 3 years, naturally the establishment of its jurisdiction and the creation of precedent are currently the most important tasks.


The SICC is part of the Singapore Supreme Court and has received most of its initial cases via a process of redirection from the Singapore courts. However, during my internship, the Court received its first case where the SICC had been designated by the parties as the dispute resolution body of choice. For the SICC, this could very well be the first step to becoming the most important international commercial litigation court in South East Asia.


During my internship, I had the pleasure to work with a former UK high court judge who now serves as an SICC judge in Singapore. He gave me first-hand insight into how the court works, including trial preparations (e.g. pre-trial conferences with the parties) and into the actual court work during the trial, between sessions, and after the final submissions. For me, especially as I am a lawyer from a civil law jurisdiction, it was a valuable experience to observe the work of the court and the attorneys, as the trial was a common law trial conducted on a very high professional level.


In conclusion, it can be said that the SICC works in a highly efficient manner while being very accurate and precise about all aspects of the trial. Its caseload should increase significantly over time. If future cases are handled in the same matter as the proceedings I had the chance to observe, the SICC is sure to be a successful model.


I feel greatly indebted to the SICC and all its employees who helped me to get this valuable first-hand experience and of course everybody at Keio University who made it possible.


Respectfully,


Viktor Denjakin

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