Why Singapore Is Building International Law Expertise Now

From moot courtroom pressure to real world stakes

When a young Singaporean advocate faced questions from a former president of the International Court of Justice, the lesson was bigger than a single competition round. Representing Singapore Management University at the 2024 Lachs Space Law Moot world championship, Ms Raelee Toh fielded pointed prompts such as, “Where has this court discussed the doctrine you refer to?” The exchange captured the discipline, precision, and confidence that international law demands. It also captured why Singapore is investing serious effort in training the next cohort of lawyers who can argue, advise, and make policy on the global stage.

From maritime boundaries to digital trade rules, the global legal order shapes Singapore’s options. The city state sits on one of the world’s busiest sea routes and runs a modern digital economy that depends on predictable cross border rules. International law is not abstract theory for Singapore. It is a daily operating system for the port, the airport, the banks, the energy flows, and the data networks that keep the economy moving.

For a small state with an open economy, credibility in legal argument, treaty practice, and dispute settlement becomes a strategic asset. Building deep expertise in international law, in classrooms and training rooms and within the public service, is a national priority. The question is not whether to train, but how to prepare people for the specific issues that will define the next decade, from maritime safety to cyber governance.

Why international law matters to a city state

Singapore sits where the Strait of Malacca meets the South China Sea. Nearly a third of global shipping passes along nearby routes, and the port processes tens of millions of containers each year. Trade in goods and services is several times the size of domestic output. In this environment, a rules based order is a foundation for prosperity. Predictability, safe navigation, and fair market access are not slogans. They are the terms of trade that finance jobs and public services.

Much of this framework rests on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This treaty defines maritime zones, guarantees navigation, and sets obligations to protect the marine environment. It codifies rights such as transit passage in straits used for international navigation and clarifies exclusive economic zones where coastal states enjoy resource rights. With widespread participation in the treaty, Singapore can point to agreed rules when safeguarding navigation in the Strait of Singapore and when working with neighbors on fisheries, pollution response, and maritime research.

The regional picture is not simple. Parts of the South China Sea see overlapping claims, construction on features, and incidents at sea. Non state actors complicate matters. Researchers recorded frequent cases in recent years of fishing or coast guard vessels engaging in harassment or risky maneuvers. Land reclamation, oil spills, and marine debris add environmental strain. All of this makes technical legal skills especially valuable. Singapore needs lawyers who understand treaty text, state practice, and the evidence needed for arbitration, while also working pragmatically with partners to reduce risks and keep commerce moving.

Training pipelines: classrooms, academies, and public service

Singapore’s training ecosystem spans universities, specialty academies, and public sector courses. At the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, Master of Laws candidates can build depth in fields that matter for cross border work. Specialisations include International and Comparative Law, International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property and Technology Law, and Maritime Law. Students who prefer flexibility can pick a mix of courses without a formal specialisation. There are also double degree pathways with public policy that connect legal analysis to the work of government.

Beyond degree programmes, the Centre for International Law (CIL) has turned training into a repeatable offering for law students, junior practitioners, diplomats, and public officers. The CIL Singapore Academy of International Law will run in person from 3 to 7 March 2025, offering a structured, interactive format. Participants attend two three hour modules each day across one week, with preparatory materials and a special lecture. Graduates receive a training certificate from CIL. Registration is open until 14 February 2025 and the fee is SGD 800. Details are available at the CIL Academy page (link).

CIL’s curriculum maps closely to the issues Singapore faces. Modules include international law making, law of peace and security, dispute settlement in courts and tribunals, diplomatic and consular law, human rights, international humanitarian and criminal law, sustainable development, climate change, international responsibility, and the fast changing fields of cyber and artificial intelligence. The faculty list blends Singapore based experts with global practitioners, including members of the United Nations International Law Commission and experienced counsel from major cases.

Modules that meet current needs

Participants can expect to work through practical scenarios rather than only theory. For example, a dispute settlement module reviews evidence, fact finding, and pleadings for arbitration or litigation. A climate change session tackles how rising sea levels interact with baselines and maritime zones. A cyber and AI module explores accountability for automated systems, cross border data transfers, and the application of existing treaty obligations to new technologies. The design reflects the reality that today’s counsel must be comfortable in court, in consultation rooms, and in interagency settings.

Training is not new. CIL ran part time online courses in 2022 to widen access across the region, with weekly thematic modules and guest lectures by judges and ambassadors. That format served students and professionals who could not travel, and it showed that Singapore can convene talent from around the world. CIL also supports research careers, advertising post doctoral positions in international law and adjacent public law fields.

Specialist public sector courses round out the pipeline. The Singapore Cooperation Programme conducts an introductory course on the law of the sea for public officers and industry professionals. Participants learn maritime zones, rights of coastal and landlocked states, freedom of navigation, marine resource management, and dispute resolution mechanisms. This builds shared vocabulary across agencies, which is essential when lawyers, diplomats, and mariners must respond together to incidents at sea.

Arbitration and dispute settlement: where Singapore already leads

International arbitration is a major part of cross border practice in Singapore. The Singapore International Arbitration Centre is a leading venue, supported by modern legislation and a deep bench of counsel and arbitrators. The role of arbitrator is open in principle, but in practice institutions apply standards on independence, impartiality, and experience. For investor state disputes at ICSID, arbitrators must have high moral character and recognized competence in law, commerce, or finance. Other institutions, such as the ICC and ICDR, look for years of senior experience, training, and references.

Singapore’s ecosystem helps lawyers build toward those standards. SIAC expects candidates to have tertiary education, significant post qualification experience, fellowship with a recognized arbitration institute, and a track record in cases and awards. NUS Law offers a dedicated LLM specialisation in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution. Students engage with leading practitioners, learn procedural strategy, and sharpen advocacy. Moots, clinics, and placements create a pathway from classroom to casework.

Effective dispute settlement requires more than doctrinal knowledge. It also requires soft skills in negotiation, cross cultural communication, and project management. Singapore’s training systems aim to develop advocates who are calm under pressure and precise in both written and spoken submissions. The moot courtroom exchange that opened this article illustrates the standard. When a judge asks where a doctrine appears in precedent, the answer must be swift, accurate, and persuasive.

New frontiers in tech law: AI, data, and digital trade

Technology is reshaping international legal work at speed. Singapore’s Copyright Act, amended in 2021, introduced an exception for computational data analysis. With lawful access, users can mine copyrighted content for tasks such as training AI systems, including for commercial aims. This approach reflects an intent to support a digital economy while respecting creators’ interests through other safeguards. The policy debate is active worldwide. Litigants in some jurisdictions are testing the boundaries of fair use and text and data mining. In Singapore, guidance calls for balance and good faith practice. Counsel working in AI will need to translate that balance into deals, licenses, and risk controls.

Maritime security is also going digital. Remote vessel identification, encrypted data exchange, and port cybersecurity are now regular topics in legal and policy circles. Singapore has studied these questions, including how existing treaty rules, such as those in UNCLOS on safety and environmental protection, can accommodate modern systems. Lawyers must be ready to advise on data retention, privacy, liability for automated decisions, and evidence issues when cyber incidents affect ships or port facilities. Cross border data flows add a further layer, since jurisdiction and enforcement may span several states.

Preparing junior practitioners for this landscape is a priority. The Singapore Academy of Law launched the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme on May 21 to improve core skills and help early career lawyers stay ahead of the AI curve. The initiative pairs training in fundamentals with exposure to emerging tools. It supports retention by giving young lawyers structured progression and confidence in new practice areas.

Regional partnerships and a culture of cooperation

Singapore’s influence grows when it convenes neighbors and provides a neutral platform for cooperation. It has hosted dialogues that bring together scholars, naval officers, and diplomats to talk through maritime conduct and dispute management. It also works within ASEAN processes to support the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and to keep channels open for incident prevention.

This cooperative spirit extends to the wider Pacific. Addressing a legal training programme organized with the National University of Singapore, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna stressed the stakes for communities facing climate threats and geopolitical strain. He urged participants to equip themselves to defend the rule of law and protect their nations’ interests.

“We must continuously promote the path of dialogue, of peaceful negotiation, cooperation, diplomacy, of respect for and implementation of international law, of treaties, and of international customs.”

Pacific leaders have endorsed a declaration to preserve maritime zones in the face of sea level rise, an approach that speaks directly to the survival of low lying states. In Southeast Asia, Singapore has joined neighbors in public statements calling for restraint at sea and for full adherence to agreed codes of conduct. Regional capacity building is not just charity. Training a wider circle of practitioners helps shape shared expectations and lowers the temperature when incidents occur.

Talent, retention, and global exposure

Building expertise is only useful if talent stays engaged. Singapore’s legal sector has faced questions about attrition among young lawyers. Structured training and better rhythms of work can help. Programmes like the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification aim to reinforce basics and introduce new technology in ways that make practice more sustainable. Culture matters. Mentorship, feedback, and recognition of purpose make a difference in a field that demands long hours and high standards.

Global exposure also pays dividends. Singaporean law students regularly test themselves in international competitions, and some bring home awards. Success in public speaking and moot advocacy builds the confidence to argue complex issues with poise. Others spend part of their education abroad, then return to practice. A Singaporean graduate who studied law in Sydney later topped the Singapore Bar Examinations Part A for foreign graduates. These journeys widen networks and perspectives, which is invaluable for cross border legal work.

The bar, courts, and public service benefit when graduates blend local grounding with international experience. That mix aligns with Singapore’s role as an arbitration hub and commercial gateway. It also reflects the reality that many disputes involve assets, evidence, and witnesses across several jurisdictions. Lawyers who can coordinate effectively with foreign counsel and navigate procedural differences stand out.

What Singaporean international lawyers must master

Core subjects top the list. Law of the sea, treaty formation, state responsibility, diplomatic and consular law, and human rights remain the foundation. Applied areas are just as important. Cross border insolvency requires coordination between courts. Sanctions law intersects with trade, finance, and shipping. Environmental law and climate policy shape investment decisions and insurance. Evidence is changing too, with satellite data, ship tracking records, and digital logs now common in maritime cases.

Judicial cooperation is crucial. As one senior judge put it at a recent conference, international legal cooperation has become integral to daily judicial work. He highlighted the principle of comity of courts, which supports mutual respect and coordination without diluting sovereignty. The approach increases predictability for litigants and reduces the risk of conflicting outcomes.

“Justice should not be limited by national borders and the comity of courts and international legal cooperation are key instruments in achieving universal justice.”

Training should mirror these needs. Negotiation simulations help future counsel draft workable text for joint statements or memoranda of understanding. Workshops on evidence collection and chain of custody teach lawyers how to handle technical data. Language skills and cultural fluency improve advocacy in hearings and during settlement discussions. Exposure to science and technology, from climate modeling to cybersecurity, turns lawyers into better problem solvers when issues cross disciplines.

From classrooms to policy desks: measuring progress

How to tell if the investment is paying off? One indicator is the flow of practitioners who can operate in maritime, trade, and technology cases with confidence. Another is the ability to convene constructive dialogues that reduce risk at sea. Singapore’s institutions report steady training cohorts each year, including a growing cadre of maritime focused counsel. Policy initiatives show a legal lens as well. Work on green shipping corridors, action against illegal fishing, and efforts to modernize port cybersecurity all draw on legal analysis and coordination with partners.

Certificates and courses matter, but the real test is practice. Singapore officials routinely cite UNCLOS principles when engaging partners on navigation and environmental protection. Joint communiques with neighbors reinforce restraint and non militarization. Track Two meetings help shape expectations and provide channels for de escalation. In courtrooms and arbitral hearings, Singapore based counsel appear in complex disputes that set useful precedents. The journey from moot room to mission room is becoming a well trodden path.

Key Points

• Singapore’s economy depends on rules based trade, safe navigation, and predictable cross border frameworks, making international law a strategic necessity.
• UNCLOS underpins navigation rights, maritime zones, and environmental obligations that directly affect Singapore’s waters and shipping lanes.
• The CIL Academy runs intensive training in March 2025 with modules on dispute settlement, climate law, cyber, and artificial intelligence, complementing NUS Law LLM specialisations.
• Public officers train through law of the sea courses that build shared understanding of UNCLOS, navigation rights, and dispute resolution.
• Singapore strengthens arbitration leadership through SIAC standards, dedicated LLM tracks, and practice based training for counsel and future arbitrators.
• Tech policy is a growth area, with a copyright exception for computational data analysis and rising demand for AI and cyber legal expertise.
• Regional cooperation includes capacity building with Pacific and ASEAN partners and support for restraint at sea and compliance with agreed norms.
• Retention efforts, including a junior lawyers certification programme, aim to grow and keep talent while equipping young practitioners for AI and complex cross border work.
• Court to court cooperation and comity are central as cases span multiple jurisdictions, assets, and evidence sources.
• Outcomes are visible in stronger advocacy, more capable training cohorts, and practical engagement that supports safe navigation and sustainable maritime governance.