07/05/2026
ADR
subtitle
The co-convenors of the ADR Committee are CLA Council members Santhaan Krishnan (India) and Rene M Baptiste CMG (St Vincent and The Grenadines).
The co-convenors invite CLA members to join this committee, whose mission is to enable CLA members and others to share experience and develop awareness of all methods of resolving disputes without going to court, including Arbitration and Mediation and hybrid forms of each. The Committee will facilitate this through a subgroup of the Committee considering Arbitration and a subgroup considering Mediation and Committee members can be part of each subgroup. The Committee and the subgroups shall exchange views and knowledge, develop policy positions, undertake special projects including encouraging all Commonwealth Members to ratify the Singapore Mediation Convention and shall advise the CLA Council on arbitration and mediation and dispute resolution matters.
CLA members are encouraged to read the Committee’s Terms of Reference and email info@commonwealthlawyers.com to join this committee which meets every two months.
Terms of Reference
Download the committee’s official terms of reference and governance framework.
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Committee Co-Convenors
Dr. Sarah Williams
Dr. Sarah Williams is a leading constitutional law scholar with over 20 years of experience in human rights advocacy. She has advised governments across the Commonwealth on constitutional reform and has published extensively on comparative constitutional law. Sarah currently serves as Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of London and is a frequent contributor to international human rights tribunals.
Justice Michael Chen
Justice Michael Chen brings extensive judicial experience to the committee, having served on the High Court for 15 years. His landmark judgments on constitutional rights have shaped jurisprudence across multiple Commonwealth jurisdictions. Before his judicial appointment, Michael practiced as a human rights barrister and represented clients before the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee.
Committee Highlights
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24/05/2026