Appointment to the Singapore International Commercial Court (7 Nov 2018)

The President of the Republic of Singapore, in accordance with Article 95(4) (C) of the Constitution, has appointed The Right Honourable The Lord Jonathan Hugh Mance as International Judge (IJ) of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) for a period of 2 years commencing 5 January 2019. 

Lord Mance, 75, who read law at University College, Oxford, was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 1965 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1982 and a Bencher in 1989.  Lord Mance was a commercial lawyer, whose practice developed a substantial international element, including considerable periods in Hong Kong and The Bahamas. He was appointed a High Court Judge in 1993 and served on the British Bench for 25 years. In Oct 2009, Lord Mance became a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (when it was created) and he was appointed its Deputy President in 2017.  He retired from the UK Supreme Court in June this year.

Having both private sector experience and experience on the Bench, Lord Mance is widely regarded as one of the leading commercial judges in the world. He has written many judgments on international, commercial and European law at both the first instance and appellate levels. His specialisation in commercial law includes insurance and reinsurance, professional negligence, banking and international trade.

Besides his judicial duties, Lord Mance had also chaired various Banking Appeals Tribunals. He represented the UK in the Consultative Council of European Judges from 2000 to 2011, and was elected as its first Chairman from 2000 to 2003. He was also President of the British Insurance Law Association from 2000 to 2002, and a member of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee from 2006 to 2009. He currently chairs the International Law Association as well as the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Private International Law, and is a member of the Judicial Integrity Group (responsible for the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct).

With his appointment, the number of IJs at the SICC stands at 16.

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PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
7 NOVEMBER 2018